Paperboats Scottish Parliament Action
Highlights from the Scottish Parliament Climate Action 23rd November, 2023. Featured image shows Kathleen Jamie (left) setting sail a paperboat. Credit: Paperboat collective
On a bright blustery morning people gathered from across Edinburgh and Scotland, outside the Scottish Parliament for the Paperboats campaign. In the run up to COP28, writers and activists from the collective joined together to urge action in the face of accelerating climate breakdown.
It was a beautiful uplifting morning, despite the failure by MSPs to respond. There was poetry by Kathleen Jamie and Hugh McMillan, music by Karine Polwart and the Paperboats choir, and 100s of folded Paperboats.
A new poem by Kathleen Jamie:
What the Paperboat said..
When I was tree I believed
we’d stand forever, sighing
consorts of wind and rain
– till the Felling came,
when dragged from our hillside
we were stripped, pulped,
milled…Myself, I considered
fortunate, I just lay blank
in an upstairs room, before
at last, there came some scratching,
tears, then scorings out:
Dear John, Dear world,
dear god, the empty skies,
the poor burned animals..
–But ach! Relief at last
to know a little passion, a little
hard-won poetry! With that,
my forest spirit quickened,
as though the wind,
prophesying friend,
had sought me out, saying
“Soon, you’ll change again.
Prepare to be folded
this way, that, creased,
turned, doubled again
till ship-shape, you’re
cargo’d with world-love
and give-a-damn,
then set sail, few at first,
but amassing into fleets,
entire horizon-filling armadas
sent from peoples everywhere
who’re crying ‘enough’!
Fly your colours, Paperboat.
I’ll speed you.
Demand a living earth.”
Karine Polwart, Stephen Deazley and the newly formed Paperboats Choir led the group in uplifting song –
The Response from MSPs
The Paperboats team report that: “Of the 129 MSPs we wrote to in advance of the action, only six replied (Monica Lennon – Labour, Ariane Burgess – Greens, Fiona Hyslop – SNP, Maggie Chapman – Greens, Mark Ruskell – Greens, and Ben Macpherson – SNP).
It is difficult to comprehend that in a time of climate emergency, our MSPs are not listening.
If your MSPs are among those that did not respond, you can use this template letter to write to them. We’ve included a link for you to find out who your MSPs are.”
From the Paperboats crew:
Thank you to everyone who joined us at The Scottish Parliament last Thursday. It was an inspiring day of song, poetry and origami activism.
A few of the many home crafted banners that were laid out in front of the Parliament building:
