Greetings. Last evening the Gaelic Society of Vancouver celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Society. A grand evening it was!
Ron Sutherland was called on to propose a toast to the Scottish Parliament and did so in fine style. His introduction to the toast is presented below. An item that he did not mention in his talk, was brought to his attention later. Bus rides for seniors in Scotland are free – anywhere, anytime it seems. Ron is soon on his way to Scotland to, among other interesting activities, investigate the free bus issue and we look forward to his report upon his return. Think of it! A free ride anywhere in Scotland. If true, this benefit alone may cause a massive exodus of Canadian Scottish seniors to Scotland. WOW.
TOAST TO THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
When I received a call from Duncan MacKenzie asking that I propose a toast to the new Scottish Parliament, I thought this was something contrary to my usual attitude towards governments. A "roast" maybe – but a "toast"? However, the Scottish government is also quite different and most definitely worthy of a toast.
Their initial moves were startling:-
1. They increased teachers salaries by 20.4% - which reflects the Scottish priority on education. In the 18th century Scotland was considered the best educated country in Europe, and indeed this was the reason that the Hudson's Bay Company employed Scots rather than English to work in Canada.
I had thought this meant the Scots would cherry-pick some of the finest teachers in England, but I have learned that the English University degree in education is not recognized in Scotland. Interestingly, our daughter's degree from UBC was readily accepted.
2. Social assistance for the elderly was no longer subject to a "means test" in Scotland.
3. Free tuition at Universities for residents of Scotland – another statement about the importance of education in Scotland.
All these independent changes in Scotland were noticed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not warmly endorsed by Westminster.
Last summer, an official from the Westminster Government had the temerity to write to Edinburgh, pointing out that they were the "Senior Scottish Executive", and they should not consider themselves as the Government of Scotland. Within weeks all the stationary and documents read, "Government of Scotland".
Recently, legislation has been introduced in both Westminster and Edinburgh about reducing carbon emissions. The European Union has criticized Westminster for foot-dragging on the issue, and praised the Scottish Parliament for having some of the most enlightened legislation in Europe.
Over the past year there has been an ongoing dispute with the Police Departments throughout Britain, which went to arbitration. The arbitration award outlined wage increases and suggested they be retroactive, but retroactivity was not mandatory. The Scottish Parliament made the settlement retroactive, Westminster did not.
It is not just on the rugby pitch that the Scots and the English are competing.
I might add that the support for the Gaelic language has increased dramatically (Incidentally, all the signs in the Scottish Parliament building are in the Gaelic as well as English) – in fact, the Gaelic College on Skye is considered proportionately to be the best financially supported University in Scotland.
Please join me in a Toast to the Scottish Parliament, and their continued enlightened approach to the issues.
"Toast to the Scottish Parliament"
