Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ann McKechin MP
Burns, British Council
Kolkata
7 February 2009
It can be difficult to discuss Burns in the context of today's world - so long before the days of 'political correctness'. But like now, he writes at a time of enormous social change and that is why I think his verse retains interest through the years. He wrote in the time of the Enlightenment; of revolution in France and America; and the writings of Thomas Paine about democracy are reaching all levels of society but at the same time the old prejudices and traditions remain in many parts of the country. Burns wrote a short verse about the Belles of Mauchline -
"In Mauchline there dwells six proper young belles,
The Pride of the place and its neighbourhood a';
Their carriage and dress, a stranger would guess
In London or Paris they'd gotten it a'.
Miss Miller is fine, Miss Markland's divine,
Miss Smith she has wit, and Miss Betty is braw;
There's beauty and fortune to get wi' Miss Morton,
But Armour's the jewel for me o'them a'."
But behind the light tone of this verse, there is a tale of the old prejudices and terrors as one of these ladies along with her parents had to face as late as 1779 a charge (that was thankfully later dropped) of attributing witchcraft to the wife of another local merchant. And Burns himself faced the wrath of the local Kirk over his personal life and to his credit remained loyal to his love, Jean Armour also referred to in that verse, and his children - he composed this ode to his first child -
"Welcome! My bonie, sweet wee dochter
Tho' ye came her' a wee unsought for,
And tho' your comin' I hae fought for,
Baith Kirk and quier;
Yet by my faith, Ye're no unwrought for,
That I shall swear!"
Burns is in many ways a classic MCP - sadly there are still a number of them around in Scotland although please be assured that the women of Scotland are slowly making progress in that area. I understand there are a number of former students here tonight who studied at my own alma Mata, Strathclyde University or the John Anderson college to give its even older name and you may recall that the city's main maternity hospital was situated directly opposite. It could only have been men who would have situated a maternity hospital at the top of a one in five ascent! - but I am pleased to report that we have recently relocated the maternity to a new modernised facility on flat land.
To Burns' credit, his love of women covered all social groups from Edinburgh society to farming lasses; and it is his ability to reach out to all elements of society ¿ that universal appeal which is why his verse retains such attraction and homage today.
Some may argue that the use of verse is slowly disappearing as we get hooked on new forms of communication - love affairs via text messages or the internet are now becoming the norm - and that I believe would be a loss. In our parents' young days, the majority of the population could quote poems off by heart and most of them had their own special "party song" ready for any social events. As a child, I spent a fair bit of time visiting my aunties- 9 of them in total. My father had 7 older sisters, some of whom had been born in Edwardian times and I got some flavour of those old traditions and the pleasure they gave. When I think of verse, I always remember my Aunt May ¿ the only person who tried to find something to rhyme with our surname... [campaign slogan story]. But sometimes it was even funnier when people put together their own versions...
[then Aberfoyle story "Soul of my saviour; sanctify my breast, Body of Christ be now my saving guest, interposed word VEST].
It is Burns appreciation of the ways of people around him - sometimes loving; sometimes heartbroken; sometimes crude and sometimes irreverent and above all his sense of humanity for his fellow man and woman that we appreciate today and find a common chord and link with our own lives. It is represented in his great work "A man's a man for a' that" in those fine words -
"What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, and a' that;
Gie fools their silks and knaves their wine,
A Man's a man for a' that:
For a' that, and a' that,
Their tinsel show, and a' that;
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor,
Is king o'men for a'that!"
And it is that link with ordinary people and their struggles wherever they live in the world which gives Burns such an international appeal. And tonight, I am delighted to convey our Prime Minister's greeting to you -
"It's a great pleasure to pass on my best wishes to all of you in Kolkata tonight as you celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.
An inspiration to me and to people all across Scotland, Britain and the world, Burns remains, I think, the most modern of poets. I remember when I first read A Man's a Man for A' That, it felt like he was speaking down the ages to describe with uncanny foresight the things we were thinking and feeling more than 200 years on - the interdependence of a world that saw people in my hometown of Kirkcaldy sending donations to stop hunger in Africa; and people in Britain praying and campaigning for the victory of the civil rights movement in the United States.
Abraham Lincoln was a great admirer of Robert Burns, and of course he is turning out to be a great influence on President Obama. John Hay, Lincoln's secretary, recalled that when they sailed together down the Potomac River in early April, 1865, Lincoln recited several of Burns' poems. Afterwards, he turned to Hay and remarked that "Burns never touched sentiment without carrying it to its ultimate expression and leaving nothing further to be said". As I am sure you would agree, Lincoln was quite a wordsmith himself, so that is quite a compliment!
I'm sorry I cannot be with you to share in the celebrations, but I want to congratulate all of you there tonight who do so much to keep the memory of Burns alive across the world. I hope you have a wonderful evening and that we can welcome you to Scotland again soon".
To celebrate the 250th anniversary, Scotland has dedicated 2009 as the year of Homecoming with an important programme of over 300 events. I hope you will be able to visit us and join with us in our celebrations as our friends. If you are unable to come this year then I would urge you to enjoy the Scotland-Kolkata Connections programme. It is through such visits and cultural exchanges that we can sustain and grow the relationship between Scotland and India - as partners, allies but most importantly as our good friends.
Date: 07 Feb 2009