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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

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