Hansard

I am looking forward to an animated debate. I start by giving a big, warm thank you to everyone who took part in the games, from the athletes to the volunteers, the transport workers, the council workers and of course the people of Glasgow and of Scotland, who truly made them the people’s games. I heard throughout the games that they were indeed the people’s games. I believe that they have given that legacy to the rest of the world.

The games are still resonating throughout Glasgow, and I think that we are a bit shell-shocked that they are not still going on. Some people are happy that they can now go on the bus or get their car out, but the vast majority of people are saying, “What’s happened? It was so busy.” We are now looking forward to anything else that comes to Glasgow.

As a member of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in the Scottish Parliament, I am proud that the organisers of the games took the initiative to raise money through UNICEF for the benefit of the children of the Commonwealth. I am glad that Patricia Ferguson mentions that in her motion. It was a truly unique idea, and it showed the spirit and humanity of Glasgow and the people of Scotland.

I echo Lord Smith of Kelvin, chair of Glasgow 2014, who said:

“Glasgow’s connections with the Commonwealth are centuries old and they run deep. They tell a story of industry and enterprise on a global scale. These connections have been strengthened. And whilst the Games may leave Glasgow, Glasgow will never forget the Commonwealth Games. It has made its mark on our city. It has won a place in our hearts.

This is a city that dares to dream. A city defined by its people. A city which looks out for each other. A welcoming city”.

That is very true, and I will come back to some of the personal experiences that I had during the games. We will continue our connections with the Commonwealth after 18 September.

I am also proud of the minister’s announcement—I thank her for it—about the para-sports centre to be based in Largs, which will be the first in the UK. That is great news and it fits in with the legacy of humanity, equality and destiny.

I congratulate the City of Glasgow College, which had six graduates in team Scotland, including Kimberley Renicks, who won the first gold medal of the games, and Liam Davie, whose team claimed the first medal for team gymnastics. That surely bodes well for our colleges and what they can achieve, and also for the future of our gymnasts and athletes in our colleges. We must remember that.

I want to share some of my fantastic personal experiences of the games, starting with the transport workers. Obviously, we were still working during the games and, living in the Merchant City, I could not get the car out, so I would walk or jump on the bus.

I must admit that everyone was so happy. We had to stand going to the city centre and coming out from the city centre, but it was an absolutely happy atmosphere. The drivers on the First bus really took the games to their hearts. They would get off the bus to take people off with prams or wheelchairs. I was saying earlier to the cabinet secretary that one particular driver—I am sure that he will know who he is if he reads this—was so enthusiastic. When people got on from Kelvingrove with their passes saying that they were going to the wrestling or the judo—and they were over 50 years of age, put it that way—the driver would remark, “Surely to goodness you’re not going to go wrestling or anything,” and everybody took it in absolutely fantastic spirit. That was the way it was throughout the games.

I also thank the Glasgow City Council workers who kept the city absolutely spotlessly clean. They worked 24 hours a day; they worked constantly. It was great to see them come out in the closing ceremony as Deacon Blue was singing “Dignity”. I thought that was a really nice touch, because they had worked so hard. Living in the Merchant City and travelling throughout Glasgow Kelvin—there were lots of things going on in my constituency—I know that the city was spotlessly clean; the workers kept the whole thing going.

There are so many people to mention, including the volunteers and the police. I saw a couple of policemen joining in and doing a dance in Argyle Street—we had a 1920s and 1940s event one afternoon—and they were having a great time. I am sure that everyone else probably saw it—it was on YouTube. I thought the police did a great job.

The everyday people in Glasgow were absolutely fantastic. They helped people; they gave them directions—even if they did not want to go. In Glasgow we are pretty famous for telling people, “If you want to go there, we’ll take you. You maybe don’t want to go for another hour, but we’ll take you just now anyway.” They gave people a history of Glasgow. I was with a couple of Australians up at the necropolis and people were giving them a history of the necropolis.

The great thing was that every single one of the visitors said that they had never visited Glasgow or other parts of Scotland—perhaps they had visited the Highlands but not a city centre—and they were definitely going to come back. There was so much going on and people were so enthused that they wanted to come back.

We have to thank the staff who ran the hotels, the pubs, the clubs and the restaurants. They ran those places absolutely fantastically. I hope that they got the salaries that they deserved, because they worked very hard, round the clock, with a smile on their face. All in all, the legacy that has been left to the rest of the Scotland and the world is that Glasgow is a great place and people are always welcome to come and visit.