The year ahead must be one where we work towards restoration and peace.
Gillian Mackay MSP New Years message 2025
Hogmanay is a time for reflecting on the year that has been and on our hopes for the year ahead.
2025 has been a year of huge change for me and my family. Earlier this year I became a mum for the first time. I can’t thank the NHS team enough for the time and support they gave our family and the time.
I want every child family to have the same love and support as we have had and to build a Scotland where every child can flourish.
But every year is also impacted by the people we have lost. A lot of people will be seeing-in a new year for the first time without loved ones. It’s ok not to be ok. There is no right or wrong way to react, and my heart is with everyone facing difficult circumstances.
I know that in the dark winter days it can be hard to maintain a belief that things can be better.
Particularly when we have divisive bad faith actors gaining ground and trying to split our communities, and with the backdrop of atrocities in Gaza and beyond, it can be hard to keep hope alive.
A lot of people are angry and feeling the strain of rising bills and costs. They see a political system that has promised so much change but delivered business-as-usual.
It doesn’t need to be this way. The year ahead must be one where we work towards restoration and peace. It must be a year in which we strive to do better both individually and collectively.
Scotland faces big choices in 2026, and I hope that we can build a future that we can be proud of.
I hope it is a year when we can come together to support action and deliver change for people and planet. I hope that we can build a world and a society that future generations will cherish and that so many of those who came before strived for.”