Diamond Jubilee
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-03077, in the name of Alex Salmond, on the diamond jubilee. I call the First Minister to speak to and move the motion.
14:06
I note that, on this auspicious occasion, the party leaders are sporting the Queen’s special diamond jubilee tartan, which was designed by Mr David McGill, who is a constituent of Jim Eadie. I am told that the tartan has the consent of Her Majesty and that the design is now in great demand both at home and abroad. A very fine tartan it is.
On occasions such as this, we speak about how much things have changed over the decades. It is true that they have, but it is sometimes less true than we might think. Before the debate, I looked at some accounts of Scotland’s only previous diamond jubilee celebrations, in 1897. I was particularly struck by the high praise in The Scotsman for Aberdeen’s jubilee events. The Scotsman commented:
“The Town Council set an excellent example by resolving to embellish the Union Terrace Gardens.”
Who says that history does not teach us a few lessons?
Of course, many things do change. Over the six decades of the Queen’s reign, Scotland has altered dramatically and for the better. Constants have been the Queen’s dedication, impartiality and service. On her coronation day, the Queen said to her people:
“I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.”
Perhaps the highest praise that can be given to the Queen is that, throughout her reign, she has lived up to that pledge.
Today, the Scottish Parliament has the opportunity to place on record our respect, admiration and gratitude for that service. In doing so, we recognise that, although the Queen is the head of state of 16 different nations and the head of the Commonwealth of 54 nations, she has always been a particular friend of Scotland. Indeed, she is more than a friend—she is family. She performed her first official opening duty here in October 1944, when she opened the Aberdeen sailors’ home. On one of her first engagements following her coronation, more than 60,000 Scots packed into Hampden park to welcome her on a visit to Glasgow. We look forward with particular pleasure to welcoming her back to Glasgow and Hampden park in 2014 for the opening of the Commonwealth games.
The Queen has been a staunch ally of the Scottish Parliament. Perhaps our most treasured object in the Parliament building is the mace that she presented to Parliament when it reconvened in 1999. She has also addressed us on no fewer than seven occasions. In 1999 she spoke of Scotland occupying
“a special place in my own and my family’s affections.”
In Aberdeen, in 2002, she provided supportive words when Parliament was not getting the most favourable press, reminding us that the process of building a new political culture in Scotland
“will inevitably take time. In an age that often demands instant judgments, we would all do well to remember that.”
Her advice has been vindicated since then. When she addressed us most recently, last July, she recognised that
“the Scottish Parliament is firmly established as an integral part of Scottish public life.”
Throughout the 60 years of her reign, she has been a model constitutional monarch, as head of state and as a servant of democracy. As First Minister, I have always particularly valued the discussions that I have been privileged to have with her. One of the characteristics of the 12 Prime Ministers and four First Ministers who have served her during her reign is that they do not divulge the content of such conversations, although I will not deny that horse racing has featured, just occasionally.
The question arises for all of us: How do we mark a jubilee such as this one, which is a really momentous occasion? Her Majesty the Queen has made it clear that her preference—indeed, it is more than her preference; it is her instruction—is that the jubilee celebrations be of modest cost and that they celebrate, in particular, individuals’ contributions to their communities. That is what we have done, by encouraging as many people as possible to celebrate and enjoy the events.
Let me announce our gifts, which are not from the Government—or from this Parliament, for that matter—but from the people of Scotland to Her Majesty the Queen. First, Historic Scotland has commissioned a commemorative garden at Holyrood palace, which will be ready by the time of the Queen’s next visit, in royal week, in July. The garden will be a beautiful and lasting recognition of the jubilee, which will be available for all to witness and to share.
Of course, we live in an age of new technology, and we think it important that our gifts to Her Majesty recognise that, so we are launching a free app, which highlights some of the most significant events of the past 60 years in the Queen’s connections with Scotland. The Scottish Parliament, as the Presiding Officer announced, is presenting the Queen with a visual record of her visits to the Parliament.
There will be many events for people in Scotland to enjoy. Local events are being co-ordinated or organised by the lords lieutenant and range from the jubilee fun event at Ballindalloch castle in Banffshire to the lunches for carers that are being organised in Dumfries and Galloway, and from the charity kilt run in Perth to the jubilee beacons that are planned in the Orkney islands and elsewhere. The National Records of Scotland will feature a special exhibition, which will document each decade of the Queen’s reign.
In July we will welcome Her Majesty to Scotland. There will be a week of engagements, which include a thanksgiving service at Glasgow cathedral and a celebratory service at St Giles cathedral, during which Prince William will be installed as a Knight of the Thistle.
Finally, we recognise that the Queen has always had a special bond with those who serve and have served in the armed forces. We are therefore marking her jubilee by making a special donation to Veterans Scotland, the organisation that co-ordinates and promotes the work of veterans charities, to further its support for the veterans community in Scotland. I know that that gift is particularly to Her Majesty’s liking.
I hope that the Parliament will agree that those are suitable and fitting gifts, not from the Government or the Parliament, but from her people to Elizabeth, Queen of Scots.
The Queen has been an integral part of the modern history of our nation. She has performed her duties flawlessly. The Scottish Parliament is grateful for her support to us over the past 13 years, and the Scottish people are grateful for her service over the past 60 years. It is an honour to ask the Parliament to place that gratitude on the record today.
I move,
That the Parliament congratulates Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee; expresses its gratitude for Her Majesty’s exceptional public service and unwavering dedication to duty over sixty years in a changing world; affirms the respect that is held for Her Majesty in Scotland, and looks forward with anticipation to the continuation of that long and close relationship on the occasion of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee visit to Scotland during this celebratory year.
14:14
I thank the First Minister for his speech and for what he said about the gifts that we want to present to the Queen.
We are here to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, as the country prepares to celebrate her diamond jubilee. Sixty years in one job is good going—I have been in this job for just six months and some days it feels like it has been 60 years. We recognise the scale of the achievement of this particular very strong woman. I salute the Queen, for her relentless energy, for her poise and composure in taking on the demands of public service, and for her dignity and wisdom as a head of state.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have held public office can begin to understand to some extent what it is like to live life under scrutiny and with the consequences of any perceived slip or mistake. The Queen has lived her whole life in the public eye, and there has always been intense media interest in her life and the lives of her family. She has met that challenge with great dignity and professionalism and has never appeared to lose her calm and composure. In recent years, the royal family has had to adapt to a time of 24-hour news, YouTube, Hello! magazine, the paparazzi and Twitter. Every outfit and appearance is debated, every nuance of every speech is analysed for hidden meaning, and every action is scrutinised and commented on, but the Queen has always appeared effortlessly to carry out her public duties. Her reign as monarch has won her the respect of the country and a special place in the nation’s affections.
Much has changed since the day in 1952 when, as a 26-year-old, the Queen succeeded her late father as the Queen regnant and head of seven independent Commonwealth countries. The United Kingdom was rebuilding after the second world war. To step into such an important role at that young age with such upheaval behind her and uncertainty ahead of the country must have been daunting, but if it fazed her on that day or has fazed her on any day since then, Her Majesty has masked it with the grace and nerve for which she is now famed.
Over the past 60 years, there has been great change across the world and the United Kingdom, and in the lives of people across our communities. Her Majesty has been a constant at the head of the state while all else has changed.
The world was a very different place when the Queen assumed the throne. In 1952, the rationing of tea was finally ended and a one shilling charge was introduced for prescription drugs under the national health service. In that year, the New Musical Express published the first singles chart, the “Flower Pot Men” debuted on television and the famous children’s book “The Borrowers” was published. Harry Truman was the US President, Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union, Chairman Mao led in China and Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In the years since then, there have been 12 different Prime Ministers, and since devolution and the Queen opening our Scottish Parliament in 1999, there have been four different First Ministers in Scotland. I believe that all of them have, while in office, benefited from her counsel. I am sure that the young woman who sat down with her first Prime Minister—Winston Churchill—in 1952 has grown wiser over the years; indeed, many of our recent Prime Ministers have stated publicly how much they have valued the Queen’s experience and advice. I am also sure that, since devolution, our First Ministers have had the benefit of her wisdom.
It is true that Her Majesty has always made clear her deep affection for Scotland. Beyond her official role in opening every session of the Parliament in June, the Queen is known to spend much of the summer on her country estate in Balmoral, and she has, of course, shown great interest in the work of the Parliament when she has been with us. We know that Scotland was the scene of many an idyllic summer holiday in her childhood and was, of course, the place to which she retreated in those dark hours as she supported her family through the grieving process after the tragic death of Princess Diana.
Likewise, Scotland has deep affection for our Queen, as was illustrated by the enthusiasm for the golden jubilee celebrations 10 years ago. I am sure that plenty of Scots will find their own way of celebrating her diamond jubilee this weekend.
In many ways, Queen Elizabeth II has transcended any debate about the changing role of the monarchy. Through her dignity and professionalism, she has won many supporters to the institution for which she stands. Our royal family is the envy of the world, and people from every corner of the globe flock to see the Queen. Indeed, we need only cross the road at the Scottish Parliament to see how enthusiastic tourists are about learning more about the royal family and the Queen in Scotland.
The way in which our Queen has served this country as head of state has set an example to us all and made her a fine ambassador for the United Kingdom to the whole world. I know that all of us here hope that she will continue to do that fine work for many years to come.
14:19
I echo the sentiments of the previous speakers and add my support for the motion.
In this place, in this chamber—our fledgling Parliament—we have just cause to mark the Queen’s constancy, service and duty in an ever-changing world. When the first Scottish Parliament for several centuries convened less than a mile from here, the Queen presented at its official opening a mace hammered from silver and carrying a band of gold that was panned from Scottish rivers, signifying a Parliament that is wedded to the people of Scotland. It sits before us here in the chamber, bearing its legend: wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity. Those are the qualities that Scots desire and demand from those who make their laws. It is, as well as for we who received it, a fitting legend for the giver: for Scotland’s unelected leader and monarch.
For 4 million of Scotland’s people, the Queen has always been there as a constant—gaining succession in 1952 and being crowned the next year, and beginning a life of service before many of us were born. Those of a more mature vintage remember the vibrant 26-year-old, who had already started representing her father on state occasions, taking up office in a time of grief and dedicating herself to the demands that the role dictates.
Although there is, rightly, a separation between Parliament and palace, and between politics and monarchy, the Queen is head of state and is an integral part of the process of government. From Winston Churchill to David Cameron, and now taking in Alex Salmond, Peter Robinson and Carwyn Jones, the Queen has been a source of wisdom and reference for the UK’s political leaders, and her reach and resonance extend far beyond these shores.
President Obama, in his recent state visit, remarked that when it came to US presidents and UK prime ministers, the Queen had seen off about a dozen of each. He concluded that it made her
“a living witness to the power of our alliance and the chief source of its resilience”.
As the son of a Kenyan economist father and an anthropologist mother, and as someone who has been described as being of Scottish, German, Irish and Welsh ancestry, President Obama may have more insight than most regarding the global resonance of the current Queen. She has worked tirelessly in an ever-changing world to promote the ideals and alliances of the Commonwealth.
We must remember that she is not just our Queen. As head of a Commonwealth of 54 independent states, she plays a leadership role to 2 billion people from all regions of the world, and of all faiths and ethnicities. No monarch has travelled as widely nor met as many citizens of the world as our current Queen has in spreading the Commonwealth ideals of democracy, freedom, peace, the rule of law and opportunity for all, with Prince Philip ever at her side.
We speak today of the great history of service that the Queen has given, but we must not allow Her Majesty to be treated purely as a living history: her place in the world has a resonance and relevance that continues and endures.
Half of all Commonwealth citizens—a full billion of the world’s population—are under the age of 25, and the Queen speaks directly to them. She speaks to the people of Rwanda, the newest addition to the Commonwealth family, which was admitted only in 2009. Like Mozambique, Rwanda is a country that has no historical links to Britain, but it sees membership as being a mark of political development and the Queen as a beacon of public service the world over.
The Queen speaks to the soldier joining the British Army, the sailor signing up for the Royal Canadian Navy and the airman enlisting in the Royal New Zealand Air Force today. They pledge an oath of allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and her heirs and successors before ever being allowed to wear a uniform.
Here, too, in the Scottish Parliament, we take our own oath. With every new intake of MSPs, with every official opening presided over by Her Majesty, with every speech and every debate, and with every pledge to be the best representatives of the political life of Scotland that we can be, we stand before the mace, which was gifted to the Parliament by the Queen, and read the words: wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity. They are the guide for how we should aspire to act in the chamber and in the world, and they are the qualities that have been perfectly espoused and embodied for 60 years by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
I am proud to support the motion—not just to congratulate Her Majesty on the occasion of her diamond jubilee, but to express gratitude. She has been our representative in the world for 60 years, and we could not have asked for one finer.
14:24
I thank the First Minister for the gifts that he has chosen, which I think will gain widespread approval across Scotland. They are appropriate for the occasion, and I thank the First Minister for choosing well.
The Queen did not choose this life. Neither she, nor her father before her, expected to fulfil the role of monarch. It is against that backdrop that we judge and admire Her Majesty’s commitment to public service. I enjoy going to events such as the Fife show or to places such as Carnegie College. I enjoy meeting people on such occasions, but I think that I would find it hard if I faced doing that almost every day for the next 42 years, as I would have to do to match the Queen’s diary. If I particularly enjoyed a visit, I would not be able to extend it to find out a bit more about what went on behind the scenes, as I can do as a private citizen. If I did not like something, I would not be able just to nip off early and go to something else or go for a cup of tea. I would have to stay, do my duty and do the right thing, as the Queen has done for the length of her service. She has committed so much in personal duty and service.
My point is that although, from the outside, her life might look fantastic with all the palaces and the jewels, she took the role on at the age of 26 and could have given it up when she was 60, 70 or 80 but did not. She has chosen to carry on and to continue her service, despite the evident downsides. In 1974, her daughter was almost kidnapped. The security threats are real; she has faced intruders in her home.
Even today, after 60 years, the Queen brings more to public life than people ever expect. When we leave the Parliament late in the evening, we see people from all backgrounds leaving the Palace of Holyroodhouse after enjoying a reception in the palace or its gardens. It is clear that her hospitality goes way beyond what people expect. Across the country, when the Queen goes on visits, she brings joy to people’s faces and manages to create excitement and a real sense of celebrity. We should never ignore and should always admire that.
We should also remember how well judged her attendances at the Scottish Parliament always are. She displays poise and her speeches are always of the best class. The Queen always delivers much more than people expect. Therefore, after 60 years, on her diamond jubilee, it is right that Parliament takes time to mark and appreciate the service of Her Majesty.
I will allow Patrick Harvie to make a brief contribution.
14:27
I appreciate it, Presiding Officer.
I fully endorse the comments that have been made about the Queen’s many admirable qualities, the way in which she has conducted herself as head of state, and the commitment and dedication to duty that she has shown. I make it clear that although my amendment has not been selected for debate, it retained the text of the motion that endorses those qualities.
As has been said, MSPs have just a glimmer of insight into the pressure of a life that is lived under public scrutiny, but it can be as nothing compared to that which is experienced by a head of state. The respect in which the Queen is held is well earned and fully due, as it is to so many other less-recognised people who are dedicated to public service and the betterment of their society—some of whom are not provided with comparable comforts or a decent standard of living.
We are engaged in a debate about the future of Scotland, so it is legitimate and—in the view of some of us—necessary to debate how a head of state might be appointed in an independent country. That view is not rare in Scotland, nor is it rare in politics. Any member who wishes to look at the website of Republic will see that half a dozen MSPs are signed up as supporters, as well as 10 Labour MPs, two Liberal Democrats, including a minister, and our own good friend Lord George Foulkes, who has sadly, of course, departed to another place. It is unfortunate that that view cannot be debated through my amendment, which is why I will press the motion to a vote at decision time.