User:TheDockterisin/sandbox3

''' My final edit will be about the current devolved Scottish Parliament, which is located in Edinburgh. '''

 Currently the Edinburgh page has this information on the Scottish Parliament: 

Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh, like all of Scotland, is represented in the Scottish Parliament. For electoral purposes, the city is divided into six constituencies which, along with 3 seats outside of the city, form part of the Lothian region. Each constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system of election, and the region elects seven additional MSPs to produce a result based on a form of proportional representation.

As of the 2016 election, the Scottish National Party have three MSPs: Ash Denham for Edinburgh Eastern, Ben Macpherson for Edinburgh Northern and Leith and Gordon MacDonald for Edinburgh Pentlands constituencies. Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Scottish Liberal Democrats represents Edinburgh Western, Daniel Johnson of the Scottish Labour Party represents Edinburgh Southern constituency, and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson currently represents the Edinburgh Central constituency.

''' My Additions to this information appear below. '''

The earliest historical mention of a Scottish Parliament comes from 1235, where an assembly met in Kirkliston, near Edinburgh. The creation of the modern Parliament came about through a Scottish referendum in 1997, which led to the "Scotland Act" in the United Kingdom Parliament in 1998. The Scotland Act also provides that any act of the newly created Parliament can be challenged under provisions of the Scotland Act convention rights. The modern Scottish Parliament was then instituted in the capital city of Edinburgh in early 1999. On July first of that same year, the Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, officially opened the Scottish Parliament for business. This new system of devolved politics was a significant change from the ascendency of Westminster in national politics, and has been likened to a "quasi-federal system". Although there were some predictions that the English population would be unhappy with the new Parliament, opinion polling has shown that the overall feeling is positive and that many English citizens support the concept of a devolved Scottish Parliament. In 2004 a new Parliament building was opened at the end of the Royal Mile, near the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Because of the buildings location, it is often called Holyrood, which also serves as a metonym for the entire Scottish government.

The Parliament serves as one of the devolved legislatures of the United Kingdom, representing all of Scotland and the Scottish people. The Parliament's creators, the Consultative Steering Group, imagined it as "an open, accessible and, above all, participative Parliament" Further, they believed it need to "take a proactive approach to engaging with the Scottish people - in particular those groups traditionally excluded from the democratic process" To that end, the Scottish Parliament has been praised for being more inclusive regarding underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities, than its counterpart at Westminster. Another way the Parliament has facilitated access and participation has been through internet engagement. A few of these initiatives include the e-petitioning system, video diaries from the MSPs, and webcasting services. Although Scotland has three official languages (English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic), Parliamentary business is carried out in English only, with interpreters assisting when needed. The sitting head of the Scottish Parliament and government is currently First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP. The total number of MSPs in Parliament stands at 129. Currently, the largest and most successful party in the Parliament is the Scottish National Party (SNP), having won for a third consecutive time in the 2016 elections. The largest opposition party in the Parliament is currently the Scottish Conservatives. The current Parliament has eighteen active committees, concerned with national topics such as education, health, the environment, culture, tourism, the economy, human rights, and social security. The Parliaments staff, services, and property, which are necessary for carrying out day to day business, are provided by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB). The activities of the Parliament chamber are broadcast live and can be seen on the dedicated web channel "Scottish Parliament TV".