Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 December 2021
It was very uncareful, Presiding Officer.
Moving on quickly, I thank those behind the bid—Mark Jardine, the council and the community groups. Whatever the outcome, I hope that this process of discussing how to make Dumfries even better keeps going after the bid, irrespective of whether we win it.
A sign above my office in the Parliament says Doonhamer. In my first ever speech in the chamber, five years ago, I told members that the Doonhamers is Queen of the South’s nickname, but also the name for those of us from Dumfries. I explained that
“Its origins lie in the 19th century, when many people from the town worked away from home, particularly on the railways in Glasgow, and they talked about going back doon hame to Dumfries.”—[Official Report, 31 May 2016; c 39.]
The term has never been more apt than it is today, because, sadly, young people from many of our towns and regions still leave their area for the high-skill, high-wage employment opportunities that are not always available doon hame. That is why I stood for Parliament five years ago. We had lost big manufacturing bases such as ICI, Nestlé and Uniroyal, and I wanted to fight for better opportunities for our young people in what can often be a forgotten part of Scotland.
It is also why I campaigned for a decade as a councillor, representing the Dumfries town centre ward of Nith, for a south of Scotland enterprise agency, which is now up and running, and why I was part of the early days of the Borderlands initiative, which has now developed into the Borderlands inclusive growth deal.
Much more still needs to be done. Whether we win or lose the city status bid, this cannot be the end of the debate on the future of Dumfries. Those who live there and have a genuine stake in our town’s future want to see action and more opportunities for young people, and improvements to our town centre. Ensuring that we deliver that action must be the legacy of the bid.
I said at the start of my speech that Dumfries is where I was born and where I have always lived. I suspect that that will always be the case, irrespective of whether we are a proud town or become a city, and I will be more than happy with that.
16:15