Motion sickness.

Despite the fact the Scottish Parliament is technically in recess until 4th September, that hasn't stopped Members of the Scottish Parliament tabling motions in Holyrood raising issues of concern to their constituents. But, unfortunately this has also lead to our MSPs exhibiting a rather competitive streak in tabling more than one motion on the same issue, and then indeed tabling amendments and then counter amendments to each other's motions.

The latest example is Motion S3M-354 in the name of Labour MSP Irene Oldfather on NACCO Material Handling Group Job Losses, Irvine, which is competing with Motion S3M-353 in the name of SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson on the Closure of the Hyster Forklift Plant in Irvine (the exact same issue). Another example is the on-going ding-dong between SNP MSP Christine Grahame and Opposition MSPs around her campaign to get the saltire flying more often on Edinburgh Castle which has so far generated no fewer than five Motions: S3M-333 on the Ownership of Edinburgh Castle, Amendment S3M-333.1 from Labour MSP Tom McCabe, and Motion S3M-327 by Christine Grahame on The Saltire for Scotland’s Capital, which has generated two Amendment Motions S3M-327.1 and S3M-327.2.

Mr Smith asks if the spirit of the "new politics" shouldn't now also extend to the practice of tabling parliamentary motions, and surely our elected representatives have something better to be doing with their time? Well actually at the moment they don't, because they are in "recess."