Scotland as a cultural leader - First Minister's speech - 31 July 2025

Thank you very much for that kind introduction, Nicola, for your welcome.

Michael, thank you for that wonderful poem to start the Edinburgh International Festival. And thank you to the Edinburgh International Festival for hosting us here at the Hub, a magnificent architectural asset in our Capital City but also a gathering place for creativity and for joy. 

I have fond memories of being here last year to see a fantastic performance of the Brazilian musicians of Illumina.  That was a performance of fun, curious sounds and the deepest enjoyment of cultural experience so it is a lovely pleasure to be back here again.

We are once again approaching that point in the year where, for a few weeks, this city becomes the undisputed centre of the cultural universe. It is often the disputed centre of the cultural universe but for this it is undisputed.

So this feels like an apt time for us to come together.  And for me as First Minister to set out to you, not only the immense value I place on Scotland’s cultural activity, but also how I intend to help you grow and build on what are already outstanding successes and foundations.

Since I became First Minister, I have made it my business to bring people together.

I have also set out some very clear priorities for my government around eradicating child poverty, improving public services, growing the economy and tackling the climate emergency.

Over the last few months, I’ve held some very exciting discussions on my four priorities with key stakeholders from across civic Scotland. 

We have discussed how we can all work together to build a better nation.

Today, I have this further welcome opportunity to take forward this discussion with you all.

Because I firmly believe that the people gathered in this room now are essential to building that better nation.

So this is your opportunity to hear directly from me but more importantly, your chance to speak directly to me. 

To ask me your questions. 

To voice your concerns. 

To share your thoughts and ideas, and importantly, your challenge. 

I want to know what more I, and my government, can do to assist and develop Scotland’s cultural strength.

I want to support you in every way I can, because I know just how much you enrich our country.

As someone who was born and brought up only a couple of miles from here, Edinburgh’s festivals have been a big part of my life.

Though it might not always have felt like that to me. That was of course until my beloved late Mother intervened.

As a rather disinterested teenager, listening more to The Jam than Sibelius, my Mother took me along one night to a performance, just next door in the General Assembly Hall, of Sir David Lyndsay’s “A Satire of the Three Estates”. I can remember coming into town on the Number 1 bus thinking “What am I going to? What is this going to be like? What on earth is my Mother up to taking me to this event?”

I went home on the Number 1 bus that evening knowing that my Mother had just given me yet another great gift in my life.

I was captivated by the discourse, humour, the consideration of major themes in relationships in our society, the beauty and the majesty of the performance. I learned that deep cultural experience is good and it is essential for the soul. And that it is part of who I am.

Of course, the festivals are only one of many jewels in Scotland’s cultural crown. We have an outstanding arts and culture scene all year-round – in our cities and throughout our country.

For nearly three decades, it has been my privilege to be the parliamentarian who represents Pitlochry Festival Theatre – and what a joy that is.

My family and I are regular visitors – and as the constituency representative, I cannot put into words how much the venue is treasured by people in the local community – let alone across Perthshire and further afield.

I suppose I draw an important conclusion from those two very different examples – the Edinburgh Festivals and Pitlochry Festival Theatre – because they encapsulate what I desire for Scotland’s cultural scene in the years and the decades ahead.

I want Scotland to continue playing a leading role on the world stage with some of the most prestigious events that we can possibly host.

I want our many, diverse creative industries to grow and to flourish.

But I also want every community across our nation to have access to all the benefits of a booming local cultural scene on their doorstep.

I want the biggest organisations to thrive.

But I also want the very smallest outfits to thrive too.

When I look around me, I see a room full of individuals not only dedicated to their craft, but also passionate about making Scotland a better country. And all critical to achieving that aim.

From a government perspective, culture is quite a unique sector.

Yes, like other sectors, it is absolutely essential to our economic prosperity.  Our creative industries contribute over £5 billion to our economy annually, and they support more than 70,000 jobs through 15,000 businesses.

But there is so much more that you do to enrich our nation that can’t be measured in pounds or pence.  Those wider benefits ripple throughout our society.

Culture gets to the very heart of our shared history and our national identity.  It shapes our public spaces and our environments.  It contributes to education, to social dialogue, and to social justice.

Galleries and museums tell our story.

Music and dance brings us together.

Poetry and literature move us, and inspire us to take action.

Ceilidhs and concerts uplift us, and invite others to join in with us.

And of course culture can influence our political process.

I have been involved in politics long enough to know, that in the very dark years of the 1980s, long before the political process found the impetus to establish the Scottish Parliament, artists, poets, musicians and playwrights were providing the hope and the aspiration for self-government that was absent from politics.

In the 2014 independence referendum the artwork, the stories, the poems, the songs, the plays, the short films and much more besides weighed up some of the most fundamental issues facing our country.

Just yesterday I visited The Fragile Planet exhibition at the University of Stirling, curated by the Fleming Collection, which considers the profound issues around climate change and challenges the observer – through appreciation of dramatic artwork – on what action has to be taken to address the implications for our society of this deepest of threats.  

Culture is both what we inherit and what we create together to pass on to future generations – and to the world.

On a daily basis, it provides us with our energy and our essence; our personality, our presence.

I think of the countless arts and health programmes across Scotland that every day are helping people recover from trauma, loneliness, and isolation.

I think of Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise programme in Raploch. 

When I visited that wonderful project last summer and spoke to young people, to parents and to teachers, it was clear how music had transformed confidence, teamwork, and joy for children who might otherwise have felt left behind.

Those are life changing skills and experiences.

And when I look at the huge success stories of our public agencies in recent years, I am every bit as interested in the wider benefits as I am in the economic ones.

Our screen industry, for example, is growing at a scale that simply wasn’t possible before the establishment of Screen Scotland.

We have seen huge economic growth, with a goal to reach £1 billion of  value added to the Scottish economy by 2030.

But just look at what that growth is actually leading to.

An explosion in the number of home-grown productions and inward investment projects; new and expanded studios and infrastructure; and a wide range of skills and educational opportunities.

The funding, facilities, and the specialist support available have strengthened the development of our crew and talent base, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of top-quality productions choosing to base themselves right here.

The recent hit Netflix drama, Department Q, was supported by Screen Scotland and filmed on set and in the studio in Edinburgh.

This is a powerful reminder that, when we come together to protect and support our creative industries, we create a virtuous circle that will benefit us for years to come.

And that virtuous circle feels more important now than it has ever been.

Our world today and Nicola talked about this in her introduction, feels increasingly fractured – unsure about its present and uncertain about its future.

Global conflict is redrawing the world order.

The climate emergency becomes ever more acute every single day.

And closer to home, years of economic stagnation and austerity in the UK have left people feeling disillusioned and alienated.

Compounding that, the way in which we all see the world is rapidly changing.

Increasingly, people are relying less on traditional media and more on the digital world – which, while bringing many opportunities, clearly leaves us much more exposed to disinformation and harmful material.

If all of that sounds very gloomy, let me assure you that I am actually very optimistic about Scotland’s future.

I know that we have all the ingredients it takes to build a thriving, successful country.

I see it every day in my work as First Minister – the places I visit, and the people I meet. But how can we make sense of this increasingly dangerous, angry and uncertain world from this perspective?

The answer – as it always has been – comes through the means of creative expression.

Culture throws up a mirror and allows us to see Scotland as it truly is – in all its glorious diversity.

Culture that helps us to understand ourselves, to understand each other and to understand the world around about us.

To appreciate the things we have in common – but also to build bridges between us on the issues which we don’t.

We learn and we grow as people – and as a nation – when we expose ourselves to new ideas and new thinking.

Whether it leaves us dying of laughter or in floods of tears – or anything in between – any form of creative expression has the potential to plant a seed in our minds which grows inside us.

I would ask you to reflect on this question – how the Edinburgh International Festival came into being in the first place.

78 years ago, following the Second World War, Scotland opened her heart to the world with a bold idea: to use culture to heal divisions, to foster understanding, and to inspire hope.

The Festival was born and, with it, a tradition that has made Scotland a beacon for creativity and connection ever since.

Nearly 80 years later, Edinburgh Festivals continue to evolve – adapting to new generations, new audiences, new technologies, and new global challenges.

But their core purpose remains the same:

To unite. To inspire. And to open Scotland’s doors to the world, by sharing the uniquely transformative power of human creativity.

That vision of culture as a way to bring people together, is as significant today as we can imagine it was in 1947. I would contend with the strife in the world today, a re-invigoration of that necessity is critical in these difficult days.

So I want to ensure that Scotland’s culture sector continues to bring people together for many generations to come.

I know that, just like the government, this sector has faced significant and prolonged financial pressures.

You’ve been squeezed by rising costs, by new restrictions on the freedom of movement in Europe, by job losses during the pandemic and too many other challenges to mention.

I know also that freedom of expression is under greater and greater attack, both at home and around the world.

I want to ensure that Scotland – the birthplace of the enlightenment – remains a country of robust debate and inquiry.

I firmly believe that art and culture must be able to challenge us, to ask us tough questions, and to force us to look at things from different perspectives.

And yes, it must at times be allowed to shock and to offend us. It can also heal us.

So let me be absolutely clear – as First Minister I will always protect freedom of speech in our country.

It is not the First Minister’s job to tell you what to create – nor would I ever seek to do so.

But, friends, I do have a very important role – and that is in the assistance that my government can provide.

As many of you may know, 2 years ago, we made a commitment to increasing funding for the culture sector by at least £100 million more annually by 2028-29.

This year’s £34 million increase is our biggest increase – it is the biggest increase in the history of devolution.  It brings us halfway to delivering on our commitment, and it includes an additional £4 million for Scotland’s Festivals. 

And, through Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding, more cultural organisations than ever have gained greater certainty and greater security – allowing them to plan more ambitiously, to support jobs and to make creative work more accessible to diverse audiences across Scotland.

At a time when our own budget remains under significant pressure and uncertainty, I hope this is seen as a statement of intent from my government.  That we are making a long-term commitment to supporting you. 

And this is only the first step in bringing the renewed hope that I think is necessary to the wider culture sector.

We are laying the foundations for a more certain future – and I want us to build this better future together.

You, the people in this room, the heart of this industry, know better than anyone what is needed here.

You know the best methods to achieve the best outcomes.

You know how to adapt and to innovate.

So, I’m asking that from crowdfunding, to patronage, to philanthropy, to Local Authority support and much more, we all ask ourselves - how can we do more to support the arts from the grassroots up?

How can we better support emerging artists that don’t necessarily fit the current mould?

And how, in particular, can Scotland’s emerging businesses in new sectors become the next generation of patrons of the arts and culture in Scotland?

How do we incentivise a new guard of, custodians of, and investors in, Scotland’s creative economy, right across the country? I want to know your thoughts on how government can help in doing that.

And, while we engage in those discussions, I want to be absolutely focused on delivery – making the best use of public money to support the sector to find renewed hope and energy, and to take confident strides towards even fairer work and even greater inclusivity in culture.

There is still so much Scotland can achieve in this regard.

I want us to do all of this because, quite simply, that’s the point I’ve made today, culture is transformative in all our lives.

And there are many examples of innovation in culture – tackling all kinds of societal challenges from social isolation, to youth engagement, to environmental sustainability.

Festivals, venues and creative businesses are leading the way on sustainable practices and tourism, as well as exploring climate issues through their productions and their programmes.

Creative activities bring people together in unique ways.

So, the Scottish Government is committed to growing Scotland’s creative economy for all these reasons and for more.

I am particularly happy that we have launched our Museum Futures programme, developed in partnership with Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with £4 million of Scottish Government funding.

This programme will support museums and galleries across the country to collaborate and to innovate, so that these vital organisations can continue to enrich our local communities now and for generations to come.

We will also continue to back place-based programmes that change lives.

Initiatives like the Youth Music Initiative, which is receiving increased funding of almost £10 million this year – opening up creative opportunities for children across Scotland and helping to tackle inequality, right at the very heart of my government’s programme.

Alongside this, we are providing increased funding for Sistema Scotland, supporting the kind of long-term, sustainable work I saw in Raploch; work that helps break cycles of poverty and unlocks potential.

And of course we continue to support our festivals, the jewel, the jewels in Scotland’s cultural life and vital to our economy and our international reputation.

Aberdeen Performing Arts is celebrating 20 years, as a cultural cornerstone of the North East of Scotland through its series of annual festivals, live performances and inspiring creative projects.

Glasgow Film Festival celebrated their 20^th anniversary this year, continuing to showcase the best of Scottish cinema alongside film making from across the globe, enhancing its earned international reputation for excellence year on year. 

Here in Edinburgh, Imaginate’s incredible Edinburgh International Children’s Festival reached their 35^th anniversary – bringing wonder and joy to children through theatre.

And earlier this year at Celtic Connections, I saw for myself how Scottish traditions continue to thrive, and how they welcome and draw together and blend with musical cultures from Africa, the Americas, Europe and beyond; clearly illustrating the undeniable fact that culture connects.

The global appeal of Scotland’s culture – and the benefits it brings to our economy - is something that can, at times, appear taken for granted.

Scotland’s creative economy enhances our reputation globally and is our unique selling point – every bit as powerful as our landscapes and our food and drink industry.

I want to do all that I can to help our interlinked culture and creative industries flourish because it is the right and the smart thing to do. 

In the face of international barriers, we are developing new ways to support cultural export and exchange.

Last year, we published our International Culture Strategy, which sets out how we will support the international aspirations and potential of Scotland’s culture sector.

We cannot underestimate the value of international cultural links, and so a key action from the strategy is to better support cultural export and exchange.

Where funding is tight, we are working to ensure that public investment gives organisations the certainty to plan and to innovate.

And, as we strive for a fairer, greener future, I know that our creative industries are ready to lead in that respect through partnership, through new ideas, and through collaboration that reaches across communities, regions and borders – together, we will see Scotland’s creative economy reach new heights as a consequence of our endeavours.

So, I hope you leave here today confident that your First Minister and your government place culture at the heart of Scotland’s future.

We all share an aspiration to build a better nation. We have an opportunity to work together to achieve that aim. And an essential part of the journey is to realise the potential of culture in every community, for every person.

We all have a stake in this, and we all have a role to play.

Without you, the people in this room, Scotland’s artists, the organisers, the innovators, the creative industries of Scotland cannot thrive.

Through our creative industries, we can attract more jobs and investment.

We can share the stories that help us to understand who we are and what we can be.

We can produce the murals that enrich our streets,

The ceilidhs that bring village halls to life,

The music that lifts spirits and the festivals that share Scotland with the world.

These things are not just decoration, they are who we are.

They are what we inherit, and what we create together as a gift to future generations.

The richer that gift, the better we all are.

Because people make culture, and culture makes Scotland.

Thank you very much.