Hansard

I thank David Torrance for providing the opportunity to welcome the European Showmen’s Union to Scotland for this year’s congress and to thank it personally for choosing to meet in my Edinburgh Central constituency—it is very welcome.

As we have heard, we all have fond memories of going to the fair, or the shows, with our families and friends when we were young—or, indeed, not so young. That is a testament to how travelling shows and fairs have consistently, throughout the years, brought people together to have fun and share enjoyable experiences.

We acknowledge the strong and valuable tradition of family and community—we have heard about the importance of family during the debate—that showpeople foster and the great contribution that they make to local economies and the wellbeing of people in the areas to which they travel. That has been echoed by members across the chamber. For the benefit of our visitors today, I say that it is not often that we agree across all the parties in the Parliament, and it is good that our visitors have been able to hear that today.

To start off, I have a confession to make to David Torrance. My first memory of attending a show was one in Burntisland, in his constituency, and it remains with me to this day. I was able to experience that joy again over the Christmas break with my five-year-old and three-year-old daughters—I am a late father. They loved going to the funfair rides in central Edinburgh. I have to confess that it became quite expensive by the end of the visit, but that speaks to the impact that funfairs have on us all. I thank the showmen and their colleagues for all the events that we have attended over the years.

I commend David Torrance for his work on the cross-party group. As John Mason mentioned, the cross-party groups are very important. David Torrance has established, through his good offices, a working relationship among the guild, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government on a variety of issues. Points have been raised about local government charging, which I will come to in a second. No doubt, progress can be made there, and I would be very supportive of that.

We also heard from Clare Adamson, another member of the cross-party group as well as the convener of the parliamentary committee that covers culture and external affairs, which are in my area of governmental responsibility. Quite rightly, she stressed the connections with and traditions of European showmen. It is nice to see friends from across Europe coming to Scotland, a country that is, of course, also European.

When Jackson Carlaw spoke of his amusing memories, I was struck by the notion of him arriving here with a big red baseball cap saying “Make Showmen Great Again”. I look forward to seeing that. I am also interested in his notion that I should adopt the practices of the new President of the United States of America by simply signing executive orders. That is not the way that we do things here, but, having said that, there are ways to fix problems. We are often told by colleagues across the Parliament that we must respect local democracy, but maybe there is more that we can do in conjunction with local authority colleagues to ensure consistency across local authorities in Scotland.

Paul Sweeney could not miss the opportunity to underline Glasgow’s pedigree, reminding our friends from Europe that we might be a small country but, boy, do we have a rivalry between our two biggest cities. It was worth putting on the record Glasgow’s pedigree in this important year for the city.

Foysol Choudhury, John Mason, Meghan Gallacher and Christine Grahame all underlined the main point that we are in agreement across the parties about the importance of what we have been discussing today. Richard Lyle did not take part in the debate, as he is no longer an MSP, but it is great to see him and to put on the record the Scottish Government’s appreciation for all the work that he did as an MSP and that he continues to do today.

I will take this opportunity to briefly reflect on, celebrate and welcome the notion of different cultures, which ran through the debate. The Scottish Government is committed to improving circumstances for people who travel as part of their occupation, lifestyle and culture. Scotland should be welcoming and inclusive to all people who live, work and visit here, and we are determined to play our part in building a better and fairer world.

Looking further afield from Scotland, I will reflect on the work of the European Showmen’s Union. As members have been made aware, it has been built on solid traditions since it was founded, in 1954, and the fact that it is holding its 43rd national congress demonstrates the legacy and resilience of the showpeople community. The union is one of the oldest European professional organisations, and I recognise the rich cultural heritage that showpeople have brought to societies across Europe. That heritage is rooted in centuries of tradition, with showpeople having contributed significantly to the historical landscape of entertainment during that time.

That is why I am pleased to welcome the European Showmen’s Union to Edinburgh this year for its first international meeting in this country. That provides the opportunity not only to showcase some of our rich heritage but to spotlight the contribution that Scotland’s showpeople community has made locally and internationally. We must continue to support showpeople communities as they build on the cultural traditions of bringing entertainment and other services to rural, coastal and urban communities across Scotland.

Foysol Choudhury underlined the point about intangible cultural heritage, and the Scottish Showmen’s Guild understandably has a strong interest in that issue, which I welcome. There is incredible potential from the inclusivity that intangible cultural heritage provides. By valuing one another’s traditions, cultures, stories and songs, we all have much to gain. We can also benefit from the international nature of intangible cultural heritage and the prospects that it highlights for Scotland on the world stage, so it is important that Scotland joins global networks to promote and safeguard local cultural practices. That is why the Government remains committed to supporting our communities in ensuring that intangible cultural heritage is accessible to everyone across Scotland.

Following the United Kingdom Government’s ratification, finally, of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, work is being undertaken to plan for a new Scottish inventory, which will sit alongside the new lists for Northern Ireland, Wales and England to form a wider UK database of intangible cultural heritage. I look forward to continuing work with the UK Government and other devolved nations to ensure that the importance of intangible cultural heritage is recognised, cherished and allowed to flourish.

Again, I thank David Torrance for securing the debate and other members for their support in ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for showmanship. I thank the Scottish Showmen’s Guild for its dedicated approach and commitment to supporting its members in ensuring that travelling shows continue to provide entertainment across Scotland and that they are run safely for workers and visitors alike. I also thank the members of the European Showmen’s Union who are in the public gallery. I hope that they will continue to make significant contributions to their and our societies for generations to come, and I wish them all a successful congress and an enjoyable time in Edinburgh. Haste ye back.