"I took over as Scottish Secretary just as the credit crunch was hitting the UK. My personal politics have always been radical. The role of government is to deliver greater equality - in health, in education, in opportunity. And at the core of my beliefs is a commitment to tackle the economic disadvantage that drives inequality. With the global downturn taking world economies into the worst recession for 60 years the focus of my work has been unremittingly on economics.
I have been working with businesses, voluntary organisations, local councils, communities and the Scottish Government to find the best way to mitigate the worst effects of the downturn and to prepare for the upturn.
In all this I have struck by the deep-seated confidence across Scotland that we will get out of this recession - and we'll get out of it together. A sense that we will grow the economy again, and our ambitions for each other are only temporarily shelved.
This confidence, this pride, this ambition are a long way from the old story about Scotland suffering a cultural cringe, a crisis of confidence. There has been a real change in Scotland over the last twenty years. I celebrate this resurgence of national pride and I believe that the Scottish Parliament, which marks its tenth anniversary this week, is an expression of that pride and patriotism and a symbol of Scottish aspirations for the future.
The authoritative Scottish Social Attitudes Survey tells us that in Scotland, being Scottish, and proud of it, runs deeper than any other identity, including Britishness, gender or race. It's not an exclusive identity. People are Scottish and Muslim, Scottish and British, Scottish, Polish and European.
All of us - across political parties and across civic Scotland should challenge the notion that Scottishness belongs to any one political party.
All of us who value a strong Britain should embrace Scottishness, its emotions and symbols even more than we already do. Patriotism, national pride and the Saltire belong to all Scots.
This strong sense of Scottishness does not, and will not, translate into a rise in separatism. Being passionate about Scotland doesn't make you anti-British.
It doesn't make you want to break up Britain. We know the vast majority of Scots want to remain in a strong United Kingdom.
Being passionately Scottish doesn't diminish your pride or affection for popular British institutions such as the Armed Forces, the NHS, the welfare state, the BBC and Marks and Spencers.
This patriotism is not a threat to the UK and should not be regarded as such. It is a reflection of a new-found economic and cultural self-confidence not a new nationalist identity. Scottish pride is for Scotland, not against Britain.
So, my talk today is the beginning of a conversation I want to have about what it means to be Scottish in the 21st century. I want to reflect on the notion of national identity and national culture.
The Saltire should be a flag that is accessible to all. That's why last month when I visited the Eaglesham Fair in my East Renfrewshire constituency I was amused at the discussion among SNP activists before they handed my family the wee flags that they were giving out to all other visitors. It's our flag too.
But perhaps in the past we have not been upfront enough telling people.
In the 1980s the Labour Party lost its way and Scotland - and Britain - paid the price. We allowed Margaret Thatcher to claim the mantle of patriotism and wrap herself in the union flag. By keeping patriotism and its symbols at arm's length, the labour party helped the Tories to claim that their socially divisive economic policies were in the national interest.
In the 1990s we made a similar mistake in Scotland. We allowed the SNP to monopolise the Saltire. We allowed our national symbol - St Andrew's Cross - to be co-opted as an image of nationalism.
Patriotism and nationalism are not the same thing. All nationalists are patriots. But not all patriots are nationalist."
We live in a multidimensional 21st century world - a world of unprecedented speed and movement. Globalisation, mass markets and migration have happened and will not be undone. Open trade has powered global growth for two decades and lifted hundreds of millions of our fellow global citizens out of poverty.
The pace of political, economic and cultural change is only going to quicken. In an age of instant communication, good and bad news travels fast.
In recent years we have seen grown similarity in social patterns in our globally linked world. The world is becoming a smaller place and Scots can reach out and embrace it. The internet generation embraces the outward facing Facebook and Twitter rather than looking inward at separation, support for which among young people is now at its weakest for many years.
It is a time of volatility and opportunity and a world of multiple identities. Britishness can be a vehicle for Scottish modernity.
Multiple identities sum up the complexity of human life. Single identities can be a breeding ground for division, intolerance and aggression."
I believe that we should continue to express our deeply felt national identity freely within a wider state.
It is a fallacy to suppose that national identity can only be properly secured through a separate state. Scottish patriotism must be wide and not narrow. It must be multi-dimensional, appealing to all groups within our diverse 21st century society. We simply cannot afford to be insular and inward thinking. A forward-looking progressive country should not follow that path.
The future of Scotland is secure within the United Kingdom. We can maintain Scottishness in Britain and Britain gives us the opportunity to be more Scottish.
Scots want identity not isolation. Being in Britain allows us to be Scottish. Frankly, we have the best of both worlds.
The advantages of devolved government but the invaluable insurance policy of being part of a larger social and economic union - the United Kingdom. The economic case for separation has never been weaker. And the recommendations of the Calman Commission give us the once in a generation opportunity to deliver enhanced and improved devolution."
Scottishness and Britishness can co-exist. It's not a competition, they're complementary.
Two weeks ago I was standing on the balcony at Dover House, the Scotland Office's London home, viewing the marvellous spectacle that is Trooping the Colour.
This colourful annual celebration of The Queen's birthday showcases the skills of our armed forces.
There they were, fourteen hundred men and women working together as one, marching, turning and playing with impressive precision.
But looking more closely at their cap badges I could see that the seven regiments which make up the Household Division come from all the nations within the United Kingdom.
I saw the Grenadier Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards and the Welsh Guards, each with their distinctive identities and histories, working together in seamless unity.
For me this serves as a powerful metaphor for modern Britain. This ability to maintain a distinct identity, to celebrate a particular history and yet act to a common purpose without losing any element of particular identities. In many ways it mirrored what I most like about modern Britain. We're a nation of immense diversity. Not just English, Scot, Welsh and Irish, but French, Spanish, Polish, African, Indian, Asian. Each of us with our own cultures, our own faiths but a common commitment to working hard for ourselves, our families, our communities and our country."