Conducted by Cast from Clay CEO Tom Hashemi, the interview examines how political influence works in practice inside the Scottish Parliament, drawing on Nevens' perspective as a member elected in May 2026 and her earlier experience in advocacy.
A central theme is the pace of parliamentary work. Nevens describes work that would once have taken a day now needing to be done in five minutes. Members, meanwhile, may have as little as ten minutes to write a speech from a briefing. The most useful briefings, she argues, are skimmable: a small number of clear points, a specific ask of the Scottish Government, and lived experience from the people affected. She adds that statistics are "not unhelpful either."
The interview considers who can realistically work at that speed. Larger organisations with dedicated public affairs staff are best placed, she says. Debates are often confirmed only a day in advance, which leaves little scope to ask grassroots organisations for input on the issues where their contribution may matter most. Nevens is also uneasy about the culture of short stakeholder meetings, in which organisations are asked to name a single action on a complex issue, a habit she is wary of falling into herself.
On how political activity is represented externally. Nevens tells Policy Unstuck that nonverbal exchange during debates signals cross-party alignment, yet none of it appears in conventional parliamentary monitoring or media reporting. "It says more than what was actually said," she notes.
The full interview, "What won't show in your parliamentary monitoring," is available at: https://policyunstuck.castfromclay.co.uk/p/what-won-t-show-in-your-parliamentary-monitoring-kate-nevens
For further information on Policy Unstuck and other Cast from Clay publications, visit https://castfromclay.co.uk/
Stephen Ramotowski
Cast from Clay
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