It’s not the time for tears

Paisley showed the world what we’re all about and we should all be proud of what we have achieved.

We may not have received the title of UK City of Culture 2021 but we are still all winners.

Jean Cameron and her team should be proud of the way they galvanised a town, and then a nation, behind the bid.

There has been a buzz about Paisley recently and all of that led to Thursday, when we came so close to achieving our goal.

But, as I sat there dejected after the result, I began to think about how Dundee felt when they lost the same bid for this year’s event.

They didn’t stop and they carried on with their cultural regeneration.

If it hadn’t been for the madness of Brexit then they would have had a great chance of being European City of Culture.

But they continued with their ambitions and next year the V&A Museum of Design will open its doors to the public.

Two of the most recognisable, recently-built structures in Scotland are the Queensferry Crossing and the V&A building in Dundee.

So, from their bid for the 2017 title, Dundee has one of the most iconic buildings in Scotland.

The journey for them was – and can be for us – the foundation for greater things.

Renfrewshire Council has already committed itself to several cultural projects in Paisley and, along with Paisley Community Trust’s Baker Street project, we too could have a legacy from the bid.

When things got difficult in life my auld dad used to say: “Who said it was going to be easy son?” And, as always, he was right. He would have also warned me against expecting any favours for our great town from a Westminster Government.

But, that aside, we now need to do this the hard way.

We need to take all that disappointment we are feeling now and focus on what will make a difference in Paisley.

Team Paisley has come so far over the recent years and we need to keep that passion, vision and hope for the future of our town.

As Paisley’s MSP, I will continue to do all I can to play my part in this.

But this is a team effort and we all must do our bit to keep the faith.

Now is not the time for tears, but for us to remain proud Buddies and to continue to make Paisley’s mark on the world.