Meeting of the Parliament 09 January 2025
I welcome the opportunity to speak in today’s debate. This is my first contribution of the year, so I also welcome the opportunity to wish everyone, not only in Parliament but across Scotland, a very happy new year.
Today’s debate is apt, because at new year, Scotland is renowned across the world for our celebrations and the warm welcome with open arms that we find. As I am sure many members do, I have fond memories of first footing the folk on our street—always finding an open door with that welcome and those open arms.
For centuries, Scotland has welcomed those who have migrated to these shores and those who, contrary to what some may say, find Scotland an attractive place to put down family roots. Those roots have grown and blossomed, enriching our society in the process. Migration is a powerful force that not only enriches culture but strengthens economies and fosters more resilient, dynamic societies. Over time, migrant communities in Scotland have contributed to our cultural richness through new languages, cuisines, art and music, enhancing our multicultural fabric. Additionally, migration plays a crucial role in addressing Scotland’s ageing population by injecting a younger workforce that supports essential services such as healthcare and social care—critical components for sustaining a thriving society.
Historically, people have been arriving in Scotland for more than 12,000 years, including—much more recently, towards the end of the 19th century—many Irish and Italian migrants who came to Scotland to escape dire poverty and famine in their countries of origin. They brought, among other things, Guinness, legendary ice cream parlours such as Luca’s in Edinburgh and Nardini’s in Largs, and world-renowned musicians such as Lewis Capaldi and Paolo Nutini, who are Scottish through and through. Communities from across the world continue to come to Scotland and make it their home. After Indian independence in 1947, many south Asians came to the UK, with a large number settling in Scotland and working at the mills in Dundee and on the buses and trains in Glasgow. They include the late Bashir Ahmad, whom I am sure we all remember fondly. Bashir founded Scots Asians for Independence in 1995 and went on to sit in this Parliament, becoming the first non-white and first Muslim MSP. He said at the time:
“It isn’t important where you come from, what matters is where we are going together as a nation.”
Those are words that I echo here today.
In his time in the Parliament, Bashir led the bill to make forced marriage a criminal offence in Scotland and participated in the humanitarian campaign for Scottish hospitals to treat the most serious casualties of Israel’s attacks on the Gaza strip—how history, sadly, repeats itself.
More recently, we have seen an increase in people fleeing persecution and wars, such as the war in Ukraine, and we have welcomed them here with understanding and compassion. Scots have proudly stood up for those people’s rights in the face of an immigration system that, sadly, has all too often let them down. We all remember the seven young women from Glasgow who, while attending Drumchapel high school in my constituency, formed the Glasgow girls in response to the Home Office detention of one of their friends. They became unlikely heroes in the fight for justice and equality for asylum seekers, and went on to win the Scottish campaign of the year award at the annual Scottish politician of the year ceremony in 2005. The Glasgow girls ultimately succeeded in halting the deportation of their friend, and their victory sparked a broader movement for immigration reform, which led to changes in the Scottish legal system. Their story shows us that, sometimes, the system needs to be changed and, sometimes, we can change it.
As we look to our future, the past shows us the invaluable contributions that migrants have made in shaping the Scotland that we live in now—a vibrant, diverse Scotland that is laced together through shared values of inclusiveness, empathy and understanding. It also shows us the present need for change. Scotland needs the opportunity to develop a migration system that reflects not only those values but needs and challenges specific to ensuring that we can all continue to flourish together. Today, we can come together to ensure that that happens. I urge members to do just that, and to support the motion to build a migration system that supports Scotland’s economy, public services and communities.
15:43