Motion S5M-15027: Alexander Burnett, Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 03/12/2018

Iona Fyfe, Scots Singer of the Year 

That the Parliament congratulates the singer, Iona Fyfe, on winning the 2018 Traditional Music and Song Association Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year; recognises that Iona has worked exceptionally hard to earn this accolade, having previously been a finalist on the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition; appreciates her efforts to showcase Doric and Scots music, and wishes Iona every success, including with her EP, which is set to be released in January 2019.

Motion S5M-14116: Angus MacDonald, Falkirk East, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 26/09/2018

2018 European Day of Languages 

That the Parliament celebrates the European Day of Languages, which takes place on 26 September each year; understands that the Council of Europe declared this day the Day of Languages after the success of the European Year of Languages in 2001, and is marked across all 47 member states of the Council of Europe; recognises that the aims of the European Day of Languages are to alert the public to the importance of language learning and diversifying the range of languages learnt in order to increase plurilingualism and intercultural understanding, promoting the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, which must be preserved and fostered, and encouraging lifelong language learning in and out of school, whether for study purposes, professional needs, purposes of mobility or pleasure and exchanges; notes that Scotland’s colourful, multicultural society is only enhanced by the languages that bridge its diverse communities together, from Polish, Indian, Chinese, Italian and many more to the languages of Scotland's culture in Scots and Gaelic; praises the work of Bòrd na Gàidhlig for its efforts to promote, encourage and grow Gaelic language and culture through supporting local learning groups and events, as well as supporting the national Gaelic Language Plan and providing support for Gaelic medium education; highlights the work of the Scots Language Centre in promoting and encouraging Scots and the regional dialects of the language throughout Scotland and, in doing so, raising the understanding of Scots and how Scotland's language came to be; recognises that, by celebrating the European Day of Languages, people are promoting the objectives to raising awareness of Europe’s rich linguistic diversity, the need to diversify the range of languages people learn and the need for people to develop some degree of proficiency in two languages or more to be able to play their full part in democratic citizenship in Europe while fully understanding that language skills are a necessity and a right for everyone; regrets the UK’s decision to leave the EU, which it considers presents a risk to tolerance and understanding of cultures that have been brought to Scotland by friends, neighbours and colleagues; calls on the UK Government to do all that it can to preserve the rights of those EU citizens who feel they are no longer appreciated; welcomes the Scottish Government’s steps to protect and reassure EU citizens that they are welcome here and will continue to be welcome no matter the outcome of Brexit; encourages the celebration of the European Day of Languages across all communities in Scotland, and looks forward to celebrating more of Scotland's diversity and acceptance of other cultures in the future.

Motion S5M-13928: Jeremy Balfour, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 17/09/2018

Scots Music Group 

That the Parliament congratulates the Scots Music Group in Edinburgh on being awarded £5,390 by the Big Lottery Fund; notes that the group runs traditional music classes, ceilidhs and community projects, working with support organisations to make music accessible to those affected by mental health issues, homelessness and addiction; understands that it will use the funding for a long-term sustainable project plan and to maintain a smaller project running from November 2018 to January 2019; notes that it will also produce a music directory for Edinburgh, and wishes it well with its community projects.

Motion S5M-13619: Tavish Scott, Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/08/2018

Peter Ratter Recognised at the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award 2018 

That the Parliament commends Shetlander, Peter Ratter, on being shortlisted for the prestigious 2018 Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, which was awarded at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 22 August, for his collection, From The Grey Coo; notes that the £20,000 prize for unpublished manuscripts was established by the late Scots Makar, Edwin Morgan, to support young poets; understands that his collection draws on experiences of growing up in Shetland and the changes encountered through the transition from childhood to adulthood; further recognises his past success in 2012 as a prize winner in the Scottish Place Names school competition run by the University of Glasgow and in the "Inspired? Get Writing!" poetry competition, and wishes him success for the future.

Motion S5M-13618: Tavish Scott, Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/08/2018

Roseanne Watt Wins Edwin Morgan Poetry Award 2018 

That the Parliament congratulates Shetlander, Roseanne Watt, on winning the prestigious 2018 Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, which was announced at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 22 August, for her collection, Moder Dy; notes that the £20,000 prize for unpublished manuscripts was established by the late Scots Makar, Edwin Morgan, to support young poets; understands that her collection evokes the idea of returning, which is reflected in the title, as the dialect word to describe currents used by fisherman to guide them home; recognises Roseanne's contribution to Scottish culture as a poet and poetry editor of The Island Review, songwriter and musician drawing inspiration from Shetland's landscape and language; further recognises her past success as winner of the 2015 Outspoken Poetry Prize (Poetry in Film) and runner-up in the 2018 Aesthetic Creative Writing Award, and wishes her future success as she completes a PhD.

Motion S5M-12847: Jenny Gilruth, Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 18/06/2018

Rotary Awards 

That the Parliament congratulates all of the winners at the annual awards ceremony at the Rotary Club of Glenrothes, which were presented on 31 May 2018; acknowledges that the awards saw pupils from the area's primary and high schools presented with certificates, trophies and prizes; recognises the fantastic achievement of pupils from Collydean Primary School, who won the inaugural Scots Poetry Competition, which was established in memory of Ian Chalmers, who was the founder member of the Rotary; congratulates Markinch primary on winning the Primary School Quiz; welcomes Anne Sampson as the club's incoming President; recognises the fantastic work that the Rotarians do for the people of Glenrothes, and wishes the club every success.

Motion S5M-12041: Maurice Corry, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 02/05/2018

Fiddler Ryan Young Wins Best Musician at BBC Radio 2 Folking Awards 

That the Parliament congratulates the Cardross-based fiddler, Ryan Young, on winning the BBC Radio 2 Folking Awards' Best Musician category; understands that Ryan faced internationally-renowned competition at the annual awards ceremony in Belfast, securing over a third of the votes; notes that he was previously named Up and Coming Artist of the Year at the 2016 MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards, and wishes him every success for his upcoming 2018 tour, at which he will appear throughout the UK and Europe.

Motion Number S5M-10991: Bill Kidd, Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 13/03/18

Politics of Language

That the Parliament condemns Dame Louise Casey for her reported suggestion that the UK Government set a target date for everyone in the UK to speak English; considers that Dame Casey’s proposal for “everyone to speak one language” in the UK is inherently offensive to Scotland as a multi-cultural and multilingual society; further considers that this suggestion is an implicit threat to the Gaelic and Scots languages, as well as the other minority languages of the UK including Irish, Welsh, and Cornish, and also those communities where such languages as Urdu and Polish may be spoken; considers this proposal to be problematic as it implies that the other nations in the UK do not have equal status; condemns Mark Harper MP for welcoming what it believes is this chauvinistic suggestion, and reaffirms the Parliament’s commitment to protect and celebrate diversity.

Motion S5M-10097: Emma Harper, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 24/01/2018

Workshops on the Scots Language and History Marking Burns Night in Dumfries 

That the Parliament congratulates Dumfries and Annan museums on marking Robert Burns' birthday by holding a series of workshops for school children across Dumfries and Galloway to learn about the Scots language, which have been held between 16 and 23 January 2018; notes that the workshops were hosted with Dr Fred Freeman, whose background is in Scottish literature and history; understands that the workshops focused on Scots language and the energy of Burns’ compositions, and taught children about types of dance, such as hornpipes, jigs and reels; further understands that children discovered “mouth music” and “diddling” and also learned about how today’s language originates from centuries ago; celebrates the significance of the workshops being held in Dumfries, and that Robert Burns wrote almost 100 of his songs; further celebrates the importance of teaching children about the history of Burns' country, which influences their culture and language, and wishes Dumfries and Annan museums well with future projects.