Rab Wilson suggests the stars are at last aligning for Scots, quoting Dumfries & Galloway MSPs, Emma Harper, “Fae gingin tae the first Scots Language Awards ben the Mitchell Library in Glesga, tae then supportin an spikkin fir the Scots Language motion, owerwhelminly backit aff o SNP memmers at pairty conference at Aiberdeen, cryin fir the Scottish Government fir tae stert a Scots Language Buird, sib tae the Bord Na Gahligh – it’s aa gingin brawly”. She adds, ““A’m fair pleased thit we’r makkin siccar progress fir tae reconvene the Scots Language Cross Pairty Group, active in the session previous an convenit bi ma frien an former MSP Rob Gibson fae Wick. A’m discussions the noo wi the likely secretariat fir the group, an howp fir tae tak the request tae the Staanarts Committee – thit’ll approve the request fir the re-establishment o this gey important CPG tae tak forret wir leid.”
Update: A letter to the National, Cross-party Scots group ended at exactly the wrong time (5 June 2020) notes that “Just when the census mentioned the Scots language, after 30 years of campaigning, and established that nearly 2,000,000 people in Scotland “knew” Scots, the cross-party group came, disappointingly, to an abrupt end – with no word or notice to its members (perhaps because of the 2014 indyref preparation?). It was to have re-formed not long before Covid-19, and when it gets going will certainly support the campaign, by Oor Vyce and many others, for official recognition of the Scots language in every way”.
The writer, Susan Forde, adds “The Cross-Party Group considered a Scots Language Board essential to meet the needs of Scots in every area: to integrate and support the Scots language in the way of resources; to develop the many local initiatives in Scots in education; to encourage the use of Scots, spoken and written, by example, eg in Parliament, public notices, information leaflets etc; and to support the publication of written Scots which can bring back the status of Scots as a national language capable of all registers and able to deal with all topics”.