Douglas Alexander has used this year’s King’s Birthday Honours to shine a light on the Scots being recognised for service, achievement and the kind of steady contribution that often goes unseen outside their own communities. In a statement issued by the Scotland Office, the Scottish Secretary said he was delighted to see so many people from across the country honoured. It was a message less about Westminster ceremony and more about the people doing the work in public life, sport, science and neighbourhoods the rest of the country depends on.

Alexander singled out football figure Lou Macari as one of the standout names on the list, calling it a fitting moment for recognition with Scotland back on the World Cup stage for the first time in decades. For many readers, that is the line that will land first. Macari’s 24 caps for Scotland, including the ill-fated 1978 campaign in Argentina, place him firmly in the country’s football story. Alexander’s nod to hopes for a better outcome this time gave the statement a note of warmth that felt more grounded than the usual official script.

The honours, though, were not framed as a roll call of famous names. Alexander pointed instead to the breadth of work represented, with Scotland’s education, science and energy sectors all receiving recognition. That matters. Too often, stories of national success are filtered through London institutions and boardrooms. Here, the emphasis was on the people building knowledge, training the next generation and keeping major industries moving in a country that has long punched above its weight in research, engineering and public service.

Alexander also made a point of highlighting Scotland’s renewables and nuclear expertise, describing both as part of the country’s contribution to the drive towards clean power. That will strike a chord well beyond Scotland. Across the North and across other regions too, the argument is much the same: if the UK is serious about jobs, energy security and industrial renewal, it will be built by skilled workers, researchers and firms outside the capital. Recognition in the honours list does not settle those debates, but it does show where much of the hard graft is happening.

The strongest part of the statement came when Alexander turned away from headline names and towards community volunteers. He said the list showed the ‘extraordinary difference that ordinary people make’ every day, and that point deserves to be taken seriously. These are often the people who keep local life from fraying: those running clubs, backing neighbours, supporting charities and giving up their own time so others are not left to struggle alone. They rarely attract much fanfare, yet places are held together by exactly that sort of effort.

For a regional audience, that is the real value in this honours story. It is not just about medals and titles. It is about recognising that public life in Britain is still carried, in large part, by people working quietly in towns, cities and communities far from the usual centres of attention. Alexander’s statement may have come from government, but the most telling part of it was simple enough: Scotland is full of people making their patch better. On a day like this, that is worth saying plainly and saying out loud.