PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament
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1583 Easter Adjournment<br />
26 MARCH 2013 Easter Adjournment<br />
1584<br />
[Mr David Amess]<br />
Spinnaker, led by Phil Parry, is a wonderful company<br />
in my constituency specialising in shipping, maritime<br />
and marine world recruitment. It has an exemplary<br />
customer relations record and should be congratulated<br />
on all the work that it does at home and abroad.<br />
A constituent of mine has written to me. He is 38 and<br />
his wife has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.<br />
Unbelievably, bereavement allowance only operates from<br />
the age of 45. That needs to be changed. Another<br />
constituent of mine has a brother, Abid, who is a<br />
British national sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in<br />
Pakistan for supposedly murdering his father. The case<br />
details are an absolute disgrace, and I call on the<br />
Foreign Secretary to do something very quickly.<br />
I end with Southend. It is clear to me that everyone is<br />
getting behind Southend’s bid to be city of culture in<br />
2017. Southend <strong>United</strong> are playing in the cup final on<br />
7 April. I hope that they win. I wish everyone a very<br />
happy Easter, including you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and<br />
particularly José and Fedel, who work in the gift shop<br />
down below and who are retiring after a combined<br />
period of 60 years’ service. If anyone wants a destination<br />
this year, I can only say that the only way is Essex.<br />
6.53 pm<br />
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP): It is a pleasure to<br />
make a few comments about Ulster Scots culture, on<br />
which I am very keen. Last week, I took some of my<br />
staff round the House. It was a privilege to show them<br />
the history of the place. It reminded me of the pride<br />
that we all take in the Chamber. We are a small part of<br />
this great place and of the great nation that is the<br />
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Kingdom</strong> of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.<br />
I am proud to hail from the unparalleled shores of<br />
Strangford. I am proud of our rich history and culture.<br />
I am proud to be an Ulster Scot.<br />
I want to highlight the rich cultural links between<br />
Northern Ireland and the nations that make up the<br />
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Kingdom</strong>. Some Members might be unsure<br />
about what I mean by “Ulster Scots”. For nearly 400 years,<br />
the term has referred to a people, not a place—to the<br />
people who migrated from the lowlands of Scotland to<br />
Ulster and to the Ulster Scots communities they established<br />
across the nine counties.<br />
The first large wave of permanent migrants were not<br />
soldiers or mercenaries but ordinary Scottish families<br />
seeking a new life. They were mainly Presbyterian in<br />
faith and outlook, and overwhelmingly spoke the Scots<br />
language. I understand that they were descended from<br />
the Stewarts of the lowlands of Scotland, and there are<br />
many people down the Ards peninsula, where I make<br />
my home, who can—and have—traced their ancestry<br />
back to Scotland and who hold their history very dear.<br />
Ulster Scots refers not only to those people and their<br />
descendents, but also to their heritage and cultural<br />
traditions. The lowland Scots brought industry, language,<br />
music, sport, religion and myriad traditions to Ulster.<br />
Many of those have now become mainstream—not<br />
narrow cultural markers, but broad themes in our society.<br />
The Ulster Scots folk and the Scots alike have much to<br />
gain by strengthening our deep historic ties and<br />
understanding the Ulster Scots story.<br />
Throughout schools in Northern Ireland, the Ulster-Scots<br />
Agency is working to instil in our children a pride in<br />
their heritage, safe in the knowledge that when we have<br />
a good foundation, we can build a sturdy home. One<br />
school in my constituency, Derryboy primary school,<br />
has an Ulster Scots dance in its PE class—that is<br />
something to behold—as well as having after-school<br />
clubs in Ulster Scots. We have children who can recite<br />
poetry and dance a jig and who understand that to<br />
enjoy their history and heritage is not being offensive or<br />
bigoted but simply being who they are.<br />
In Strangford, we have strong link with Ulster Scots.<br />
We run programmes in the summer with the Lougheries<br />
Historical Society in Newtownards, with individuals<br />
reciting poetry at events and children being taught<br />
Ulster Scots in schools down the Ards peninsula, at<br />
Castle Gardens primary school and Movilla high school<br />
in Newtownards. The interest shown by those young<br />
people is second to none, and poetry is one of the things<br />
that they enjoy.<br />
I am going to recite one verse—I have spoken to<br />
Mr Deputy Speaker about this—from one of those<br />
poems: Leevin in Drumlister:<br />
“I’m leevin in Drumlister<br />
An’ I’m gettin very oul<br />
I hae tae wear an Indian bag<br />
To save mae frae the coul<br />
Theires naw a man in this toonlan<br />
Wus claner raired than me,<br />
But I’m leevin in Drumlister<br />
In clabber tae the knee.”<br />
I would love to read all three verses, but I was told I<br />
could not, so I will not.<br />
Hon. Members who may be questioning what links<br />
they have with the Ulster Scots all enjoy the benefits of<br />
Ulster Scots ingenuity. Hans Sloane from Killyleagh in<br />
my Strangford constituency invented milk chocolate.<br />
Ladies love chocolate; men love chocolate. I used to<br />
love chocolate before I became a diabetic and I can no<br />
longer have it. Nevertheless, we have chocolate in our<br />
society because of Hans Sloane and Killyleagh.<br />
More than 7,000 lives have been saved by the Martin-<br />
Baker ejection seat, which is now used by more than<br />
90 air forces and navies. The number of lives saved<br />
increases by an average of more than three a week—again,<br />
ingenuity of the Ulster Scots. James Martin was a<br />
famous Ulster Scot who invented that ejection seat, and<br />
Frank Pantridge—also an Ulster Scot—developed the<br />
world’s mobile defibrillator and became known as the<br />
father of emergency medicine. We are doing our bit for<br />
society when it comes to inventions.<br />
Massey-Ferguson tractors—perhaps some hon. Members<br />
have one, but if they do not, it was the first tractor and<br />
was perfected and built by an Ulster Scot. Twelve<br />
American Presidents have been of Ulster Scots heritage.<br />
We are a small nation, but we punch well above our<br />
weight producing 12 Ulster Scots Presidents with our<br />
heritage, history and our nation as best ally.<br />
Some of the greatest inventions in the world and the<br />
funniest poetry is by Ulster Scots, as well as the most<br />
beautiful turns of phrase and dance. It is little wonder<br />
that I am proud to be an Ulster Scot. I cannot wait to