 I thank you can ask the public leaving the public gallery to do so quietly is about to start another debate. The next item of business today is a member's debate on motion number 193 in the name of Murdo Fraser on the 750th anniversary of the Treaty of Perth. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Would those members who wish to speak in the debate please press the request to speak buttons now? I call on Murdo Fraser to open the debate. Mr Fraser, please, seven minutes. I thank all members from across the chamber who signed my motion to allow this to be debated this afternoon. Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard many maiden speeches from new MSPs who have taken to the chamber to boast about their constituency. We have had to talk about the biggest, the most populous, the most diverse and the most scenic. Today, I thought that I would stake a claim for the most historic. From the Battle of Bannockburn to the Protestant Reformation, towns and cities across Mid Scotland and Fife have witnessed some of the most important events in Scottish history. Perth was once one of Scotland's most prosperous royal borys, with established trade links to the continent via the River Tain. That trade brought wealth, status and power, with Perth being the de facto capital of Scotland thanks to the presence of the royal court at Skwun. The Stone of Destiny, where Scotland crowned its kings, was also housed at Skwun, further in shining Perth as a place of real importance during the later middle ages. As is famously known, James I, King of Scots, was murdered in Perth and was buried there today. I will not recount that whole story, Deputy Presiding Officer, but it is a salutary lesson of the fatal consequences of playing tennis. Today's debate is assigned to commemorate and remember the Treaty of Perth, signed in 1266, some 750 years ago, and it set out—why it is important with that is that the treaty set forth the boundaries of much of what we call modern Scotland, with the exception of course of Orkney and Shetland, which joined subsequently. Despite the significance of this document, it is relatively unknown to most Scots today, so I am hoping that this debate can help shed light on an important moment in our history. Before the signing of the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides were controlled by various Norse and Gallic rulers who owed their allegiance to the kings of Norway rather than to the kings of Scots. Back then, Scotland was not the nation that we know today, but rather a collection of different regions, each with different allegiances, languages and kings. That would all change with the Scottish victory at the battle of Larchs in 1263. I am sure that Kenneth Gibson will tell us more about that when he comes to make his contribution later. Victory over the Norwegians by the Scots ensured that the Western Isles and the Isle of Man would be Scotland's to control. The story goes that while King Alexander was banqueting in Perth for the Feast of St John, the Norwegian king, Magnus VI, travelled up the Tate to meet him and the treaty was duly signed at Blackfriars Monastery on 2 July. In return for a payment of 4,000 marks and a tribute of 100 marks annually, the Norwegians surrendered sovereignty over the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. In some ways, that was Scotland's very own Louisiana purchase. Although Scotland was still a country in its infancy, stereotypes surviving to this day might have been born from these very incidents. Our reputation for thriftiness was clear, as not only did the Norwegians have to wait several years for us to pay the full 4,000 marks, but they eventually stopped collecting the 100 mark annual tribute after we defaulted on paying the yearly dues. Perhaps in the current financial climate it is better to gloss over the issue of Scotland defaulting on its debts. A copy of the treaty can be seen today in Perth Museum. The earliest surviving text is recorded in the Black Book and is on loan from the National Library. That special display and exhibition will also form part of the commemorative celebrations. I would encourage all history buffs and fair city residents to take an inner visit to the museum to learn more about a document that was so important to Scotland's early years. Now that we have established that modern Scotland was forged in Perth, I think that we should hear a bit more about what we are doing to commemorate this treaty 750 years on. Perth and Cymru have announced a number of special events. That is important for a number of reasons. Visit Scotland's winning years strategy has shown the success of history in attracting tourists to Scotland, and I believe that Perth can benefit from that approach. In the past, Perth has often felt left behind when it comes to cashing in on its past. Although its neighbour to the west in Stirling enjoyed not only the battle of Bannockburn re-enactment celebrations but also Armed Forces Day in 2014, Perth has been at the back of the queue when it comes to attracting high-profile events. I was therefore delighted to learn that the Royal Edinburgh military tattoo will be performing a mini tattoo in Perth on 21 August to commemorate the treaty. The 600 performers at that event will be joined by the Kingsguard of Norway, who has wonderfully choreographed marching routines and not only viral hits on YouTube, but has entertained tattoo crowds around the world for many years. In addition to the tattoo, the council is planning to host various medieval and Viking-themed events around the city on the same day. As well as those public events, there will be a private event marking the treaty in St John's Kirk, which will welcome guests from Perth's Twin Cities and the honorary council of Norway. I will digress just for a moment, Deputy Presiding Officer, this debate I think can serve another purpose. That is to highlight Perth's unique history in the year that it makes its bid to be UK city of culture. The events that are established to mark the treaty anniversary underline just how strong Perth's bid is for the 2021 award, because Perth, I believe, is a city full of history, art and culture. I can think of no better expression of that than the events that are planned this summer. The treaty of Perth was hugely important to the first days of Scotland, and, 750 years old, I can believe that it can be equally important to Perth as a city. It can help to foster closer ties between Perth and our Norwegian neighbours and, indeed, our other twin cities around the world and to illustrate the depth of history and culture present in Perth, which, as I have said, is particularly important to secure city of culture status. I would like to wish the council all the best in their work to deliver the programme of events and encourage people across Scotland to learn more about the document that is so important to our history. If I can just close, because in my research for this debate this afternoon, I found a cutting from the Glasgow Herald, as it was then, from 1966. There was a letter written to the Herald on 27 January 1966 by John McEchnie of the Department of Celtic at Aberdeen University lamenting the fact that, in that year, the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Perth, nothing was being planned to celebrate that particular anniversary. I hope that Mr McEchnie, should he still be with us, will be joining us to celebrate the fact that, in at least this year, the 750th anniversary, something is being done here in this Parliament and in Perth to recognise this very important anniversary. Thank you, Mr Fraser, for not letting Perth down. I have a little time in hand, so I will give members up to five minutes. Kenneth Gibson, to be followed by Alexander Stewart, please. I wish, firstly, to thank Murdo Fraser for securing time in the chamber for this debate. Indeed, Mr Fraser has a proud record of submitting motions relating to Scottish history from the 700th anniversary of Banachburn to the 450th anniversary of the Reformation. However, I doubt that we will ever see a motion from him to commemorate the battle of the Shups in 1544, a catastrophic defeat for Clan Fraser. As someone who studied history for five years at secondary school in the 1970s, I consider it shameful that not a single minute of Scottish history was taught, not the unification of Scotland in the fourth centuries or so to 1266, the wars of independence, union of crowns and parliaments, enlightenment or industrial revolution. Nothing. It was Peter Lou, poor law reformat, Chartres and tall puddle martyrs. A trust has been an improvement since. When my son was nine in 2002 and was in primary school play to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee by discussing the salient events of the previous 50 years, while the climbing of Everest, England's wholly contentious World Cup win and Abba's Eurovision contest victory were included, the reconvening of this Parliament in 1999 wasn't. The Treaty of Perth is not widely known, as Immortal Fraser pointed out. However, like him, I hope that this debate contributes towards changing that. Nevertheless, it was vital to Scotland and followed the strategically decisive battle of lags in 1263 and my constituency. Even after 750 years, this battle still plays an important part in the town's culture. Now popular for water-based sports and especially with day-trippers, lags is famous for the battle, which continues to be commemorated to this day. While sadly the Viking proud cinema has now vanished, the battle of lags monument or the pencil, as it is known, built in 1912 through public subscription and a prominent part of the town's charm remains a popular spot for many visitors. Lags recognise the importance of the battle and the treaty by holding an annual lags viking festival for a week beginning on the last Saturday in August. That focuses on the battle of lags, Viking life and involves not only a reenactment of the battle but the burning of a longship and a beautiful fireworks display and a party at the pencil. This festival is an excellent opportunity to have fun and enjoy numerous social and cultural events, while engaging in educating people on the historic events that helped to shape Scotland. I warmly invite all members to come along. It brings together a wide variety of people from all across the community and beyond and encourages those of all ages to come together, be more active and take part in events in their town. The battle of lags and subsequent treaty of Perth, along with many rarely remembered events, such as Nickton's Mir in 685 and Athol Standford in 832, determined forever Scotland's slow march towards the nationhood, as gales, Picts, Britons, Angles and Vikings slowly fused into the nation that we know now as Scotland. Like Fraser, Gibson is a name of Norse origin. The treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway returned the Hebrides and the Isle of Man to Scotland, and in terms of my own constituents, the islands of Arran and Cumbria were at last freed from Norse rule. Perhaps, given Norway's high standard of living today, that could be considered a mixed blessing. The treaty of Perth came just 29 years after the signing of the treaty of York, which more or less delineated the border between Scotland and England, and was us another vital cog in the creation of modern Scotland as we recognise it today. Hopefully this year, many visitors from Norway will join us in Scotland to commemorate the anniversary, and I also look forward to the events and festivities in Perth this coming August, in order to recognise the importance of the treaty. That will play an important part in drawing closer links and an even better relationship between Scotland and Norway. In large, links with Norway are strong, and there is always an Norwegian participation in the Viking festival. This anniversary is an opportunity for people to commemorate, engage and learn more about the decisions and actions that created the Scotland that we know today. I wish all events associated with every success, and I hope, too, that it contributes substantially to help Perth secure the city of culture in 2021. The anniversary must be recognised for the key part of plays in Scotland's history and her heritage, and I am delighted that Murdo Fraser has brought this debate today. Thank you very much, Mr Gibson. Paul Alexander Stewart, this is your first speech. I take it to be followed by Lewis MacDonald. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I start by declaring an interest as a serving councillor on Perth and Cynrhods Council and direct members to my register of interests? As someone who was born and raised in Perth and comes from a long line of residents of the fair city, I am delighted to have the opportunity today to participate in the business motion sponsored by Mid Scotland Fife colleague Murdo Fraser on the Treaty of Perth. 2016 marks the 750th anniversary of the Seal of Treaty, which was signed in Black Fries Monastery in July 1266. The treaty was the culmination of discussions between Norway and Scotland over a two-year period and saw Norway seed the Hebrides and the Isle of Man, and the Scottish Crowns took that on board, while confirming for the time being that Norwegian sovereignty would be of Orkney and Shetland, and thus ended a conflict between King Alexander III and his Norwegian counterpart, Magnus VI. The people of Perth are proud of their fair city had the opportunity to be involved in making sure that that momentous event took place, and I am delighted, Deputy Presiding Officer, that Perth and Kinross Council have now taken part and will ensure that a number of events take place during its celebrations. The people of Perth, Deputy Presiding Officer, have the opportunity to go and see an exhibition in Perth Museum and Art Gallery, which starts from 7 June and runs until 28 August. A variation of cultural activities are being held in the museum during that period to celebrate and inform of the history of what happened 750 years ago in our fair city. We are delighted to be welcoming the Royal Military Tattoo, and they are going to have a miniature tattoo taking place on Sunday 21 August. Over 600 individuals will participate in that, and that will be an enormous event for the city, and I hope that the weather is kind. The consul general will attend that event, but in the spirit of bilateral co-operation, which was exemplified by the Treaty of Perth, the mayors of our twin towns across the world will also have the opportunity to participate during the celebration. They will come from Ashafensberg, Cognac, Bidkosh, Skof, Perth Ontario and Haiku. All those individuals will be there, and that will give an international flavour, a fantastic opportunity for us all to participate in the celebrations. Moreover, at the end of the car, it will culminate with a big dinner, which will be held in the historic St John's Cuck, when individuals will enjoy traditional food and musical entertainment with a Scottish theme. The Treaty of Perth marks the end of a sustained conflict that was brought about by centuries of battles between various nations, but the whole point of that was set aside for the opportunity for the theme of reconciliation. To that end, Perth will also have a great opportunity and privilege to host a highly anticipated weeping window poppy display, which draws immense crowds when it was first installed in the Tower of London. That is coming to Perth, and that will be a great opportunity. The event itself will be at the award-winning Black Watch Museum at Bilhousie Castle. The Treaty of Perth has played a very important part in the stories of Perth and the stories of Scotland, and I am glad that we will have the opportunity to mark this anniversary in this chamber today. I hope that many people will take the opportunity to visit the fair city during the celebrations. Perth has a fantastic past. Its present is a bit uncertain, but it has to have a future. Events of this nature will give it the impetus, will give us the opportunity for that to take place. I call Lewis MacDonald to be followed by Liz Smith, who is the last speaker in the open debate. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I congratulate Murdo Fraser on securing this debate. He is right to note the historic importance of the Treaty of Perth, especially in marking an end to the long years of conflict between the kings of Norway and the kings of Scots. To commemorate that treaty is a good way to highlight the historic role of the city of Perth, but it also allows us to celebrate the rich diversity of Scotland's wider history and culture. A treaty agreed at Perth is a reminder that power in the early years of the Scottish Kingdom was dispersed. It was not concentrated. Momentous decisions were as likely to be taken on the banks of the Tays as within Sight of the Fourth. The mighty castles of Edinburgh and Stirling are recognised all over, but it is important to celebrate other places of equal significance for their role in Scotland's rich history. Dunotir on the north-east coast is an ancient and splendid place that looks and feels like the stronghold it once was. De Martin Castle on the Clyde celebrated a thousand years of its history at the Rock of Ages event only last weekend. Just as the Treaty of Perth reflects how power within the medieval Scottish Kingdom was dispersed, it marks the expansion of that kingdom into neighbouring regions that have added to the diversity of the Scotland that we know today. Murdo Fraser rightly said that the way in which Scotland stands now is not something that was true then, nor was it pre-ordained. It is easy to make the mistake of reading history backwards, assuming that things that happened in the past were bound to produce the outcomes that we see now. The end of Norwegian claims south of the Pentland Perth might be seen as a likely outcome, but it was not ever a certain outcome. Of course, a claim to rule the hybridies from the Scottish mainland was ultimately easier to sustain than a claim to sustain sovereignty from the other side of the North Sea. However, the truth is that those islands had resisted rule and claims from both Norway and mainland Scotland, and even after the Treaty of Perth, it took the kings of Scots another 200 years to overcome the political autonomy of the lordship of the isles. Gimsyl reminded us that conflict continued thereafter, not least when the McDonalds wrote the phrases at Blar Nalenia in 1544. The Gallic lordship in the hybridies was not the only place to resist royal encroachment on local autonomy in medieval Scotland. Galloway 2 was a Gallic lordship with a Norse heritage and was able to look across the IEC for allies in opposing Scottish royal power. The lands bordering the Murray Perth produced their own claimants to the Scottish Crown, most famously Macbeth, and when they lost that dynastic struggle, they fought for centuries to maintain local autonomy. As Murdoff Rheyser reminded us, Orkney and Shetland remained subject to the Norwegian and the Danish Crown for several generations after the Treaty of Perth, while the border lands between Scotland and England were contested over those same generations. For all those reasons, the early history of Scotland is about a lot more than simply the development of the Scottish state or the growth of the Scottish nation. When we tell Scotland's story to our visitors and to our children, and Kenneth Gibson's right to highlight the importance of doing that in our schools, as well as in the informal ways that it has always been done, it is important that we do not tell that story only from the centre. The Treaty of Perth, for example, marks the addition of the Hebrides and for a Wiley Allaman to the Scottish Kingdom, but it is also a chapter in the histories of all those islands, which the minister will know and which are worth telling in their own right. We should celebrate the history of the Scottish Kingdom and commemorate its great events, as will happen, as Mr Stewart described in Perth this summer. We should also celebrate all those other histories of people and places that had and asserted a different identity in historical times, because they, too, have contributed to the wealth and diversity of the Scotland that we know of today. I begin by congratulating my good friend and colleague Alexander Stewart on his maiden speech. Alexander Stewart, Murdo Fraser and I have come a very long political journey over many years, not quite 750 years, but none the less a long political journey in Persia, and it is just so good in light of our much better results in the recent election that Alexander has been elected to this place, and I am sure that he will be a great credit to this Parliament. I also congratulate Murdo Fraser on bringing this issue to the chamber and, to say, I was a little relieved when he read out the letter that was in the herald from the Department of Celtic, because, when I saw it first on his desk, I thought that it was a communication from Celtic Football Club, and that might have been a rather different issue. When it comes to this debate, as I was looking through the research on this whole topic, I was very struck by the complex tapestry of the origins of Scotland, and it is a reference that Lewis MacDonald made, too. The Scotland that was taking shape in the 13th century really existed in a very embryonic form, and that shape has changed so many times in the centuries since. One of the things that we have to recognise in Scotland and be immensely proud of is that tapestry that Murdo Fraser has described and the way that we have fashioned our culture, our social network, our economy around all that. When the treaty was first signed, the various peoples of Scotland would have spoken very different languages. Gaelic—I know the minister, I am not sure if you are delivering your response in Gaelic this afternoon—but the old Norse, we would have had a mixture in the two in the Outer Hebrides between Middle English, Scots, Edinburgh and the Borders, and Cumbric in Dumfries, Galloway and Clyde. Cumbric is now extinct, and that would not have been something that was dissimilar to the Welsh language. In fact, some of my colleagues on the SNP benches may be interested to know that their hero William Wallace, born around the same time that the treaty was signed, could have been a Cumbric speaker himself. The name Wallace is a corruption of Welsh, and his name would have meant William the Welshman or William the Britain. However, learning all that may be wonder how the average inhabitant of this nascent nation really thought about themselves, whether they identified as Gaels or Vikings, Scots or Britons, or whether they even really knew or cared that they were very much part of the kingdom of Scotland at all and how that all came together. It has always been one of the wonders of this country that the people who live in it—perhaps Perth itself—exemplifies that it does bring together so many people. Alexander, in his speech, referred to the fact that there has been a bit of a sticky patch in Perth and its surrounding communities just of recent times. He is right to say that it is a superb city, and we need to bring everybody together to ensure that it is rebuilt and that it can look to the future in a way that can make us proud again and make us able to deliver all the rich resources that are so much part of what we love as being people who represent that, whether that is, as I say from an economic perspective, whether it is from our rich arts and cultural history in the city. However, just from the presence of it being the centre of Scotland and from its historical past, it has got so much to offer and hopefully it will have again. Thank you, Murdo Fraser, for bringing this to the chamber. I look forward to the minister's comments. Thank you very much. I call the minister, please. Seven minutes. Presiding Officer, as the Treaty of Perth is, as far as I can tell, a live international treaty, the happy task of responding on behalf of the Government in this debate falls to me as minister for Europe. I refer to my entry in the register of interests as a member of the Norwegian Scottish Association. I congratulate Mr Fraser for securing a debate that allows me to talk about two of my favourite countries, and specifically the Hebrides, including my constituency, which are, of course, as others have mentioned, the central subject of the treaty itself. Ainshigal, one of the Gaelic names for the Western Isles, means the Isles of the Strangers, and refers to the fact that the Strangers, in this context, a euphemism for Vikings, had exerted political control over the islands until the treaty that we are discussing today. That is probably the point where I sense that certain members might get slightly anxious that I am going to break into Gaelic. However, in deference to our treaty partners and to reassure Ms Smith that I am going to use this event instead as the moment I break cover and identify myself as an enthusiastic, if still very hesitant, learner of Norwegian. So, for 250 years seden, King Magnus, the Chateau Haconson of Norway, and King Alexander III of Scotland, to one and the other between the two countries, was the end of the period of Norwegian power over the Hebrides. Likewise, there are many connections between the Hebrides and the Norway today. The most of the states' names on the island of Scotland on the Hebrides are of the Norwegian coast. The most famous example of knowledge from the Vikings in Europe is Chuck Brickham of Rhaolius, who was made 100 years before the Persian Treaty was under the seal, and it was found buried on the beach more than 600 years later. Samo'r traktatau'n meddwl, ond ble ein gott i York i 1232, ond Perth traktatau'n felly gweithio'n angen grŵn. Diolch i'r traktatau'n lag grŵn lagart for Scotland's grŵn sy'n nesaf acurat sy'n gweithio'n meddwl. Predon, ond ble ein gott i Perth mell o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o'n ddill o井 slaerfin yn ysgrififfertai oedd rhai. Prygoni Caerdyddol Vid adnidd mімol ar gyfer Ffiann Slloridol Goethan i Men dancing Keyneson i hanesiaid Nadie Norwyr o hybrideis, стоитau, ond yn Ysgrifiantyn Cymru, ond nid yn pum mwy cwllteidl i gynnaethion wycheltiaeth mewn hybrideis yn Acro Newydd. Ar ddigon iawn, rydyn ni yn mynd i ymwyaf ar gael y Llywodraeth neu Llywodraeth. A yn y hollys Lewis Chesman, ond esbyty i'w traiter i'r blaid, yn amlian Oeg yn ddefnyddio ddim yn 12.37, yn mynd i ymwyaf i ymwyaf York, ond yn Swinidog yn dweithio. As Mr Fraser and others have pointed out, those two treaties essentially do create the borders of Scotland that we know today. Even if it is to be hoped, as others have alluded to, that Norway has forgotten that Scotland has long stopped paying them the 100 mercs a year that the treaty does require. The obligation to pay the 100 mercs per year is actually cancelled following a marriage agreement with the daughter of the king of Denmark some five centuries ago. The member is, of course, right, and I was only joking, but nonetheless it points to some of what is in the treaty, and, as a member, it alludes to some of what has changed since then. It is also worth reflecting briefly on the human dimension of the treaty. Let me mention that the treaty specifically ensures that, in the said islands under the dominion of the said Lord the King of Scotland, if they wish to remain, the Norwegians may stay in the land freely and in peace, and if they wish to leave, they may depart with their goods freely and in complete peace. That exemplary foresight did much to guarantee the peaceful coexistence between the two people, and we are, I hope, still seeing the deep friendship between Scotland and Norway today as Scotland pursues the co-operation with Nordic countries as part of our Nordic Baltic policy statement. In addition to the events mentioned by Mr Stewart, I very much welcome the academic conference taking place in Perth on 27 and 28 August, which is being jointly organised by the Scottish Society for Northern Studies and Perth Natural History Society. I am sure that this will be a very rewarding way to recognise how much the fair city of Perth, just as much as Largs, affected forever the ffates of Scotland, Norway and indeed the Isle of Man. To return to Mr Gibson, I hope that it is also very much evidence of our increased willingness as a nation to celebrate and indeed teach our own history. It is an opportunity to not just to look back at the middle ages but to think about the on-going connections that Norway and Scotland have in our own age. I dag o'r norge o'r Scotland mye meir yn ffordd bensfellar, eithaf sterkth wendskap mewn o'r ddytoll angen o'r hyn o'r hyn o'r ydych chi'n ddweud. I tenker o'r norges insats in der andere valdennsgrig, dak o'r hoca'n den sy'ne, o'r ddi'r norge o'r styrkinnau til brwg te mye ti'r Scotland. Me sydd o'r framtidaeth, tenkerio'i os o pob o'i economisce o'r cwyltele fforddbinddilsine mewn o'r norge o'r Scotland. Norway and Scotland are much more than allies. They are firm friends, as was witnessed by the frequent presence of King Hawk in the Seventh and the Norwegian Armed Forces in Scotland during the Second World War, and looking to the future by the many on-going economic and cultural ties that find us now. I leave it to others to work out when Norwegian, beyond the word ombudsman, was last spoken in this Parliament, Presiding Officer, but, hopefully, it is not an act as politically charged as it might have been a few centuries ago. I take this chance, again, of thanking Mr Fraser and all others who have contributed to this very welcome opportunity to celebrate the long, productive and, at least since, the Treaty of Perth, very amicable relationship between Scotland and Norway. Tax Caldwha, minister. That concludes the debate, and I suspend this meeting until 2.30.