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Chamber and committees

People Made Glasgow

  • Submitted by: John Mason, Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party.
  • Date lodged: Monday, 10 April 2017
  • Motion reference: S5M-05112

That the Parliament notes with interest the ideas put forward by who it considers is one of Scotland’s leading poets, Kate Tough, to tackle what it sees as the "popular amnesia" regarding Glasgow’s role in the slave trade; understands that, during the 18th century, many of Glasgow’s merchants were intimately involved in the "triangle trade", which saw ships sail from the Clyde to the west coast of Africa to collect slaves before sailing to America; believes that the conditions on these journeys were so poor that one in four slaves died on the journey; understands that many of those who ran plantations were also Scottish and that the profits gained from the trade and plantations allowed these merchants to build mansions in the heart of Glasgow; believes that Kate’s poem, People Made Glasgow, helps highlight the origins of much of Glasgow’s wealth; notes the proposals for a slavery museum, memorial garden or new street names, and believes that any action to further educate people on the contribution that the slave trade made to Glasgow can only be welcome to increase their understanding of themselves as a nation.


Supported by: Clare Adamson, Tom Arthur, Colin Beattie, Jenny Gilruth, Ross Greer, Emma Harper, Alison Harris, Fulton MacGregor, Gillian Martin, Ivan McKee, Stuart McMillan, Gil Paterson, Andy Wightman