Welcome Message

First Minister, the Right Honourable Alex Salmond MP MSP.

Welcome to this special Burns Night edition of Scotland Now.

Burns has left a massive impression on Scotland and the world. Every New Year, Auld Lang Syne can be heard from New Gorbals in Scotland to New York. I was brought up in a culture steeped in Burns, and I believe that his poetry and beliefs continue to be as relevant in the 21st century as they have ever been.

Burns was a proud and generous man. He may have endured terrible poverty for much of his short life, but he didn't allow his own economic hardship to diminish his convictions. Above all else, Burns was an egalitarian, who wanted to see a society based on equal worth – a society built on tolerance, compassion and respect. His deeply held belief in the worth of every human being, no matter who they were or where they came from, continues to be an inspiration to Scots and many others around the world today.

This edition of Scotland Now includes a feature which celebrates Burns' compassion and the humanitarian spirit which runs through his poetry and songs. This edition also includes a feature which looks at a very different aspect of Burns' poetry – its comedy – and shows how its enduring influence can be found in the work of some of Scotland's greatest modern comics and humorists.

If he were around today, I'm sure Burns would have taken pride in the way we are promoting Scotland on the world stage, and the profile that our country now has. This month, we will welcome the latest in a long line of prestigious international conferences to Scotland; the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum will bring some of the most powerful government and business leaders from across Europe and beyond to our Parliament to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing our world today.

Conferences like this one are a sign that Scotland is on the way up. Our economic growth is now stronger than it has been for decades and – as recent figures have shown – the growth in Scottish tourism is now almost double that for the rest of the UK. This year promises to be a very special one for tourism as Scotland experiences its themed year, Highland 2007. Like other Scots, I'm looking forward to a packed programme of events which celebrate the Highlands and Islands and their cultural contribution.

I'm convinced that Burns would have been proud that we have the confidence to celebrate ourselves, and our culture, in this way.

Today, if we continue to hold to these values and continue to nurture the individual talents of all our citizens, then I think we can continue to build a quite remarkable country – a Scotland that Burns would be proud to call his own.

To one and all, I wish you a great Burns Night.

Best wishes,

Rt. Hon Jack McConnell MSP, First Minister of Scotland