A new parliament: Holyrood's historic opening

It was a historic day with politicians gathering before the state opening in Edinburgh’s Parliament Hall, the location of the Scottish Parliament until the Union of the Crowns in 1707.

A civic procession then made its way to the main ceremony in the Assembly Hall, where Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher incensed the nation by trying to give theological justification for her views on capitalism and the market economy in her 1988 “Sermon on the Mound”.

The thousands of spectators that lined the streets to watch were entertained by samba, brass and pipe bands, with music being a feature of the day. A fanfare for the start of the ceremony was written by Scots composer James McMillan, while Robert Burns’s A Man’s A Man for A’ That was sung by folk singer Sheena Wellington.

After the Queen officially opened the Parliament, broadcaster Tom Fleming recited The Beginning of a New Song, a poem by Iain Crichton Smith which calls for Scotland to “sing in a new world”.

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The Crown of Scotland, made for James V and a symbol of Scotland’s rich history, was a centrepiece during the ceremony. Brought from Edinburgh Castle for the occasion it forms part of the Honours of Scotland – the Scottish crown jewels and the oldest sovereign regalia in the world.

The next morning I got a call to say that Sean had forgotten to pack his kilts socks and needed a pair urgently – although it was 8am and the shops weren’t even open.

It was carried before the Queen into the hall which was packed with leading figures from public life and guests, including film star Sean Connery who wore a kilt for the occasion and said it was “the most important day of his life”.

After the ceremony the proceedings moved outside for a fly-past by the Red Arrows, a 21 gun salute from the castle and a parade of 1600 children from all over Scotland with pipes, drums and brass bands from the Royal Mile to Princes Street Gardens for a “picnic in the park” where crowds had watched a live broadcast opening on giant screens and were later treated to a performance by Martyn Bennett. Evening events included a night of opera and a rock concert by top band Garbage.

MEMORIES OF THE DAY:

Many of my colleagues thought the opening would be an embarrassing non-event. In the end we surprised ourselves and it was a triumph – a landmark in Scottish history

SNP MSP Michael Russell said it was a “wonderful” day. On the eve of the opening, Russell and Alex Salmond, SNP leader at the time, were lucky enough to attend the premiere of Sean Connery’s new film Entrapment which was followed by a party at Prestonfield House.

He told the Sunday National: “The next morning I got a call to say that Sean had forgotten to pack his kilts socks and needed a pair urgently – although it was 8am and the shops weren’t even open.

‘‘We managed to find one which could supply him and he met up with us all on the Mound in time to go in for the ceremony in the old Assembly Hall.

‘‘His host was my wife, Cathleen, and the children she taught in Argyll were amazed to see her on the TV coverage sitting next to him.

A whole group of us – led by Alex Salmond, Sean Connery and Winnie Ewing but including Duncan Hamilton, Andrew Wilson, Bruce Crawford and lots of other new SNP members – then walked to the reception being held in the Signet Library past lots of people who were, in that great Edinburgh tradition, “window hinging” and waving with huge enthusiasm, mostly at Sean.

“All the members processed to the event and I found myself walking next to George Robertson, who was defence secretary at the time. Sand had been spread on the cobbles to stop the horses from the Household Cavalry and the police slipping and I can still see the image, looking down the mound, of that different colour on the surface.

“I recall George saying to me as we passed one of the soldiers lining the route, all holding their weapons in a ceremonial fashion, that he could order any of them to step in if I misbehaved. I think it was a joke – or at least I hope it was.

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“I had been told by the Parliament staff on duty at the event that their biggest fear was what might happen to the Crown which had been brought down from the Castle to be carried in front of the Queen – not that it would be stolen but that it might be dropped. It is apparently very fragile, and very old. I know everyone was on tenterhooks about it throughout the ceremony but it survived.

“It was astonishing to be sitting as part of the first Scottish Parliament in almost 300 years but the emotion did not really show itself until Sheena Wellington – entirely spontaneously – inspired the members to stand and sing the last verse of A Man’s A Man.

‘‘That was a spine-tingling moment, though I remember glancing across at the Duke of Edinburgh during an earlier verse and he seemed extremely unimpressed.

‘‘Perhaps it was that line ‘A prince can mak a belted knight, a marquis, duke, an’ a’ that; But an honest man’s abon his might, Gude faith, he maunna fa’ that!’ That was disturbing him.

“Afterwards we all spilled out on to the pavement outside the Assembly Hall and watched the procession of school children march past, along with many others.

‘‘There were lots of colourful banners and Cathleen and I managed to glimpse our son Cailean who was marching with Inveraray Primary, as a friend was a teacher there.

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“A whole group of us – led by Alex Salmond, Sean Connery and Winnie Ewing but including Duncan Hamilton, Andrew Wilson, Bruce Crawford and lots of other new SNP members – then walked to the reception being held in the Signet Library past lots of people who were, in that great Edinburgh tradition, “window hinging” and waving with huge enthusiasm, mostly at Sean.

“The reception was full of guests from every part of Scotland and many from further afield. I think by then the excitement had got to us all because most of us just wanted to stand in a corner with a few friends and relax after the big day.

“The only other thing I vividly recall is the Concorde going over, accompanied by military jets. It made a lot of noise, but it passed over the Assembly Hall very fast indeed. Blink and you would miss it.”

POLITICAL commentator Iain Macwhirter said the day was a “landmark in Scottish history”.

“July 1999 was a remarkable event, not least because it brought together the entire Scottish political class, with Donald Dewar and Alex Salmond, even the Tory leader David McLetchie, all on the same page really for the first time,”he said. “Dewar’s speech sounded decidedly nationalistic too, with its talk of the ‘din of shipyards … the speak of the Mearns … the distant cries of the battles of Bruce and Wallace’. Not everyone was happy with that. But everyone recognised its power and its sense of the moment.

“The most striking image was the Queen, who seemed unusually cheerful in her tartan shawl, walking down the Mound steps with Donald Dewar alongside, hands in his pockets.

“There was much controversy about the Scottish Parliament in 1999, with many saying it was a waste of time and money. Many of my colleagues thought the opening would be an embarrassing non-event. In the end we surprised ourselves and it was a triumph – a landmark in Scottish history.”

SNP MSP Maree Todd was pregnant and working and studying in the Highlands at the time but remembers the event well.

“I was full of excitement, not least because my vote had ‘counted’ for the very first time, and we had elected a Parliament glorious in its diversity and full of hope.

“The opening ceremony was redolent with history but there were plenty of signs too that we would be doing things very differently from Westminster and fresh shoots of confidence were peeping through – Gaelic and Scots were being used in officialdom.

“My strongest memory from the ceremony was when Sheena Wellington sang A Man’s A Man For A’ That and the parliamentarians spontaneously joined in.

The symbolism was ripe – egalitarian words and actions – away with your formalities, we can do this our way and let’s celebrate with a ceilidh.”

QUOTES FROM THE DAY:

IN his speech, Scotland’s first minister at the time, Donald Dewar, said the Parliament was first “a hope, then a belief, then a promise” before finally becoming a reality.

“This is indeed a moment anchored in our history,” he said. “Today we can reach back to the long haul to win this Parliament, to the struggles of those who brought democracy to Scotland, to that other Parliament dissolved in controversy over 300 years ago.

“Today we can look forward to the time when this moment will be seen as a turning point – the day when democracy was renewed in Scotland when we revitalised our place in this, our United Kingdom.

“This is about more than our politics and our laws. This is about who we are, how we carry ourselves.

“For me – and I think in this I speak at least for any Scot today – this is a proud moment, a new stage in a journey begun long ago and which has no end. This is a proud day for all of us.”

Alex Salmond, at the time the SNP leader, said: “Our new Parliament represents the future. It will become the democratic heartbeat of the nation, charged with infusing new blood and new life into Scotland’s nationhood in all of its diversity.

“For many of us, this is not the end of Scotland’s journey. We aspire to return Scotland to the international community on the basis of equality among nations.

“However, this Parliament has been reconvened in the name of the people, and we pledge that all of our efforts will be on their behalf, and that history will judge this day as the day when the people reclaimed ownership over the future of our country of Scotland.”

Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie made light of his party’s previous opposition to devolution and pledged full Tory support to the Parliament.

“The Scottish Parliament is a reality, a permanent institution which will govern and affect the lives of the people of Scotland for generations to come,” he said.

“Accordingly there is no point in resolving to make the best of it in some half-hearted or grudging manner. Quite the contrary. We are totally committed to making this Parliament work successfully for Scotland in a renewed partnership within the United Kingdom.”

Scottish LibDem Leader Jim Wallace said the new Parliament must form a partnership with its people.

The event was boycotted by Tommy Sheridan of the Scottish Socialist Party and by republican and Independent MSP Dennis Canavan. The Scottish Greens made history by winning their first parliamentary seat in a UK election.