Hansard

As someone who was born in Paisley, was brought up in nearby Barrhead and is one of Renfrewshire’s three constituency MSPs, I am delighted to have the opportunity today to join colleagues from across the chamber in supporting the Government’s motion wishing the best for Paisley in 2021 and Dundee in 2023.

My colleague George Adam is fond of saying, as he did earlier, that Paisley is “My Kind of Town”, and I do not think that anyone would disagree with him. However, I, too, can say that it is my kind of town. Alex Cole-Hamilton spoke earlier very eloquently of his relationship with Dundee when he was growing up, and I can relate to that, because when I was growing up in Barrhead, Paisley was the town of dazzling lights, compared to Barrhead; and Paisley was where we went Christmas shopping, while Glasgow was a dark and distant place where we would go only on very rare occasions.

Just like the communities in my constituency of Renfrewshire South, Paisley is a great place to live, work and invest in. It is a town that is rich in heritage, from the legacy of its mills, when Paisley literally had the world on a string, to its magnificent architecture, which can be enjoyed all year round, night and day, come rain or come shine.

Paisley has a proud past, but it also has a dynamic and exciting future. Like its MSP, although Paisley might look old on the outside, in reality it is young at heart. With an expanding array of great bars and restaurants, and a developing music scene, it is clear that for Paisley the best is yet to come.

Paisley also has a fantastic community spirit that is not only demonstrated in the way that the town has come together to back the bid, but is brilliantly exemplified by the football-fan ownership story of the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association. Although George Adam is not chairman of the board, I know that he has been heavily involved in the association. Dundee had the honour of being the first Scottish city to be shortlisted for UK city of culture, but I have high hopes that Paisley will be successful for Scotland the second time round. I also believe that Dundee, after the disappointment of losing out previously for UK city of culture, can now become a European capital of culture.

I am not a Dundee native, but it is a great city with which I have a long-standing relationship. Ten years ago, when I had friends at the University of Dundee, I had many great nights out—what I can remember of them—in Dundee.

I also know how internationally renowned Dundee is becoming as a centre of creative and digital excellence. When I was in Japan four years ago, I was struck, when at the world-renowned Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, to see a huge billboard advertising something that came all the way from Dundee to the heart of Tokyo: “Grand Theft Auto V” from Rockstar North Games. It is an incredible story. Just as 1990 was a very good year for Glasgow as European capital of culture, so 2021 and 2023 can be great years for Paisley and Dundee.

I last spoke in Parliament on Paisley 2021 in December last year, when I said that becoming UK city of culture would be a boon not just for Paisley, but for the whole of Renfrewshire and, indeed, the west of Scotland. I reiterate that point today, because there is the potential to create the equivalent of 4,700 jobs, which would bring new employment opportunities to many people, including my constituents in Renfrewshire South. The predicted boost to the local economy of £172 million could be shared by organisations in Renfrewshire South such as the community-run Bank cafe in Neilston, the superb Papamacs Gourmet kitchen in Johnstone or the award-winning Uplawmoor hotel, not to mention the range of restaurants and bars at the Phoenix retail park in Linwood. Those who wish to explore beyond Paisley could enjoy the great attractions, with as many as 1.7 million attendees, of the Dams to Darnley country park that borders Barrhead, the Weaver’s cottage in Kilbarchan or the gateway to Scotland’s largest regional park—Clyde Muirshiel—in Lochwinnoch.

Paisley’s success in being shortlisted is indicative of the growing confidence of not only that great town but of many of Scotland’s post-industrial communities. No longer in the west of Scotland do we say “It’s no for us” and put our dreams away. Although we now walk a little taller, we take nothing for granted. We are all aware of the hard work that has been put in to get Paisley to this stage. It has certainly not been nice and easy.

Now, though, we are on the final lap and I am delighted that the Scottish Government is going to be backing Paisley day in, day out and all the way. Although high-stakes prestigious awards like city of culture can feel like a zero-sum game—all or nothing at all—it is clear that Paisley and Renfrewshire have already benefited from the civic reinvigoration that has been brought about by the bid process. As marvellous as that process has been to watch, for Paisley to win would be too marvellous for words. As we approach the announcement in December of UK city of culture 2021, let us start spreading the news across Scotland and beyond that it is Paisley that should win, and let us work together to make it happen.