Showing the world the best side of Scotland - Miles Briggs
The thing that has struck me most about the World Cup is how people who ordinarily shun football have become utterly enthused by it.
Scotland’s participation for the first time in almost three decades has, of course, helped this trend along.
But all the same, it’s remarkable to see the sheer scale of excitement, fascination and general anticipation which is accompanying the team’s tournament escapades.
It was particularly evident in those who probably haven’t watched a match for years (myself included) happily staying up until 4am to watch the opening win against Haiti.
That will be repeated to a similar extent tonight when we face Morocco as night falls across the country.
For us politicians, there is a lesson in all of this. It’s a simple one: people are more than happy to come together for a common cause if they are motivated by it, respect it and enjoy it.
If you place the World Cup to one side for a moment, then it’s very easy to feel Scotland is going through something completely different.
The atmosphere, especially in recent weeks, has been tense. We’ve seen protests across the country, including here in Edinburgh, about the country’s immigration and integration policies.
As a consequence, police have needlessly been embroiled in high-stakes situations, while many of our valued and contributing ethnic minorities – many of whom are as Scottish as I am – report feeling unsafe in their home, their work and their community.
This tension has been inflamed by some who seek to make political gains from the mess.
But there’s no happy ending to this story: Scotland will be continually held back socially, economically and culturally if we don’t start bringing people together. That’s on all of us, from the left, to the right and through the centre.
Those in favour of more immigration need to make the case in a more respectful and compelling way.
Those on the other side need to temper their language and stop over-simplifying what is a very complex issue. But it can be done.
Our brilliant footballers performing so admirably in the US – followed by tens of thousands of foot soldiers – are showing the best side of Scotland. In doing so, they have swept a nation along with them.
The world’s most popular sport always holds lessons for politicians and policy-makers. It’s time we all started tuning in not just to the matches, but the example set by these thrilling few weeks.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East