Dearest Scotland

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 13 August 2014.

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Photo of Elaine Smith Elaine Smith Labour

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-10365, in the name of Bill Kidd, on a message for dearest Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament congratulates the Dearest Scotland campaign, which was set up to allow the opportunity for people of all ages, from across Scotland and beyond, to write a love letter to Scotland; notes that Dearest Scotland is based in Glasgow Clyde College and run from the Cardonald campus and congratulates Cat Cochrane and her team on putting the campaign together, and acknowledges that it allows young people and old from all over the world to voice their hopes, wishes and aspirations for the future of Scotland and its people, no matter what the political or constitutional situation is and promotes the opportunity for people to share with each other their beliefs regarding Scotland’s future.

Photo of Bill Kidd Bill Kidd Scottish National Party

Thank you, Presiding Officer—or, I should say, dearest Presiding Officer. The dearest Scotland campaign is innovative on the part of the team at Glasgow Clyde College’s Cardonald campus and imaginative—that is not only on the team’s part. The project also sparks the imagination of those who take part in it to look at our nation’s future direction.

The campaign is apolitical and it focuses on the modern phenomenon of crowd sourcing to produce a vision of Scotland by the public for a common good. I had never heard of crowd sourcing before, and I wish that a wee bit more of a crowd was in the chamber, because the project is one of the best ideas that I have heard of to come out of a college. It is superb and I wish that more people would sit down, look at the website and take part in this fantastic project.

The campaign is not about age or nationality; it is about a love of this country of ours—a love of Scotland—for whatever reason that people hold that love. The reason could be the scenery, the history, the fact that someone’s family and community are here or that indefinable something that binds somebody’s heart to a place and time.

The way to contribute to the growing dearest Scotland family is remarkably simple—otherwise, I would not have been able to do it.

Photo of Bill Kidd Bill Kidd Scottish National Party

Thank you. A letter template can be downloaded from the website and a completed letter can be sent back by email or snail mail. There are postboxes located across Scotland where people can pick up a letter pack. People can attend a letter-writing workshop—that would be for Mr Mason—or they can use the online letter submission application.

It is the writer’s vision, so people should sit down, take a few minutes or an hour and share that vision with some friends whom they did not even know they had. The letter can be fact or fiction, poetic or romantic, or even harsh, critical and full of a dose of angst—as long as it starts with “Dearest Scotland”.

Cat Cochrane and the young crowd at Glasgow Clyde College’s Cardonald campus have come up with a cracker of an idea that will give us all the opportunity to be Rabbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson or Alexander McCall Smith for a wee while. We hope that we will be read by others with as much enjoyment as we have in reading those great authors.

As for me, I want to say that no matter where in the world I roam, I know that I belong to one of those places where the heart is satisfied only by coming home. New York? I love it. Paris? I loved in it, more than once. Kazakhstan? I am intrigued by it. Poland? There is more to it than meets the eye. Scotland? It is everywhere I have ever been, wrapped up in one.

I have travelled a lot, working on nuclear disarmament, and I have met a lot of people, from all over the world, who inevitably talked about their impressions of and feelings for Scotland, even when they had never been here.

Aye, we have our problems and we have known our heartaches. We are very far from perfect. However, our hopes and aspirations are blue sky. We hope for the best for this country—we all do. That is something that we should all bear in mind.

Dearest Scotland, you are the one for me and, whatever we do to you, you will still be home and you will still be the heartbeat of my life.

Photo of Anne McTaggart Anne McTaggart Labour

I am delighted to contribute to this interesting debate on the dearest Scotland campaign, which celebrates our wishes, hopes and aspirations for the future of Scotland. I congratulate my dearest colleague Bill Kidd MSP on securing time in the chamber to discuss this exciting project, and I share his view that the campaign, which is politically neutral, has the potential to produce exciting ideas about Scotland’s future, whatever decision we take on 18 September.

I understand that the dearest Scotland campaign is based in Glasgow Clyde College and has already engaged a huge number of people in a mass letter-writing campaign. I took time to read a selection of the submissions in the online archive. The letters reflect an incredibly broad range of views on the kind of Scotland that people want to see.

Although the ideas and visions for our nation differ greatly from letter to letter, a consistent aspect is the passion and enthusiasm with which people talk about Scotland. One letter in particular stood out for me. It was from Kirsten, from Shotts, who wrote:

“Dearest Scotland, Take pride in what an awesome place you are ... don’t forget to let others know you are a great nation. I for one am proud to call myself Scottish. It is a wonderful and beautiful place to live with so many opportunities. But I am also so proud to be British ... You don’t have to stand alone to be recognised for your greatness!”

I appreciate that the campaign is politically neutral, and I was reassured to note that people from all sides of the referendum debate are encouraged to contribute and that the online archive contains a variety of views about how Scotland can best prosper and succeed in the 21st century.

I understand that the project is not for profit and that any proceeds will contribute towards the publication of a book containing a selection of the letters that have been received, as well as a number of public exhibitions and free letter-writing workshops around the country. I will try to get to one of the workshops and I look forward to reading the book when it comes out.

The initiative will encourage people of all ages and from all walks of life to ignite their creative streaks, show off their talents and express their aspirations. That will be instrumental in kicking off the national debate on the direction of Scotland after 18 September, irrespective of the outcome of the referendum.

I encourage all members to make a thoughtful contribution to the dearest Scotland campaign and to share the project with their friends, families and constituents. Only by ensuring that a broad range of voices contributes ideas about Scotland’s prospects can we build a genuinely representative vision for the future.

Photo of Nanette Milne Nanette Milne Conservative

I am sure that I will not be the only member in the chamber who has approached the debate with a degree of bemusement or ignorance regarding the dearest Scotland campaign. Members’ business debates often throw up subjects, areas and issues of concern that many of us will not have been aware of in the past. Therefore, I regard the debate as a learning curve and, in that respect, I join others in thanking Bill Kidd for bringing the matter to the chamber.

Having looked at the dearest Scotland website, I was intrigued to see that the campaign was started by three ladies from Glasgow who were inspired to look at our future as a nation and to invite individuals from all backgrounds and ages to contribute to their hopes for Scotland in the years ahead.

As dearest Scotland is an apolitical initiative, and as members’ business debates tend to be non-partisan, I will steer clear of mentioning next month’s vote. However, because the referendum will be in all our minds, I just add that, whatever the result is next month, Scots should and must unite to shape the future for the generations that come after us.

In considering Bill Kidd’s motion, I have reflected on an important family event that took place just over six weeks ago. The arrival of my third grandchild, the first by my daughter Adrienne, has brought long-awaited and great happiness to us all in my family. Without wanting to be indulgent, I cannot resist mentioning Finlay George Reid as none of us at this stage has any idea what he will aspire to as he develops and grows up. Who knows, perhaps he may one day follow his granny’s footsteps and come to this place, and his first mention in the Official Report may not be his last.

Our children and grandchildren increasingly face an uncertain future. Every day we see war and conflict around the world, with Scotland playing a key role in contributing to help with those global problems. Therefore, my hopes, wishes and aspirations for Scotland do not sit in isolation; indeed, my dreams and aspirations as a Scot may also be a vital component in the hopes and wishes of all humankind on this planet of ours—a hope that one day we might all live together as brothers and sisters in a global family that inhabits planet earth.

As human beings, we have hopes and dreams at all levels; as an Aberdonian, I have dreams for the future of my city. Tempting though it may be, I will not stray into the saga of the Union Terrace gardens and the missed opportunities offered by that project. I will just say that had Aberdeen City Council followed its citizens’ views, the hopes and aspirations of many Aberdonians, including mine, would have been realised, and we would be developing a city centre worthy of the great energy capital of Europe and on a par with many great capitals around the world.

Living in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh as I do, I am always struck by the plight of those who, for whatever reason, are left homeless, and resolving that heartbreaking problem is one feature that I would add to my love letter to Scotland. It is often said that people choose to live on the streets, but I dispute that. I aspire to a Scotland where people achieve their personal potential, where they have a permanent roof over their heads, where they are not cold and hungry and where they do not feel worthless. It is my genuine belief that we should, wherever possible, take responsibility for our own wellbeing and be self-reliant, but we should also reach out to help people who are not able to achieve that and who do not have a support network of family and friends around who could help them. Life can be very difficult and complex for many vulnerable people and they deserve our help and support.

The dearest Scotland campaign crosses the political divide, giving all Scots an opportunity to express their visions for a future Scotland. If I was a cynic, I would regard this as an airy-fairy exercise but, thankfully, I am not and, having read some of the letters posted on the campaign website, it is clear to me that there are many issues of common concern, from protecting our environment to solving the on-going scourge of drugs in our society.

I understand that the dearest Scotland campaign intends to collate responses from the public by the end of the year, with a view to exhibiting them early next year. I therefore end by asking the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs whether she will meet the campaigners, who have shown altruism at its very best, and give them the well-deserved backing of the Scottish Government.

Photo of James Dornan James Dornan Scottish National Party

I thank Bill Kidd for bringing the debate to the chamber, although my gratitude does not extend to calling him “dearest”.

I, too, have met Cat Cochrane, who is one of the campaign founders mentioned by Bill Kidd and a constituent of mine, to discuss this great initiative. I have also had the pleasure of contributing a letter to the website. I do not think that anyone would want to rush to the website to read my letter, but I have made my contribution.

It is clear that Scotland stands on the brink of something truly monumental. We should all consider taking the opportunity to properly document the situation that we are in the midst of, not just for clarity for ourselves but for future generations.

Most of us will post a tweet about our canvassing results, put something on our Facebook page or our website, or send something to the local press to let our constituents know about what we have been doing or our thoughts on a particular matter, but the art of letter writing is, unfortunately, being lost and that is a real shame.

Anyone who has ever read the letters of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Abigail Adams or any of the others who were involved in the wars of independence in America will know of the pathos involved, of their hopes, fears and aspirations, and of the belief that they all displayed in their own country. I imagine that those themes will be seen in many of the letters that dearest Scotland collates over the course of the year.

One of the most famous letters to come out of pre-independent America was one that John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on the eve of the declaration of independence. In it, he wrote:

“Time has been given for the whole people maturely to consider the great question of independence, and to ripen their judgment, dissipate their fears, and allure their hopes, by discussing it in newspapers and pamphlets, by debating it in assemblies, conventions, committees of safety and inspection, in town and county meetings, as well as in private conversations, so that the whole people, in every colony ... have now adopted it as their own act.”

That sounds pretty familiar to me, and I am sure that it will sound familiar to those who have campaigned over the past two years.

I am supportive of dearest Scotland because I think that, in this year perhaps above all others, all of us, regardless of our feelings about the referendum, should take the time to put down our dreams and aspirations for Scotland. When I read some of the letters that have been submitted, I was struck by the clear and consistent messages that come through, particularly in letters by people who are not originally from Scotland but who came here to study or to make their life here and settle down.

Those letters talk about what a beautiful country we are and how friendly our people are, but they also tell us that we need to look after ourselves more, mostly through altering our relationship with drugs, alcohol or food. They make it clear that we need to believe in ourselves more, that we do not always need to be the punchline in a joke, that we can be more than we are at the moment, and that we have everything that we need to succeed and be great. It is nice that visitors, however long they are here for—whether for the Commonwealth games, to study or for a slightly longer period—see so much more in us than sometimes we are able to see.

My aspirations for my dearest Scotland are simple. I want to live in a country that is fair and that does not continue to have its enviable resources squandered on its behalf.

In the previous debate, mention was made of the unfortunate tweet about food banks that said that the existence of food banks proved that Scotland was becoming a normal European country and that

“Far from being a sign of failure they are an enriching example of human compassion, faith and social cohesion.”

I want a Scotland that does not ever think of the existence of the need for food banks as being the normal state of affairs, and which acknowledges the charitable deeds of others while doing all that it can to ensure that people—and those whom I am talking about are often in work—do not need to rely on charity to feed themselves or their families.

I demand a Scotland where everyone gets paid a fair wage for a day’s work and one that is enough to ensure a decent standard of living. I want to live in a Scotland that believes in itself more, that continues to be pure dead brilliant and which keeps that gallus humour that we are renowned for the world over, but I also want us to start to look after ourselves better and to take the power to build a fairer, greener and equal society into our own hands.

I hope that, in a century, when people look back over the archives in the National Library of Scotland, which is on board with the initiative, they will see—regardless of the result of the referendum in just five weeks—that we have met the aspirations that we set for our dearest Scotland.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

I now invite Fiona Hyslop to respond to the debate. If you could do so in seven minutes, dearest cabinet secretary, I would be grateful.

Photo of Fiona Hyslop Fiona Hyslop Scottish National Party

Thank you, dearest Presiding Officer.

I join other members in congratulating Bill Kidd on securing the debate. It was good to hear from Bill Kidd about the dearest Scotland initiative and to get a sense from him and other members of their visions for Scotland.

For me, one of the best features of the current constitutional debate has been the fact that it has broadened the way in which we conduct politics. This Parliament has contributed signally to that process, not least through the festival of politics that will be held here at the end of the week. This year, the festival—which is now in its 10th year—will include many fascinating sessions on aspects of the referendum debate.

We have seen new or revived approaches to politics not just in the Parliament but outside it as well, right across Scotland. I think that those on the other side of the debate would agree that one of the great and unexpected bonuses of the current constitutional debate has been the way in which it has encouraged us to get out and debate key issues in public meetings.

I have been engaging with people in town hall meetings from Ayr to Stromness, and I have found it really energising to hear and engage with the public in different ways. Some of the methods of public engagement have been, like those local public meetings, revivals of past tried-and-tested approaches, while others have used much more modern approaches such as social media and texting.

As a fairly frequent tweeter myself, I certainly see the value in those approaches. Much can be said in a few words or 140 characters, if they are well chosen. There was something marvellously modern and yet traditional in the fact that Seamus Heaney’s last words were a texted message comprising two Latin words: “Noli timere”, or “be not afraid”. I hope that people will reflect on that message over the next few weeks.

Although I am a fan of texts and tweets, sometimes there is no substitute for a letter—or indeed, in the words of the motion, a “love letter”. Letters are an irreplaceable way of expressing our thoughts and emotions, and I commend the dearest Scotland initiative for encouraging us to do just that in relation to Scotland itself.

I also commend the project’s inclusive nature, welcoming letters from those of any opinion or indeed none on the constitutional question and accepting letters that are in prose or verse or which are fact or fiction. People do not need to be ministers, parliamentarians or any kind of politician to add their own vision and weave their own thread into the tartan. Although everyone in those categories is welcome to contribute, so is everyone else. The only requirement is that the letter start “Dearest Scotland”, and I am sure that we can all unite in holding Scotland very dear indeed.

Of course, that does not mean that we cannot also be critical, where that is merited. For example, a letter from Ruth in Winchburgh in my constituency combines deep love with an anxiety to see the best made universal. She has written:

“I love you so much. You are a beautiful, lush & green country that has always been good to me. I just wish that everyone else could have the same opportunities. Simple things like a decent education, a job (a proper job) a home, and the opportunity to contribute collectively are what matter most. Please let’s all work together to make this happen. Let’s have an approach that ensures life is ‘fair’ for us all.”

For that matter, the youngest contributor so far, five-year-old Rosa, has written:

“I think there should be more adventure playgrounds in Glasgow, and in schools. Children learn a lot from playing outdoors especially in the woods. I want there to be more small shops selling vegetables and fruit. There should be more farms near Glasgow. I think there should be outdoor swimming pools.”

I very much agree with the motion in congratulating Cat Cochrane and her colleagues, including Sarah Drummond and Lauren Currie, on this project. I gather that congratulations are also due to Cat Cochrane on winning the prize for the best arts and entertainment story at this year’s Scottish student journalism awards. It is a credit to Glasgow Clyde College.

I know that the organisers of the dearest Scotland campaign intend to send an archive of the collected letters to the Scottish Government at the end of the year, and we look forward to receiving that. The National Library of Scotland will also be archiving the material as part of its vital project to document the referendum campaign fully; indeed, it is holding a drop-in session about the project this Saturday from 11 o’clock to 2 o’clock. As a result, the letters will become part of this country’s established historical record.

I will close with a poem called “Dearest Scotland” by Tessa Ransford, which appears on dearest Scotland website and was inspired by the initiative. I think that it brings home the importance of having the chance to form our own vision, regardless of what that vision might be.

“Dearest Scotland

I used to walk down the Canongate, empty and dark, after another day at the Poetry Library whose very existence depended on my work however exhausted I was, drained and hungry; but I had a tryst to keep with Scottish poetry; and I’d compare myself to my seafaring ancestor who sailed to Australia in a Clyde paddle-steamer.

If he overcame the dangerous currents and oceans, attacks by pirates and running out of fuel,

I could surely sail on with minimum funds when I had a chart, a vision and a goal with a volunteer crew of experts, friends and faithful navigators; like ancient Celtic adventurers we set afloat a curragh of poetry practitioners.

Such risk in action brings its accompaniment and gathers its own momentum and impetus.

To wait and see or slump in bewilderment will never achieve our destiny, our bliss.

To make our own decisions and choose our course will see us voyage ahead on a life of adventure and find our way to the next desirable harbour.”

I think that that captures what this is all about. There should be more poetry and culture in our political debate, and I congratulate the dearest Scotland campaign on allowing not only the chamber but the whole of Scotland to share in it.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

That concludes dearest Bill Kidd’s members’ business debate on a message for dearest Scotland.

Meeting closed at 17:30.