The Scottish Government

Speech by the First Minister

First Minister Jack McConnell

Speech to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

May 18, 2004

Thank you Moderator

Your Grace, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen. It's a great pleasure and honour to be able to address you in this week of your General Assembly. And to address you here in this historic setting. A building built for debate and for service. A building also built back in 1846, within budget. There are many lessons in the bible.

It is a privilege to be the first First Minister to address the General Assembly. And it brings back some old memories too.

Over thirty years ago, my father, a church elder, came to this gathering as a commissioner.

I and others in my family can recall the excitement and pride as he left then to represent his community and his fellow parishioners in this historic chamber.

I remember too, on his return to Arran, his stories of the men in black coats and black hats gathering on the mound. How those images have changed, today, Moderator.

On behalf of our devolved Scottish government, I would like to thank your immediate predecessors for the way we have worked together in these early years of the new Parliament.

Personally, I have appreciated the support and guidance I have received, as First Minister, from John Miller, Finlay McDonald and Professor Torrance.

But today I want to congratulate you, Dr Elliot, on your historic appointment as Moderator.

Your appointment as the first woman Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; and as the first Church elder to hold the post since the 16th century recognises the contribution that you have made to civic life in Scotland, and to the promotion of the Christian faith.

I am sure that this year will be one in which the Kirk will prosper with your leadership and I wish you well.

The Church

In the absence of a national Parliament since 1707, it was the Church of Scotland that so often filled the void.

Our Scottish national identity was kept alive for nearly 300 years by an education system, the law and the Kirk - with some occasional help from our football team, only occainsonally!

The presence and influence of the Kirk has been immense on almost every part of our national character.

You inspired the best education system in the world. Scotland's trusted education system still has its roots in the democratic and egalitarian ideals which encouraged the development of the parish schools in local communities.

And, increasingly in the 20th century, the Church became a powerful voice for the poor and marginalised, and with others, articulated Scotland's democratic frustrations.

In the absence of a parliament - the Church of Scotland was a significant outlet for national opinion, speaking for the values of the church - but also the values of the nation as a whole.

And, across the globe, from the poorest African country, to the richest US state, the spirit of Scotland's church shines strongly.

Reaching people worldwide and making a positive difference to their lives.

In some cases, providing spiritual guidance and feeding the soul.

In others, simply ensuring that they are provided with the very basics they need to survive.

And I believe that the work of the church is as relevant today as it ever was. And I want to encourage you to continue to speak out, as you will today in the Church of Nations Debate; internationally in the battle against HIV/AIDS and poverty, nationally and in every Scottish community. True to your traditions and values but working with others too.

In this past week we have seen a tremendous example of the importance of working together.

Emergency workers and volunteers in Glasgow, putting their lives on the line to save fellow human beings. Scotland's spirit is indeed alive and well, they inspired us all, and provided welcome reassurance in an uncertain and troubled world.

The State

Five years on from its first meeting in this great assembly hall, I believe Scotland's Parliament is making a difference.

We are legislating for a better Scotland, and improving public services. In each of these the decisions that are made in this chamber have changed Scotland for the better. But having a national parliament was surely always about much more than that.

Scotland is a great country. We have dynamic cities, a wonderful countryside, great people and an outstanding education system. But we can be an even better country.

Scotland's Parliament allows us to voice and realise wider ambitions for the future. And those ambitions are about the kind of Scotland that we can be.

Building on our strengths, but dealing with our weaknesses too.

More ambitious and more confident, but more caring too. Practising forgiveness of others.

Tolerant, open, and welcoming.

That's why, for as long as I am First Minister, and for as long as there are those with prejudice, I will stand against racism, sectarianism and intolerance.

And I believe that those who take that stand are winning the battle. I believe that even in the short time since I became First Minister - we can see a difference in Scotland.

Yes, there remains sectarian hatred in the hearts and minds of a minority - but I believe there are becoming less likely to shout with pride of their bigotry.

And those of us who speak out. Those who reject the notion that one tradition, a belief in one failth, leads to a loathing of another are beginning to make a difference.

And with our rejection of hatred within a faith - we can also speak up for understanding and common cause between faiths.

Scotland is a country of many faiths - and of none. And there is room here for a healthy mix of people, cultures and religions.

I believe that welcoming new people to Scotland will help stem our population decline - but will just as importantly, expose young Scots to new people and new experiences. It will open minds and it will broaden horizons.

But Scotland must speak with one voice. We cannot have some who are welcoming - and others who are not. And we must not allow some to be welcomed - and others to be not.

And I am very grateful for your support in our efforts to challenge prejudice and to promote understanding.

This church believes in the strength of community. And, I do too.

And, this church has always believed that there is such a thing as society. And, I do too.

We are not isolated individuals.

Our quality of life and the contribution that we make are enhanced by relationships, by faith, the strength of our families and our sense of community.

I stand against violence and antisocial behaviour - not to condemn or stereotype people - but to speak for those who are the victims and who deserve more respect. And I want to put respect - for ourselves and for each other - at the heart of communities in Scotland.

There is a difference between right and wrong and those rules are set by society. It is the obligation of parliamentarians to create a justice system that articulates and responds to those core values.

That harm being done by one to another is wrong. That disorder and anti social behaviour - where a few make the lives of the many a misery - is unacceptable.

But it is also right, it must be right, that a society responds to those who want to turn their lives around. That we continue to believe individuals can change.

Where someone has shown the courage to stand up and face the consequences of their actions, we have to be there to support them.

And if they fall down again, young or old, we have to support them to get up again too.

In our daily work, in the communities you represent here today, and in the government I lead in our new Scottish Parliament, I believe we share a primary concern for those less fortunate than ourselves. It will have motivated everyone in this room and I believe it motivates all our Members of the Scottish Parliament.

We live in a comparatively wealthy country, with resources and opportunities previous generations of Scots could never have imagined. But too many Scots still live in unacceptable poverty.

And, our government will continue to attack the economics of poverty, promoting employment and employability. And,we will continue to tackle the social conditions of those in poverty.

But we need to break down the poverty of expectation and confidence that is so pervasive in the homes and communities where deprivation remains stubbornly persistent.

These families need opportunities for education, for employment and for the many other things that make up our quality of life - sports, the arts, the quality of their environment, the freedom to worship in their faith.

But young Scots growing up in poverty need hope and ambition too - and I believe that politicians and church leaders must speak out and encourage them to grow in every way.

Conclusion

Moderator, 21st century Scotland is a complex and sophisticated place.

Mass media, a consumer culture, technologies being created at an ever increasing speed. It is easy sometimes to think that society is breaking down. That the old values, usually considered to be the best values, are collapsing.

But, I want to challenge that notion.

I am very lucky - every day in my job I get to meet people from all over Scotland. And I make a point of meeting young Scots everywhere I go.

And I never cease to be inspired. By their confidence, by their talent and their ambitions.

They are proud of their country - they are positive and they care too. They care deeply about their community - they want to earn respect - and they want to make a contribution.

Well, I want to make sure my generation provides them with the chance to meet those aspirations and help them make their contribution.

And I am going to continue challenging the negative and corrosive culture which can sap their confidence and inhibit their development.

When I talk to people who might come to Scotland I tell them I live in the best small country in the world.

I tell them about our cities and our countryside, I tell them about traditional Scotland - and about modern Scotland too. And most of all I tell them about the solidarity, compassion and the enterprise of the Scottish people.

Moderator, and if they ask about Scotland's faith, I tell them that we are a nation of many faiths and beliefs - but that our Church of Scotland embodies a spirit of pragmatic idealism, of commonsense democracy, and of ethics made real in daily life, that stands well as an example of what Scotland was, what Scotland is, and what Scotland can be.

Thank you