THE political landscape altered dramatically 20 years ago today when Scotland saw the official return of its own parliament for the first time in nearly 300 years.
It was the dawn of a new constitutional era and its anniversary offers a moment for reflection, at a time when Scotland’s constitutional future has never been more debated.
READ MORE: Queen joins MSPs to mark 20th anniversary of Scottish Parliament
So how did it come into being?
The will of the people and the passion of one man - Donald Dewar, the inaugural First Minister, who passed away in 2000.
In the 1997 referendum, Scots voted in favour of the creation of a parliament with tax varying powers.
A lifelong supporter of devolution, Dewar then created the Scotland Act, giving the country its own seat of power, famously saying: “There shall be a Scottish parliament. I like that”.
What happened 20 years ago?
In its temporary initial home of the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland on The Mound, the Queen formally opened parliament.
In her address, she spoke of the “moment rare in the life of any nation when we step across the threshold of a new constitutional age”.
Sir Sean Connery also turned up in a kilt and Bonnie Prince Charlie shirt and said it was the most important day of his life.
Was it just about politics?
No, it was about democracy and determining a new path for Scotland.
In an emotional speech at the opening ceremony, Dewar said the day was a "turning point", in which democracy had been renewed in the country.
"This is about more than our politics and our laws,” he said. "This is about who we are, how we carry ourselves and in quiet moments of today, we might hear echoes from the past.”
But they didn’t stay at the Assembly Hall?
No, in September 2004, MSPs moved to the new parliament building at Holyrood, which was more than three years late and 10 times over budget.
Designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles, who died before it could be completed, its final cost was a staggering £431m.
Memorable moments?
Already in the headlines for its massive cost, construction questions were asked in 2006 when a 12ft-long oak beam came loose in the debating chamber roof and hung down, swinging over the seats of Tory MSPs.
And back in his pre-Presidency days in 2012, Donald Trump was an unforgettable guest. Angry at a wind farm being built offshore from his Aberdeenshire resort, he was asked for information to back his claim that wind power would damage tourism.
In a style we are now accustomed to, he declared: “I am an expert in tourism, I am considered a world-class expert in tourism, so when you say ‘Where is the evidence?’ – I am the evidence!”
But has the devolution made a difference?
It has enabled politicians to find Scottish solutions to Scottish issues and legislation such as the 2006 smoking ban broke new ground, as did the repeal of Section 28, legislation banning the promotion of the acceptability of homosexuality in schools.
READ MORE: What has the Scottish Parliament ever done for us?
Minimum pricing for alcohol came into effect last year, but its impact is still being debated, while questions on the effectiveness of policies in key areas such as health and education remain.
How is Holyrood celebrating?
Events have been taking place all year, including a public exhibition telling the story of parliament, but the finale was a big party on Saturday, with the doors thrown open to the public for a free afternoon of music and retro games - and face painting. Oh and the return of the Queen.
Following a procession of the Crown of Scotland to Parliament, Her Majesty formally addressed MSPs in the debating chamber.
The Queen told MSPs that she "fondly remembered" opening the parliament, and said that it "continues to be at the centre of Scottish public life".
Taking the long view…?
On Saturday, Scots Makar Jackie Kay also performed a specially-commissioned piece of poetry, "The Long View” in the chamber. And with Brexit and independence making headlines daily, perhaps this view is required to see how echoes from the present inform the next 20 years.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel