Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 27 November 2012
27 Nov 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
St Andrew’s Day
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the Scottish Government debate on St Andrew’s day, although a Scottish Government celebration of St Andrew’s day might be more appropriate than a debate. I am sorry to disagree with Ms Goldie.
St Andrew’s day should be a celebration of Scottish culture and tradition and a way for us to highlight that culture and tradition to the rest of the world, and to generate trade and tourism. Scotland has such a rich and vibrant history that we should all be proud to be Scottish and to share our traditions with the rest of the world.
Scotland has many things to share, from the Loch Ness monster to the elusive wild haggis, which frolics around steep mountains and hillsides, but only ever in one direction—the true
“Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race”.
Members might ask, if it is so elusive, how am I aware of its habitat? That evidence comes from a study in 2007 of the haggii and the stories of the many thousands of tourists who have come in search of the creatures.
Leaving aside the unique Scottish wildlife for now, my region has a vibrant history and many unique Scottish businesses. Ayrshire is, of course, the home of Robert Burns. There is a museum dedicated to his life in Irvine, where he lived for a time in 1781. It is said that Burns came to Irvine as a farmer but left as a poet. Just down the road in Alloway is the Robert Burns birthplace museum. The Irvine Burns club, which was opened in 1862, has a huge range of artefacts and one of Scotland’s most significant Burns treasure troves; I recommend that everyone who has an interest in Burns visit the centre to see the incredible array of Burns memorabilia.
Irvine also has the annual Marymass festival, which is organised by the Irvine Carters Society and North Ayrshire Council. The society dates back to the 11th century, when Irvine was the main port for Glasgow and men transported goods by cart to the city. The festival itself, which dates from the middle ages and arose from Mary Queen of Scots’s visit to the town in 1563, is a focal point for the town and attracts visitors from far and wide. Every August, many Irvinites return home to experience the fair’s rich pageantry and the week-long festivities. The festival not only promotes Irvine and contributes to the local economy, but brings thousands of people into Scotland.
Meanwhile, across the water in Arran, we have the famous Isle of Arran Cheese Shop and Arran Aromatics. I challenge anyone who goes to Arran not to come back with something from one of those shops or—if it is more members’ thing—something from the Arran Whisky distillery, which is one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland. Arran, which is a beautiful island in itself and attracts visitors from across the world, is known as “Scotland in miniature”. Many people who come to the island take a piece of it home through those businesses and many others; indeed, many of those businesses have extended their reach not only in Scotland but throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.
At a recent Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry event on exporting that I attended, the owners of Arran Aromatics and the Isle of Arran Cheese Shop said that they used to export to the mainland, which was Ayrshire, and then extended their exports to the middle east—or Edinburgh. Now they export to the far east, including Dubai and China. We in this Parliament have a duty to encourage Scottish businesses, culture and tradition to thrive not only throughout the world, but within Scotland itself.
I find it strange that one of the biggest celebrations of Scotland is tartan week, which takes place in Manhattan every year and is one of the largest outdoor Scottish events. Although it is great for promoting Scotland abroad, I have to ask why we do not have a similar co-ordinated event in Scotland on St Andrew’s day to promote our culture, history and businesses.
Everyone in Scotland should be able to celebrate St Andrew’s day. When I was a civil servant, we were delighted to be given the day off as a public holiday; however, most of us used the day to make a start on the Christmas shopping, with barely a thought given to St Andrew. Like any public holiday, it comes with a cost. If local authorities and the national health service gave all staff the day off, they would still need people to provide essential services, and those people would have to be paid additional-hours payments. With ever-decreasing resources, public services simply cannot afford such funding.
As the Labour amendment states,
“Scotland’s national day and flag belong to all of the people of Scotland regardless of origin, current residence and political beliefs”.
Everyone has a part to play in promoting Scotland. Not just one party but all of us in the chamber have Scotland’s interests at heart, and we all need to work together to ensure that we promote Scotland and St Andrew’s day.
15:39
St Andrew’s day should be a celebration of Scottish culture and tradition and a way for us to highlight that culture and tradition to the rest of the world, and to generate trade and tourism. Scotland has such a rich and vibrant history that we should all be proud to be Scottish and to share our traditions with the rest of the world.
Scotland has many things to share, from the Loch Ness monster to the elusive wild haggis, which frolics around steep mountains and hillsides, but only ever in one direction—the true
“Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race”.
Members might ask, if it is so elusive, how am I aware of its habitat? That evidence comes from a study in 2007 of the haggii and the stories of the many thousands of tourists who have come in search of the creatures.
Leaving aside the unique Scottish wildlife for now, my region has a vibrant history and many unique Scottish businesses. Ayrshire is, of course, the home of Robert Burns. There is a museum dedicated to his life in Irvine, where he lived for a time in 1781. It is said that Burns came to Irvine as a farmer but left as a poet. Just down the road in Alloway is the Robert Burns birthplace museum. The Irvine Burns club, which was opened in 1862, has a huge range of artefacts and one of Scotland’s most significant Burns treasure troves; I recommend that everyone who has an interest in Burns visit the centre to see the incredible array of Burns memorabilia.
Irvine also has the annual Marymass festival, which is organised by the Irvine Carters Society and North Ayrshire Council. The society dates back to the 11th century, when Irvine was the main port for Glasgow and men transported goods by cart to the city. The festival itself, which dates from the middle ages and arose from Mary Queen of Scots’s visit to the town in 1563, is a focal point for the town and attracts visitors from far and wide. Every August, many Irvinites return home to experience the fair’s rich pageantry and the week-long festivities. The festival not only promotes Irvine and contributes to the local economy, but brings thousands of people into Scotland.
Meanwhile, across the water in Arran, we have the famous Isle of Arran Cheese Shop and Arran Aromatics. I challenge anyone who goes to Arran not to come back with something from one of those shops or—if it is more members’ thing—something from the Arran Whisky distillery, which is one of the few remaining independent distilleries in Scotland. Arran, which is a beautiful island in itself and attracts visitors from across the world, is known as “Scotland in miniature”. Many people who come to the island take a piece of it home through those businesses and many others; indeed, many of those businesses have extended their reach not only in Scotland but throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.
At a recent Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry event on exporting that I attended, the owners of Arran Aromatics and the Isle of Arran Cheese Shop said that they used to export to the mainland, which was Ayrshire, and then extended their exports to the middle east—or Edinburgh. Now they export to the far east, including Dubai and China. We in this Parliament have a duty to encourage Scottish businesses, culture and tradition to thrive not only throughout the world, but within Scotland itself.
I find it strange that one of the biggest celebrations of Scotland is tartan week, which takes place in Manhattan every year and is one of the largest outdoor Scottish events. Although it is great for promoting Scotland abroad, I have to ask why we do not have a similar co-ordinated event in Scotland on St Andrew’s day to promote our culture, history and businesses.
Everyone in Scotland should be able to celebrate St Andrew’s day. When I was a civil servant, we were delighted to be given the day off as a public holiday; however, most of us used the day to make a start on the Christmas shopping, with barely a thought given to St Andrew. Like any public holiday, it comes with a cost. If local authorities and the national health service gave all staff the day off, they would still need people to provide essential services, and those people would have to be paid additional-hours payments. With ever-decreasing resources, public services simply cannot afford such funding.
As the Labour amendment states,
“Scotland’s national day and flag belong to all of the people of Scotland regardless of origin, current residence and political beliefs”.
Everyone has a part to play in promoting Scotland. Not just one party but all of us in the chamber have Scotland’s interests at heart, and we all need to work together to ensure that we promote Scotland and St Andrew’s day.
15:39
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-04970, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, on St Andrew’s day: a celebration of Scotland.14:55
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs (Fiona Hyslop)
SNP
I am delighted to open the debate, which I hope will give us the opportunity to discuss what is great about Scotland and how we can use St Andrew’s day to ce...
Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
Indeed.
Annabel Goldie
Con
I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her graciousness in permitting me to intervene. I know that the cabinet secretary does not care for the impact of ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
Cabinet secretary.
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
We could debate who is churlish. I would accept that Annabel Goldie’s amendment is not a crude attempt to hijack the debate for constitutional purposes if sh...
Margo MacDonald (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
The cabinet secretary has given an impressive list, but I wonder whether there could be something that is a bit more imaginative—a huge St Andrew’s day prize...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
That is a good point and it is one reason why the national book prize that the Saltire Society runs will be announced on St Andrew’s day, as a St Andrew’s pr...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I call Patricia Ferguson, who has a generous nine minutes.15:08
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in today’s debate on the continuing relevance of St Andrew’s day to contemporary Scotland. I signal that Scottish Labour w...
Margo MacDonald
Ind
I am not in the least biased, so here is an idea. At Christmas, we wear Christmas tree badges, brooches and so on. I am sure that we could get something for ...
Patricia Ferguson
Lab
I thank Mrs MacDonald for that helpful suggestion. Perhaps we could have a saltire and a union jack, although that may be pushing it too far. I can just see ...
Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
On seeing the title of today’s debate, I was reminded of a time when the St Andrew’s day debate was confined to members’ business. It is now elevated to the ...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
I do not dispute that, which is why we have it in our motion. What I do not understand is what are all the celebrations that will take place all over Scotlan...
Annabel Goldie
Con
That is what many people in Scotland—hundreds of thousands of them apparently, according to recent polls—feel instinctively is part of their identity. They d...
Margo MacDonald
Ind
Will the member give way?
Annabel Goldie
Con
I am getting a little tight for time, Ms MacDonald; I have referred to you in my speech.
Margo MacDonald
Ind
On a point of historical accuracy, we have nothing to be proud of in Scotland when it comes to the slave trade.
Annabel Goldie
Con
My point is that it was a United Kingdom Parliament that put an end to slavery and that Scotland was part of that. It was also as part of the United Kingdom ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We move to open debate and speeches of six minutes, please. There is a little bit of time for interventions, at this stage.15:26
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
SNP
As the MSP for North East Fife, which is home to the town of St Andrews, I am privileged to participate in today’s debate on Scotland’s day of national celeb...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
Perhaps I can supply a connection with “Thriller”. Apparently, the producer of the video was inspired by “Tam o’ Shanter”, perhaps reflecting the theme, so t...
Roderick Campbell
SNP
I thank the cabinet secretary for that useful piece of information.Cities for life day is an event that does not gather as much interest in Scotland as it do...
Margo MacDonald
Ind
Can Roderick Campbell say who won the football match?
Roderick Campbell
SNP
It was a 0-0 draw.St Andrew’s day has also borne witness to cultural and historically significant firsts. The first international football match gathered tog...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the Scottish Government debate on St Andrew’s day, although a Scottish Government celebration of St Andrew’s day might ...
Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
First of all, I refer members to my register of interests as the chair of the Scottish Library and Information Council and as a member of the Chartered Insti...
Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
The idea behind celebrating St Andrew’s day on 30 November was partly handed down to us by the old church, and we are stumped with that, in a way. We cannot ...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in today’s debate. When I read the motion as I sat down to write my speech last night, I wondered where to begin in seekin...