Robert Burns
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S1M-1506, in the name of David Mundell, on Robert Burns.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the immeasurable contribution which the life and works of Robert Burns have made to the history and culture of Scotland; commends the activities of the Robert Burns World Federation, individual Burns' Clubs and the many other organisations and individuals who are dedicated to preserving and promoting Burns' memory and work in Scotland and abroad, and believes that the Scottish Executive should do all it can to ensure that the maximum educational, cultural and economic, particularly from tourism, benefits are gained by the people of Scotland from Robert Burns' global legacy.
I have been flicking through my Burns tome to see whether he had some suitable words for what has happened today, but even he would be at a loss for words for the preceding events.
On the way to the chamber this afternoon, members will have passed one of the many places where Burns stayed during his time in Edinburgh 215 years ago. I do not know what Burns would have made of the Scottish Parliament; others may choose to speculate during the debate. However, he was certainly here at the birth, when Sheena Wellington so movingly sang "A Man's a Man for a' that." All members—on that day at least—echoed the sentiment:
"It's coming yet for a' that.
That man to man, the world o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that."
However, I like to think that Burns, with a roguish smile, is looking down on us, thinking that his lines from "To a Louse" are appropriate for politicians:
"O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An' foolish notion."
What the Parliament can do for Burns is to recognise his importance and—not just today—to celebrate his life and works. Voted Scot of the millennium in recent polls, he is a man who should be at the heart of our culture. His place as our leading literary figure should not be in doubt; nor should it depend on fashion or the latest fad among the luvvies in the arts organisations. His memory and his work are to be treasured. We must put in the resources that will do that, rather than leaving the burden on the shoulders of volunteers and enthusiasts. Institutions such as Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Tourist Board, along with the Executive, have a significant role to play.
Presiding Officer, you will be relieved to hear that I will not be delivering an immortal memory—according to the Scottish Tourist Board website, an immortal memory should last 25 minutes. The website says:
"A briefer time is considered sketchy and only the most gifted can command the interest of a company beyond half an hour".
Therein lies one of the principal issues that I want to highlight tonight. Although the Scottish Tourist Board's website offers the casual browser tips on holding a do-it-yourself Burns supper, a search for the name Robert Burns on visitscotland.com does not bring up any details of where to go or what to see, although it gives details of 200 other sites to visit. Surely it is ridiculous that more tourist information about Burns is available on sites operated by private individuals in north America than through our own publicly funded organisations.
We must not underestimate the global significance of the name Robert Burns. His life and work is celebrated not just here in his own country, but in every corner of the world. As Scots, we should be proud of that inheritance, but we must not be so proud that we do not take advantage of it. We must find ways of bringing direct benefits to Scotland from his global recognition in the same way that our friends in England have been able to market Shakespeare. After all, the average north American knows Burns's version of "Auld Lang Syne" far better than any Shakespeare sonnet.
One such individual is Jeremy Boot, who strikes a particular chord with me when he says on his website:
"I have come to Burns' work late. I am not an expert on the subject; I have created these pages for enjoyment and in the hope that it may inspire the reader to dig further."
I, too, am not an expert, but I have grown older—shockingly, to an age older than Burns when he died—and I have come to understand the wide range of Burns's work, which I am sure individual members will highlight, from gentle love songs such as "Ae Fond Kiss" and "My Luve's like a Red, Red Rose" to the raucous, rhythmic "Tam o' Shanter". "Tam o' Shanter" contains my favourite lines, never better delivered, in my view, than by the late Bill Dunlop of the Kilwinning Burns club:
"But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white—then melts for ever;
Or like the borealis race,
That flit ere you can point their place;
Or like the rainbow's lovely form
Evanishing amid the storm."
Not just Burns's words, but his life, are as relevant to us today as they were 250 years ago. We are now a nation obsessed with soap operas, but Burns's life had more real ups and downs, more twists and turns, more loves and griefs, more depth and sheer humanity than any of the modern television dramas from which we are supposed to learn how to cope with our everyday problems. Phil and Grant Mitchell could learn a thing or two from Robert Burns, and we must ensure that, through our school curriculum, young people throughout Scotland also have the opportunity to do so.
At the moment, much of what happens in our schools is down to the Robert Burns World Federation, and I welcome its chief executive, Shirley Bell, to the gallery and pay tribute to her work. [Members: "Hear, hear."] Her organisation supports Burns clubs around the world with no public funding other than the support of East Ayrshire Council. That must change if this Parliament takes preserving and promoting the Burns legacy seriously. I hope that the Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture will recognise that.
In the preface to the first edition of his works in 1786, Burns stated that if
"after a fair, candid and impartial criticism, he shall stand convicted of dullness and nonsense, let him be done by as he would in that case do by others—let him be condemned, without mercy, to contempt and oblivion."
Although some outside the chamber might cruelly suggest that such a fate awaits some members of this Parliament, it is not true of Robert Burns. His legacy is global and his persona iconic. Let us toast his memory by supporting the motion.
Members will be aware that I have been uncharacteristically quiet this week and they will notice that I am suffering from a loss of voice. My constituency—Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley—contains Alloway, the birthplace of Burns, and Mauchline, where he lived a considerable part of his life. It also contains a number of other locations that are close to the hearts of all Burns enthusiasts. I therefore felt that life would not be worth living if I did not overcome the problems that I face in speaking today and make a short contribution to the debate.
I thank David Mundell for lodging the motion that has allowed us to have this debate. I am glad that he acknowledged the work of East Ayrshire Council in supporting the work of the Burns federation. I also thank South Ayrshire Council for the work that it has done to promote the Burns national heritage park in Alloway and for the other work that is done in local schools throughout Ayrshire. As a former pupil of an Ayrshire school, I well know the amount of work that was done to give young people a lifelong interest in the life and works of Robert Burns.
David Mundell was right about the need to build on the whole of Burns's life and work to enable us to appreciate our culture and to see it as an integral part of our economic development processes, particularly tourism.
Will Cathy Jamieson take an intervention?
I certainly will; I think that it will help my voice.
It will give it a wee rest.
Does Cathy Jamieson agree that financial partnership with the Scottish Executive would aid the emerging local partnership in Kilmarnock between the Kilmarnock Standard, Klin Contracts Ltd and East Ayrshire Council to reinstate and open the Burns monument in Kay park in Kilmarnock to many Burns enthusiasts, thereby contributing to the Ayrshire economy?
I very much agree that that kind of partnership is the way forward. The Burns monument in Kilmarnock is one initiative that could be taken forward. There are opportunities to develop other areas, such as Mauchline. There is, of course, a national Burns monument in Mauchline. There are also the Jean Armour homes and the Burns museum, which, as far as I understand it, relies totally on a trust fund to keep going. The museum is not only filled with Burns memorabilia; it is the home of an incredible collection of Mauchline ware and curling stones. We have talked about things of national significance in relation to the museums audit. I hope that the minister will give some comfort to those who have run such initiatives voluntarily over many years and say that we will work towards a strategy in future that puts Burns at the centre of developments. I hope that we can look forward to hearing about progress on that when the minister responds to the debate.
The member spoke about the Burns heritage, in which Ayrshire plays a significant part. In asking the minister about promotion, I request that we talk not only about the poems and songs of Burns, which are well renowned, but about the letters of Burns, which constitute one of the most fascinating pieces of social history in our country.
Absolutely; I agree to the extent that I will finish on this point. When I was preparing to give a reply to the toast to the lasses at a Burns supper at the weekend, I got so carried away reading some of the letters that I forgot that I was supposed to be writing a speech.
David Mundell mentioned the website that tells people how long an immortal memory should be. However, I found no such guidance on the reply to the toast to the lasses, although I found out that I was supposed to be nice to men, which of course, I always am. We talk about the fact that a man's a man for a' that, but I remind people that Burns also gave a mention to the rights of women. Many of the women here—Cathy Peattie and others—will, I am sure, expand on that during the debate.
Politicians are often in receipt of advice and sometimes even take advice. It seems to me that Robert Burns gave us all some of the best advice when he wrote in his address to the Scottish members of Parliament in his day the following lines:
"In gath'rin votes you were na slack,
Now stand as tightly by your tack:
Ne'er claw your lug, an' fidge your back,
An' hum an' haw,
But raise your arm, an' tell your crack
Before them a'."
Reflecting on the events of the past 48 hours, I think that it would have been much more straightforward if a simple plan had been in a manifesto and had been promptly delivered after the election. That was the advice that Robert Burns gave. In our heart of hearts, we all know that it is valuable advice, which we will ponder for many a while.
I congratulate David Mundell on lodging the motion. I do so for many reasons. When Burns is celebrated, it is by the people. Burns suppers have lived on as an expression of the support of the Scottish people for our national bard for all these years. Many people criticise Burns suppers, but I have always found that to be elitist and muddleheaded. Surely, if our people gather to celebrate Burns, it does not matter whether the dinners are formal or informal, posh or couthie, in the community hall or in the Hilton Hotel. The fact is that people gather to celebrate the memory of our bard. If some jokes are of a blue nature, we do not mind; in this chamber, we all laugh. We celebrate Burns in many different ways.
When "Burns: The Movie" is made, I make a special plea to ministers that it is made not in Ireland or Hollywood but in our own country, perhaps even with a Scottish actor—Sean Connery is perhaps a bit old for the part, but I am sure that there will be many other contenders.
Duncan Hamilton.
Duncan Hamilton has been suggested. I know that he has many talents, but I do not know whether acting is one of them.
I will conclude by being non-controversial, as always. In response to the question whether Burns was a nationalist, there is only one answer—obviously, patently, demonstrably and incontrovertibly yes. Why? Because he wrote these words, which I will sing:
"Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel even to the Scottish name,
Sae fam'd in martial story!"
Members will know the rest of the words; they are on the SNP CD, which is now remaindered, but still available.
I hope that we can all join in toasting the bard at Burns suppers that we attend this year.
I must admit that that is the second time at a members' business debate that I have been obliged to turn a blind ear to what is going on in the chamber.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Is it not the case that you are required to turn a blind ear only when singing occurs?
I was about to say that I may have been able to make an obvious exception in this case, but Mr Ewing beat me to it.
Presiding Officer, you should turn a deaf eye to the standing orders and allow Cathy Peattie to sing. Fergus Ewing, for all his talents, is no Cathy Peattie or Sheena Wellington.
Thank goodness for that.
At the risk of over-egging the haggis, I thank
"My lov'd, my honour'd, much respected friend"
David Mundell, with his "honest, sonsie face", for securing this debate today and allowing Parliament to pay tribute to the immortal memory of Robert Burns and the undying legacy that is his work.
It is 30 years almost to the day since I was first asked to propose the immortal memory at a formal Burns supper—the Peeblesshire Burns supper. After I had accepted, I was told that the speakers in the two previous years had been David Steel and Hugh MacDiarmid. I was so intimidated at that young age by the status of the people who had preceded me that I decided that I would have to be very clever and academic, so I did a great big study about Robert Burns and Henry Mackenzie, the man of feeling and all that kind of stuff. I bored the people to death—so much so that the Peeblesshire Burns club folded afterwards and never had another Burns supper.
Robert Burns is indeed one of Scotland's truly international treasures, whose work appeals to readers of all ages, classes and nationalities. For example, although my father was not a bookish person, he loved Burns, particularly the wee out-of-the-way bits. When I became a teacher, he used to quote a poem about a teacher who would go to hell when he died. The poem runs:
"Here lie Willie Michie's banes:
Oh Satan, when ye tak him,
Gie him the schulin o your weans,
For clever deils he'll mak them!"
He always said to me, "When you go to hell, you'll need to teach these weans."
One of my happiest Burns memories is a lunch that I attended at St Ronan's Primary School in Innerleithen. The youngsters went through the whole Burns supper procedure with tremendous energy and knowledge, on a spot where Burns spent a night during his Borders tour.
Last September, I had the privilege to speak at the formal dinner of the annual conference of the Robert Burns World Federation, which was held—I am happy to say—at the Peebles Hydro. I mentioned the event at St Ronan's school because it featured the kind of recitations of Burns and other Scottish verse that had been inspired by competitions sponsored by the federation. I also welcomed the conference in the full knowledge that the organisation was a massively important agency for taking a vital element of Scottish culture to all corners of the globe and for providing a hugely significant source of promotion for Scotland, its culture and traditions and the hospitality, conviviality and values that would draw admirers of Burns, their relatives and their friends to our shores and so boost our economy.
Throughout that meal, I sat beside Shirley Bell—to whom David Mundell has already referred—and agreed with her argument that the Robert Burns World Federation should be recognised as a positive, established organisation whose cultural work and role as an ambassador for Scotland deserved the support of the Scottish Parliament. This year's conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, where, incidentally, there is a replica of Burns's cottage. I wish the federation well in that conference and hope and believe that its activities will produce good results for us all in improving our knowledge of our culture and in ensuring that visitors return to Scotland. I hope to welcome the federation back to Peebles in the near future.
Of course I urge the Executive and the Scottish Tourist Board to push ahead in new directions. However, I hope that we can recognise Robert Burns's importance in our living culture and the equal importance of building on our existing cultural assets.
People have taken Burns's words to heart across the world—"Auld Lang Syne" has been mentioned. When I used to teach "Of Mice and Men"—which was one of the best things I ever did—the kids were amazed to find out that the title came from the Burns poem "To a Mouse". Of course, members have also mentioned "A Man's a Man for a' that".
Robert Burns is the brightest star in our cultural firmament. When we are seeking new things, we must not forget the established culture and reputation that we can build on.
I will begin with an example of Robert Burns's panache. He meant all things to all men. Fergus Ewing claimed Burns as a nationalist, but I refer Fergus to the Dumfries volunteers—that example undoubtedly shows Burns stressing his unionist interests. Furthermore, Burns supported a Tory candidate in Dumfries in a local council by-election. That demonstrates another point. Many members would quite rightly highlight Burns's socialist credentials. However, one of the things about Burns that we can proud of is that he means something different to each and every one of us.
I take issue with Cathy Jamieson. I am sure that Robert Burns would turn in his grave if he knew that Alloway had been taken out of the Ayr constituency at the previous election and put into Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.
I want to give Mr Gallie some information. Alloway is indeed in my constituency, which covers part of Ayrshire. In those terms, Alloway is still in Ayr.
I take that point. Burns would probably turn in his grave at that as well.
I thank David Mundell for securing this debate and point out that what was true 225 years ago is still true:
"Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses
For honest men and bonie lasses".
I suggest that there should be a Burns supper in Ayrshire every night of the year. I would like the tourist board—with the help of colleagues from Ayrshire—to consider that suggestion.
I am sure that all members would agree with that. We welcome all Burns suppers in Ayrshire; at this time of year, there is one virtually every night of the week. Perhaps when we move into the tourist season, John Scott's suggestion could be taken up.
We are told that, 242 years ago, on the day on which Robert Burns was born, the wind blew the end of the cottage in and the handsel disappeared. Some things never change. The weather in Ayrshire over recent months has been reminiscent of that day.
Ayrshire has produced many skilled and expert people—engineers, scholars, innovators and sportsmen—but none is identified on the worldwide scene so much as Robert Burns. No one else's birthday is celebrated the world over—with the exception of the celebration of Christmas—which says something about Robert Burns. Undoubtedly, Robert Burns is a great asset to Scotland, and our tourist industry will certainly ignore Scotland's interests if it does not maximise that asset.
I make a final suggestion. Prestwick airport has recently been taken over by a new local consortium. I wish it well. Perhaps it could start by renaming Prestwick international airport the Burns international airport.
I have much enjoyed this debate, which has lightened the atmosphere after the previous business.
I have many links with Burns. One cannot help but bump into Burns, wherever one goes in the world—the man is a megastar. In Scotland, we still do not fully appreciate just how big our global megastar is. Back in 1996, I thought that the celebrations for the Burns bicentennial year were going to be big. Even Pavarotti was going to come to Scotland. However, the organisers had a budget of peanuts and the man who was running the national Burns festival had only one phone in an office in Ayr. We must upgrade the way in which we treat Burns, in line with the great efforts of the enthusiasts.
There are more than 2,000 different books about Robert Burns. His work has been translated into more than 90 languages—the latest Chinese edition, in Mandarin, sold 180,000 copies in the first two days of publication. The traffic lights at pedestrian crossings in some Japanese cities play "Comin' Thro' the Rye". There are more than 1,500 statues of Burns throughout the world and 5,000 marble busts in libraries and public parks. No one else has had so many statues and busts made of them, apart from Columbus, the discoverer of the new world. Lenin used to be up there, but he is being pulled down all the time—and we are very grateful for that.
Touching moments come with Burns. The other night, in the Gorbals, I attended what I would call the multi-storey Saturday night. It was not intended to have the atmosphere of "The Cotter's Saturday Night", but that is exactly what it had. Ordinary people were gathering together in a community flat in the Gorbals for the first Burns supper that they had ever organised. This beautiful cake—I invite members to see the love that has been put into it—was made for the occasion by Jean Sechaud and her friend Isobel McCue, who have started a charity there to help people to make cakes and fancy confectionery. We all really enjoyed ourselves. There was karaoke Burns as well—Burns a-go-go. He would have loved it, bless his heart. We must bring Burns to younger generations.
I have a quick anecdote about Russia and how Burns can touch people's hearts to this day. A couple of years ago, I was in a wood outside St Petersburg with a bunch of drunks. It was not a Parliamentary outing—we go to Inverness. The people in the wood were recovering alcoholics. I was interviewing them through an interpreter called Vladimir Thomson—I have not made up that name. I asked those chaps, who had all been in jail, how they first got into trouble. My banal question was tortuously interpreted into Russian to one young man. This lad, who did not otherwise speak a word of English, pushed away the interpreter. He looked straight at me and said:
"Inspiring bold John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou canst make us scorn!"
There were tears in his eyes because he, who had no English and had been educated in a poor Russian state school, could communicate with me, who had little Russian, through Robert Burns—and he gave the perfect reply.
Presiding Officer, as a bit of good will today, after all the sniping that we have had this afternoon, I would like to present you with this cake, which you can share with the other Presiding Officers and especially with the long-suffering clerks.
Thank you very much.
On a point of order. As it is my birthday today as well, can I have a bit, please?
I am not sure how many rules in the standing orders we have broken. I call Jamie Stone.
Cheese!
When I was a child in the Highlands—and I am sure that this will also have been the case when Alasdair Morrison was a child—Burns suppers took place but not to a great extent. Since then, with the arrival of incomers from Glasgow and so on to build oil rigs and suchlike, Burns suppers have taken off in my area and we now have many. My act, which I have performed for some years and which I keep being asked to do, is the toast to the lasses. I did one last week and Nancy Nicholson, the BBC agriculture broadcaster, gave the wittiest reply I have ever heard. She mangled me; she ate me up and spat me out. She was an object example to all the lasses.
Given that Mr Stone is so experienced in proposing the toast to the lasses, does he agree with what Burns wrote on the hand of nature in "Green Grow the Rashes":
"Her prentice han' she try'd on man,
An' then she made the lasses, O"?
As Mary Scanlon knows, I am keen on the lasses O and something of an aficionado. When giving the toast to the lasses some five years ago, I misjudged my audience, who were elderly people and who had had perhaps one quarter of a glass of sherry each. I told a joke about transplants—I shall go no further than that—and got 16 letters of complaint. I have never been asked back to that place.
Cheese was mentioned. Burns suppers are about food and fellowship. They are a reminder that we are all Jock Tamson's bairns. Fergus Ewing has rightly pointed out that, be the suppers in a village hall or in the Hilton, they are for everyone. What is particularly good about Burns suppers is that they are about food, fellowship, wit and laughter at one of the darkest times of the year, when we are all feeling a bit down and are looking forward to spring. They are good for us and put a spring in our step at a time when there might not otherwise be one.
I was brought up in Alloway and I am pleased to contribute to the debate. Burns should not be only about Burns suppers in January. The point has been made that we should make more of Burns throughout the year, particularly for children. I attended Alloway primary school, which has successfully promoted Burns.
That is a fair point. We should look at it this way: if we can increase exports of whisky and haggis from places such as my constituency, that must be a good thing.
Fiona Hyslop is quite right. I look forward to the day when we have TV Burns suppers being eaten all year round. We heard a beautifully sung song from Fergus Ewing—although I would ask for notice of when he will sing again; the Presiding Officer has been presented with a delicious cake and we have heard about Mr Davidson's birthday. I therefore invite you, Presiding Officer, to come and have a glass of whisky with me and Mr Davidson in Deacon Brodie's after the debate.
In election times, I think that that is called treating.
I have a constituency interest to declare. Robert Burns lived the last few years of his life in Dumfries. Sadly, he passed away at the early age of 37, his death partly brought on by bathing in the Solway, which was apparently prescribed as a treatment for chest trouble. I am pleased that medical services in Dumfries and Galloway have improved significantly since then.
In the election to which Mr Gallie referred, the successful candidate's name was Murray. Although I may be the first female to represent Dumfries, I am not the first Murray to do so—which is rather surprising, given that Murray is not a Borders name.
David Mundell correctly referred to the work of the Robert Burns World Federation and of the individual Burns clubs in keeping alive the works of the poet. Burns lived in a time of great political and cultural change, and tasked himself with preserving for the appreciation of future generations many of the traditional Scottish songs and much of the music that might otherwise have been lost. To their great credit, the Burns societies and clubs have carried on that good work to ensure that successive generations of young Scots will enjoy the music and poetry of previous centuries.
Like many parents, I have been involved in rehearsals of Burns's poetry over the past few days. In the case of our family, it was the "Address to the Tooth-Ache". In these days of a McDonald's-oriented, predominantly transatlantic culture, it was a rare pleasure to share with my son something of lowland Scotland's traditional language and humour.
More than two centuries on, Burns speaks to us on universal subjects such as passion, loss, inequality, endurance, the environment and human weakness. In his countryside, his experiences and in his and his fellow man's frailty, we recognise our countryside, our experiences and our frailty. All politicians like to believe that Burns, had he been alive, would have been a supporter of their particular political party. I find much in his later works in particular—which were written in Dumfries—to support my notion that he was a socialist.
On that note, I cannot resist advertising the fact that the biggest Labour movement Burns supper takes place in Dumfries every year. It is organised by my constituency Labour party. This very Saturday, we will be entertained in words and, I hope, in music by Cathy Peattie MSP. There may yet be a small number of tickets available.
Can I come?
You would be most welcome, Jamie.
Whatever Robert Burns's politics may have been, I am sure that he would have been pleased that "A Man's a Man for a' That", which was composed in Dumfries in 1795, was sung at the official opening of the Parliament—despite the fact that a parcel o' rogues like us went and joined in.
Two years ago, my daughter was charged with designing a poster to attract tourists to a Scottish town. She came up with the slogan, "Come to Dumfries—deathplace of Robert Burns", which, for whatever reason, has not yet been adopted by the area tourist board.
I thank David Mundell. This has been one of the jolliest moments that I have experienced in the life of the Parliament.
We have a phenomenon that belongs to us—a man who is respected and quoted from one end of the world to the other. I have been to some amazing Burns suppers around the world. Some in Tanzania, Hong Kong, Canada and America come to mind—not to mention all those that I have been to in Scotland.
Burns was not just a poet, of course. That is what is so appealing. He was also an historian. Some of his poems about history, including "The Lovely Lass of Inverness", are absolutely heart-rending.
There she is, Winnie: it is Mary Scanlon.
He was also a humorist and a satirist—"Holy Willie's Prayer" is said to be one of the most brilliant pieces of satire ever written. It was Professor Daiches who said that. Burns was also a philosopher. There are hundreds of books that take their titles from Burns—"Of Mice and Men" is just one example. As has been said, he was also an egalitarian. I suggest that he was an internationalist and a nationalist.
Scratch any Scot, and you will find that he can recite Burns, and most can recite a lot. Most can sing some—like Fergus.
There are no Shakespeare suppers—why do we have the Burns supper phenomenon? I suggest that it is because Burns shared all his thoughts and opinions in his letters, so we are in no doubt about his thoughts on every subject and person. He was also a great romantic.
For the benefit of our heritage, he was a great song collector. All by himself, he was an unpaid school of Scottish studies. Apart from the hundreds of songs that he wrote, he collected hundreds more. He never charged for the songs that he collected. He said that they were either above or below price, and he would not take money for them. He collected with the greatest assiduity. He found fragments of "Scots, wha hae" all over Scotland and argued that it was the march played at Bannockburn, which it turns out was the case. It was also the march that was played when Joan of Arc entered Orléans, when it was called "La Marche des soldats écossais".
Burns was a most intellectual song collector, and we are the beneficiaries of the hundreds that he collected. I will not sing, although I think I sing as well as Fergus.
It has been suggested that Burns was not a nationalist. However, he wrote:
"O would, or I had seen the day
That Treason thus could sell us,
My auld grey head had lien in clay,
Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!
But pith and power, till my last hour,
I'll mak this declaration;
We're bought and sold for English gold
Such a parcel o' rogues in a nation!"
I had not intended to speak this afternoon, but I could not resist doing so. I thank David Mundell for this opportunity to celebrate Burns. It is great to have a cake, but it does not seem right to talk or sing about Burns without a dram.
I think that Burns was an internationalist and a socialist. I remember reading Maya Angelou describe how Burns inspired her as a child, growing up in deprivation in a racist part of America. She said that reading Burns and hearing his story gave her hope. It is special that someone such as Maya Angelou should say that.
There are Burns suppers all over the world. Like Fergus Ewing, I think that there is nothing wrong with a Burns supper. It is good to get folk together to sing and celebrate Burns.
I think that Burns had a great empathy for the working people, both men and women, of his time. People say, "Och, well, we know what Burns was like," but Cathy Jamieson is right: immediately I start to read Burns, I forget what I sat down to do, and then discover that it is 1 o'clock and I have not written anything. It is important that people should read Burns, as he had great empathy for people and their struggle.
With permission, I will sing a few lines from a couple of songs. In "Ye banks and braes", Burns shows empathy for a young woman who had been desperately in love with a young man and has been left with a thorn—a babbie. The woman is chastised by her family and all the folk in the community. When I learned "Ye banks and braes" when I was growing up, I thought that it was a jolly wee song, but when one thinks about it, one realises how special it is.
"Ye banks and braes o' bonie Doon,
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye chant, ye little birds,
And I sae weary fu' o''care!
Thou'll break my heart, thou warbling bird,
That wantons thro' the flowering thorn:
Thou minds me o' departed joys,
Departed never to return."
There are a lot of songs like that one in Burns's book.
Like Winnie Ewing, for me the greatest celebration of Burns is what he has done for Scots and traditional music. There are more than 300 songs in the books and there are different versions of those songs in different parts of the country. They exist because Burns travelled around the country, gathering songs and pulling them together—from this ane and that ane; for this tune and that tune. He gave them life, and we hold on to them.
When we consider what is happening in our schools, it is important that we remember that those traditional songs are significant. They were not written for folk such as Pavarotti, as they were not meant to sound like something from an opera. They were people's songs and songs for people to sing.
Let us go back to Burns's politics. Burns hated hypocrisy, and my favourite verse is "Thanksgiving for a National Victory":
"Ye hypocrites are these your pranks?
To murder men, and give God thanks?
Desist for shame and go no further;
God won't accept your thanks for murder!"
Any socialist would have been delighted to be in the chamber when the wonderful Sheena Wellington sang at the opening of the Parliament. I cannot leave this evening without singing the last verse of "For a' that and a' that". If we had some drams and all night, we could sing all Burns's songs.
"Then let us pray that come it may,
As come it will for a' that,
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree, and a' that
For a' that, and a' that,
It's comin yet for a' that,
That Man to Man the warld o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that."
Let us hope that we keep celebrating Burns and that we encourage every bairn and everyone else in Scotland to celebrate him, not just on 25 January but throughout the year. [Applause.]
Before I call the minister to wind up the debate, I thank those members who spoke in the debate for the inspiration that they have given me. If I tell you that I am replying to a toast to the lassies that is to be proposed by our colleague Frank McAveety, you will understand why I need the inspiration.
I call Allan Wilson.
Will the minister give us a song?
In all seriousness, I do not think that I could follow Cathy Peattie. I have no cake, either.
Next time.
It might have been misinterpreted as an attempt to curry favour with members. [Laughter.] Members will get there eventually.
I congratulate David Mundell and the other members who have spoken in what must have been the best debate in the Parliament to date. I also welcome Shirley Bell back to the Parliament.
It is apt that we discuss Burns on this particular night, when many thousands of his admirers throughout the world sit down to pay tribute to his memory. His works, which have been so extensively and so eloquently quoted by members during the debate, have been enormously influential in the development of Scotland's cultural heritage. A number of members made the point that his works have been central to the formation of our identity and of Scotland's image throughout the world. Dorothy-Grace Elder remarked that they have been translated into 90 languages; they were also translated into Gaelic by the late, great Rev Roderick Macdonald.
The mark of a great poet is that he is not just of his own time and place but captures the imagination of people in many times and in many places. No other poet has captured the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life, across all classes of society and in all parts of the globe, as Robert Burns has done. Tonight, thousands of people—not just expatriate Scots but myriad nationalities such as Russian and Japanese—will toast his immortal memory.
Many of those people will be members of the Robert Burns World Federation, which, as members have heard, has more than 80,000 members throughout the world in more than 300 affiliated clubs. I congratulate the federation on the admirable work it carries out, in the celebration of Burns's memory and achievements and in the study of Scotland's literature and language. I certainly recognise the need to help the federation.
Much, of course, has already been done to support Burns's legacy. The Association for Scottish Literary Studies, funded by the Scottish Arts Council, has recently announced a new children's creative writing competition, which will be run jointly with the Burns federation. The competition is open to pupils in S1 and S2 and the first awards are to be made this spring.
Many members will have read The Herald magazine article about James Cosmo's plans to make a film about Burns's life. It was Fergus Ewing, I think, who made a reference to the film, which is one of a number of film projects being monitored by Scottish Screen. I understand that Scottish Screen has already had informal discussion to see how it might best be able to assist. I am scheduled to meet James Cosmo after the initial discussion that we had at the Scottish BAFTA—British Academy of Film and Television Arts—awards last month, to try to make progress with the project.
Name-dropper!
There is a vacancy for the lead part. David Mundell will be welcome to audition.
We have also recognised Burns's undoubted appeal to Scotland—
Sorry, minister, but when you meet James Cosmo, could you tell him that his old English teacher was asking for him.
Not that Ian Jenkins is name-dropping or anything.
I am appreciating the minister's speech. I hope, as he moves in such starry circles, that he is not going to cast Madonna as Jean Armour.
I think that we will leave the casting to the professionals.
Last year, the new tourism action plan for Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire identified Burns as a brand icon that should be developed. That will be integrated into the board's business plan, the new Ayrshire and Arran tourism strategy and the service level agreement. I think that that was a reference to the double act of the Jamiesons—Cathy and Margaret—behind me.
Those are important initiatives and opportunities on which we must build. Alasdair Morrison and I realise that we cannot rest on our laurels. We have already met David Mundell and Shirley Bell. Only this week, we have discussed how we might work together to help the federation to continue its excellent work and to make the most of the opportunities that the its worldwide membership affords. As a result of that meeting, Alasdair and I are looking at ways in which we can help the federation to access business advice and support from the enterprise networks.
I have said that I recognise the case for supporting the international Burns federation. I am determined that the few individuals who have, for many years, carried that federation are assisted. It makes eminent sense that the Executive assists in a way that benefits Scotland as well as the federation.
I have to correct David Mundell on the visitscotland.com website, which I printed off before this debate. It has links to more than 16,000 ideas for holidays in Scotland, 8,500 places to stay and 2,500 events to choose from.
I make this pledge to David Mundell and all the members who have stayed on tonight: Alasdair Morrison and I are determined that this debate will not be like the snowflake in the verse that David quoted from "Tam o' Shanter". Our commitment will not be ephemeral. It will not be here today and gone tomorrow, but will be part of a determined process to recognise the bard's unique contribution not only to our cultural heritage but to our contemporary economy. So watch this space for future announcements.
Meeting closed at 18:19.