Promoting integrity, compassion, justice and wisdom in Scottish public life

The Scottish Parliament’s ceremonial Mace, without which no business can be conducted, is inscribed with these words: integrity, compassion, justice and wisdom.

Scotland’s Four Words of Hope aims to promote these words - and what they mean in practice – in the run up to, and following, the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2026. Our aim is that these words underpin the quality of debate and decisions, helping to restore trust in public life in Scotland.

Context

Democratic societies face serious challenges around the world. Wars are raging. Authoritarianism is on the rise.  There is increasing evidence of how much social media can deepen divisions. Public disaffection is rife.

The UK in general, and Scotland, in particular are not exempt.

The facts on the ground in Scotland might be mixed: by some measures – e.g. child poverty, homicides - things are improving; by others – e.g. increasingly poor mental health – the opposite is true. But the state of trust in public life is clear.  The Ipsos Veracity Index 2023 found that in the UK as few as 9% of the public trusts politicians to tell the truth, down from 12% in 2022. A 2025 Carnegie UK survey concludes that people in Scotland are above all concerned about their democratic well-being. People, especially the young, do not feel that their voice is being heard. And in February the Jo Cox Foundation reported that gender-based online abuse of MSPs had increased more than a hundred-fold between 2023 and 2024.

People disagree whether this state of affairs is worse than ever. In a sense, this is immaterial: what matters is what seems like a heartfelt consensus that things need to be turned around.

Scotland’s Four Words of Hope

The starting premise of this project is an unwillingness to be bystanders. The journey may be long and arduous, but we need to take a first step. We need to grasp hope wherever we can find it - which brings us to the Mace.

To “turn things round” we need to agree on the features of a better place.  This can be a divisive and lengthy process.  Public life in Scotland has one distinct advantage: the Scottish Parliament, which takes decisions on most issues facing the people of Scotland, articulates every day what good looks like: the fabulous four words on the mace - Integrity, Compassion, Justice, and Wisdom.

In order to stem the loss of trust, our aim is to promote these words and give them traction. When issues are debated, decisions are taken or votes are cast, we want people to have in the front of their minds these words and what they mean in practice.

The destination

In five years’ time, we will rejoice if

               public opinion surveys show that the loss of trust in public life in Scotland has been stemmed

               international observers admire the way Scotland now addresses shared challenges through its core values.

Making a difference

There are many ways in which this could be achieved, some quick, some long term.

We have already

• worked with the Royal Society of Edinburgh to undertake social research into what the range of people in Scotland understand by these words today;
• prepared tailored material so that pre-election hustings can cover not only policy issues but the implications of these values for candidates;

• prepared a public pledge through which candidates, individuals and organisations can undertake to be guided by these values.

We intend after the election to deliver two important new projects

• citizens panels designed to show how consistent different policies and people are with the values in practice/reality and
• equipping MSPs – starting with those newly elected - to support them in staying true to the values.

Who we are

Scotland’s Four Words of Hope is being undertaken under the auspices of the International Futures Forum and in association with a growing number of other organisations, including the Royal Society of Edinburgh, The Young Academy of Scotland, Christian Aid, SCVO, The Church of Scotland and Cyrenians. It is being led by Frank Strang MBE, former Senior Civil Servant in the UK and Scottish Governments and chair of the Solas Festival.

We would be delighted if you wanted to be kept informed or to join us on this exciting endeavour. Visit www.scotlandsfourwords.org to find out more and register support.