Scottish Catholic Observer

The Conservative MSP at the centre of a storm over faith schools in Scotland has defended comments that he made in Parliament last week.

At last Thursday’s Holyrood debate on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill, John Lamont, (above) the Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman, accused the education system in the west of Scotland of overseeing ‘state-sponsored conditioning of sectarian attitudes.’

His comments were rebuked by senior figures in the Catholic Church and First Minister Alex Salmond, who said that Mr Lamont should either apologise or resign as the Conservative Party’s justice spokesman.

Mr Lamont has since said, however, that his comments were taken out of context and he did not intend to offend.

“It is unfortunate that others have decided to misrepresent what I said but I was not elected to shy away from difficult debates,” Mr Lamont said. “I am a great supporter of faith schools, including those in the Borders, but there are issues in the west of Scotland which we need to address.

“Sectarianism is a serious problem which blights too many parts of west central Scotland. It is right that the Scottish Parliament is looking at how to address this issue.

“However, as part of this debate we need to look at every aspect of this problem including the role that the education system plays in those communities in the west of Scotland which are affected by sectarianism.

“Unfortunately, I have experienced this problem at first hand so I felt it was important that I shared these experiences with other MSPs.”

Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell, president of the Catholic Education Commission, said ‘the claim that Catholic schools are the cause of sectarianism is offensive and untenable.’

“There has never been any evidence produced by those hostile to Catholicism to support such a malicious misrepresentation,” the bishop said.