 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 10365, in the name of Bill Kidd, on a message for Dearest Scotland. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I'd be grateful if members wish to speak in the debate. Could press the request to speak buttons now, please. I call on Bill Kidd to open the debate seven minutes, please. The Dearest Scotland campaign is both innovative on the part of the team at Clyde College Cardinal campus and imaginative, but not only in their part, because imaginative also in as much as it sparks the imagination of those who take part in the Dearest Scotland project in looking at our nation's future direction. It's an apolitical campaign, and it's focused on the modern phenomenon of crowdsourcing, a future vision of Scotland by the public for a common good. I've never heard of crowdsourcing before, and I wish I was a wee bit more of a crowd here, but the reason for that is because this is one of the best ideas I've ever heard coming out of a college. I think that it's absolutely superb, and it's something that I wish more people will sit down and have a look at the website and take part in this fantastic idea. It's not about age, it's not about nationality, it's about a love of this country of ours, a love of Scotland for whatever reason you happen to hold that love. It could be the scenery, it could be the history, it could be the fact that your family and community are here, or just that indefinable something that binds your heart to a place and time. The way to take part in Dearest Scotland and be a contributor to the growing Dearest Scotland family is actually remarkably simple, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it. You can download a letter, template from the website and send it by email or snail mail, or there are post boxes located across Scotland where you can pick up a letter pack and take part, or attend a letter writing workshop from Mr Mason, or use the online letter submission application. It's your vision, so sit down and take a few minutes or an hour and share it with some friends you didn't even know you had. Factor fiction, poetic or romantic, or even harsh, critical and full of a dose of angst, as long as it starts with Dearest Scotland. Cat Coughrin and the young crowd at Clyde College Cardinal Campus have come up with a cracker of an idea, which will give us all the opportunity to be Robbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson or Alexander McCall Smith for a wee while, and hopefully we'll be read by others with as much as enjoyment as we read those great authors. In my case, I want to say that no matter where I've roamed in the world, I know that I belong to one of those places where the heart is only satisfied by coming home. New York, love it. Paris, loved in it more than once. Kazakhstan, intrigued by it. Poland, more to it than meets the eye. Scotland, everywhere else I've ever been, wrapped up in one. I've travelled a lot working on nuclear disarmament and I've met a lot of people from all over the world, and it's inevitable that they will talk of their own impressions and feelings of Scotland too, even when they've never been here. We've got our problems, we're known, our heart aches, we're very far from perfect, but our hopes and our aspirations are blue sky. We hope the best for this country, all of us, and I think that's something that we should all bear in mind. Dearest Scotland, you're the one for me and whatever we do to you, you'll still be home and you'll still be the heartbeat of my life. Thank you very much. We now turn to the open debate speeches of around four minutes and I call first Anne McTaggart to be followed by Nannette Milne. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I am delighted to contribute to this interesting debate on the Dearest Scotland campaign, which aims to celebrate wishes, hopes and aspirations that we have for the future of Scotland. In doing so, I congratulate my dearest colleague, Bill Kidd MSP, on securing time in the chamber to discuss this exciting project. I share the view that this is a politically neutral campaign and has the potential to produce some exciting ideas about Scotland's future, no matter what the decision that we take on September 18. I understand that the Dearest Scotland campaign is based in Glasgow Clyde College and has already engaged a huge number of people in a mass letter writing campaign. I have taken some time to read a selection of the submissions to the online archive of letters, which illustrate an incredibly broad range on the kind of Scotland that people want to see in the future. Although the ideas and visions for our nations differ greatly from letter to letter, one consistent aspect is the passion and the enthusiasm with which people talk about Scotland. One letter in particular stood out to me, and it was written by Kirsten from Shots, and I quote, "'Dearest Scotland, take pride in what an awesome place you are. Don't forget to show others how great a nation you are. I for one am proud to call myself Scottish. It is a wonderful and beautiful place to live with so many opportunities, but I am also proud to be British. I want us to remember that we don't have to stand alone to be recognised for our greatness." While I appreciate that the Dearest Scotland campaign is politically neutral, I am reassured to note that people from all sides of the referendum debate are encouraged to contribute and that the online archive contains a variety of views about how Scotland can best prosper and succeed in the 21st century. I understand that this project is a not-for-profit enterprise, though any proceeds will contribute to the release of a book containing a selection of the letters received, holding a number of public exhibitions and running free letter writing workshops throughout the country. I aim to try to get to one of them and I look forward to reading the book when it comes out. I believe that those initiatives will encourage people of all ages and walks of life to ignite their streak, show off their talents and aspirations that will be instrumental in kicking off the national debate on the direction of Scotland after September 18, irrespective of the referendum outcome. I encourage everyone in the chamber to make a thoughtful contribution to the Dearest Scotland campaign and to share the project with their friends, families and constituents. It is only by ensuring that we have a broad range of voices contributing to ideas about Scotland's prospectus that we can build a genuinely representative vision for the future. I am sure that I will not be the only member in this chamber tonight who has approached this debate with some degree of amusement or indeed ignorance regarding Dearest Scotland. Members' debates often throw up subjects, areas and issues of concern that many of us will not have been aware of in the past. I therefore regard this debate as something of a learning curve for me, and in that respect I do join others in thanking Bill Kidd for bringing it to the chamber this evening. Having looked at the website of Dearest Scotland, I was intrigued to see that this campaign was started by three ladies from Glasgow who were inspired to look at our future as a nation and invite individuals from all backgrounds and all ages to contribute to their hopes for Scotland in the years ahead. As Dearest Scotland is an apolitical organisation and as members' debates tend to be non-partisan, I will stay clear of mentioning next month's vote but, of course, the referendum will be in all of our minds. I would add that whatever the result is next month, Scots should and must unite to shape the future of the generations that come after us. In considering Bill Kidd's motion, I have reflected on an important family event that took place just over six weeks ago. The arrival of my third grandchild, the first by my daughter, Adrienne, has brought long-awaited and great happiness to all of us in my family. Without wanting to be indulgent, I cannot resist mentioning Findlay George Reid as none of us at this stage has any idea what he will aspire to as he develops and grows up. Who knows? Perhaps he may one day fall in his granny's footsteps in this place, and his first mention in the official report might not actually be his last. Our children and grandchildren increasingly face an uncertain future. On a daily basis, we see war and conflict across the world, and Scotland continues to play a key role in contributing to help these global problems. Therefore, my hope's wishes and aspirations for Scotland do not sit in isolation. Indeed, my dreams and aspirations as a Scot may also be a vital component in the hopes and wishes of all humankind on this planet of ours. I hope that one day we might all live together as brothers and sisters in a global family that inhabits planet Earth. As human beings, of course, we have hopes and dreams at all levels, and as an Aberdonian, I obviously have dreams for the future of my city. Tempting though it may be, I won't stray into the saga of the Union Terrace gardens and the missed opportunities offered by that project. Just let me say that had Aberdeen City Council followed the views of its citizens, then the hopes and aspirations of many Aberdonians like myself would have been realised and we would now be developing a city centre worthy of the great energy capital of Europe and on a par with many great capitals across the world. However, living in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as I do it now at the moment, I am always struck by the plight of those who for whatever reason are left homeless, and dissolving this heart-breaking problem is one of the features that I would add in my love letter to Scotland. It is often said that people choose to live in the streets, but I certainly dispute that. I aspire to Scotland where people achieve their personal potential, where they have a permanent roof over their heads, where they are not cold and hungry and who do not feel worthless. That is why I genuinely believe that we should, wherever possible, take responsibility for our own wellbeing and be self-reliant. However, of course, we should reach out to help people who are not able to achieve this and who do not have a support network or family and friends around who could help them. Life can be very difficult and complex for many vulnerable people and they deserve our help and our support. The Dears Scotland campaign crosses the political divide, giving all Scots an opportunity to express their visions for a future Scotland. If I was a cynic, I would regard this as a neary fairy exercise, but, thankfully, I am not. Having read some of the letters posted on the campaign website, it is clear that there are many issues of common concern from protecting our environment to solving the on-going scourge of drugs in our society. I understand that the Dears Scotland campaign intends to collate responses from the public by the end of the year, with a view to exhibiting them early next year. I therefore end by asking the minister if she will meet the campaigners who have shown altruism at its very best and give them the well-deserved backing of the Scottish Government. First of all, I thank Bill Kidd for bringing this to the chamber, although my gratitude does not extend to calling him dearest. I have also met Cat Cochran, one of the founders of Bill earlier on, and one of my constituents to discuss this great initiative. I have had the pleasure of contributing to the website. I would not think that the MD would want to rush to read my letter, but I have made my contribution to it. It is clear that Scotland stands in the midst and, hopefully, on the brink of something truly monumental, and that it is something that we should all consider to take the opportunity to properly document, not just for clarity for ourselves but also for future generations. Most of us here will post a tweet about our canvassing results or put something on our Facebook or website or to the local press to let our constituents know about what we have been doing or our thoughts on a particular matter. However, the art of letter writing is becoming, unfortunately, lost, and that is a real shame. Anyone who has ever read the letters of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Abigail Adams or any of the others involved in the wars of independence in America will know of the pathos, hopes, fears, aspirations and belief that they all displayed in their own country. I imagine that those will be seen in a lot of the letters that Data Scotland collates over the course of the year. One of the most famous letters to come out of this period of pre-independent America was one written by John Adams to his wife Abigail on either of the Declaration of Independence. He writes that time has been given for the whole people maturely to consider the great question of independence and to ripen their judgment, dissipate their fears and allure their hopes by discussing it in newspapers and pamphlets, by debating it in assemblies, conventions, committees of safety and inspection in town and county meetings as well as in private conversations so that the whole people in every colony have now adopted it as their own act. That sounds pretty familiar to me and others, I'm sure, who have been out campaigning over the last two years. I'm supportive of Data Scotland because I think that in this year, perhaps above all others, we all, regardless of our feelings about the referendum, should take the time to put down what our dreams and aspirations for Scotland are. I was struck when reading some of the letters submitted that there are clear and consistent messages coming through, particularly in letters by people not originally from Scotland, who had come here to study or make their life here and settle down. Those letters talk about what a beautiful country we are, how friendly our people are but also that we have to look after ourselves more, mostly through altering our relationships with drugs, alcohol or food. They're also clear that we need to believe in ourselves more, that we don't always need to be the punchline in a joke, that we can be more than what we are just now, that we have everything that we need to succeed and be great. It's nice that visitors for however long they are here, be it for the Commonwealth Games studying us slightly longer, see so much more in ourselves than we sometimes like the ability to see. For me, my aspirations for my dear Scotland are simple. I want to live in a country that's fair and it doesn't continue to have its enviable resources squandered on its behalf. It's been discussed and mentioned a couple of times in the debate earlier on about that unfortunate tweet about food banks and how food banks prove that Scotland is becoming a normal European country and that, far from being a sign of failure, they're an enriching example of human compassion, faith and social cohesion. While I want a Scotland that doesn't ever think of food banks as being the normal state of affairs, that acknowledges the charitable deeds of others whilst doing all it can to ensure that the people, often in work, do not need to rely on charity to feed themselves or their families. I demand a Scotland where everyone gets paid a fair wage for the day's work, which is enough to ensure the decent standard of living. And I want to live in a Scotland that believes in itself more, that continues to be pure, dead, brilliant and keeps that gallous humour we are renowned for the world over. But I also want us to start to look after ourselves better to take the power to build a fairer, greener and equal society into our own hands. I hope that, in a century, when people are looking back over the archives in the National Library of Scotland who are on board with this initiative, they will see that, no matter the result of the referendum in just five weeks, we've met the aspirations that we set for our dearest Scotland. I thank you and I invite Fiona Hyslop to respond to the debate. Dearest Cabinet Secretary, if you could do so in seven minutes, I'd be grateful. Thank you, dearest Presiding Officer. I joined other members who spoke earlier in also congratulating Bill Kidd on securing the debate. It was good to hear from Bill Kidd about the dearest Scotland initiative and from him and other members to get a sense of their visions for Scotland. One of the best features for me of the current constitutional debate has been the way in which it has broadened the way in which we conduct politics. Indeed, this Parliament has contributed significantly to that, not least through the festival of politics that will be held here at the end of this week, now in its 10th year. This year was many fascinating sessions on aspects of the referendum debate. It's not just in this Parliament that we have seen new or revived approaches to politics, but outside it as well, right across Scotland. One of the greater and unexpected bonuses of the current constitutional debate—I think that those on the other side of the debate would also agree—has been the way that it has encouraged us to get out and debate key issues in public meetings. I have been engaging with people in town hall meetings from here to Stronnes, and I have found it really energising to hear and engage with public in different ways. Some of the methods of public engagement that we have seen have been—like those at local public meetings—revivals of tried and tested approaches of the past. Others have been uses of much more modern approaches, such as social media and texting. As a fairly frequent Twitter myself, I see value in it, but much can be said in a few words or 140 characters if they are well chosen. There was something marvellously modern and yet traditional in the way that Seamus Heaney's last words were a texted message in two Latin words, knowledge to marry, be not afraid, and I hope that people might reflect on that in the next few weeks. I am a fan of texts and tweets, but sometimes there is no substitute for a letter, indeed in the words of the motion or a love letter. Letters are an irreplaceable way of expressing our thoughts and emotions, so I commend the Dear Scotland initiative for encouraging us to do just that in relation to Scotland itself. I commend to the inclusive nature of the project for welcoming letters from those of any opinion or, indeed, no opinion on the constitutional question, accepting letters in prose or verse, fact or fiction. You do not need to be a minister or a parliamentarian or any kind of politician to add your own vision, to weave your own thread into that tartan. Anyone in those categories is welcome to contribute, but so is anyone else. The only requirement is that the letter start to Dear Scotland, and I am sure that we can all unite in holding Scotland very dear indeed. That, of course, does not mean that we cannot also be critical where merited. So a letter from Ruth and Witchbury in my constituency combines deep love with anxiety to see the best made of the universal writing. I quote, I love you so much. You are beautiful, lush and green country. That has always been good to me. I just wish that everyone else could have the same opportunities. Simple things like a decent education, a job, a proper job, a home and the opportunity to contribute collectively are what matter most. Please let's all work together to make this happen. Let's have an approach that ensures that life is fair for us all. For that matter, the youngest contributor so far, five-year-old Rosa, writes, I think there should be more adventure playgrounds in Glasgow and in schools. Children learn a lot from playing outdoors, especially in the woods. I want there to be small shops selling vegetables and fruit. There should be more farms near Glasgow. I think there should be outdoor swimming pools. I very much agree with the motion in congratulating Cat Coffrin and her colleagues, including Sarah Drummond and Lauren Currie, on the project. I gather congratulations are also due to Cat Coffrin on winning the prize for the best arts and entertainment story this year's Scottish student journalism awards, a credit to Glasgow Clyde College. I know that the organisers of Dear Scotland intend to send an archive of the collected letters to the Scottish Government at the end of the year and we look forward to receiving that. The National Library of Scotland will also be archiving the material as part of its vital project to document the campaign referendum fully, a project that they are having a drop-in session about on Saturday, this Saturday between 11 and 2 o'clock, so the letters will become part of the established historical record of this country. Let me close with a Dear Scotland poem by Tessa Ransford, a poem that is inspired by the initiative that appears on its website. I think that it brings home how important it is that we have the chance to form our own vision, regardless of what that vision might be. Dear Scotland by Tessa Ransford I used to walk down the canningate empty and dark after another day at the poetry library, whose very existence depended on my work. However, exhausted I was, drained and hungry, but I had a tryst to keep with Scottish poetry. I'd compare myself to my seafaring ancestor, who sailed to Australia in a Clyde paddle steamer. If he overcame the dangerous currents and oceans, attacks by pirates and running out of fuel, I could surely sail on with minimum funds when I had a chart, a vision and a goal. With a volunteer crew of experts, friends and faithful navigators, like ancient Celtic adventurers, we set afloat a cura of poetry practitioners. Such risk in action brings its accompaniment and gathers its own momentum and impetus. To wait and see or slump in bewodermint will never achieve our destiny, our bliss. To make our own decisions and to choose our course will see us voyage ahead on a life of adventure and find our way to the next desirable harbour. I think that that captures what this is about. There should be more poetry and more culture in our political debate, and I congratulate dear Scotland for allowing us to share that, not just from this chamber but across Scotland. Thank you very much. I am pleased to hear from Deiris Bellkid's debate, a message for Deiris Scotland. I now close the meeting of parliament.