Content by category
Sponsored by
Supporters of
Information related to Politics
Parliamentary Motions and Questions from Sessions 1 and 2
Motions
S2M-4940 Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): Congratulations to Eejits That the Parliament congratulates Itchy Coo publications on the success of its book, Eejits, a best selling Scots translation of Roald Dahl's children's classic, The Twits, and on the work of its develop... more
Oral Parliamentary Questions on Scots (Current Session)
23 April 2009
Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Government how many higher education institutions ensure that their teacher training graduates are competent to teach Scots. (S3O-6664)
The Minister for Schools and Skills (Keith Brown): There is no teaching q... more
Activism & Politics links
Government and Parliament Documents and Web Pages:
Scottish Government's Audit of Scots Language Provision
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Pub
The National Conversation in Scots
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Res
##Scottish Parli... more
Parliamentary Debates and Discussions Concerning Scots (Current Session)
1 April 2009, Economy, Energy and Tourism Comittee
Rob Gibson asks witnesses about a Homecoming Scotland blog post that described Scots as "slang".
http://tinyurl.com/dbhclb
18 June, Meeting of the Parliament:
In the stage 1 debate on the Creative Scotland Bill, several MSPs discuss... more
Parliamentary Motions on the National Languages Strategy
S3M-1768.1 Hugh O’Donnell: International Education— As an amendment to motion (S3M-1768) in the name of Maureen Watt, insert at end "and calls for the Scottish Government to bring forward a comprehensive national languages strategy including a rolling programme to introduce a second langu... more
European Charter
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a Council of Europe treaty. You can find out about it here and through the links below.
About the Charter
The Charter was drawn up in 1992 to protect and promote regional or minority languages in Europe and give speakers of these... more
Creative Scotland
Recent written questions:
S3W-22710 Pauline McNeill: To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of Scottish Screen.
Answered by Michael Russell (Thursday, May 07, 2009): I had a meeting with the Joint board of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council on 21... more
Parliamentary Motions on Scots (Current Session)
You can find all Parliamentary motions and see which members have signed them in the daily Business Bulletin at http://tinyurl.com/59o5eb
S3M-4170 Willie Coffey: Robert Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock That the Parliament congratulates East Ayrshire Council on the occasion of the opening ... more
Parliamentary Questions about the National Language Strategy (Current Session)
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament
S3W-8784 Cathy Peattie: To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to develop the proposals in the na... more
Written Parliamentary Questions on Scots (Current Session)
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament
S3W-21111 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce a Scots translat... more
Freedom Come All Ye
Freedom Come All Ye is Scotland’s international anthem. Listen to Irish traditional music legend Luke Kelly’s version of the song on youtube
Read more about Luke Kelly on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L
For more information about the song visit Dick Gaughan’s web si... more
Mony a Midder's Son
Fair Isle singer Lise Sinclair recorded the song Mony a Midder’s son for Shetland composition Ivver Entrancin Wis. The song combines Arabic and Shetland flavours and was written as a response to the war in Iraq.
Read more about Lise and buy her CDs on her myspace site
http://profile.mysp... more
BREAKING NEWS - Scots Audit Published
The long awaited Scots audit has been published today.
The Audit can be accessed at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Pub
For the government's press statement visit
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/New more
Conversation Now Translated into Scots
The Scottish Government’s 'National Conversation' document, published in the autumn of 2007, has now been translated into the Scots language. Ministers Linda Fabiani and Maureen Watt are to be congratulated for taking the decision to include Scots. Both of the ministers, who are currently explo... more
Kay calls on SNP to support Scots culture
Scots broadcaster and writer, Billy Kay, has urged the Scottish government to find ways to support Scots culture. In a letter to Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, Kay, the author of Scots, the Mither Tongue describes his “shock” on hearing the news that the Scottish Arts Council is to cut fund... more
Israeli MPs to take Hebrew lessons
Members of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, have been told to improve their use of the Hebrew language. BBC Radio 4 has reported that MPs are speaking Hebrew badly and are using too many English and Arabic words in their speeches. Now MPs are to take courses to improve their knowledge of the... more
Scots campaigners blast 'nonsense'
Scots language campaigners have criticised recent comments by the TaxPayers’ Alliance as “ignorant nonsense”. Rod Lovie, convener of Strathisla Scots Spickers, condemned recent attacks on Scotland’s languages and cultures by the London based TaxPayers’ Alliance.
The Alliance has arg... more
Network for Multilingualism in Europe Established
The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) has decided to set up a network to promote European multilingualism, with a particular focus on Europe’s regional and minority languages. Many European regions are bilingual or multilingual, and the network’s main aim is to make better use of... more
Bill Wilson MSP Demands Support for Scots Language and Music
West of Scotland MSP Dr Bill Wilson has called for Scotland to follow Ireland in supporting indigenous culture.
Dr Wilson is a longstanding critic of the Scottish Arts Council’s cuts in funding for the Scottish Language Dictionaries and the Scots Language Centre. Speaking on 4th September a... more
Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity launched in Brussels
On 11th June, the new Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) was launched in Brussels. The NPLD has been established to work for the promotion and development of Europe’s less widely used languages.
The new network comprises the language departments of member states and autonomous g... more
MSP Asks About the Use of Scots Language in Scottish Schools
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has written to the education directors of all of Scotland’s cooncils to ask whether in-service days for teachers cover discrimination against Scots speakers, and/or the benefits of including the Scots language within the curriculum.
More info... more
Lib Dem Leader Calls for More Funding for Scots
Leader of the Liberal Democrats and MSP for Shetland Tavish Scott MSP has lodged a motion demanding the Government supports the Scots language.
Shetland ForWirds raised concerns with Mr Scott that Scottish Arts Council funding cuts could be catastrophic for the Scottish Language Centre and the... more
Allocate funding for Scots say academics
A group of academics have told the Scottish government that they need to do more to support the Scots language. In a letter to Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, members of the Forum for Research on the Languages of Scotland and Ulster say they are “astonished” that the Arts Council has decided... more
Purves outlines the Way Forward for Scots
In the following article, veteran Scots campaigner, David Purves, outlines his views on the ways in which Scots could be encouarged and supported. The article first appeared in the Scots Independent. Thanks to the SI for allowing it to be reproduced here.
The Way Forward for Scots
By D... more
Euro Charter information added
Information on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the ways in which it effects Scots is now available in the politics and activism section of the site. Click here to read more:
http://www.scotslanguage.com/b
more
Homecoming Scotland Shames Scottish Arts Council, Says MSP
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, says that the Homecoming Scotland Events Guide shows that EventScotland and VisitScotland "value indigenous Scottish culture and language, but the same cannot be said for the Scottish Arts Council". Read more at http://tinyurl.com/5t2quu more
Places still available at Scots debate
Places are still available at a debate to be held this evening (23 September) at the National Library of Scotland. A panel including Professor John Corbett, poet Rab Wilson, and Scots and Gaelic language activist, Gillian Munro, will discuss a range of questions connected with the language. SLC d... more
Scots activists celebrate
Scots activists are celebrating after nearly one third of the Scottish parliament’s members signed a motion from Liberal Democrat leader, Tavish Scott, calling on the Scottish Arts Council to continue funding the Scots Language Centre and Scottish Language Dictionaries.
Support for Mr Scott... more
MSP Marks the Contribution of Scots to Europe's Culture
South of Scotland MSP Aileen Campbell has lodged a motion that describes Scots and Gaelic as “distinctive contributions to the cultural and linguistic life of Europe”. Her motion, lodged in English with translations into Scots and Gaelic, calls on the Parliament to note the European Day of La... more
NLS debate report
A debate about Scots held last month at the National Library of Scotland brought in an audience of over 100 people. Here David Purves gives his impression of the evening's events.
At the moment the report is only available in English.
This event was essentially a panel discussion, chaired... more
Obama wins
Scots cultural activist, Billy Kay, has reminded us about the diverse nature of the culture of the US South. In this extract from his book, the Scottish World, Kay reproduces a poem that has special signifcance in light of today's historic events.
From the chapter The Scotch South in Billy ... more
SNP Conference Calls for "fair treatment" for Scots
On 16 October the SNP conference voted unanimously for a motion that calls on the Scottish Government to "guarantee fair treatment for Scotland’s unique cultural inheritance".
The motion welcomes the Government’s audit of Scots language provision and calls it "a key area very badly affecte... more
MSP Writes on Wedding Row
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has written to Linda Fabiani, the Scottish Government Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, asking her to inform all Scotland’s registrars that they must conduct wedding ceremonies in Scots, if couples request it.
Dr Wilson’s l... more
"Encourage children to speak Scots" says MSP
Rob Gibson MSP, convener of the Cross-Party Group on Scots, called on Scotland's schools to encourage children's use of Scots. Speaking in a debate on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, he said:
"we have to allow children to express their views in their own languages an... more
Gaun Yersel, Scottish Government!
Scots is making inroads into the world of official strategies. Two Scottish Government documents published this autumn have Scots words or phrases in their titles. "These Are Our Bairns", the Government's guidance to councils and their community planning partners on being good "corporate parents"... more
“Aw human sowels is born free and equal in dignity and richts.”
Amnesty International Scotland is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by presenting the First Minister, Alex Salmond, with a framed copy of a Scots translation of the UDHR. The presentation, which takes place on 10th December, is part of a series o... more
"Scots Education is a Human Right"
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has lodged a motion stating that a recent pronouncement by the EU Parliament Civil Liberties Committee clearly implied that it was a human right for the children of Scots and Gaelic speakers to be educated in these languages.
He said, “The EU... more
Scots Human Rights in Audio Format - Listen Here
To mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Amnesty International has presented First Minister, Alex Salmond, with a poster copy of the Scots translation.
In collaboration with the Scots Language Centre and Scottish Language Dictionaries, Amnesty has circulated a... more
"Give Scots and Gaelic equal status" says MSP
West of Scotland MSP Dr Bill Wilson has called on the Scottish Government to make representations to the United Kingdom Government to give speakers of Scots and Gaelic the same rights as it gives to speakers of Welsh an English.
In a supplementary question to his question on the European Chai... more
Scots Translation of UDHR Accepted by UN
The Scots translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has been accepted by the United Nations and will be added to its list of more than 300 languages in which the document is available.
This is a result of Amnesty International’s publication of a poster of the UDHR in Sc... more
Scottish Government to hold conference on Scots
The Scottish Government is to hold a conference to discuss plans to support and encourage the Scots language. The conference will be held in Stirling on the 9th of February. At present there are no details of the programme though it is believed that Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, will attend an... more
MSP Spreads Scots from Aberdeen to Argentina!
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, shared his love of the Scots language with primary school pupils aboard The Reading Bus on Friday 16th January.
Dr. Wilson read two Scots poems by Hugh Macdiarmid, “The Watergaw” and “The Sauchs in the Reuch Heuch Hauch”, and talked abo... more
MSP "Incensed" by Scots Omission from Draft Census
Dr. Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has criticised the omission of the Scots language from the draft of the 2011 census questionnaire.
In a letter to the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Dr. Wilson pointed out that Question 16 asks which language one speaks, reads,... more
Centre reacts to Scots Audit
The Scots Language Centre has given an enthusiastic welcome to the Scots audit report which was published on 27 January.
Speaking yesterday, Michael Hance, the Director of the Centre said, “We’re very pleased with the content of the report. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind about... more
Equal Opportunities Committee to Assess Audit
Tomorrow's meeting of the Scottish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee will assess the Scottish Government's audit of Scots language provision, which reported recently.
Find out more about the committee's work at: http://tinyurl.com/bzns48
Watch the committee meeting at: http://www.h... more
Equal Opportunities Considers Audit
Last week, the Scottish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee considered the Scots Government's recent audit of Scots language provision. The committee agreed to refer the audit to the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee and to draw that committee's attention to three points: ... more
MSP asks for more resources for Scots education
Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has encouraged the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of Scots language education.
In General Question Time on 5 March, Dr Wilson said that, despite the benefits of teaching Scots, anecdotal evidence suggested that the expan... more
Homecoming Blog Brands Scots as Slang
Highlands MSP Rob Gibson has forced a Homecoming Scotland blog to change references to Scots as “slang”. Mr Gibson, convener of the cross-parity group on Scots, took witnesses from VisitScotland and the Scottish Government to task about the blog post at the most recent meeting of the Economy,... more
Scottish Government Considering Research into Scots in Schools
Last Thursday, the Minister for Schools and Skills, Keith Brown MSP, revealed that the Government is thinking about comissioning research into Scots language provision in our schools. Responding to a question by Bill Wilson MSP, Mr Brown said that Scottish Government officials met on 18 March to ... more
Scottish Newspapers Becoming Less Scottish
A new and fascinating book by Dr Fiona Douglas suggests that home-grown Scottish newspapers have become much less Scottish since the advent of devolution while English-based papers are growing in Scotland. Dr Douglas, who, since the 1990’s, has studied the use of both the Scots language and Sco... more
Scots Conference report published
A report of the meeting held in February by the Scots government to consider the contents of the Scots Audit was published on Saturday.
Full details of the report can be accessed on the Scottish government’s web site at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Pub
more
Traditional Arts Working Group - Public Meetings
David Francis, the chair of the Traditional Arts Working Group, will be hosting a series of public meetings across Scotland to allow as many people as possible the opportunity to feed their views into the group's ongoing work. The meetings are open to anyone with an interest in the sector.
Kir... more
Aboot the Ainu
Whit d'ye mak o this?
- http://www.iht.com/articles/20
Thir's ae braw line, juist at the end, that gar me lauch out loud: "It's not healthy to keep blaming discrimination or history, and not work and pay taxes..." more
New fundin, internet, Dictionars
Weil, first o aw, I maun say weil duin tae the fowk at the SLC an the Dictionars that haes at lang an last got the govrenment tae fund thaim direckly raither nor through the Airts Council. Gin ye missed it, tak a keik at the News section an ye'll see that frae this October, baith o thir organisa... more
Scunnered...
Been a wee while syne I wis last able tae blog on here (hou maun Uni wark get i the wey o whit I'm wantin tae dae?), but a story I saw a week or sae back fair got me thrawn an I thocht I'd let ye aw feel thrawn wi me ;)
I saw this story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new more
