Vision for a Scots New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed the celebrations and I look forward to another year working hard for Banffshire & Buchan Coast.

One of the things I most like about New Year is sentiment of fellowship it creates. During Hogmanay, complete strangers greet one another with hope for the coming year. It is a sign of goodwill and the deep social connections we share.

It shouldn't suprise us. Scotland is partially responsible for imparting that to the world. One of our great traditions on Hogmanay is to sing Rabbie Burns' poem, 'Auld Lang Syne.' The poem calls on us to recall our common humanity and is now a tradition around the world.

In 2017, let us use this to kindle hope. Let us carry those values we sing of on Hogmanay, in 2017 - from start to finish. The world has been riven by the events of 2016. In Scotland, we have a chance to heal these wounds but only if we carry hope.

Over the past year leaders have appealed to fear and anger. Those appeals were powerful and they were dangerous. But New Year is about renewal. It is a chance to begin again. It is a symbol of hope. It tells us to look forward, to remind ourselves of the good in one another.

This year will be better. Our future should be a beacon of light on the horizon. This year we should aim to reach that place together. This year, let us try and carry the sentiment of 'Auld Lang Syne' with us. Let us carry that self reflection and impart the hope it carries to all of our fellows.

That is a vision that is a part of who we are and predates our own generation by several centuries. It is a Scots vision and a vision we can all believe in. It represents a brighter future and our success will be defined by our ability to see that future.

The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has set out such a vision. A vision of hope for Scotland and potentially the UK in an uncertain post-Brexit world. It is a vision that keeps Scotland out of the Common Fisheries Policy but still in the single market. The best of both worlds for our fish catching and fish processing industries. A vision that will renew our fishing communities in the North-east and across Scotland.

At the moment, we have no vision from the Prime Minister, Theresa May - only uncertainty and fear. But that is not the case in Scotland - we have a vision.

I wish you all the best for 2017. Let's make it a year of hope, a year of vision and a year of belief. We can always make the world a better place - if we dare to hope, if we dare to believe. Carry the words of Rabbie Burns, "And there's a hand my trusty fiere! and gie's a hand o'thine!" and let's build on that. Happy New Year!