00:00Presiding Officer, First Minister, Members of the Scottish Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen.
00:09The Queen and I are so very pleased to be able to join you today in marking the 25th
00:15anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.
00:19This Parliament opened on the first day of July 1999 on the cusp of a new millennium.
00:27It marked a new dawn for Scotland, one filled with anticipation, optimism and hope.
00:36Alongside the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, I listened in the Palace of Holyroodhouse
00:42that day with great interest as the then First Minister spoke of a new voice, of new dreams,
00:52of a new and renewed Scotland.
00:56It was an extraordinary occasion for all manner of reasons, not least the fact that it came
01:05almost 300 years after the Act of Union of the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments on
01:12the 1st of May 1707.
01:16It was a landmark in a long, rich and complex story which we have shared over many centuries.
01:27For those present on that day 25 years ago, the new Parliament was a great and perhaps
01:34even a somewhat daunting prospect.
01:37The hopes of the thousands that lined the streets of Edinburgh and the great responsibility
01:44that accompanied them rested upon the shoulders of each newly elected Member, 13 of whom still
01:52give such dedicated service today.
01:57From that day until this, through its work over a quarter of a century, this place has
02:04not just thrived but, in doing so, has borne witness to the enduring relationship between
02:11the Parliament, the Crown and the people of Scotland.
02:17The mace which is placed before us was a gift from my late mother on that day 25 years ago.
02:28On it are engraved the qualities to which we all aspire and that represent the very
02:35foundations of the relationship we share – wisdom, justice, compassion, integrity.
02:45In those intervening years, much has changed in our world, but those most Scottish of values
02:52have remained steadfast.
02:56We are often told that we live in an era of polarisation and division.
03:03If that is so, then it is perhaps even more important, not less, that in the vital areas
03:11of representation, of political debate, of policy-making and of discourse, these values,
03:20together with hope, civility and generosity of spirit, are never far from the heart of
03:28even the most difficult of issues.
03:32It seems to me that such an approach is why this Parliament has grown in its experience,
03:39in its ability to touch and to improve the lives of so many individuals and communities
03:47throughout this great land.
03:50These values and this approach have been championed consistently by the six presiding officers
03:59who have served their country faithfully and diligently.
04:05We are all, at the end of each day, united by our love of Scotland – because of its
04:13natural beauty, of course, but also because of its strength of character, based as it
04:20is on the extraordinary diversity of its peoples, whose range of ideas, skills, energy, passions
04:30and frequently deeply held beliefs never cease to inspire me.
04:36From the central belt to the North Highlands, across the islands, in Ayrshire, in the borders,
04:45the cities, towns and villages, all the coastal communities, who, I wonder, could not fail
04:54to be moved by this complex Caledonian kaleidoscope?
05:01Speaking from a personal perspective, Scotland has always had a uniquely special place in
05:09the hearts of my family and myself.
05:13My beloved grandmother was proudly Scottish.
05:16My late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral.
05:22And it was there, in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days.
05:31Back in July 1999, we heard Ian Crichton Smith's poem, the beginning of a new song.
05:42Let it be true to itself and to its origins, inventive, original, philosophical.
05:50Its institutions mirror its beauty.
05:54Then, without shame, we can esteem ourselves.
06:00That day was a turning point.
06:02Today is an important milestone.
06:05As we look ahead to the next quarter of a century and beyond, there remains much more
06:11to be done for Scotland, for the United Kingdom, and equally in addressing the challenges we
06:19all share as inhabitants of a planet whose climate is changing dangerously and whose
06:26biodiversity is being seriously depleted.
06:30Let this moment, therefore, be the beginning of the next chapter.
06:36The achievement of the past and the commitment shown in the present give us the soundest
06:41basis for confidence in the future.
06:47Presiding Officer, First Minister, Members of the Scottish Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,
06:54I can only offer my most heartfelt appreciation of the public service you embody, together
07:01with every possible good wish on this special occasion and for the years to come.
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