Transcript

REPORTER:

--now is actually our first picture of the Queen, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. That's them driving out of the gate of Holyrood Palace there. And behind them will actually be members of the royal household, who will also be going with them into Parliament. So just going past the guard of honour, who will give the royal salute.

And that's the bands and bugles of the rifles that she's about to go past now on this very short journey up to the Queensberry House entrance of the Parliament. And we will get actually a royal salute at some point before the Queen actually goes in to that side entrance there. There we have it.

Now, I want to, at this stage, actually mention the men who are going to play the fanfare. Ronald Creasy, Tony Laidlaw, and Stewart Malcolm. They will be waiting inside. They must be getting extremely nervous right around now, because theirs is the job of playing three fanfares today. And I don't think anybody would envy them that. The Queen now about to get out of the car at Queensberry House. Some members of the public there.

[APPLAUSE]

And the Queen there is being met by the Lord of Tennant and Lord Provost of Edinburgh. That's George Grubb, and the Lady Provost, Elizabeth. Again, Royal Company of Archers there. Lord Provost is interesting, actually. He's a church minister, and as well as his degrees in philosophy and theology, he has a gold medal in criminology, which seems a little incongruous with church minister, but perhaps that tells us a lot about modern ministry.

The Queen there with a presiding officer, Tricia Marwick. And she will have already been introduced to the deputies, John Scott and Elaine Smith. Queen now just walking into the Parliament building. And now as the Queen goes inside, we can cross to Brian Taylor, who's going to be there for the next half hour or so for all the key ceremonies. Brian.

BRIAN:

Yes, all, thank you very much indeed. You see four lonely souls lined up there waiting for Her Majesty. They are, of course, the political leaders of the main parties in Scotland, headed, as is right by the first minister, Alex Salmond. You can see him there. And next to him, two who are departing. Oh, they're just brushing off the dust a little bit there, getting themselves ready for the Queen. Two are departing, Iain Grey, the leader of the Labour Party, and Annabel Goldie, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives. And one who's newly arrived is fourth in line there, Willie Rennie of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

As you said, as the Queen being escorted inside the building by Tricia Marwick, who's the new presiding officer wearing a smart new coat for the day, by the looks of it as well. She's an SNP, or was elected, rather, as an SNP MSP. She is, of course, now in the neutral position as presiding officer. And here she is escorting the Queen into the garden lobby, the rather magnificent and splendid area that has become the core of the whole of Parliament. Began as an add-on corridor, but now it's the very centre of Parliament.

Tricia Marwick from a Cowdenbeath mining family, worked for many years with a housing charity shelter, is now the presiding officer in the Scottish Parliament. A word for Alex Salmond, and now for Iain Grey. Curtsie from Annabel Goldie. Bow from Willie Rennie. Tricia Marwick, of course, follows Alex Ferguson as presiding officer. He's in the chamber, along with the other MSPs, waiting for Her Majesty. I actually saw earlier the two predecessors, George Reed and Sir David Steele. They're in the public gallery today looking on at the proceedings which they once chaired. And now Elaine Smith and [INAUDIBLE] deputies are sharing a joke with the Duke of Edinburgh.

This is the seventh time Her Majesty will have addressed MSPs. This is the fourth session she's opening, but there were other events, of course. The opening of the building itself in 2004. She was there for that session in Aberdeen to mark her own Golden Jubilee. And then there was the 10th anniversary of Parliament, there's the MSPs waiting, the 10th anniversary of Parliament in 2009 as well. The MSPs have been entertained by a school choir prior to this. But then they get down to the business.

I was intrigued by the remarks that Tom Divine was making there about the end, and about the invention of tradition. Certainly true, tradition has accrued upon the royal openings here. But they are grand affairs, but they are also democratic and down to earth. There will be a poem by Liz Lochhead, the Makar, Scotland's national poet, building upon the earlier endeavours by Edwin Morgan, Eddie Morgan, in 2004 when the building opened. And also a Burns song by Karine Polwart and one of Karine's own compositions.

Coming up the glass corridor, which runs up the side of the main chamber, is of course the presiding officer's entrance, which is just ahead of Her Majesty the Queen there. And as they go further up, they would reach the black and white corridor, which is where they're headed, which replicates the setting there was in the old building in the [INAUDIBLE] before this rather splendid and costly building in Holyrood was constructed. Pause to point out some of the sights you can see through the other side of that glass in the glass corridor.

And there's Lord Provost George Grubb and other members of the royal party. A sense of expectation there in the chamber. The hubbub has died down. They were chatting, and now we get the fanfare. Ministry Steps played by Ronald Creasy, Tony Laidlaw, [INAUDIBLE].

[MUSIC PLAYING]

As the fanfare played there, the, really, installation of the Parliament and of the monarch, the crown there remodelled in 1540, part of the Scottish regalia, the honours of Scotland. One of the oldest crowns in Europe, certainly the oldest of the British Isles, and the mace brought in by Philip Horwood, a parliamentary official. Phil served for 20 years with the Black Watch.

TRICIA MARWICK:

Your majesty, I am delighted to welcome you and the Duke of Edinburgh to Scottish Parliament today. As you join us to officially open a full session of Parliament, you return today, ma'am, to a chamber which is very familiar to you. You first joined us here in 2004 for the opening of this magnificent building. And you returned in 2007 to mark the opening of our third session.

More recently, you joined us just two years ago, when we marked the Parliament's 10th anniversary. Your continued support of the Scottish Parliament and its members is greatly appreciated, and this chamber is a place in which you will be always assured of a very warm welcome.

In each of our sessions to date, the voters of Scotland have presented this Parliament with fresh challenges. In this session, we have another first. The first single party majority government. And it will put our procedures to the test. But as before, I know that this Parliament will rise to that challenge.

Our track record is one of evolution and innovation. And I assure you, ma'am, that as presiding officer, I will do all I can to ensure that this Parliament lives up to the aspirations and expectations of the people of Scotland.

But no member of the Scottish Parliament should be under any illusion that the next five years will be easy or straightforward. The people of Scotland are experiencing a time where their incomes and lifestyles have felt the full effects of the difficult economic period through which we have all been living. And during the times ahead, people will, quite rightly, look to this Parliament for leadership.

This session, members will be asked to make some difficult decisions. But the words of our previous and now sadly departed Scotts Makar Edwin Morgan should provide us with some guidance. When this building opened for business in 2004, he reminded us of the hopes and the aspirations of the Scottish people for their Parliament.

And he warned us, "A nest of fearties is what they do not want. A symposium of procrastinators is what they do not want. A phalanx of forelock-tuggers is what they do not want. And perhaps, above all, the drippy mantra of, 'it wasnae me,' is what they do not want." They were strong words, but they're as relevant today as when they were penned.

The Scottish Parliament, now 12 years old, is an institution of growing maturity. Our greatest challenge over this extended five-year session is to continue to drive this Parliament forward. We have to challenge ourselves as elected members to be ambitious, to be bold, and to demonstrate the spirit of innovation for which Scots are renowned, and which will allow us to achieve more with fewer resources. Just as households and businesses across family are doing.

We have the knowledge. We have the experience. And now we have an opportunity to reflect as a mature Parliament on how we can find new ways of working in this chamber, in our committees, and in all of our other activities. Doing more with less, but still upholding our prime responsibilities as a Parliament, to legislate, to scrutinise, and hold to account the government of the day and to represent the will of the people.

Your Majesty, when you joined us in 2004 to mark the opening of this unique building, you said we must ensure that Holyrood came to be seen as a landmark of 21st century democracy. Your Majesty, like my predecessors, I will champion democracy in this full session of Parliament to ensure that our Parliament is open in all it does, represents the voices of our citizens, and is responsive and mature in its consideration of the issues that face us as a country.

But I am one of 129 MSPs. The onus is on each and every one of us to make sure that this Parliament works to meet the aspirations of the people of Scotland. We have five years to make it happen. And we owe it to the people of our great nation to do so. Your Majesty, it is a great privilege to invite you to address the Scottish Parliament.

[APPLAUSE]

BRIAN:

An excellent performance. It was confident, dignified, but also egalitarian, very much pragmatic. [INAUDIBLE] strains and tensions that will face this session. Now Her Majesty the Queen.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II:

Presiding officer, first minister, members of the Scottish Parliament, I am pleased to be with you once again on the occasion of the opening of the Scottish Parliament in this, its fourth term since the Scotland Act of 1998. Presiding officer, your appointment has been held by three distinguished predecessors, each of whom I'm very glad to see here today. They, as much as any others, have been responsible for the high reputation and good conduct of this parliament.

No one would ever argue that Scottish politics is the business of the meek, the passive, or the fainthearted. Accordingly, as the keeper and defender of the good name of this Parliament, the presiding officer requires not only an acute sense of fairness and impartiality, but also the capacity and inclination to exercise careful judgement. Presiding officer, as you embark upon this important task, I hope that you will draw inspiration from the example of those who came before you and the support of all those in Scotland and beyond who wish this institution well.

In earlier addresses to the Scottish Parliament, I have pointed to the particular difficulties, which confront a new and developing legislature. Now in its second decade, the Scottish Parliament is firmly established as an integral part of Scottish public life. The maturity of the legislation passed in this chamber, and the well-tested processes giving rise to it, are evidence of the Scottish Parliament having truly come of age. This is an achievement of which all members, past and present, should be proud.

To the new and returning members of the Scottish Parliament, I offer the observation that in return for the authority placed upon you, a very great deal is asked of Scotland's elected politicians, perhaps as much now as ever before. Among the Scottish people, the roles and responsibilities of this Parliament and all its members are probably better known and understood than at any stage in the past 12 years. As this consciousness of your work has grown, so inevitably have expectations.

This of course, is a ceremonial and celebratory occasion, an opportunity to reaffirm the importance we attach to the values and freedoms which underwrite and protect our democracy. Your work here is carried out in the presence of the mace, which was presented to this Parliament at its official opening on this day in 1999. As well as serving as a symbol of your authority to govern, the mace, with just a few words engraved upon it, is a reminder of your responsibilities to the people of Scotland. To govern with wisdom and compassion, to make fair and just laws, and to show integrity in all that you do.

You are charged to give these words meaning in the face of the constant and competing demands that will be placed upon you. As a close observer of every stage of this Parliament's life, I remain confident that you will manage to discharge your duty diligently and competently and serve the interests of the people in Scotland to the best of your ability. Presiding officer, first minister, members of the Scottish Parliament, the Duke of Edinburgh joins me in extending my very best wishes to you, and for this fourth session of Parliament.

[APPLAUSE]

BRIAN:

[INAUDIBLE] but the various relationships between them. Her Majesty the Queen and the Scottish Parliament, she's now talking about Parliament having come of age. [INAUDIBLE] business of the meek, the passive, or the fainthearted. Well, that's right. Now Westlin Winds, by Robert Burns sung by Karine Polwart with Kim Edgar and Kirsty Grace.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SINGER:

(SINGING) Now westlin winds and slaughtering guns bring autumn's pleasant weather. The moorcock springs on whirring wings, among the blooming heather. Now waving grain, wild o'er the plain, delights the weary farmer. And the moon shines bright as I rove at night to muse upon my charmer. The partridge loves the fruitful fell, and the plower loves the mountain. The woodcock haunts the lonely dell, the soaring hern, the fountain. Through lofty groves the cushat roves, the path of man to shun it. The hazel bush o'erhangs the thrush, the spreading thorn the linnet.

Thus every kind their pleasure find, the savage and the tender. Some mortal join, some leagues combine, some solitary wander. Avaunt, away, the cruel sway, tyrannic man's dominion. The sportsman's joy, the murdering cry, and the fluttering, gory pinion. But Peggy dear, the evening's clear, thick flies the skimming swallow. And the sky is blue, the fields in view, all fading green and yellow.

And let us stray our gladsome way, and view the charms of Nature. The rustling corn, the fruited thorn, and every happy creature. We'll gently walk and sweetly talk till the silent moon shines clearly. I'll grasp thy waist and firmly prest, swear how I love thy dearly. Not vernal showers to budding flowers, not autumn to the farmer. So dear can be, as thou to me, my fair, my lovely charmer.

[APPLAUSE]

BRIAN:

One of Burns' most plaintive yet uplifting songs. And hear from [INAUDIBLE] with her own compositions.