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Second most important issue for the parliament should be nurses' pay, with support for fishing and farming communities third.

At the other end of the scale were road congestion charging, more money for the arts and allowing universities to charge students higher fees.

What are your priorities for the new parliament?

This discussion is now closed. You can read a selection of the e-mails received below.

Can someone explain to me why voting in the Scottish elections should be on the basis of whether you are for or against the war? Unless John Swinney gets his way, Holyrood will never have any influence on foreign policy so people should vote only on the policies and matters which the parliament can deal with - using this as a protest vote against the government (of any political colour) devalues the Scottish Parliament to something equivalent to an English district or parish council.
Keith, Edinburgh

I'm fed up with politicians having to follow the party line whether they agree or not. It's time for the people of Scotland to use their second vote wisely and give the lesser parties and independent candidates a chance. I'll be using my second vote for Adam Lyal's Witchery Tour Party, who I believe will be on the Lothians list. There's no point in using your second vote for a major party as they'll probably win most of the constituency seats.
Derek Stores, Edinburgh

I think my political priority would be for the existence of a left-wing, liberal-minded political party that actually managed to make itself credible and relevant.
Helen, Glasgow

Red tape is killing off any chance Scottish manufacturing has. The Lib Dems are the only party who look like getting rid of it and who seem to have broken free from name-calling politics to something sensible.
Mike Ramscar, Edinburgh

I agree with Neil Gall the priority is the independence for Scotland. The sooner the English taxpayers get rid of the Scots the better. Its about time the rest of the UK rid itself of the huge tax burden that is Scotland and its expensive, corrupt parliament. I am sick of hearing that all Scotland's problems are down to Westminster and England. The current Westminster Government is dominated by Scots
G Scott, UK

North Edinburgh needs more visible police presence on the streets now!
John, Edinburgh

I agree with the civil servant. Just because people don't know what bills the parliament has passed and the good things they have resulted in for Scotland, doesn't mean that the parliament isn't doing any good. All this information is available to people in their local libraries - they just can't be bothered to go and look. They rely on the newspapers to give them one side of the story without looking for the other, which is simply laziness. I agree, the parliament could do a lot more about letting us all know what they do, but if they did publish leaflets describing in simple terms what the latest bill does for the people, they would be described as big headed and arrogant. It's a no win situation. Oh, and the new building that's costing so much, is a fraction of the price of our health service, although I agree it could have been a lot cheaper. If only the politicians had put builders in charge, they wouldn't be getting screwed over by the contractors who are charging far above the norm just because they can.
Kirsten Thompson, Edinburgh

I shall be voting for a pro-independence party for the first time. The UK is now a rogue state at odds with everything I was brought up to believe in. I no longer wish to live there.
Neil Gall, Edinburgh

Why not rid this region of red tape. Let's rid all the NHS trusts and replace them with just one, get rid of all the unnecessary managers and secretaries and put the savings into patient care. The same could be done with the police, schools and the fire brigade, one centralised unit is all that's needed. If this was done there would be fewer chiefs and more police/firefighters/teachers to tackle real issues.
Brad, Edinburgh, UK

Having left university almost �20,000 in debt, without having to pay fees, the cost of a higher education is now spiralling out of control. My parents have paid their taxes to have me educated and now the burden is falling on the individual. By the time I have children I will be funding their education as well as having had to fund my own. If fees had been payable when I went to university my parents would have been struggling to pay. They have their retirement to save for.
Euan Cameron, Glasgow

I totally disagree allowing universities to charge students higher fees. True that the University of Edinburgh for example is already facing increasing financial difficulties and many important infrastructures, even the library, has to be reduced in numbers and opening hours cut. There ought to be more funding on education, rather than charging students more money. I fear that this is going to discourage more people from higher education.
Karen , Edinburgh

I agree that this election should be about the war in Iraq. I will not vote for the SSP, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP or any other party that supports the continued oppression of the Iraqi people by the tyrant Saddam Hussein.
Murray, Aberdeenshire

It's the economy stupid !!... If we don't establish a flourishing and dynamic economy in Scotland how does everyone think we're going to pay for extra bobbies, nurses etc etc.....
Dick Winchester, Old Rayne, Aberdeenshire

It's depressing that so many people want more police. My priorities would be; tackling the causes of ill health and of crime and supporting the rural economy
Gregor, Inverness

The priority of the next government must be to revive our flagging economy. I realise that there are global problems, but Scotland has been suffering from long-term, structural handicaps for at least 40 years. We need to grasp our rights internationally and participate fully in various forums; Commonwealth, EU, WTO and UN, ie, we need independence.
Stuart Dickson, Gothenburg, Sweden

Why can we not spend money on police auxiliaries as they have in England, who can fine and detain people instead of the estate wardens who are just jannies?
G F McDermott, Dunblane

An Independence referendum has to be the top priority of the next Scottish government. The Scottish people have the right to choose their constitutional future.
Keith Brockie, Falkirk, Scotland

Policing is sure important, but as a teacher of special needs kids, I'd like to see much more secure provision for SEBD kids, social workers that actually do some work and a total revision of the educational needs for this group of students
Andrew Kerr, Livingston, West Lothian

Why should we bother voting? I'm not going to vote for a central Scotland-biased parliament.
Graeme, Dingwall

I will vote for anyone who is against the war and encourage everyone I know to not vote New Labour. That we are responsible for mass deaths in Iraq is my only priority. Everything else is just so unimportant.
John N Sutherland, St Andrews

The parliament must sort out the education system. The politicians with their educated cronies ruined a reasonable set up and now they can't fix it. They have to be forced to do it.
Neil Mckie, Evanton

I believe the people who live in Scotland should decide their own priorities - let's grow up and be a proper country. The main decision at present should be the cessation of war in Iraq but we can't even make that with devolution. Let's join the world and have our say.
Graeme Clark, Banchory

We should stop paying an outrageous price for the new Scottish Parliament building. The funding for that alone should be put into our rural communities. There is more to Scotland than towns and cities, rural areas have a lot to offer and should be given every chance and encouragement to do so.
Pam, Arbroath

My priority for the new parliament is independence. Only then can we really tackle crime, public transport and infrastructure, the health service, education, the economy, the arts, indigenous culture and, of course, removing "weapons of mass destruction".
LM, Isle of Skye

As the Americans heard in 1992, it's the economy... a tall order for any incoming government. It's a mare's nest. Reducing bureaucracy, local electoral reform to make councils more accountable, tax reform and environmental reform are also important. Putting more bobbies on the beat is at best a half-solution. Crime would be better attacked by cleaning up the streets literally, and involving residents in keeping them clean. There is proven link between untidiness and crime.
Steve Evans, Glasgow

A survey of political priorities you say? Strange then that nowhere in this survey was there mention of the fire service dispute. Perhaps the voters should have been asked: "Are you in favour of Jack McConnell following the lead of John Prescott and imposing swingeing cuts on the fire service in the face of a growing terrorist threat?" Ironic that this question would be seen by New Labour as too political. What times we live in.
Stuart, Glasgow

I think the police's priorities are all wrong. They obviously have the resources, as in recent weeks I have been amazed how many police have attended demonstrations (often more than there are protestors), but never ever do we see the police patrolling the streets, which is what the public ask for time and time again.
Mark, Edinburgh

As someone who works within the civil service I am frequently disheartened by complaints from the public about how little the parliament has done. With something like 150 bills having been passed in the first four years of the parliament (as opposed to say 20 at the most with direct relevance to Scotland that would have been passed in Westminster over the same timescale) how can people say nothing has been done? Just because you are not aware of new laws being made, or because they are not of direct relevance to your day-to-day life, does not mean that nothing is being done. I speak as someone who was previously against devolution but who, through practical experience, has witnessed what has been happening. It seems to me that people are often complaining on the basis of what they read in newspapers, in line with a tabloid agenda. But a lot of papers in my experience are determined to report only the bad news. I know of many different initiatives that do not get coverage in the press, or do so only if something goes wrong. The parliament and the executive are doing a lot of good. Yes there are problems, but the parliament needs time to bed in and establish a good calibre of ministers and MSPs (in the meantime, trust the civil servants - they're just like you). And in direct response to a few of the comments I've read here on the website, the number of police on the beat have increased to record levels over the past four years, and youth crime has been dropping steadily for the last 10 years. Don't believe all the tabloids tell you!
GJ, Edinburgh

Unfortunately, the Scottish Parliament does not actually have the power to change its size - this is reserved to Westminster. Priority 13 of the Scottish people, therefore, cannot be realised by any incoming group of MSPs, unless, of course, some of them choose just to boycott proceedings!
Kenneth MacArthur, Edinburgh

The main priority facing this country is equipping the parliament with the full and normal powers of independence. Thus armed, we will be able to seriously address the appalling growth of the Scottish economy, the main driver for social justice and quality of life. By giving Scottish business the competitive edge it is crying out for, we will be able to deliver the increased tax revenues into our public services & deliver the world class provision that the people of Scotland deserve. Shirking the responsibilities of independence will mean more of the same massaged economic decline, in tandem with the "fat cats" privatisation charter so enthusiastically pushed by Labour/Liberal & Tories. If we are serious about change, rather than simply acting as apologists of the Greater English State, we have to begin the process now at this election of repatriating Scotland's sovereignty back to the people.
Ron Wilson, Argyll

No way do I believe this is voters priorities. The war must be top priority! I don't know anyone that thinks policing is top priority, the parties that support war are running scared
Dave Smith, Edinburgh

I am sick and tired of people being uninformed about the parliament and giving it a bad time. In the past four years it has passed over 60 pieces of legislation that truly will change the day to day life of us all, it has proposed and is implementing a series of important and robust strategies especially in lifelong learning, enterprise and other crucial areas of social development and inclusion. The parliament's strength is clear its only weakness is the ignorance of the electorate.
Charlie, Edinburgh

We don't need more police, we need more funding for education, less on the military spending and the Scottish way of life would be a lot better, as at the moment, we are like a third world country in certain areas of Glasgow. We need to feed heads, get people into education and make Scotland strong again!
Paul, Inverness

Health should be a key priority. I'm still disgusted by the decision to downgrade the Victoria Infirmary. The south side of Glasgow will end up with poorer services as a result.
N. Morgan, Glasgow

I will be casting a vote for morality. Strong words, I know, but the actions of those at Westminster who led us to the current situation regarding foreign policy go against everything I believe in, and everything we are brought up to respect. The corresponding MSPs did nothing to prevent the bombs being dropped on people as I write. Democracy has been denied, and unless there are big changes at the top, this will only degenerate further. I will be voting against this war, against this climate of pure capitalism, against imperialism and against those who did not speak out in protest. Only by attacking the core can we achieve success in areas such as education, poverty and justice.
Betty, Edinburgh

I want a government that does not play "big brother" all the time. I want to see less money spent on fancy parliament buildings and salaries for those and such as those. I want to see our children under less pressure by exams but also taught to be responsible by being given responsibilities. I want to feel that any government has the interests of the every day ordinary person at heart - not one party does at the moment. It's all power games.
Kate, Scotland

I'm amazed people can be so short sighted about congestion charging. Do they expect to be able to drive into cities until they are full of cars and no one can move? Top priority for the Scottish Executive must be to scrap all the huge wasteful road building schemes and put the money into public transport improvements. Well done to the Scottish Parliament for land reform, banning fox hunting and getting rid of Section 28!
John Allen, Aberdeen

Scrap the carbuncle that is the Scottish Parliament. They can't even build themselves a new home - how can we expect this shower of incompetents to run a country? With the money saved from paying the politicians and all their "assistants" we could have better public transport and more police. Perhaps some of those police could investigate the corruption and mismanagement of our local councils which is also rife.
Bob, Glasgow

If one looks at the questions actually asked, most are prefixed with "spend more money..." on health and so on. There is no such qualification as regards policing. The option is simply "put more police on the streets." Would the priorities have been different if the option had been "spend more money on police salaries"?
David Halliday, Scotland

Coverage in the media has noted that people voted against more money for the arts. But that wasn't what the survey asked; comment was sought on "substantially increasing" money for the arts. Why wasn't "substantially" used in describing other potential funding increases (I accept that this was the gist of the nurses' pay section)
Frank, Edinburgh

I'm fed up of people saying that the parliament has done nothing for us. The repeal of Section 28 was of vital importance to every child growing up in Scotland who now don't have to have the prejudice of their forefathers forced on them. Such issues are vitally important, indeed, save lives that otherwise end in suicide or are stunted by depression and exclusion. I want to see the parliament focus on social justice in Scotland, tackling exclusion caused not just by poverty but also by the discrimination still built into our society. Consensus politics should enable this - let's not let Westminster-style electioneering take away this opportunity.
Duncan Hothersall, Edinburgh

More young people who are not academic to be given the chance of vocational training.
Karl Sweeney, Glasgow

The escalating Council Tax is a major concern. It is time to re-address the method of paying for local services. Removing the Poll Tax and replacing it with another brand of head tax is certainly not the answer. Any party dedicated to reviewing this unfair tax gets my vote.
Soren Bailey, Edinburgh

As far as I can see having a Scottish Parliament has made no change to the lives of the people in Scotland, it is all talk and no action. Perhaps if we re-directed the funding for the new parliament building into improvements needed in crime prevention/education/health/transport etc we would all see clear improvements to our daily lives.
C. Sanderson, Scotland

I agree with Walter Stevenson's comments. The parliament has done absolutely nothing to improve life in Scotland but has cost, and will continue to cost, a lot of money that could be used to benefit the people of Scotland. I think voting cards should have a "none of the above" choice for people to show their displeasure rather than not turning up. Not turning up gives the politicians an easy excuse of voter apathy for the poor turn out. The parliament is an irrelevance in every day life. The second division politicians lack the courage to make the tough decisions to improve life for the ordinary people of Scotland.
Neil McKinlay, Falkirk

Someone badly needs to sort out our public transport system - it is slow, frequently late or non-running, antiquated, non-integrated, uncomfortable and too expensive!
Graham, Glasgow

My top priority in times like these is to rid Scotland of weapons of mass destruction and of New Labour's war mongers, to shut down Faslane and to immediately withdrawal Scottish troops from Iraq. Other than this, public transport should be brought back into public ownership and improved and PPPs stopped, the council tax should be improved by an income related service tax etc..
Gunnar Bali, Glasgow

I moved recently from East Kilbride. The police there were never able to respond quickly and, considering that there often were not more than eight on duty to cover a town of 80,000 people, that isn't particularly surprising. East Kilbride needs more police on the streets - I would be amazed if the rest of Scotland didn't too.
Grant, USA

My Priority for the Scottish elections is that each of the parties should create a cost/benefit schedule to show what use the parliament has actually been in providing the Scottish people any benefits. Seems that a lot of money is going into this new building and the payments to MSPs without us really getting any additional benefit.
Allan, Glasgow

I know it's not a Scottish Parliament issue, but the war will have a bearing on who I vote for. Also Walter Stevenson - by not voting - gets the government everyone else wants - heaven help him (and us) if minority extremist parties get seats because people are daft enough not to vote. No vote is a wasted vote.
G McD, Livingston

I have concerns that continuing use of PFI/PPP will lead us to a bankrupted public sector with jobs cut and charges introduced to pay the extortionate levels of interest/fees charged by private firms. The politicians who have signed us up for these deals should be surcharged for failing the public.
Kenny MacLaren, Paisley, Scotland

Scottish parliament is an expensive and unnecessary layer of government. Having done little to improve Scotland in the current parliament I will not be voting at all. The more people who do not vote will emphasise the expensive irrelevance of the parliament, the ministers & MSPs. By voting for any party I would be guilty of giving the elections a status that the Scottish Parliament does not deserve.
Walter Stevenson, Falkirk

My top priority will always be the environment. Without it, we cannot continue to exist!
Ormungandr Melchizedek, Scotland

As a direct result of the "achievements" of the Scottish Parliament, especially in regard to the absolute disregard the MSPs have shown toward us, I'll be voting for one of the smaller parties. Don't waste your vote by not voting, vote for one of the parties outside the "top" five.
Andy Mac, Scotland

My main concern for the coming election is the state of Scotland's schools. I am totally opposed to the use of PPP as a means of solving the problem. PPP doesn't work look at the state of Hairmyres Hospital and the problems it has been left with by using PPP, or the roof collapse at the Strathclyde Police training college after a night of heavy rain. How long before the building problems which seem to be an inherent part of PPP projects start to affect the education of our children or worse someone gets injured as a result of PPP being used to finance projects?
Martin Grant, East Kilbride, Scotland

It's time to address the issue of youth crime & the gangs that are starting to dominate our communities. The social "workers" have had their chance & not surprisingly, the situation has got worse - the all expenses paid holidays abroad obviously not a success then. These gangs (male & female) have no respect for people or property and are now invading all areas of the city. It's time to get tough & start handing down custodial sentences on these scum. Why should the decent majority suffer for the benefit of a selfish minority. If we do nothing now think what the situation will be like in 10 years.
Darren, Edinburgh

It is so very clear to me that you have to tackle the causes of crime, but that isn't very attractive, apparently, to the voting public? Why? Politicians prefer to woo the voters the easy way (more police) than telling them the truth about the association between crime and poverty. If voters knew the truth, they would all be calling for an end to poverty and voting for the party that promised to tackle it. Start tackling poverty and you will reduce crime.
Sue, Edinburgh

My priority for the Scottish Parliament is to stop the senseless murder and injury of the people of Iraqi and to stop any such attacks in the future.
Pat Farrelly, Glasgow