Scots Trad Music Awards
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S3M-956, in the name of Rob Gibson, on congratulations to the fifth annual Scots trad music awards. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates Hands Up For Trad for organising the fifth annual Scots Trad Music Awards, Comharrachadh Duaisean Dual-cheòl na h-Alba 2007, held in the Nevis Centre, Fort William from 29 November to 1 December 2007; notes the attendance of 900 celebrants and 130 musicians who produced such a spectacular and enjoyable programme drawn from all aspects of our traditional music; congratulates the award winners whose performances have raised the excellence, rude health and growing recognition of Scotland's contemporary indigenous music bringing it to wider public notice each year, which acts as a barometer of a confident and innovative musical culture in today's Scotland but regrets that broadcasters have yet to televise this enjoyable event to take the live performance and celebration of our rich musical traditions onto our television screens, and considers that future awards ceremonies should be televised, starting with the sixth awards due to be held in Glasgow in 2008.
I am delighted to be debating the fifth annual celebration of Scotland's rich musical traditions, the Scots trad music awards, or—in my somewhat hesitant Gaelic—Comharrachadh Duaisean Dual-cheòl na h-Alba 2007. The event took place in Fort William from 29 November to 1 December last year. It was an exciting event in the year of Highland culture, and it took place at the start of the winter festival that highlighted Scotland's wonderful traditional music in all its forms. It created a high-profile opportunity to bring the music and the music industry into the spotlight of media and public attention.
The event's organiser, Simon Thoumire, and his team deserve the highest praise for their year-round efforts to support Scotland's thriving musical culture, which encompasses Gaelic song, folk music, Scottish dance music, pipe bands, and a host of other forms. The awards give recognition to excellence in all those forms. Hands Up for Trad also encourages musical celebrations for St Andrew's day and is a co-supporter of the BBC Radio Scotland young traditional musician of the year award, which is held at the Celtic Connections festival each January.
There has been debate about what is most important—the awards themselves, sponsored by industry supporters, or the gathering of like-minded folkies to celebrate the development of the genre each year. Whether or not one votes for the winners in the Scots trad music awards, the event provides a much-needed chance to celebrate our indigenous music, its players and its promoters. That is confirmed by the camaraderie at such events. People of all ages in the traditional music field support each other's work. That is a tribute to the communitarian nature of Scotland as a nation. It has underpinned our national sense of self, has bolstered the development of our Parliament and has rightly been dubbed the democratic muse.
After five years of the awards, I would like to know how that thriving scene can be developed with the help of the Scottish Government, public agencies and the market that should open up here and in other lands. I say that in the full knowledge that, for years, Scottish musicians have been invited to and have toured in many countries. There is an urgent need for our television broadcasters to showcase this truly Scottish product at home and overseas, which is even more important in the European year of intercultural dialogue 2008. To date, there are no official events planned to explore that in Scotland. One of the year's aims is
"to highlight the contribution of different cultures to the member states' heritage and way of life".
That is important.
Why have the broadcasters not televised this enjoyable, professionally presented event, the Hands Up for Trad Scots trad music awards? BBC Radio Scotland provides excellent coverage, but it is the TV audience that should be targeted to share the stunning live performances at the trad awards. One act that performed at last year's awards poses a key question—how can a wider audience hear about our unofficial 17-piece national folk orchestra, the Unusual Suspects, led by Corrina Hewat? They are truly international stars and played a major part in the success of the Scottish showcase at the huge Lorient festival in Brittany last August. Where was the TV coverage?
In Fort William, Julie Fowlis won Gaelic singer of the year and album of the year awards for her recent CD, "Cuilidh". She has subsequently added to those awards the BBC Radio 2 folk singer of the year award for 2008. With her multi-instrumental talents and contemporary take on the songs of North Uist, she is self-effacing but surely the coolest of today's Gaelic singers. She gained widespread TV time in May, on "Later with Jools Holland", due to the call-off of another artist, and in the BBC 2 documentary "Bliadhna Julie"—"Julie's Year". However, regular viewers may have missed those programmes.
Another trad music award winner in December was Phil Cunningham, who won the award for composer of the year. Meanwhile, he has been stopped in the streets and at airports, and received e-mailed congratulations for his six-part BBC series "Scotland's Music", which was produced in Aberdeen on a low budget and which gave the huge range of our music major exposure on BBC 2 Scotland. Why was it not broadcast across the United Kingdom?
The cases of Julie Fowlis and Phil Cunningham go to show how much more regular TV coverage would engage an audience that is ready for more live contemporary music. We know from the BBC that the Saturday night edition of Phil Cunningham's show in November and December was attracting 250,000 viewers against "X Factor" and "Strictly Come Dancing", but no plans were made to publish a book of the series or to produce a DVD, which would have sold around the world for Christmas presents. The hot topic of conversation at the festival club after the Scots trad awards was the demand that future awards ceremonies should be televised, starting with the sixth awards, which are due to be held in the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow in 2008. Surely this is a matter of urgency for the BBC, and a burning question for the Scottish Broadcasting Commission about how the BBC serves Scottish audiences and sells Scottish broadcasting products around the world.
Looking to our European neighbours, I have met cultural attachés and representatives of European Union member states and Regleg Governments to discuss how they promote their traditional music. There is a huge welcome for Scottish culture there. Other countries, such as Norway, Denmark, Flanders and Catalonia, produce annual CDs to showcase their top artists in potential markets. Surely the Scottish Arts Council should be doing that for Scotland. The promotion of Scottish music in England and in many other lands could be a rich source of income for our sparkling musicians. Can the minister suggest how the Scottish Government could aid that process? If we make more bilateral contacts, we could also ensure that more musicians from other countries come to Scotland.
The motion is a kind of review of traditional music in the past year. We should have an annual debate to celebrate it; if we can have one about fish, why can we not have one on traditional music? After such an outstanding year as 2007, I can only agree with the singer, Karine Polwart, who wrote in the Sunday Herald on 16 December:
"This is a good time to be a folk musician. There's a lot of cross-fertilisation across genres, and a different approach to music. Lots of people making their names just now have very specific local identities, like Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen.
There's that whole sense of being from somewhere and speaking in your own voice."
The success of the Scots trad music awards highlights why support and encouragement for the democratic muse deserves to be stepped up.
I will be brief, but I thank Rob Gibson for lodging the motion. I agree that we need to have an annual debate about our traditional arts. As I am a vegetarian, I also think that they are more important than fish.
I congratulate the organisers and Hands Up for Trad on all the work that they have done during the past five years. I also congratulate the participants and all the folk who are involved in performing or taking part in the traditional arts, those who go along to clubs or run festivals, and all those who provide an important opportunity for people to participate in our arts—and the winners of this year's awards.
I also thank all those who work with young people. I am thinking of the work that is being done in Plockton to encourage young people to sing and play traditional music, to enjoy and value it, and to learn how to perform and produce their art; that is vital. Also vital is the work that is being done through the fèis movement in encouraging young people to participate.
We all have a role to promote Scotland's traditional arts. If we do not do it, who will? Folk will know that I am a Burns freak. I have spent a lot of time doing Burns suppers recently. I was really upset to find that, on 25 January, there was only half an hour on BBC television on Burns; that is ridiculous. I have done about 10 Burns suppers this year and never before have I seen so many young people, young pipers and speakers participate. That is the result of the work that is being done in schools to encourage young people to participate.
It is a real pity that traditional music does not get the kind of coverage that is needed. I actually think that BBC radio covers traditional music very well—I probably listen to more radio than I watch television—but it is vital that we have coverage of Hands Up for Trad, Celtic Connections and the other work that is being done.
We need to celebrate the wonderful wealth of talent that we have. We need to celebrate our traditions, pass them on to young people and others and tell the rest of the world, "Scotland is alive and kicking. Come and listen to our music and enjoy it."
I congratulate Rob Gibson on securing the debate. I know that the issue is close to his heart but it also speaks clearly of the importance that we attach to culture in this country.
The motion rightly highlights the success of the fifth Scots trad music awards in Fort William. Like Rob Gibson and Cathy Peattie, I offer my congratulations to the organisers of the awards and to all those who were involved in making the 2007 event such a success.
In the past, the awards have provided a platform for showcasing some of the exceptional talent from my constituency. In recent years, both Hadhirgaan and the Kirkwall City pipe band have made successful appearances. Last year, Johnny Mowat received a services-to-industry award for his efforts in developing the Orkney folk festival.
The motion's point about the failure to attract broadcast coverage of the event is highly pertinent. There is no doubt that traditional music and music festivals in general are currently enjoying a real renaissance in Scotland. The number of people who are attracted to the increasing number of events and festivals bear testimony to that fact.
The economic benefits of the upsurge in interest are already considerable. I know from conversations with the chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Sandy Cumming, that the importance of the wide variety of music festivals throughout the Highlands and Islands is recognised as a focus for HIE's future activity.
As well as quality, the festivals provide a real variety of styles, from the big-tent style of the Heb fest in Lewis to the multiple-small-gigs style of the Orkney folk festival. The latter started from humble roots in Stromness back in 1983. Thanks to the efforts of Johnny Mowat and others, our festival has now established itself as a hugely popular event that draws on the extensive local talent but also attracts performers from all over the country and beyond. By the way, this year's event starts at the end of May and the tickets are soon to be made available.
As the motion suggests, broadcasters in Scotland have been slow to respond to the upsurge of interest in traditional music. I take Cathy Peattie's point about radio coverage, but BBC Scotland's decision not to film and broadcast this year's Celtic Connections event—after having done so for the past couple of years—is an unwelcome and retrograde step.
It is arguable that Celtic Connections has established itself as a premier event in the traditional music calendar. It goes from strength to strength. I should declare an interest in that my brother, Fionn, plays fiddle in The Chair, which has performed at Celtic Connections for the past two years. The band picked up a Danny Kyle award in 2007 and has just released its first album.
There is a strong case for saying that our vibrant music and festival scene would benefit from the wider exposure that only the broadcast media can provide. That has certainly been the case with the BBC's coverage of festivals such as T in the Park and rock Lomond. Of course, the quality of the broadcast is essential. Some people suggest that coverage of, for example, the Cambridge folk festival did not do justice to the atmosphere and feel of that event. It takes resources to achieve the necessary quality but, given the economic, social and cultural importance of the trad music awards and other events in the now busy music calendar, there is a strong case for committing those resources.
I congratulate Rob Gibson on securing a useful debate and look forward to other members' speeches. I hope that tonight's debate will help to make the case for providing more support and—it is an important point—more exposure for the traditional music industry in Scotland.
I, too, thank Rob Gibson for lodging the motion, which allows us the opportunity to discuss the traditional music scene in Scotland at a time when, as Cathy Peattie noted, Burns suppers are still taking place.
I had the privilege of opening the semi-finals of the young traditional musician of the year award in a village hall in Coulter, near Biggar, in the South of Scotland. It was a real treat to be able to hear not only the eventual six finalists—including Ewan Robertson—but the other young performers who were unlucky enough not to make it to the finals this time. I would not have relished the job of the judges, who had to pick a winner, as the standard was truly outstanding. Simon Thoumire and others who were involved in organising the event—and Meg Beresford, who allowed the semi-finalists to stay in Wiston Lodge and jam there—should be recognised for playing their part in keeping Scotland's music tradition alive.
And what a tradition we have in Scotland. From the Shetland fiddle tunes and the waulking songs of the Western Isles to the muckle sangs, the border ballads and—my favourite—the bothy ballads, our rich tapestry of traditional music is hard to beat. We should never be ashamed to celebrate it. What luck that Scotland has dedicated and talented young people who are passionate about keeping the tradition going. Their dedication, coupled with the time and effort they have to put into learning their instruments, should be congratulated; it shows that not all young people are simply hoodies.
Rob Gibson's motion acknowledges the contribution that institutions such as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama can make in the development of musicians, and I support that sentiment, but we must be aware of the vast amount of work that is done over and above those national bodies by local folk groups such as the Clydesdale folk club in the South of Scotland, who had a big hand in supporting the young trad musician of the year award event, and who do their best to nurture talent. I witnessed an example of that when Douglas resident Tom Gold was presented at the semi-final in Coulter with the David Roberts prize. David was a former member of the Clydesdale folk club who unfortunately passed away fairly recently. That young guy, Tom, who is only about 15, blew me away with his fiddle playing—I know that he will go on to be a great success.
The tradition is also kept alive by the work of the school of Scottish studies, Glasgow Caledonian University's collection of political songs and the Elphinstone institute in Aberdeen—they all work hard to ensure that we do not lose the oral traditions of our travelling people. Why is it important to keep those traditions alive? Why does it matter so much? Because our folk songs and music form a crucial part of our history and provide a useful glimpse into our past.
At university, I studied bothy ballads and agricultural folk songs from the north-east. Members do not need to worry; I will not perform any songs or renditions, because I am pretty rubbish—Cathy Peattie can do it. Those ballads told the stories of farm labourers: their working conditions and love lives, the feeing fairs and the efforts that were made by the army to recruit them. Those songs were their words, and they should be of equal value to any academic texts or condescending contemporary newspaper reports. The songs add a different dimension to the usual methods of finding out about our past, and are more important than we probably realise.
Last week, the Parliament debated the importance of teaching Scottish history in our schools. Members largely agreed that we need to be aware of our heritage and history to understand ourselves better and to be able to move forward with confidence. I firmly believe that teaching our songs and traditional music should be included in the effort to encourage our children to learn about their past and to be confident in that learning. I hope that by recognising the achievements of young traditional musicians we can work together to raise awareness of our varied and valuable traditions.
I congratulate Rob Gibson on securing the debate. I am very pleased to speak about the Scottish traditional music sector, having long been a strong supporter of it. The 2007 awards, which took place in Fort William, in the Highlands and Islands, and which contributed to the year of Highland culture, were a fantastic celebration of the very best in Scottish traditional music. All the organisers and participants are to be commended for that. The awards also represented a significant boost to the local economy.
I will highlight some of the award winners who come from the Highlands and Islands. I wish to praise Julie Fowlis from North Uist for winning both the album of the year award and the award for Gaelic singer of the year; the fantastic Fochabers Fiddlers, who were awarded the Strathspey and reel society of the year award; and the outstanding Mid Argyll pipe band from my native Argyll, which, with its latest title of Scottish pipe band of the year, continues to put Argyll on the map. Obviously, the Highlands and Islands are very well represented in terms of award winners, which speaks volumes about the region's key role in sustaining the traditional music sector. God bless the Old Blind Dogs on a great win—what a name for a band, and what a sound they make.
The motion refers to the lack of TV coverage. I share Rob Gibson's concerns. I am sure that the awards would attract a significant TV audience, and I will be interested to hear what the minister has to say on the matter in her response. The fact that the Inveraray junior pipe band won a £17,000 lottery award that was voted on by TV viewers all over the country shows how popular this kind of music can be.
The motion also mentions the
"rude health … of Scotland's contemporary indigenous music",
and on that I agree with Rob Gibson again. I am sure that he and other members taking part in the debate will wish to put on record our delight at the success of this year's Celtic Connections event, which finished last weekend. This year was the most successful in the event's 15-year history: more than 120,000 people attended and ticket sales broke all records. The whole Celtic Connections team, led very ably by Capercaillie member Donald Shaw, who has helped to turn the whole event around after a dodgy period in 2006, should be congratulated on that success. It is good that the festival included so many new international acts, because I believe that that gives more scope to composers and musicians. Indeed, it also included the work "Ben Dorain" by Scotland's great composer Ronald Stevenson, which is based on a poem by Duncan Ban McIntyre and will, I hope, become a classic of Gaelic culture that will be seen again and again.
I have previously spoken of my respect for accordion and fiddle clubs, and I make no apology for doing so again. In that regard, I consider Robbie Shepherd's excellent Radio Scotland shows—"Take the Floor" on Saturday evening and "The Reel Blend" on Sundays—to be great showcases for exponents of this grass-roots sector of Scottish traditional music. I also pay tribute to Scotland's bagpiping sector and the great enthusiasm of the individuals who run and play in Scotland's many pipe bands. In particular, I want to compliment the recently formed Inveraray junior pipe band, which has just won a world championship. These bands are a great outlet for the enthusiasm, exuberance and energy of young boys and girls and give them something to look forward to. Indeed, the shared team experience of being a piper or drummer in a pipe band can prove highly valuable for the future.
At one stage, young Shetlanders would get ready for a night out listening not to Radio 1 but to Robbie Shepherd's "Take the Floor". My advancing years have got the better of me, and I am not quite sure—nor do I want to know—what my children's generation choose to listen to before they go out for the evening. That said, I take Jamie McGrigor's point about those programmes seriously.
I absolutely agree with Rob Gibson that we must take the traditional music sector seriously, and I acknowledge not only the commitment that the minister and Cathy Peattie have shown, but Aileen Campbell's knowledge of the subject. Having danced an eightsome reel with Liam McArthur, I warn any of the fairer sex who might take part in a set with him that they should be very worried. On that occasion, Orcadians and Shetlanders came together, which is something we do from time to time.
Rob Gibson is right to highlight the lack of TV coverage, even though there are many more festivals now than there have ever been. Indeed, as Jamie McGrigor said, the sector is strong and growing. The minister would have considerable support from Parliament in her efforts to convince the broadcasting authorities and other broadcasters that these are areas of great Scottish strength that have enormous export potential.
Rob Gibson is also right to mention the significance of the traditional music industry. Some people find words such as "industry" inappropriate in this context. I know graduates from that very fine and important Scottish institution, the RSAMD, who have careers in the area. I acknowledge, welcome and respect their talents, but I also want to ensure that they are able to have those careers. I appreciate that there are some funding issues to deal with—like all members, I have received representations on the matter—but I hope that the minister will find some time to deal with the issue. Surely, as Phil Cunningham becomes the RSAMD's director of traditional music, this is a particularly fine moment to take the institution forward.
As for Celtic Connections, Rob Gibson and I went along to the Shetland night and met Aileen Campbell—I was going to say that we met in the bar afterwards, but that would be most unfair to her. Mr Gibson was good enough to bring along some overseas friends.
The great thing about the night—apart from the fact that it made me, as a Shetlander, very proud of the sheer depth of talent on stage and across the islands that I am proud to represent in Parliament—was the number of people who turned up not only because they are expatriate Shetlanders who live and work on the Scottish mainland, but because they care passionately about traditional music and its future. I hope that the minister can work with the industry to develop every aspect of those initiatives. A review in The Big Issue of that night said:
"We came for Aly Bain, but hosts Fiddlers' Bid are worth it alone."
That says enough about the diversity and strength of the music that comes out of my islands. That said, I am pleased to be here, to be better informed by colleagues who are part of strong musical traditions in their parts of Scotland.
I wish the minister well in her work on traditional music. I hope that she will be able to drive forward Government initiatives that strengthen and support the sector. If she does that, I am sure that she will have our full support.
I, too, congratulate Rob Gibson on securing an important debate and join him and other members in congratulating Hands Up for Trad—for organising the awards—and the winners, who have showcased Scottish traditional music to brilliant effect.
It is sad that so many people in Scotland are disconnected from such a rich tradition. That is why the part of the motion about television is particularly important. I share Rob Gibson's view that the Scottish Broadcasting Commission could consider the issue, now that it has entered the cultural phase of its work.
As members know, the six programmes by Phil Cunningham that were shown recently—I think that they have already been mentioned—were an outstanding example of television showcasing Scottish traditional music, and they made riveting viewing. Given that they dramatically highlighted the emotional richness of much traditional music, it is sad that they were not shown throughout the UK. Another interesting feature of those programmes was that they demonstrated the effect of Scottish traditional music on the music of many other countries in the world.
I must apologise to Linda Fabiani because I will have to leave the debate early—I am co-convener of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on climate change, an interesting meeting of which began two minutes ago. It will look at the lyrics of Bob Dylan's song, "A Hard Rain". On that subject, it is worth saying that a significant amount of American music, including some of Bob Dylan's work, has been influenced by Scottish traditional music. The Phil Cunningham programmes highlighted bluegrass music, in particular, as having been influenced by such music.
Mention of Phil Cunningham leads us to think of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and I am sure that everyone is delighted that he will take up a position there. However, it is clear that there have been concerns that the job problems at the RSAMD might affect the traditional music department. We hope that those problems will not have a negative impact on the brilliant teaching that the academy has done and the important role that it performs.
Will the member join me in welcoming the fact that Bob Dylan now has a property in the Highlands and Islands?
I join Jamie McGrigor in welcoming that development.
Many members have spoken about the importance of increasing participation in music. All parties are at one in supporting the youth music initiative that was started by the previous Administration and which is being continued by the new Government. That has been and will continue to be important in growing the number of young people who have opportunities to participate in music.
We hope that as much support as possible will be given to traditional music and to enabling more people to experience it. Specific action through the Scottish Arts Council to develop that thriving scene would also be welcome. Finally, I again apologise to the minister for not staying for her speech.
I came to the chamber without any notes because I knew that I would have been writing all day if I had tried to express how I feel about traditional music. What I had intended to say has all gone out of my head, now that I am wondering how to wangle a visit to Bob's bothy in the Highlands—that would be great.
The minister should speak to his MSP.
I congratulate Rob Gibson on his motion, which is great. The wording of the motion shows much of the spirit that is shared by those of us who feel passionate about our traditional music.
Like other members, I congratulate Simon Thoumire on the huge amount of work that he has done in spearheading Hands Up for Trad. I also thank him hugely for a wonderful night in Fort William at the Scots trad music awards. I was privileged to attend in my role as minister—when I have gone along in the past, it has been off my own bat. I had missed the event for a couple of years and I was amazed at how big it has become. It is massive. Some 900 people had come to watch 130 musicians of world-class calibre.
We should not forget that world-class musicians play traditional music. Far too often, people try to pigeonhole traditional music as being not quite up there with other genres. Rob Gibson referred to our indigenous contemporary culture, part of the charm of which is that it is a living tradition—to borrow the title of Pete Heywood's magazine—which moves on and is contemporary. There is world-class, fabulous musicianship and we should celebrate traditional music more. Over the years, I have lost track of the number of people who said, after being taken to hear traditional music, "I did not know it could be like that. How exciting! How wonderful! How great!"
Rob Gibson talked about Celtic Connections. It is astounding how that festival has grown over the years—this was its 15th year. He also talked about Phil Cunningham's series about Scotland's music, which was seen by 250,000 viewers, as did Malcolm Chisholm and others. It was wonderful, riveting television and it is a shame that it was not networked throughout the UK, as Jamie McGrigor said. We are potentially missing out on economic benefits—members talked about that, too. People all over the country, the continent and the world are fascinated by Scotland's indigenous music.
Cathy Peattie, who is an aficionado, used great language, as she always does, to talk about the celebration of our unique culture. As she rightly said, if we do not celebrate our culture, who will? Rob Gibson talked about the promotion of Scotland overseas; we must also promote Scotland internally. Let us learn how to celebrate what we do that is truly unique and wonderful.
Cathy Peattie and Aileen Campbell mentioned Burns. Having announced a fairly small audit into the Scots language, I am raging at commentators who have accused me of trying to promote slang among our children. How dare they say that the language that has been used by many of our artists and poets over the years, including the great Robert Burns, is slang? They ought to get real—there, I have said it.
Does the minister agree that Burns did a great service to Scotland, because he encourages us to celebrate our language, and that we have a responsibility to hold on to that, to ensure that our bairns do the same thing?
I absolutely agree. It is about not just Burns's wonderful writing, but the service that he did to our great nation by collecting and preserving our songs. What an exponent of Scottish culture he was. We should always celebrate him along with our culture.
Liam McArthur, from Orkney, and Tavish Scott, from Shetland, spoke in the debate. I am ashamed that, in all my years of going to folk festivals throughout mainland Scotland and in some of the islands, I have never yet made it to the Orkney or Shetland folk festivals. At some point, I would like to go along and dance an eightsome reel in the company of both members.
The minister might not have the insurance to cover that, but I formally invite her to the Orkney folk festival, if not this year then next year. The event is going from strength to strength.
I would be delighted to attend. I am sure that it is going from strength to strength, as is Celtic Connections, which has had the biggest ticket sales ever.
I was privileged to take part in the judging of one of Danny Kyle's open stage events at Celtic Connections last Friday. I was then hugely privileged to attend the showcase event on Sunday night and to present prizes to the six acts that had come through from a group of 80. There is a wee lass from Shetland, called Maggie Adamson, who fiddles wonderfully—Aly Bain should look out.
There is so much that I still want to say. I had better get to the meat of my speech.
On broadcasting and television, it is absolutely beyond me why our broadcasters do not see the potential and wonder of our events in the traditional music sphere and why they do not broadcast them. The event in Fort William on which the motion is based was an awards ceremony with wonderful live music. I have no doubt that anybody who watched that, in Scotland or throughout the rest of the UK, would have been in awe. It was mentioned that Julie Fowlis won the BBC Radio 2 folk awards, just on Monday. Lau, a band that was nominated up at Fort William, also won the best group award in the BBC Radio 2 folk awards, which are UK wide. I believe that broadcasters are missing a trick. Our musicians are being celebrated, but we should celebrate them more.
As the Scottish Broadcasting Commission goes into the phase of considering cultural issues, I encourage all members to make their views known. I will ensure that the Official Report of the debate is sent to the commission. I encourage everyone to let the Scottish Broadcasting Commission and our broadcasters know how strongly we feel about the issue.
Meeting closed at 17:41.