Scottish Parliament debate: World March for Peace and NonViolence

Linda spoke in the debate on 10 December.

“I am absolutely delighted that people across the world have decided to take part in the march for peace. It is fascinating to see who is taking part. The world march was a humanist proposal, but people of various belief systems—people of religious faith or of no faith—and pacifists and non-pacifists are coming together to say, “Enough. What is happening in our world today is ridiculous. There is too much violence of all sorts.” That is not as simple as if it were just about nuclear weapons; it encompasses the world. We find that more civilians are being killed in conflicts than ever before, because of the changing nature of war. We have Governments that actively carry out what I would say are terrorist acts against their own populations in order to do no more than maintain control.

“I am really pleased that Bill Kidd managed to bring the beacon of peace to Scotland, which is so important. For all that we have a military history, which we talk a lot about, we also have a good history of peaceful reconciliation and of finding ways forward in conflict resolution.

“I often think that Scotland is in a great position, particularly since the Parliament reconvened more than 10 years ago, to take a bit of a lead in such issues. We are a small nation that is in the process of re-establishing itself through self-government, but we should never underestimate the fact that we have achieved significant constitutional change in a totally peaceful and democratic fashion. For all that we shout and bawl at each other and take stances in here, we should never underestimate what we have achieved. In today’s world, which is a very dangerous place, that is to be lauded and applauded.”

Read the full text of Linda’s speech at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1210-02.htm#Col22176