Sunday March 1st 2026
Promotional poster from the Scottish Family Party
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A burgeoning political party is embracing the digital age with a Borders spokesperson inviting would-be voters to ‘have a chat’.
The Scottish Family Party (SFP) has launched a chatbot to enable anyone to receive definitive answers to questions about its policies.
Launched in 2017 and led by Richard Lucas, the party focusses on defending family values and is pro-marriage and anti-abortion.
Ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections in May, the SFP is promoting a range of other policies – and is utilising a chatbot to do so.
A chatbot is a software application designed to simulate human conversation through text or voice commands, allowing users to interact with digital devices as if they were speaking to a real person.
Called “ChatSFP”, and accessed at ChatSFP.com, it draws from the latest version of the SFP’s policy document (which runs to over 16,000 words) as well as from relevant social media discussions and debates.
Explaining the background to this tool, Duns-based Hamish Goldie-Scot, who chairs the party’s Borders branch, commented: “Experience on the doorstep had suggested that many people thought of the SFP simply in terms of its unique policy positions aimed at protecting the most vulnerable, supporting families and improving standards in our schools”
“But our manifesto is much broader than that. As a result of our growing membership, which includes experienced men and women from all walks of life, and our evidence-based approach to policy development, we now have carefully considered policy positions on 14 main policy areas, each of which includes multiple sub-topics.
“So whether a question is about the cost of living crisis, the challenge of climate change, or immigration, we have something to say, if only to contribute in a reasonable, respectful and often fresh manner to discussions about complex inter-related issues.”
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