Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Official Report 1037KB pdf

Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. I remind members that social distancing measures are in place in the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. I ask members to take care to observe the measures, including when entering and exiting the chamber. Please use only the aisles and walkways to access your seats and when moving around the chamber.

The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Morven Lyon, who is a trustee of the Humanist Society Scotland.

Presiding Officer and members of the Scottish Parliament, welcome back and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

My wee girl started primary 1 two weeks ago. On her first morning, she packed her new school bag, put on her shiny new shoes and, as a family, we walked over to the school gates full of happiness and hope. I reflected afterwards how lucky and privileged I am that my family and I call Scotland our home—a place where my daughter’s right to an education is protected and unassailable. I did not do anything special to earn our rights. I was born here and won the unjust human lottery of life.

I do not need to tell you how different my daughter’s educational outlook and basic human rights would be if she had been born in Afghanistan, from where there are so many recent reports of human rights violations and discrimination. It is clear that many people are suffering. I am a humanist and view those violations as a dire threat to many of the fundamental values of the humanist movement—freedom of thought, speech, and choice; the human rights of women, children and LGBTI+ people; and the very fundamentals of knowledge, rationality and human empathy. I would therefore like to reflect today on our global responsibility to offer a hand of support and friendship to those who did not win the human lottery.

Scotland is often held up as a great example of a welcoming, fair and inclusive nation. We pride ourselves on our open arms and we like to think that no matter where a person was born, they will get a friendly and warm welcome if they decide to make Scotland their home. The collective concern of neighbours to those who were affected by the dawn raids in the south side of Glasgow filled me with hope.

However, it would be naive of me to leave you with such a one-sided view. There are still many corners and communities in Scotland where lives are negatively affected by discrimination and a closed-minded attitude to those who were not lucky enough to be born here. We must not get complacent about the perception of Scotland as a tolerant and welcoming nation. We need actively to champion and live that label. Let the 70th anniversary year of the 1951 Refugee Convention remind us that we all deserve to live a life of dignity, and that the right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right.