SNP NORTH AMERICAN
NETWORK NEWSLETTER
Issue 15, July 1999
WELCOME
NOTE-- due to regulations set by the Labour party in London
Only persons with the right to vote in the UK may contribute directly to the SNP. Supporters who have no vote in the UK are asked to contribute to our North America Fund, the income from which is retained in North America to support awareness-raising there about Scotland and the SNP
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT OPENS TO GREAT ACCLAIM
Despite attempts by some to belittle the opening of the Scottish Parliament the day itself - 1st July 1999 - was acclaimed a success by all. Many saw the highlight of the day as the singing of "A Man's A Man for A' That" by folk singer Sheena Wellington which had al members of the Scottish Parliament joining in the last verse. It was greeted with prolonged applause, which, more than any event yesterday, gave the day its quintessentially Scottish and egalitarian tone. The MSPs' arrival in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament - temporarily housed in the Assembly of the Church of Scotland - was heralded by a fanfare from young Scottish composer James MacMillan. Then the Scottish crown was taken into chamber in front of the Queen, before she made her own speech. It is rumoured, the crown might not have been borne by the most senior Scottish Duke but by a Scottish child. The formal welcome came from the Presiding Officer David Steel who talked of welcoming "the Queen of Scots" to Scotland's day of destiny. That tone was set by the poetry of Ian Crichton Smith, in a reading of The Beginning of a New Song. Tom Fleming's delivery asked that "our three voiced country sing in a new world, joining the other rivers without dogma, but with friendliness to all around her." It was seen as a perfect counterpoint to the later, witty verse of 11-year-old Amy Linekar's How To Create A Great Country - a confection, it transpired, requiring, battles and sporting encounters, Burns's beasties, Mackintosh designs, tattie soup, mince, a clove of Gaelic, and a rebellion or two. And, of course, "a fabulous new Scottish Parliament . . . taste the flavours and smile . . . You've made your first Scotland". And in between the readings, A Man's A Man for A' That.In his speech as official opposition leader Alex Salmond recalled the work of campaigners for self-government from all the political parties "who did not live the see this day" and he referred to the new Parliament as "the democratic heartbeat of the nation, charged with infusing new blood and new life into Scotland's nationhood in all of its diversity". "For many of us this is not the end of Scotland's journey. We aspire to return Scotland to the international community on the basis of equality among nations." If you want to read a fuller account of the opening day you can access it on http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/ EURO ELECTION RESULTS - SNP JUST 1.5% BEHIND LABOUR! Commenting on the European election results, Scottish National Party leader Mr Alex Salmond MSP said: "This is a dramatic result in Scotland. The gap between Labour and the SNP is the narrowest in Scottish political history - just 1.5%, representing fewer than 15,000 votes, or just 200 votes per constituency - with the SNP challenging for the leading position. The SNP vote is at the same high levels as we achieved in the Scottish Parliament election on 6 May. "By contrast, Labour's vote has crashed to its lowest in Scotland since 1918 - an extraordinary statistic, that illustrates the extent of Labour's problems in Scotland. Compared to 6 May, Labour's vote has fallen by a full ten points.
"On last night's results, the SNP won lots of parliamentary seats from Labour and the Lib Dems - Ochil; Argyll; the Western Isles; Ross, Skye & Inverness West; Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross; Dundee East; Dundee West; Aberdeen North; Aberdeen South; and Gordon. In all, we won 15 first-past-the-post seats - an SNP record. "And we were absolutely neck-and-neck with Labour in Livingston, Kilmarnock & Loudoun, Cumbernauld & Kilsyth, and Cunningham North. "In the North East of Scotland, the SNP won seven out of the nine parliamentary seats. In the Highlands & Islands, we won 6 out of the seven. "On the old first-past-the-post system of European elections, the SNP actually 'won' the Mid-Scotland and Fife seat! "The Tories' share of the vote in Scotland - at under 20% - is their second worst in European elections: worse than 1989, for example, which was a bad result for them. "These results show that the race for the leadership position in Scottish politics is wide open. Labour's best days in Scotland now clearly belong in the past, with a strong SNP Opposition in a perfect position to move ahead of them in the months and years ahead. "This is a highly satisfactory result for Scotland's Party, in a whole range of ways." SNP TAKE FOUR PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE CONVENERSHIPS. SNP MSPs have been appointed to the Convenership of four of the powerful Scottish Parliamentary Committees. Under the constitutional arrangements, the Scottish Parliamentary Committees have been given a degree of independence from the executive not enjoyed even by select committees at Westminster. Among other things, the committees are able to conduct inquiries, scrutinise legislation and initiate legislation. Mr Andrew Welsh - MSP for Angus - will Convene the Audit Committee which will consider and report on public accounts, reports laid by Auditor General, and other document laid on financial control. He will be joined on the committee by fellow SNP MSPs Brian Adam (MSP for North East Scotland) and Andrew Wilson (MSP for Central Scotland).
On the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, John Swinney - MSP for Tayside North and the SNP's Deputy Leader - will be the Convener. This committee has a wide remit in considering and reporting on the Scottish economy, industry, tourism, training and further and higher education. Fellow SNP MSPs on this committee will be Fergus Ewing (MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) and Margo MacDonald (MSP for the Lothians). The SNP's Shadow Justice Minister, Roseanna Cunningham (MSP for Perth), becomes the Convener of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee on which fellow SNP MSPs Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) and Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) also sit. This committee will have responsibility for the administration of civil and criminal justice, the reform of the civil and criminal law and other matters within the responsibility of the Minister for Justice. Finally Mr Kenny MacAskill (MSP for the Lothians) will convene the Subordinate Legislation Committee on which sits Fergus Ewing (MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber). ARTICLES OF INTEREST Recipients may be interested in a book review - entitled "Braveheart and the new republic" - by Dr Liam McIlvanney of Aberdeen University in the Scottish Sunday newspaper the Sunday Herald. Dr Liam McIlvanney reviews "From Goosecreek to Gandercleugh: Studies in Scottish-American Literary and Cultural History" (Tuckwell Press) by Andrew Hook. This new book by Andrew Hook explores the nature and extent of this Caledonian influence on the United States. From Goosecreek to Gandercleugh brings together a dozen essays on Scottish-American themes, written over a period of 30 years. It revisits much of the ground covered in Hook's pioneering 1975 study, "Scotland and America". To quote from the article: "Franklin's reverence for Scottish intellectual life was shared by America at large. Whether in moral philosophy, political economy, medicine, science or aesthetics, it was Glasgow and Edinburgh that set the agenda for New York and Philadelphia. When the colonists' dispute with Britain erupted, it was Scottish political theory that provided the justification for revolution. It was the tradition of Francis Hutcheson that underpinned the Declaration of Independence. "The fact that so many of America's Founding Fathers were tutored by Scots merely underscores Scotland's contribution to the new republic. As Andrew Hook puts it: "In terms of the ideological invention of the USA, and its subsequent cultural definition, no external source of influence compared with that of 18th century Scotland." " Also of interest is an article by George Rosie in the same newspaper examining the role of three Scotsmen in forming the democracy that is the USA. These being Patrick Henry, son of an Aberdeenshire farmer, James Wilson a lawyer from Fife, and Alexander Hamilton, a sprig of the Ayrshire gentry whose enemies liked to describe him as "the son of a Scotch pedlar". Anyone wishing to see the articles can receive them by e-mailing snpnetwork@iname.com àAND FINALLY Look out for next month's edition we may have some important news for you. SNP