Central Scotland's first ever Green MSP reflects on ups and downs during three years of working in Scottish Parliament

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The first ever Green Party MSP for Central Scotland has reflected on her time representing constituents at Holyrood.Approaching three years in office, Gillian Mackay has been involved in a number of high-profile issues at both local and national levels.Among them, the ban of disposable vapes; safe buffer zones for women accessing abortion services; the Ravenscraig rail freight hub; and a campaign to have Scotland’s international football matches on free-to-view TV.The 32-year-old has a hearing-related disability and entered politics through an Inclusion Scotland internship.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Lanarkshire Live caught up with the MSP at her regional base in Motherwell where she revealed a bit about her time so far as a Member of the Scottish Parliament. “Being in the chamber environment as a newbie was very daunting, but once you’ve done it a few times it gets less daunting, she admits. “I had quite a lot of help in the early days from Alison Johnstone [Presiding Officer] and Patrick Harvie.

I got really good advice from them on what to do and what not to do.“The outside pressure and abuse you can get is very different from what I thought it would be.

Some of it is much easier to brush off than others. Some of it can be very personal.“Not many people understand the mechanics of how