http://www.braveheart.co.uk

Updated:
18 April 2014

If you have comments on aspects of the new Scottish Parliament or other items featured on this page,  please email us.

anderson@braveheart.co.uk

Messages at the bottom of this page ...

We were asked to help invite Wallace and BRAVEHEART-related personalities to the Monument to record webcast materal for transmission via the MSN website.  The MacBraveHeart interview footage was webcast by MSN during the week following the opening of the Scottish Parliament, when a Braveheart theme was introduced, following earlier featuring of the Queen and Sean Connery!

We took the opportunity to show the camera a copy of the special 'Scottish Parliament' boxed-set re-issue of the BRAVEHEART video (widescreen video plus 'Making of ...' video, plus soundtrack CD) which was released on 5th July, 1999. 20th Century Fox in London sent us up a sample for the webcast.

We are happy that 1st July, 1999, was a day in Scotland for passion and for pride in what has been achieved, this time thankfully by the power of the pen (via the ballot box and the writings of Randall Wallace) and that there was a place for remembrance of what once had to be achieved in times past by the sword and by supreme sacrifice.

It was nice to read Ian McWhirter's article in the Sunday Herald (4th July, 1999) acknowledging the part BRAVEHEART had played in helping to build Scottish self-confidence.

David Ross, who was at the Monument on Thursday, with Lin at the 1997 BRAVEHEART Convention

Sword of Freedom
at the Wallace Monument
overlooking the 1297 battlefield
1st July, 1999

On 1st July, 1999, our Parliament returned from 1707 to lead the way into the 21st century with  historic WebCast coverage of its opening ceremony.

The New Parliament, in association with MSN,  filmed the opening with Her Majesty The Queen (of Scots) in attendance. This was The Queen's first live appearence on the Internet.

MSN and Mediawave carried the pictures of the procession up The Royal Mile and showed coverage of the speeches from the Parliament Hall, site of the 1707 Parliament and the from the new debating chamber.

A very happy lady from the
Campaign for a Scottish Parliament

Andrew Weir (young Hamish in BRAVEHEART)
was interviewed for the webcast at the
Wallace Monument in Stirling

Seoras Wallace of the Wallace Clan Trust
being interviewed at Stirling for the webcast

I'm delighted to have found you really rather excellent site.

Living in Linlithgow, with the palace, and the sense of history that it generates it is impossible not to feel that today was momentous and I curse my employers for not giving us the day off.

My apologies for the slightly rambling nature of this em - a mix of William Grants Family Reserve and the time of night - but I felt that an em of appreciation was in order.

Cheers

Doug J.
1st July, 1999

Of course this question has never been asked. Presumably it would also receive a huge vote in favour as English taxpayers would then make an immediate saving. This assumes of course that the ensuing English parliament was limited to English MPs and therefore no more Blair, Brown, Cook or any of the other Scottish ministers who run the UK at the moment. Somehow I think that you will have a job to winkle them out from running the UK to the possibility of a smaller stage in the North.

Just a thought from a sassenach

Dave
3rd July, 1999

[ We know lots of English people who live in Scotland and who are in favour of Scottish independence. If Scotland moves on from devolution to independence, it will do so with the support of the majority of the people living in Scotland, regardless of their birthplace or ethnic origin - plus Sean Connery of course!
It would be of great assistance to the SNP if there was to be a call from England for Scottish independence. However most politicians at Westminster are probably acutely aware that, were Scotland to attain independence, the stage in the South would then be of a somewhat smaller variety too. As you so  rightly point out, politicians always like climbing up the highest possible greasy pole.
J&L ]

The work you have done on MacBraveHeart website with the new Parliamment and all is just awesome! Thank you for giving us a "window" from which to view the unfolding events in Scotland. It just grips the heart to realize that 700 years after he was murdered, William Wallace's spirit is still alive and well!

Also, there was a mention there of a news article in a Sunday paper (July 4 - how appropriate) on Braveheart. Will you be adding that to the website so we can read it?

Johanna
9th July, 1999

[ In an article in the Scottish 'Sunday Herald' of 4th July, 1999, Ian MacWhirter, their main political correspondent, under the headline 'Did Hollywood bring the Holyrood dream to life?', wrote:

'Yet the irony is that the Americanisation of Scottish culture has actually become an element in national political renewal.  We don't like to admit it , but Mel Gibson's epic, and the celluloid hagiography of Rob Roy undoubtedly played a part in the growth of Scottish identity in the 1990s.' J&L]

[ One thing which the opening ceremony of the new Pariament reaffirmed was the claim by the Scottish people that sovereignty in Scotland is theirs (unlike in England where sovereignty lies with the Crown and Parliament). The Queen was addressed as 'Queen of Scots', and 'sat among' the new MSPs during the ceremony in the debating chamber.
Given that sovereignty does indeed lie with the people in Scotland, then they have the right to decide who should be the King or Queen in Scotland, whether the Union of the Crowns (with England in 1603) should continue, or whether Scotland should become a republic without a monarchy. This right forms the basis of the assertion in the Declaration of Arbroath (in 1320) that the monarch could be removed if their performance was deemed to be unsatisfactory. A motion could therefore be put before the new Scottish Pariament calling for a referendum to put these questions to the Scottish people. This would still be a major constitutional minefield, but in theory it is now much easier for Scotland to 'do its own thing' regarding a Royal Family than would have been the case previously.
The main political focus in Scotland for the next few years is likely to centre on the performance of the new Parliament and its relationship with the Westminster Parliament i.e. the recent  changes to the Act of Union (of the Parliaments in 1707) will command more attention than reconsideration of the Union of the Crowns. Were Scotland to move from the current devolved settlement to full independence then the question as to what to do about the monarchy would have to be asked i.e. while in theory an independent Scotland could continue to share a King or Queen with England, it seems unimaginable that this sort of level of political change would not also lead to the question of the place of the monarchy in Scotland being put to the people. There is also the possibility that this may become an issue at the time of the next succession, give the bad press the Royal Family have had on a number of fronts in recent years.
In times gone by we would have been executed for writing the above. Hopefully times have changed for the better :) J&L]

[It should be celebrated annually. However, since the Government(s?) couldn't see their way to declaring a Public Holiday on 1st July this year, they will hardy be encouraging wild celebrations in subsequent years. Maybe they are worried that if we have something to celebrate we might want more of the same. J&L ]

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