In her 2015 New Year message, delivered from the Southern General Maternity Unit in Glasgow, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon lavished praise on the NHS staff and other public service workers and looked back on a momentous year for Scotland.
Events in Glasgow she said reminded us all of the huge debt we owe the emergency services.
She also turned to the theme of education, promising to bridge the attainment gap and protect free universal higher education and expand apprenticeships.
Lastly she said that despite the “great sadness” of recent events in Glasgow, there is no doubt that 2014 was an exceptional year for Scotland with the success of the Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games, falling unemployment and the referendum, which she called a “shining example of democratic engagement.”