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Home , Cunninghame Graham, Mary Somerville

SPCB(2010)Paper 22

24 February 2010

NAMING COMMITTEE ROOMS

Executive summary

1. At its meeting on 11 November 2009 the SPCB agreed that the six committee rooms would be named and that Members should be invited to put forward nominations for consideration and final agreement by the Corporate Body. It was agreed that nominations should focus on historical figures who had made a significant contribution to . The nominations are presented here for consideration and selection.

Contact: Jerry Headley, extension 85106.

Issues and Options

2. A variety of opinions were expressed both in support of and against the idea of naming the committee rooms, as well as appeals to the SPCB to consider factors such as gender balance.

3. In total, 170 nominations (77 nominees) were put forward by 45 Members and these have been listed in Appendix A. It should be noted that not all nominees were born in Scotland and some are still living. Also, a number of suggestions other than “people” were put forward and they have been included in the list for consideration.

4. To be helpful to the SPCB, some Members provided background information and explanations for their nominations and these can be found in Appendix B.

5. Some Members called for the committee rooms to be renumbered to provide a more logical sequence, however this would require significant time and financial resource by the Broadcasting team to update documents (eg architectural drawings, cable runs, diagrams etc.) and we would not recommend this as an option.

6. To assist the SPCB we have listed the names in Appendix A in alphabetical order. The SPCB is invited to consider the full list and to agree the 6 names and the committee rooms to which they will be allocated.

Resource Implications

7. Staff time would be required to amend the room booking and visitor ticketing systems. Updates to directional signage and event passes would require an estimated budget of around £4,000 and a further £1,500 - £2,000

1 to design and fit new bilingual (in accordance with the Gaelic Language Plan) oak signage for each committee room.

Governance issues

8. The SPCB will wish to give due consideration to gender representation in their deliberations on choosing names.

Publication Scheme

9. This paper will be published in line with the SPCB’s Publication Scheme once the agreed names have been announced.

Next steps

10. Once the names are agreed and announced, we will begin the process of preparing signage and amending systems to accommodate the changes.

Decision

11. The SPCB is invited to agree the 6 names and the committee rooms to which they will be allocated.

Facilities Management Office February 2010

2 Appendix A

Names submitted for the Committee Rooms (alphabetical order)

Bashir Ahmad Alan Armstrong John Logie Baird J M Barrie Alexander Graham Bell Henry Bell Berwick Jim Boyack Mary Brooksbank Robert the Bruce Robert Burns Andrew Carnegie Saint Columba Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Brian Duncan Rev Henry Duncan John Boyd Dunlop Alexander Fleming Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Patrick Geddes Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Sir Grimond Jane Haining (James) Hamish Henderson Sir Chris Hoy John Hume David Hume James Hutton John Paul Jones John Knox Alan Lawson Jennie Lee David Livingstone Charles Rennie Mackintosh Sorley MacLean Kirkpatrick Macmillan St Magnus

1 St Margaret Mary Queen of Scots James Maxton John Loudon McAdam Hugh McDermid Flora McDonald Bill Mclaren Bob Mclean John McLean Thomas Muir Prof. David Murison Na h-Eileanan Siar (The Western Isles) John Napier Orkney Robert Owen Marion Reid Sir Shetland James Young Simpson Mary Slessor Adam Smith John Smith Solway Mary Fairfax Somerville Robert Louis Stevenson Thomas Telford Robert William Thomson Tweed William Wallace James Watt Robert Watson Watt George Younger

2 Appendix B

The following comments were received by email from Members in support of their nominations and are set out here as written.

Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun was a member of the Parliament which adjourned in 1707, and an opponent of its abolition.

He was also, for his time, a man of radical ideas, who demanded that Parliament be free from the interference of the monarch and his or her ministers in .

I wish to nominate Mary Somerville 1780-1872 to be one of the committee room names.

Mary Somerville was born in and lived for part of her life in Burntisland. She was self taught at a time when women were not expected to be educated.

She was one of the first two women to be admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society. Somerville College in Oxford is named for her. She was the first person to have the word attributed to her.

She is almost unknown in Scotland - the local paper ran a list of the 50 best known people from . Mary Somerville wasn't even mentioned.

Mary Somerville has an island, an and a lunar crater named after her. I believe she needs to be recognised, not just as a woman, but the first person to have ever been called a scientist and the should name a committee room after her to recognise (as Scotland has failed to do) her massive achievements.

Somerville Island (74°44'N, 96°10'W), a small island in Barrow Strait, Nunavut, was named after her by Sir in 1819 during the first of the four Arctic expeditions under his command.

5771 Somerville (1987 ST1) is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on September 21, 1987 by E. Bowell at Flagstaff, Arizona, and named for her.

Somerville crater is a small lunar crater in the eastern part of the Moon. It lies to the east of the prominent crater Langrenus, and was designated Langrenus J before being given her name by the International Astronomical Union. It is one of a handful of lunar craters named after a woman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Somerville I would like to suggest one of the rooms be named after the movement that I believe is responsible for our Parliament. It is hard to pick a single person out but to mention a few notable names:

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Jim Boyack chair of the CSA Bob Mclean Secretary Alan Lawson Alan Armstrong Brian Duncan do not agree but it would be useful to number them logically i.e. 1 and 2 on the ground floor, 3 and 4 1st floor and 5 and 6 on the top!

I think this is an excellent idea and I would be delighted to suggest James Watt, grandfather of the industrial revolution.

As a world-famous Scots inventor who played an integral part in the development of the steam engine, his contribution to Scottish history is hugely significant and I think he would be a worthy candidate to be remembered in the Parliament.

I think Jennie Lee would be most appropriate since it would be good for the Parliament to recognise a Scottish woman's contribution to politics. Please find some information at http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUlee.htm or just . The other obvious name is Kier Hardie.

Keir Hardie Elsie Ingles Alexander Graham Bell David Livingstone - Malawi connection would be celebrated too. I would like to nominate Jennie Lee from Lochgelly who as everyone will know was the founder of the Open University.

I would also support the nomination if anyone has made one of the Alexander Fleming Room

The Alexander Logie Baird room

I would also support the name of a room after

GREIG, (SIR) SAMUEL, a distinguished naval officer in the Russian service, was born 30th November, 1735, in the village of Inverkeithing in the county of Fife. Having entered the royal navy at an early period of life, he soon became eminent for his skill in naval affairs, and remarkable for his zeal and attention to the discharge of his duty, - qualities which speedily raised him to the rank of lieutenant, and ultimately opened up to him the brilliant career which he afterwards pursued.

The court of Russia having requested the government of Great Britain to send out some British naval officers of skill to improve the marine of that country, lieutenant Greig had the honour of being selected as one. His superior abilities here also soon attracted the notice of the Russian government, and he was speedily promoted to the rank of captain, the reward of his indefatigable

2 services in improving or rather creating the Russian fleet, which had been previously in the most deplorable state of dilapidation.

On a war some time after braking out between the Russians and the Turks, captain Greg was sent under the command of count Or low, with a fleet to the Mediterranean. The Turkish fleet, which they met here, was much superior to the Russian force, the former consisting of fifteen ships of the line, the latter of no more than ten. After a severe and sanguinary but indecisive battle, the Turkish fleet retired during the night close into the island of Scio, where they were protected by the batteries on land. Notwithstanding the formidable position which the enemy had taken up, the Russian admiral determined to pursue, and if possible destroy these by means of his fire-ships. Captain Greg's well known skill and intrepidity pointed him out as the fittest person in the fleet to conduct this dangerous enterprise, and he was accordingly appointed to the command. At one o’clock in the morning captain Greig bore down upon the enemy with his fire-ships, and although greatly harassed by the cowardice of the crews of these vessels, whom he had to keep at their duty by the terrors of sword and pistol, succeeded in totally destroying the Turkish fleet. Captain Greig, on this occasion assisted by another British officer, a lieutenant Drysdale, who acted under him, set the match to the fire ships with his own hands. This perilous duty performed, he and Drysdale leaped overboard and swam to their own boats, under a tremendous fire from the Turks, and at the imminent hazard besides of being destroyed by the explosion of their own fire- ships. The Russian fleet, following up this success, now attacked the town and batteries on shore, and by nine o’clock in the morning there was scarcely a vestige remaining of either town, fortifications, or fleet. For this important service, captain Greig, who had been appointed commodore on his being placed in command of the fire-ships, was immediately promoted by count Orlow to the rank of admiral, an appointment which was confirmed by an express from the empress of Russia. A peace was soon afterwards concluded between the two powers, but this circumstance did not lessen the importance of admiral Greig’s services to the government by which he was employed. He continued indefatigable in his exertions in improving the Russian fleet, remodeling its code of discipline, and by his example infusing a spirit into every department of its economy, which finally made it one of the most formidable marines in Europe

Suggested Scotswomen:

Saint Margaret, monarch, educationalist, reformer, mother ....

Marion Reid, feminist and suffrage advocate: 'A Plea for Woman' (1843) the first demand for equal suffrage.

Jennie Lee, feminist and socialist, founder of the Open University, 1969

Suggested Scotsmen:

John Napier of Merchiston, inventor of logarithms, foundation of spatial

3 measurement

Kirkpatrick Fleming and John Boyd Dunlop: inventors of the pneumatic-tyred safety bicycle, the best way of converting human effort into motion.

Patrick Geddes, sociologist and town planner; creator of the concept of ecology.

Mary Sommerville was one of the first two women to be recognised in the UK and was the first female member of the Royal astronomical Society. She also managed to combine this with having 6 children!

"Mary Somerville was a strong supporter of women's education and women's suffrage. When , the British philosopher and economist, organised a massive petition to parliament to give women the right to vote, he had Mary put her signature first on the petition."

I would like to nominate George Younger (later Lord Younger of Prestwick and Viscount Younger of Leckie). He was a long serving and successful Secretary of State for Scotland (1979-86) who enjoyed genuinely good relations with all parties in Scotland and was held in high regard by civic Scotland. He was then an influential Secretary of State for Scotland from 1986 until 1989 as the Cold War was coming to an end.

Subsequently he became a Director and then Chairman of the , helping turn the company into one of the most important banks internationally. He also served as Chancellor of Napier University.

I think it would be appropriate if his long and dedicated service to Scottish politics and business was marked by having a room named after him.

Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham deserves a committee room to be named in his memory. He was a Scot and a true internationalist. A political radical representing people and fighting fro greater equality was his mantra. He campaigned for an 8 hour working week and Scottish and Independence as far back as the 19th century.

He founded Scotland's two major parties the SNP and Scottish Labour as well and managed to find time to serve as an Liberal MP for NW Lanarkshire.

He befriended the Indians, the Mexicans, the crofters, the miners Sioux and many other struggling peoples. He was the inspiration for characters in play's by and also . He was a prolific writer himself authoring many books as diverse as history and poetry.

He panned for gold in Spain traveled in Africa but it was in South America where he made his name.

He worked and lived in for several years as a gaucho (or cattle

4 rancher) where he made a huge impression acquiring the affectionate name Don Roberto whilst championing the people he came across. His death in that country in 1936 was widely mourned by the inhabitants led by the President of Argentina. And when his body was laid to rest on the Lake of Mentieth hundreds turned out to pay their respects.

As his epitaph reads a traveler, citizen of the World, patriotic Scot, author, Born in London, Died in and interred on Inchmahome.

I think that his story deserves to be better known his political faith in Scotland and Scots is something that helped sustain the nation to the present day.

He is probably the only candidate that has disguised himself as a sheik whilst traveling in . But that is another story! I would like to nominate Robert Watson Watt, born in Brechin and the founder of RADAR. Please see attached local website - http://www.watsonwatt.org/

I am writing to suggest that one of the Scottish Parliament’s committee rooms is named after the late rugby legend, Bill Mclaren

Quite simply, Bill epitomised everything that is good about Scottish Sport. His passion for the game, his impartiality, his ability to bring rugby to life, his dedication and commitment all meant that he was one of the most respected and loved sporting figures Scotland has ever seen. This was recognised in recent years by him being awarded an OBE, CBE and MBE for his services to sport.

However, Bill’s legacy internationally will be equally matched by his legacy in his home town of Hawick. His role as a player for the rugby club, teacher, coach and local personality, Bill was a wonderful ambassador for Hawick and the .

By naming one of the Scottish Parliament’s committee rooms after Bill Mclaren we would not only be remembering one of the most dearly loved figures in Scottish Sport but would also be honouring and upholding the positive principles which made him such an icon.

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