Official Report 1097KB pdf
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-16078, in the name of Oliver Mundell, on celebrating the continued social, cultural and economic importance of Robert Burns. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the lasting impact of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, including the significant contribution that his works continue to make at home and around the world; notes with interest and admiration the efforts of many across Scotland and the world to ensure that his legacy is celebrated; acknowledges, in particular, a number of initiatives in Dumfries and Galloway that have progressed since Burns’ Night 2024; congratulates the Ellisland Farm project, which is led by the former MSP, Joan McAlpine, on receiving an initial grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of almost £500,000 towards developing and restoring the farm and museum; believes that the restoration scheme has the potential to be a gamechanger for the region and to redefine the Burns’ visitor experience; acknowledges what it sees as the growing partnership between Annandale Distillery and the Globe Inn; notes the 10th anniversary of the distillery and its Man O’ Words Whisky, which takes its inspiration from Burns, and welcomes the return of the Big Burns Supper in Dumfries.
17:34
As people at home and around the world prepare to celebrate Burns night, it seems only fitting to mark Burns’s legacy here, in the heart of our debating chamber. In yet another coup for Dumfries and Galloway, when the Presiding Officer hosts her Burns supper in the Parliament tonight, my constituent, the much-accomplished young Burnsian Ella McTeir from Sanquhar, will deliver the address to the haggis.
Having listened, at the opening of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999, to Sheena Wellington’s rendition of “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”—which, by the end, was accompanied by Christine Grahame and by many others in the public gallery—I often wonder what Burns would have made of this place.
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:”
Would he have seen a people’s Parliament or something altogether different? I suspect that many aspects of Holyrood and its inhabitants would have fuelled his rich political satire. Over the years, his views and politics have, of course, been hotly debated and applied to many issues of the day. So, too, has his identity. Does Burns belong to Ayrshire, or does he belong to Dumfries and Galloway, where he remains to this day?
This year, the hot take at Burns suppers and in homes across Dumfries and Galloway is whether Burns would have been for or against a new national park. Would he have lined up with his fellow farmers or stood in solidarity with the “wee ... cowrin, tim’rous beastie”?
Such debates get a lot of attention, but I believe that it would be wrong to dwell on where Burns divides. Instead, in a world that often seems more divided and tribal than ever, the enduring appeal of Burns is that he offers something for everyone. His universal appeal and his ability as a poet to reach beyond simplistic points of view are arguably his greatest gifts.
We have only to look at research from the University of Glasgow’s centre for Robert Burns studies to see how that translates into the real world, the influence that Burns has and—dare I say it—the commercial value that he offers to Scotland. The Pittock report is a great place to start for anyone who is doubtful of the potential in that regard.
Anyone who, like me, has a school-age child will know the reach of Burns at this time of year and his importance, for Scots more generally, as a focal point in schools, where interest in him is broadened and our many words and stories are kept alive. I am very proud of my eldest daughter, Isla, who has volunteered to recite a Scots poem at her school assembly on Friday. Listening to her practise and learn the words of J K Annand’s “Mince and Tatties” has brought me joy, and it has sparked an interest in her that I hope will last a lifetime. It also brings back fond memories of my introduction to Scots-language poetry, and to Burns himself, as I sat at the kitchen table with my mum.
In what I hope is the only negative point in this speech, it is therefore sad to note that Burns has been downgraded in the higher English curriculum this year. I am not sure what that says about us as a nation and what we believe is valuable to hand on to future generations, but, for me, it certainly raises serious questions about how we see ourselves. If we cannot learn from Burns the man and Burns the poet—if we cannot understand him as a creature of his time and one with a vision beyond it—what does that say about our country?
Now, I turn to the positives. Members from across the chamber who have sat here in years gone by could be forgiven for falling off their chairs at what I am about to say. I want to take a few moments to sing the praises of Joan McAlpine. Many Burns songs would fit the bill here, but the Presiding Officer will be pleased to hear that I will not do any actual singing. If I were to do so, there would be a real danger of repeating an incident involving Burns himself, in which he ended up snowed in at a pub in, of all places, Ecclefechan, which is known locally as the Fechan. In the letter, he described the pain of listening to a barmaid sing as being like that of hearing an old sow meeting the butcher’s knife. He said that, in that moment, he could not decide which fate was worse: freezing to death in the Fechan cold or spending the rest of the evening listening to the Fechan barmaid. [Laughter.]
With that, let us go back to Joan McAlpine. She has not only shown me that there is life beyond politics but done something truly special, which goes beyond the achievements that many of us in the chamber could hope for. She has saved anew for the nation one of the most important and significant parts of Burns’s legacy: the home of “Auld Lang Syne”, his farm at Ellisland, which he helped to build and where he wrote some of his best-known works, including that song.
Joan McAlpine would be the first to point out that that has not been achieved single-handedly; it has been a real team effort. Special mention should be made of the distinguished and varied board of voluntary trustees, many of whom are in the public gallery tonight, who have given up their time to take the project to its next stage. However, there is no doubt in my mind that, without Joan’s passion and drive, the moment would have been missed and the project, which had fallen on hard times, would have simply withered and been lost.
Instead, there is now an ambitious initiative that aims to breathe new life into Burns’s legacy and create a world-class visitor destination that, when realised, will be a game changer for the regional economy across Dumfries and Galloway and will deliver a Burns trail in south-west Scotland that is worthy of his name. I hope that the Scottish Government will continue to support the project, through its agencies and its influence with wider stakeholders, to build on the initial funding and backing from South of Scotland Enterprise, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Holywood Trust, among others.
The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture is not in the chamber, but I am sure that Jamie Hepburn would be willing to sign him up to visit the project and see more of what Dumfriesshire has to offer. One such offering, which would have been right up Burns’s street—and, I am sure, the cabinet secretary’s—would be the chance to sample the newly matured 10-year-old Man O’Words whisky, named in Burns’s honour, from Annandale Distillery, which itself celebrates its 10th birthday this year. The whisky is served in Burns’s favourite howff, the Globe Inn in Dumfries.
The whole of Dumfries and Galloway owes a great debt of gratitude to Professor David Thomson and Theresa Church for their vision in realising those projects. We look forward to seeing what they have planned for the proposed new Burns quarter in Dumfries.
Of course, I could mention endless other projects and events relating to Burns, but I want to leave the final word with the Big Burns Supper in Dumfries, which has been revived this year after some funding challenges. Putting on that spectacle seems the very least that we can do for a man who continues to inspire and who has done more to promote Dumfries and Scotland than anyone else.
A Scotland without Burns would be less colourful, less rich and more divided. We ignore his literary works and his social, cultural and economic value at our peril.
Thank you, Mr Mundell. I will be having a word with the official report, just to make sure that the spelling in that contribution stays on the right side of the line.
As Mr Mundell has reminded us, the Presiding Officer’s Burns supper is taking place this evening, so there is a bit of time pressure on the debate. I want to get in everyone who would like to speak, but that will require members to stick to their time allocations.
17:42
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate, and I congratulate Oliver Mundell on securing it.
I have been involved in the world of Robert Burns for 25 years, and I enjoy Burns season very much. I am privileged to be a past president of Dumfries ladies Burns club number 1.
I join Oliver Mundell in highlighting the many events, projects and initiatives that are taking place across Dumfriesshire and Galloway. He mentioned the schools competition, to which I will turn in a moment; the Big Burns Supper; and the collaboration between Annandale Distillery and the Globe Inn. He also highlighted the excellent work done by the team behind securing Robert Burns’s farm at Ellisland.
In the schools competition that is organised by Dumfries and Galloway Burns Association, the number of entrants has increased year on year—there are more than 200 this year. The performances of poetry, song and music demonstrate the talent of the young people and the great effort that they and their teachers put in through their rehearsal time. The competition went online during the Covid pandemic, which has proved to be pretty successful. My husband was involved in that, because he has really useful digital skills. The people involved are dedicated to keeping the memory of Robert Burns alive for future generations.
I, too, want to mention the work of the centre for Robert Burns studies at the University of Glasgow. I agree with Mr Mundell that the centre has been crucial in highlighting Burns’s economic, social and cultural contributions to Scotland. Its projects promote Scotland and our culture at home and internationally, and they include so much information. I explored the interactive map of Burns suppers, which was funded by US donors. It is a thorough repository of excellent information.
I have spoken about the US connection to Robert Burns in my own immortal memories at Burns suppers. I encourage members to delve into the words that the USA’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, used about the inspiration that he gained from reading the ploughman poet’s work. President Lincoln certainly had a fondness for Burns and Scottish culture, and he asked for a passage to Scotland to be booked so that he could visit our precious country, but he was assassinated before he could travel to Scotland. However, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, visited Scotland in 1869, and she said:
“Beautiful, glorious Scotland has spoiled me for every other country”.
Those are fabulous words.
One festival that promotes Burns is the Big Burns Supper—I will elaborate on that a wee bit. It is the United Kingdom’s largest celebration of Burns and involves a jam-packed schedule of events spanning from 17 January to 2 February. The Big Burns Supper is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council, the Holywood Trust, the National Lottery Community Fund, EventScotland and others. This year, Eddi Reader and Wet Wet Wet are performing, and a big Burns supper on a bus—and even an underwater Burns supper—are just a few of the events that are happening.
Along with colleagues across the parties, I hosted meetings with the Big Burns Supper and partners to ensure that the festival could go ahead this year. I appreciate the time that Colin Smyth and Oliver Mundell gave to support that cross-party approach. It is great, therefore, to see the return of the Big Burns Supper, and I thank the trustees and the team for their work. I remind members that my husband is one of the volunteer trustees.
I finish with some words from our national bard, which are written on the foundations of our Parliament—his words hold up our Parliament. Given the current struggles that people around the globe are facing, these words are pretty powerful and worth repeating:
“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, an’ a’ that
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s coming yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man the world o’er,
Shall brithers be for a’ that.”
Deputy Presiding Officer,
“A whiskin beard about her mou,
Her nose and chin they threaten ither:
Sic a wife as Willie had,
I wad na gie a button for her.”
Do not worry, Deputy Presiding Officer—I am referring not to any member in the chamber but to Willie Wassle’s wife. At least twice a week, I am reminded of my favourite Burns poem when I pass the Linkumdoddie road end on my way to and from the Parliament.
I live a stone’s throw from where Robert Burns penned “Scots Wha Hae” in Gatehouse of Fleet and the Selkirk grace in Kirkcudbright, so I am delighted to congratulate Oliver Mundell on securing this timely debate, which presents us with the opportunity to reflect on the enduring legacy of Robert Burns as Scotland’s national bard. His influence transcends time, touching our social fabric, cultural heritage and economic landscape in countless ways.
Burns has so much more to give us than just a great excuse for a night out—or two—with family, friends and colleagues to enjoy our national dish of haggis and our national drink of whisky, at a time of year that is often referred to as ram-a-dram. I am looking forward to the Presiding Officer’s Burns supper tonight, where members of Scotland’s consular corps from around the globe will enjoy Burns’s verse and song. On Friday, I will join my long-time friend Graham Bell, the chairman of Castle Douglas Burns club—of which I have been a member for 41 years; I was chairman at one time—when we celebrate our 95th supper.
Burns has left a profound social legacy that extends far beyond his literary contributions. He was a champion of the common man, highlighting the struggles and aspirations of ordinary people. His works, such as “To a Mouse” and “A Man’s a Man for A’ That”, reflect his empathy for the common folk and his advocacy for social equality. He was an advocate for social justice, often addressing themes of social justice and human rights. His progressive views on issues such as gender equality and social reform were ahead of his time and continue to inspire social movements today.
On the 25th, people around the world will celebrate Burns night with traditional Scottish food, music and poetry. Those events not only honour Burns’s legacy but foster a sense of community and cultural continuity. At such events, and at other significant life events, we will sing, as we have heard tonight, “Auld Lang Syne”.
The “Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne” project at Ellisland farm, where Burns penned that iconic song, exemplifies our nation’s commitment to preserving his legacy. The initiative aims to restore and adapt the historic site, thereby ensuring that future generations can experience the landscape that inspired Burns.
The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, which we have heard about tonight—I, too, welcome members of the trust to the public gallery—has been preserving and promoting Burns’s heritage, including through immersive visitor experiences. It runs artistic residencies and educational programmes, and it brings Burns’s values into the 21st century. The creation of a centre for song at Ellisland, housing original manuscripts and artefacts, highlights Burns’s rich musical legacy, which will inspire future generations.
I will not repeat what we have already heard about the Big Burns Supper. I will say only that my five-year-old daughter, Rowan, has also been practising her Burns and will perform at Twynholm primary at some point next week.
With regard to the economic impact of Burns, I highlight once again the work of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, as its efforts to develop new income streams and create a world-class visitor destination contribute to the local economy. The trust’s innovative projects, such as the auld acquaintance cottage and Minecraft Ellisland, attract visitors and generate revenue.
Of course, Burns’s contributions to Scottish culture are immeasurable. His use of the Scots language and his celebration of Scottish culture have made him a symbol of national pride, and his songs and poems are integral to Scottish identity. The legacy of Burns can be seen everywhere, from our village bowling club Burns supper to the work of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, which is vital in ensuring that Burns’s legacy continues to thrive. Those efforts not only safeguard the poet’s former home but create opportunities for future generations to be inspired by Burns.
As we celebrate Burns, so, too, do we celebrate our social, cultural and economic landscape, so let us reaffirm our commitment to preserving and promoting his legacy for generations to come.
I require members to stick to their allocated speaking times if at all possible.
17:51
I thank Oliver Mundell for bringing to the chamber this timely debate to celebrate the continued social, cultural and economic importance of Robert Burns. This Saturday, people across Scotland and around the world will celebrate Burns night. It is an opportunity for people to pay tribute to the life and influential work of Robert Burns, Scotland’s most famous and esteemed poet, 266 years after his birth. Like many of us, I fondly remember first learning about Burns as a child in primary school, where I quickly understood his significance to our country. I am pleased that my own children are now learning about our national bard. In November, I was pleased to take them to Alloway cottage, where Burns was born and spent the early years of his childhood, and to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. Those visitor attractions are vitally important.
On that note, I join Oliver Mundell and others in praising the important work that Joan McAlpine and her team are doing to progress the Robert Burns Ellisland museum and farm project. Ellisland farm was the first family home of Robert Burns, and it holds significant importance. The project clearly has huge potential, and I wish everyone well with their plans for it.
More generally, I know from visiting Dumfries with the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee last year just how important Burns’s legacy is to the whole community. In my own home town of Paisley, we have the Paisley Burns Club, which was founded in January 1805 and is therefore celebrating its 220th anniversary this year. The first secretary of the club was Burns’s fellow poet, Robert Tannahill, who was inspired by Burns to follow in his footsteps. It is vitally important that we continue the legacy of Burns, and the legacy of Tannahill, so that we can inspire young people to learn about our history and get involved in poetry and music.
I commend the work that is being done to commemorate Burns in our primary schools, by Burns clubs at home and abroad, and at places such as Alloway cottage, the Burns birthplace museum and Ellisland farm. That work demonstrates the importance of Burns to our culture and heritage. However, as Oliver Mundell said, it was deeply disappointing to hear recently that the Scottish Qualifications Authority has downgraded Burns in the curriculum, citing interest being on the wane in our schools.
I raised the matter with the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture at the constitution committee last week; he has since written to me denying that there has been any downgrade. Burns famously said that
“facts are chiels that winna ding”.
Well, ding-dong, Deputy Presiding Officer, because one can come to the conclusion that there has been no downgrade only if one ignores the fact that the SQA has made the sad decision to remove Burns as a stand-alone author in the higher English curriculum. The decision has angered many who believe that we should not be cutting away the foundations of Scottish literature, and who believe that it is a slight on Scottish culture. It has angered many who believe that it is wrong that, while our very own people’s poet is recognised internationally, he is sadly less so now by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in his own country.
Graham Bell, the chairman of the Castle Douglas Burns club—who has already been mentioned—told me that the decision is “very disappointing”, and commented that Burns’s
“values and humanity are things that this modern world needs reminding of and schools are the perfect place.”
Marilyn Rowan, who is a committee member of the St Andrews Burns Club, told me:
“To say that we, as members of the St Andrews Burns Club, are extremely disappointed with this change to the curriculum, is a gross understatement.”
Burns famously wrote:
“There is no such uncertainty is a sure thing”.
We should not just assume that the legacy of Burns will live on for future generations. His writings have shaped our history and the Scotland that we live in today, and that is why we must work together to support organisations such as Robert Burns Ellisland museum and farm, and our Burns clubs, to ensure that our schools and our young people have available to them every possible avenue by which to learn about one of Scotland’s greatest sons.
17:55
It is a real pleasure to follow Neil Bibby, and I agree with what he said about the curriculum—I will come back to that in a moment. First, I congratulate my colleague Oliver Mundell on bringing the debate to the chamber, and at what better time? It is a well-timed debate.
The question of what is and what is not taught in our schools can often be fraught with controversy, and it seems to be jealously guarded as the preserve of those who sit behind the facade of the SQA. However, when I hear that it is reported that the SQA is relegating Robert Burns from his deserved prominence in the curriculum, I really begin to wonder what is becoming of us, and what kind of people are making those decisions. What are they thinking?
To use one of the phrases that Robert Burns so skilfully deployed, this is a nievefu o blethers. Who appointed them to make such a critical cultural decision that will affect our children and the future of our culture? Who holds them to account for those decisions, and why is it that, when legitimate questions are asked, the answers are hidden behind a cloud of technocratic havering?
[Made a request to intervene.]
I give way to Clare Adamson, wherever she is.
I call Clare Adamson, who joins us remotely.
My microphone is not coming on, Deputy Presiding Officer.
You are with us now, Ms Adamson.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer—it took a time to come on there.
I thank Stephen Kerr for taking an intervention, but I remind him that at the time that the prescribed list of Scots texts was put in place, both the Conservatives and Labour were against that move. The idea was that pupils would do at least one Scots text, but would not be limited to one.
I can give you the time back for the intervention, Mr Kerr.
Well, I am with Neil Bibby, because I, too, grew up with the surrounding sound of Burns—in particular at this time of year—in primary school and in the junior years of secondary school, and, to be frank, I think that that is an important part of ensuring that our heritage is preserved and lives on.
Those are important questions, but they are probably for another day. This debate is probably not the setting for them, because in this week of Burns night, we should be extolling the virtues of our national bard.
Burns was a figure of national and international importance. His poetry and ideas transcend culture and talk to us through the ages; his words are a window into our own history, and into world history, at that particular phase of his life in the late 18th century. His words are accessible and fun—and sometimes downright salacious—and they tell great stories that appeal to people of all ages and at all stages of life. Some of them have a depth that is seldom surpassed, to be frank, by the poems of the modern era.
Will the member take an intervention?
Of course—I will happily do so.
Our colleague Finlay Carson quoted from “Willie Wastle”, whose
“wife was dour and din”.
Would Mr Kerr also say that Robert Burns was slightly rude about women?
I have to say that, in my experience of the writings of Burns, he was infatuated with women—his rather colourful private life is, I think, evidence to prove the case.
Burns certainly speaks to us today, and I am sure that, as we attend Burns suppers organised by our respective parties, when immortal memories will be toasted, we will all be claiming that Burns would definitely have been on our side of the aisle.
The truth is that Burns defies political definition—he defied convention and he was the great contrarian. He was a commentator and humorist, and—as I said—he had one of the most colourful private lives that it is possible to imagine. I hope that no woke revisionism goes on when it comes to Robert Burns, and I hope that there are no trigger warnings for some imagined offence. I trust that our teachers will set aside any advice from the SQA on the matter and ensure that Robert Burns and his works are always put forward in the proper context to help our people to understand and appreciate the poetry of our great national bard.
17:59
Like others, I warmly welcome the opportunity to come together to mark the third pillar of the winter festivals that we celebrate in Scotland, together with St Andrew’s day and Hogmanay.
The legacy of Burns is immense, as the motion states and as other members have said. Every week I am reminded of that, because the Burns statue on Constitution Street in Leith looks on to my constituency office. Indeed, there are statues of Robert Burns all over the world—his international footprint is matched only by that of Taras Shevchenko from Ukraine.
As well as the passion that there is for Burns in Leith, north Edinburgh and around the world, I have a personal connection with our national bard. My father, who is from the small town of Crosshill in Ayrshire, spoke passionately about Burns throughout my childhood and he continues to do so to this day. Indeed, given that he was a professional exhibition and museum designer who designed a number of exhibitions in years past, including the exhibition in the National Library of Scotland, he would support the efforts to create more exhibition and museum experiences for people to enjoy Burns.
My father’s experience of that period developed in him—as Burns has done for many others—a passion to write in Scots and to use the style of Burns to express his own messages and the things that he thought were important. This week, we have seen one of the world’s biggest polluters pull out of the Paris agreement, so I want to read a few verses that my father wrote of a modern moose’s reply to the ploughman poet. He said:
“We mice might whiles express opinion,
O Godly man’s assumed dominion.
For time has shown yer sairly wantin in stewardin skills,
Nae savin nature’s precious union, but causing her ills.
Ye wantin tykes cause devastation,
Wi tae much business exploitation,
Pollutin water, air and oceans for greed or cash,
Till soon the planet’s fragile balance will tip and crash.
Beware then brainy homo saps,
Wi gadgets, phones an latest apps,
This earth is here for aw tae nourish,
Baith human and beast.
It’s time you gained oor poet’s savvy,
And better shared the feast.”
That connection from my family was profoundly moved in me when, in 2019, as a Scottish minister, I had the great privilege of presenting the Robert Burns humanitarian award at the Alloway cottage. As well as being an environmentalist and, many would argue, a socialist, Burns was an internationalist, and, of course, that is best encapsulated in the song “Auld Lang Syne”, which is sung not only at Hogmanay, but is the second most famous song in the world, being surpassed only by “Happy Birthday”.
Indeed, I will never forget when I was in China in 2003 telling my class that I am from Scotland, to which they said, “Well, where’s that?”, and so I whistled the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”, and they instantly remembered what that was. It is that ability of Burns to bring people together that is the magic so many years on. I have found that the power of Burns to bring people together is so important wherever I have been—whether it was when I was in Paris in the British embassy in 2019, or in Brussels in the Scottish Government hub just after Brexit—internationally, domestically, in Parliaments, in embassies and in our communities. We must treasure that power, we must celebrate it, and we must not take it for granted.
18:04
Like all MSPs who represent what we know as Burns country, it is an honour for me to speak in today’s important debate. As a representative of South Scotland, it is clear to me how the influence and legacy of Robert Burns run through our history and culture—it is a legacy that can be seen all around the area where I live.
The area is full of the history of Burns: from Burns cottage in the village of Alloway where he was born, to the Robert Burns birthplace museum, the Burns monument, and the Brig O’ Doon, where poor Meg famously lost her tail. The bridge itself also inspired some of his most famous words. There is also Poosie Nansie’s in Mauchline where Burns met his wife Jean Armour, who bore him at least eight children, Souter Johnnie’s cottage in Kirkoswald, home of the shoemaker immortalised in “Tam O’ Shanter”, and Alloway auld kirk, where you can find the graves of Burns’s family members. There is the Tam O’ Shanter inn, which, it is said, Robert Burns frequented—it was the pub that Burns’s friend, who was the inspiration for Tam O’ Shanter, left from that fateful night. His legacy is everywhere.
My children all went to Alloway primary school, just up the road from the famous Burns cottage. To this day, just like at other schools in Ayrshire, the young people there learn to recite Burns poems and take part in competitions. That tradition still thrives and it is a reminder of how deeply ingrained he is in the lives of young people in that part of Scotland, hundreds of years after he was born.
But Burns is not a poet just for Ayrshire and Scotland; he is an international icon. Few writers could claim that their work is sung at Hogmanay every year from Ayr to Australia, yet with “Auld Lang Syne” he achieves just that. Closer to home, his legacy carries economic weight. Tourism in Ayrshire is driven significantly by Burns’s global appeal: he puts us on the map. Visitors come from all over the world to events such as the Alloway 1759 festival and Tamfest—and what could be better than a Burns supper on Burns night in Scotland?
Our young people benefit from that in a number of practical ways. For instance, pupils from Kincaidston primary in Ayr recently created a new guided walk at the Burns cottage as part of a National Trust scheme to develop career skills and improve access to heritage. Free talks are taking place at the Burns birthplace museum throughout 2025. They proved so popular in December that they sold out. If anyone is thinking of attending one of their talks, I can confirm that they do excellent coffee and homemade scones. In Mauchline, there is also the Robert Burns blue plaque tour, which takes in various places of interest.
We spend much time in this chamber in heated debates and disagreeing about a range of different policies and political priorities. I imagine that, if Robert Burns were alive today, he would be in the thick of the heated debates. In fact, given his infamous reputation, he may possibly have been the subject of many a heated debate.
That said, it is welcome that we can all come together in chorus on this important topic and highlight the legacy of his work and genius. A farmer’s son inspiring generations in arts and literature, and providing endless entertainment and enjoyment through the decades, is a truly great thing. It has been a privilege to speak on this important topic and I am delighted to give my support to Oliver Mundell’s motion.
18:08
I thank Oliver Mundell for lodging his excellent motion, which provides a timely opportunity to celebrate not only the rich cultural contribution of Robert Burns but also the enduring social and economic legacy, and the future potential, of our national bard.
Prior to being elected to Parliament, I had the pleasure of representing Nith ward on Dumfries and Galloway Council, and chairing the council’s economy committee. I remember, about a decade ago, launching the “In the Footsteps of Burns” trail, to promote the breadth of the physical legacy of Burns’s time in my hometown of Dumfries. That trail of course included St Michael’s kirkyard, where Burns was laid to rest at the far too young age of 37. I remember a visit to neighbouring St Michael’s primary school, where pupils were asked what Dumfries was famous for. One wee lad answered, quick as a flash, “It’s the deathplace of Rabbie Burns”. He maybe was not wrong, but of course it is also where Burns thrived and lived, albeit for far too short a time.
That trail takes you past the wonderful statue of Jean Armour, Burns’s beloved and loyal wife, to the house that Burns lived in on stinking vennel—a street that, fortunately, has had a name change since Burns’s time. It then works its way to Scotland’s oldest working theatre, the Theatre Royal Dumfries, where Burns was a frequent visitor, and to his favourite howff, the Globe Inn, where he was an even more frequent visitor. That is a Burns tradition that I have followed for many years—although I suspect that if I etched verses on one of the Globe Inn windows, as Burns did, rather than have it displayed, I would be barred.
The ownership of the Globe Inn now sits with David Thomson and Teresa Church, the owners of Annandale Distillery, who have a real vision for a Burns quarter in Dumfries, including a visitor centre.
The Burns footsteps go beyond the town—they go to the Brow well, which is renowned for its healing qualities, although, in truth, bathing in the freezing waters probably did Burns more harm than good. The footsteps also lead to Ellisland farm, the home that Burns built from 1788 to bring together his family, as Neil Bibby said, for the first time and where he penned what are arguably his finest works, including “Auld Lang Syne”.
Ellisland Farm is well worth a visit—if members have not been, I ask them to please go. However, the plans by the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust to preserve Burns’s legacy by widening access with more events, artist residencies, and educational opportunities and, ultimately, to create a world-class visitor attraction, have the potential to be truly transformative. I give the trust, led by Joan McAlpine and her staff team, Adam, Sarah and Ailsa—who, along with a number of trustees, are here this evening—my full support on their journey. It is great to hear similar support from members during the debate. The potential is enormous, but delivery of that potential will need on-going support from the Government and other agencies, not just at the development stage but in the future.
In the meantime, there is already much to do in Dumfriesshire when it comes to Burns, including, as we have heard, the fantastic Big Burns Supper. Unfortunately, that festival did not take place last year due to the Government’s decision to end the winter festival funding. Although it returns with a great line-up this year on a smaller scale than in the past, it needs that on-going support in the future.
Neil Bibby and Stephen Kerr talked about the downgrading of Burns on our curriculum. We should be building up Burns’s legacy. I make that appeal to the Government, as I did in last week’s culture debate.
We have lost a lot of festivals in Dumfries and Galloway in recent years. Sadly, I fear that we will lose more in the weeks ahead. Scotland’s rich cultural offering is more than big festivals in the central belt, and that needs to be reflected in more regional support with festival funding, including of the Big Burns Supper.
Oliver Mundell is right when he says that Burns was maybe all things to all people—that would probably make him a Liberal Democrat. However, his legacy is enduring, and the potential to grow that legacy is enormous. At this point, the Presiding Officer is probably going to ask me to sit down.
Had I known what you were going to say, I might have asked you to sit down 30 seconds earlier. Craig Hoy is the final speaker in the open debate.
18:12
I thank Oliver Mundell for bringing the debate to the chamber. I will use my brief contribution to focus on the benefits that Burns brings to the hospitality and tourism sectors in Scotland—not least because he was partial to a wee nip, himself.
His life and his legacy are woven through the whole region that I am proud to represent—South Scotland. That legacy draws tourists to the south and brings together locals and visitors alike, particularly at this time of year, when we gather together to celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns, not just here in Scotland but, as I found when I lived in Asia, across the world.
Nowhere are we more likely to keenly celebrate the life of Robert Burns than in South Scotland. In Alloway in Ayrshire, Robert Burns’s birthplace museum is just a short walk from the Burns cottage. The museum celebrates Burns’s life, work and legacy. One of the most poignant items on display is the William Burns family bible, which lies open on a page on which William has understatedly written:
“Had a son Robert 25th Jan 1759.”
In Dumfries, in a former mill building by the River Nith, we have the Robert Burns Centre, which is also a film theatre that shows the best in contemporary cinema. Today, as many of my colleagues did, I met the trust team at the Robert Burns Ellisland museum and farm, who have set out a bold vision to save the home of “Auld Lang Syne” and to create an enhanced visitor attraction with accommodation and a focus on the arts and education.
Burns’s presence continues to influence local festivals, with the annual Robert Burns festival in Dumfries drawing visitors every January. At this time of year, people come together across Scotland in our hospitality venues—restaurants, pubs, and community and sports clubs—to eat, drink and listen to some of Burns’s famous pieces and works. As colleagues have said, where better to do that than in the welcoming Globe Inn in Dumfries, which offers fine dining and lovely historic rooms, and where Robert Burns ate, drank, recited, slept and otherwise entertained affairs of the heart.
The life and works of Robbie Burns offer a welcome boost for the hospitality industry at what is genuinely a very difficult time for it. In January, the Burns suppers are much needed by our pubs and restaurants—this year, more than ever.
The sector faces very difficult times, partly because of decisions that the Scottish National Party Government has taken this year in relation to support for the hospitality sector. In fact, I would say that, this January, the memory of Robert Burns is probably doing more to support and sustain Scotland’s hospitality sector than its present-day Government is doing.
Before I close, I would like to highlight another connection with Robert Burns. His younger brother Gilbert lived in Bolton, which is a tiny hamlet very close to the town of Haddington in East Lothian. Gilbert was a well-known figure in the town and, in 1808, he became an elder of the beautiful St Mary’s church. Indeed, Agnes Burns, Rabbie’s mother, was buried alongside her son and her daughter Annabella in the parish kirkyard, within a railed enclosure, which still draws visitors to East Lothian today.
Every year, local publican Paul Kinnock at the Tyneside Tavern remembers Rabbie and Gilbert at the Grant’s Braes Burns brunch—try saying that after a couple of nips. It is a jolly lunch that I have had the pleasure to chair in the past and to attend most years, at which pub regulars get together to remember the great man and, of course, his wee brother, too.
Rabbie Burns was a pub man. Just a stone’s throw from here, he visited the Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston and the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket. I suspect that, in the latter, a pint now costs considerably more than it did then. That is another reason why I urge the Scottish Government to make sure that it gives support to Scotland’s hospitality sector.
Burns’s life and legacy are intertwined with the hostelries of south Scotland. He continues to contribute much to our tourism and hospitality sector. That is why I welcome Oliver Mundell’s debate and his motion.
18:16
That other Scots poet, Hugh MacDiarmid, was once moved to write of Robert Burns:
“Mair nonsense has been uttered in his name
Than in ony’s barrin liberty and Christ.”
I cannot earnestly say what he might have made of this evening’s debate, but my assessment is that it has been a good one. On that basis, I join others in thanking Oliver Mundell for bringing his motion to the chamber for debate, as we approach Burns night this weekend.
As well as being a much-loved celebration of our great bard, that evening has its roots in community. The first Burns supper was held in July 1801, when nine of Burns’s close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of his death. Today, for many people across the world, Burns night is a time to savour Scottish traditions, to recognise him as a symbol of national pride—as Finlay Carson rightly referred to him—and to celebrate the globally recognised writer. The global recognition that Sharon Dowey spoke of was underlined by Emma Harper, who cited the importance of Burns to Abraham Lincoln’s thinking.
This Burns supper season is one that I suspect many of us will honour this year, perhaps starting with the PAMIS Burns supper this evening. I can say that tickets to the Cumbernauld SNP Burns supper on 8 February are still available for sale. Colleagues are welcome—some more so than others, perhaps—but if people would like a ticket, they can let me know.
Whatever might take each of us to any such event, it is right to mark the life of a person of such significance to our country’s history. It is for no small reason that the centrepiece of any Burns supper is “The Immortal Memory”, written in honour of him.
Estimates suggest that more than 40 million people consider themselves to have Scottish ancestry, but our diaspora goes beyond bloodlines. The Scottish Government continues to nurture its Scottish connections and to engage with Scotland’s diaspora through key heritage events around the world, such as those on Burns night. Burns night provides the Scottish Government’s international network with invaluable opportunities to promote Scotland’s international interests by showcasing Scottish traditions; the best of Scottish produce, culture and values; and Scotland as a great destination for tourism.
A programme of events will take place across Scotland’s international network that will allow colleagues to engage with varied groups across Scotland’s broad diaspora communities, including the heritage diaspora, the globalscot network and alumni, as well as trade partners and other in-country stakeholders. The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture will attend events in Brussels and Bergen.
Closer to home, I am delighted that, as Oliver Mundell and other colleagues have set out, the Big Burns Supper is now back. It is bigger than ever and will extend over three weekends. I was particularly interested in the inclusion of an underwater Burns supper, which Emma Harper mentioned. I have been to many Burns suppers that have involved more liquid than was probably good for those in attendance, but perhaps not quite in that vein. However, I think that it is testament to our Scottish culture that we can constantly innovate our traditions.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that Scotland continues to enjoy a thriving culture sector, with this year’s budget taking us halfway towards meeting our commitment to investing an additional £100 million a year in the sector by 2028-29. Our culture, including Robert Burns, continues to draw visitors to Scotland from around the globe. There were 234,000 visitors to Robert Burns-related attractions in Scotland in 2023, which was 70 per cent higher than in the previous year. The power of Burns as a driver for our economy is illustrated by the 2020 University of Glasgow study that was mentioned by Oliver Mundell and Emma Harper, which estimated that Burns contributes more than £200 million to Scotland each year via tourism products and festivals.
I appreciate your giving way, minister, and I appreciate your glowing testimony of the influence of Robert Burns in Scotland. However, do you agree that it is a load of painch, tripe and thairm that QMS has downgraded the influence of Burns in Scottish education?
Please speak through the chair.
I think that that was a reference to the Scottish Qualifications Authority, although the member mentioned Quality Meat Scotland. I can say that the Scottish Government does not prescribe which texts or resources should or should not be used to support learning. The SQA has advised that Burns remains a vital part of Scottish set texts, including options for higher English, and is included in the national 5 curriculum. It is also interesting that Mr Kerr wants teachers to ignore SQA guidance, but the SQA has assured teachers that any text, including works by Robert Burns, can still be used for the critical essay in national 5 or higher English courses.
Will the member take an intervention?
I do not have a lot of time, but I will give way to Mr Macpherson.
Does the minister agree that, as Oliver Mundell emphasised, we should all appreciate the number of primary school children who learn about Burns? I will be doing that this week.
I agree with Mr Macpherson. Emma Harper referred to the extensive range of activity through schools competitions that should be celebrated.
I turn back to the remarks that I was hoping to make. I am also delighted to hear about the progress at Ellisland farm. I commend Joan McAlpine—a former colleague of many of us, whom I am pleased to see in the gallery—for her vision and leadership, and I commend the wider work of the Burns tourism partnership. I understand that Richard Lochhead will visit Ellisland farm later this week. It is poised to become an international artistic and literary destination. It is the farm that Burns built and where he wrote much of his work, including “Tam O’Shanter”.
We have focused on Dumfries and Galloway an awful lot, and there has also been reference to Ayrshire, as there should be. However, having mentioned “Tam O’Shanter”, it would be remiss of me not to recommend a visit to the Rozelle house museum and galleries, where a display of a series of fantastic paintings by Alexander Goudie depicting the poem can be seen. I was able to see the series myself before the recent travelling Cabinet was held in Ayr in November. I suggest that colleagues visit it, if they have not already had the opportunity to do so.
Will the member take an intervention?
I am not sure how imminent the Selkirk grace is at this Burns supper, but if I have time, I will give way one more time to Mr Oliver Mundell.
Before we move on to Ayrshire too quickly, I wonder whether we could get on the record the Scottish Government’s absolute commitment to finding stage 2 funding to realise the vision of Ellisland.
That is beyond my direct remit, but I will make sure that the relevant minister picks that question up and gets back to Mr Mundell.
I will move on to touch briefly on whisky, which, although it is not essential, is an integral part of the experience of any Burns supper. I can say to Mr Mundell that, if the cabinet secretary cannot come to Annandale to sample the new Burns-related whisky, I can think of at least one minister who might be delighted to receive an invitation and consider visiting.
I thank members for their contributions, and I thank Oliver Mundell for his motion celebrating the legacy of Robert Burns. I conclude by citing the national bard once more from the same source as Ben Macpherson. Burns once wrote of the human condition:
“An forward tho’ I cannot see,
I guess an’ fear”.
Although there might be some fundamental truth to that generally, I am sure that I am not alone in believing that, forward though we cannae see, the place of Burns is of great importance to us in Scotland and beyond, and it remains secure.
Thank you, minister. I am sure that Stephen Kerr has been busy booking his travel to Cumbernauld. That concludes the debate.
Meeting closed at 18:25.Air ais
Decision Time