Chamber and committees

I, too, thank my fellow committee members and the clerks for the collegiate way in which our work was conducted. I thank all the organisations and individuals who provided written evidence and those who provided thoughtful answers to our questions in evidence sessions.

As Clare Adamson and Sarah Boyack said, the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee has a wide-ranging remit. Some might suggest that it ranges from hard power to soft power; the committee’s inquiry on the Scottish Government’s international work certainly covered that full range.

The inquiry covered international strategy and international development, and considered the Scottish Government’s policy implementation and policy coherence, how Scotland now maintains its relationship with the EU as a constituent part of a non-member country and how Scotland can nurture and grow wider international relations. I am going to concentrate on wider international relations in my speech.

I note that, in evidence, the Royal Society of Edinburgh said:

“there is no clear dividing line between domestic and international policy.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 25 November 2021; c 12.]

The Royal Society called on the Government to prioritise areas in which Scotland can offer expertise, such as in the transition to net zero and the protection of human rights.

Most respondents who addressed the question of international relations suggested that the Scottish Government should use culture and soft power to promote Scotland internationally. In his evidence to the committee, the cabinet secretary said that the Scottish Government would pursue an

“internationalisation agenda to influence the world around us on the issues that matter the most.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 3 February 2022; c 32.]

Joseph Nye introduced the concept of soft power about 40 years ago, suggesting that a country’s soft power rests on three resources: culture, political values and foreign policies.

In oral evidence, the British Council described soft power as “a very competitive space”. Other organisations have urged Scotland to rise to that challenge.

Glasgow Life highlighted the role of culture, sport and major events as key drivers of soft power and the Scottish brand. It encouraged the Scottish Government to develop

“an explicit soft power strategy integrated with other economic, environmental and social strategies underpinned by the National Performance Framework”,

suggesting that more clarity and planning could deliver on better outcomes. I would suggest that we are already doing that; we have great cause for optimism.

Two weeks ago, I attended an event at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, hosted by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest. The minister, Màiri McAllan, described the fantastic support that the Scottish Government is providing to preserve the biodiversity and expansion of Scotland’s rainforests. That is the policy element of soft power.

As the Scottish Parliament’s champion for the Celtic rainforests, I was there to introduce the premiere of a film—film-making being another great soft power that Scotland has. “The Ghost Rainforest” tells the story of five indigenous leaders from the Amazon rainforest who came to Scotland to attend the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—and to stand up for their rights as indigenous peoples and the important role that they play in looking after nature.

Those leaders took some time out to visit and bless the Cormonachan rainforest near Lochgoilhead in Argyll and Bute. In the village hall afterwards, the Scottish ceilidh tradition took on an Amazonian twist with songs from our two cultures intertwining like the worts and lichens, or passion flowers and orchids, of our respective rainforests. The commitment to restoring our environment was shared by different cultures on two different continents, showing the cultural element of soft power.

The connections made by the Scottish Government at COP26 and other events help the internationalisation agenda that the cabinet secretary talked about in his evidence to the committee and are great examples of mainstreaming international principles—in this case, the principle of preserving biodiversity both within Scotland and around the world—across portfolios.

As Scotland’s International Development Alliance said in its evidence, Scotland, despite its limited funds, could become a world leader in areas such as food security, educational outcomes for women and girls in the global south and the cancellation of debt. The alliance spoke of a need to change narratives and support new ways of thinking, saying:

“It takes leadership from significant small sub-state actors, such as Scotland, to change that narrative.”—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 13 January 2022; c 19.]

The Scottish Arts and Humanities Alliance suggested that Scottish Government policies should focus on promoting the distinctive qualities of the Scottish brand, proposing moving that brand on from nostalgia to the reputation that Scotland now has for climate policy, the digital economy and human rights legislation.

That got me thinking about my own constituency. Argyll and Bute has both nostalgic and modern international connections. Lachlan MacQuarrie from Ulbha was the fifth governor-general of New South Wales, moving it from being a penal colony to a free settlement. Major General Alexander McDougall, an Islay man, was described by George Washington as one of the five pillars of American independence. Although those two islanders are examples of hard power, they also link into the awareness of Scotland and Scots throughout the world, which is soft power.

Added to those are the families who left Argyll and Bute for America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, many creating reminders of home with the place names that they used in new countries they settled in. The Scottish diaspora now serves as fertile ground in which to develop new international partnerships.

The whisky industry combines nostalgia with the modern in its approach to tourism and the work that it is doing to become carbon neutral by using new power sources, reducing its use of water and changing its packaging. Meanwhile, the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban plays a major role in GlobalSeaweed, a project creating an ambitious network of partners tackling emerging issues in seaweed cultivation by using a combination of two-way knowledge transfer and community-oriented research activities.

The evidence we heard highlighted the distinctive approach that Scotland can achieve in international relationships such as the Scotland Malawi Partnership, which described its work as being based on

“friendship, human understanding and dignified partnership”.—[Official Report, Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, 13 January 2022; c 5.]

It is clear that Scotland has a lot to offer the world in culture and policy. The Scottish Government, as the committee recommends, must provide a clear rationale, including priorities and objectives, for its approach to international relations.

The recent crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine have put Scotland’s new Scots refugee integration strategy to the test. Can the cabinet secretary underline the ways in which the new Scots approach offers compassionate support and opportunities to displaced people, despite the scale of those challenges?

How is the annual nature restoration fund delivering benefits for Scotland’s species, woodlands, rivers and seas, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of local communities?

In making a successful bid to host the Global Seafood Alliance conference in autumn 2024, Scotland has been selected to host a major international event, which will put a spotlight on the world-class and highly sought-after produce that comes from Scotland’s seas and oceans. Last night, I had the pleasure of sponsoring an event in the Parliament to celebrate the tastes, sounds and culture of the island of Bute, including smoked trout and salmon.

Will the First Minister join me in congratulating Seafood Scotland on putting together the bid and wishing it well in showcasing some of the very best seafood available anywhere on the planet?

Does the First Minister share my concern that Channel 4 is currently under threat from a Tory Government that appears to be doing all that it can to undermine the principles of public service broadcasting for its own narrow political interest?

What support is the Scottish Government providing to international students studying in Scotland who find themselves in financial hardship?

Scotland’s islands need lifeline ferry services. The key word is “lifeline”. As well as meaning a rope thrown into the water to save someone from drowning, “lifeline” is defined as something that someone depends on to lead their life in a satisfactory way. That includes not only food, fuel, building materials and medical provision, but the economic benefits of being able to travel to and from work or in search of work. It also means the wellbeing that is promoted by being able to easily meet friends and family, especially in times of celebration or when people come together for comfort in times of grief.

For islanders, “lifeline” mostly means ferries. My inbox is constantly brimming over with emails about ferries. If we get any two islanders from anywhere in Scotland together, their conversation will inevitably turn to ferries. For us islanders, ferries shape our lives.

I live on an island where the ferries not only connect people but directly connect a multimillion-pound industry—whisky—to the world market. I can see that shipping whisky to the mainland might be viewed as an attractive investment for an ambitious company and its shareholders. I am sure that, in its hands, the Islay ferry could be very profitable, especially if we add the benefits of the island’s farming, seafood and tourism industries.

The Scottish National Party is a party for all of Scotland, however, and I do not believe that we should deprive island communities of lifeline services simply because they do not make the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s eyes light up.

I am not suggesting that; I am merely pointing out the importance of lifeline services to islands.

There are 23 inhabited islands in my constituency and also peninsulas that have important ferry links. Portavadie to Tarbert, for example, is a key link for school children, businesses and tourists. I want people whose homes are in the remote or island areas of Argyll and Bute to be able to live their lives without being judged as a profit or loss. My constituents are people, not a balance sheet. If an island or peninsula community is struggling, cutting back on its unprofitable ferry services can only hasten that area’s decline.

Next week, I will visit the island of Jura—an island off an island, where the service is provided by Argyll and Bute Council. Jura’s population is growing, the school is at bursting point and new businesses are being set up but they are worried that an unreliable transport network could impede their growth. In an economy that is increasingly driven by renewable energy and with the ability to work from home, a decent and reliable ferry service may allow such areas to turn their fortunes around and reverse decline. Communities should be listened to when structures and ferries are being reviewed.

It is not just people who live on islands or peninsulas who rely on lifeline services. The definition of a rope being thrown into the water does not exactly apply to our railways, but the definition of something that we depend on to lead our life in a satisfactory way does define Scotland’s rail services for hundreds of thousands of Scots who rely on them for work, family obligations and leisure.

To ask the First Minister what assurances the Scottish Government has had from the United Kingdom Government that the reported privatisation of Channel 4 will not negatively impact the development of the creative sector across Scotland and the growth of new Scottish talent. (S6F-01005)

I think I am in my last 30 seconds.

This month, the Scottish Government took our train services back under public control after years of disastrous privatisation. Let us not inflict Mrs Thatcher’s train-crash privatisation policy on islanders. Let us keep the island public’s ferry services where they belong—in public ownership.