SO the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is now struggling due to the shutdown. Perhaps hyper yoon Neil Oliver can wave his magic forelocks and find a solution, if he is still in charge. His hatred for us “nationalist separatists” is well known, and surely the Union would hate to lose such a useful propaganda tool.
Personally I would like to see the NTS shut down and replaced by something controlled by and focused on Scotland and her history. Not some radical Unionist sphere to wash away the sins of the Union for the benefit of foreign tourists.
Anyone who has read any genuine Scottish history, particularly about Culloden and the Clearances, should visit the centre built on that battlefield.
READ MORE: Hundreds of jobs at risk at National Trust of Scotland
It is nothing less that a whitewash of the genocide of the Highlands. It doesn’t reference the government troops raising the dragon flag, it doesn’t reference the torture of the wounded, the lining up of Scottish prisoners and shooting every tenth man, of “riding down” fleeing troops and civilians with teams of heavy horses, the burning to death of the wounded in barns or the emptying of hospitals of Scottish officers for summary execution, and completely fails to address the utter destruction of the Highland culture.
The English tour guide may mention in passing “tartan was banned for a while, but all they had to do was sign up for the government army and they could wear kilts again”, which was a sickening understatement I personally witnessed.
No mention of Highland troops returning from repeated frontline service for the English empire to find their families either murdered or ethnically cleansed from their ancestral lands by the same government they fought for. Or that the Highlands of Scotland are still to this day the most sparsely populated area of Europe due to centuries of ethnic cleansing and cultural violence.
Time and time again I have visited NTS sites, read the blurb provided, taken the tour and then read the REAL history of the place. The omissions are often striking and virtually uniform. Any tales of bravery and opposition to the Union are dulled down, the crimes of the Union are washed away, all replaced by a bland form of “history” which usually starts around 1707. An additional search for pre-Union history is almost always required.
I am sure there are scholars and great historians out there who can prove me wrong. Who can quote great long passages of Walter Scott in proof of the warm and loving embrace of the Union and virtue of the NTS. I am also certain others have visited NTS sites and thoroughly enjoyed the tours and the tea and scones afterwards. What I would say to them is: dig a little deeper than what you were told on site. It is the lie of omission the Union loves the most.
Rory Bulloch
Glasgow
WHILE Neil Oliver is in any way associated with the National Trust for Scotland, I cannot see my way to supporting the organisation. I would be surprised if my view is not shared by many others.
David Cairns
Finavon
SO Rees-Mogg wants Parliament to return, does he? This will set an example to the rest of the country?
That’s 650 MPs travelling from all over the country (returning at weekends?) from the place where the virus has claimed nearly 5000 people. How will they travel there, and once there how will they get around? Taxis, bus, train or tube, or will they travel from Orkney by car? The London-centric thinking is breathtaking.
READ MORE: SNP say Tories could 'lock Scotland out of Parliament' with new rules
All these extra people in the toilets and cafes and restaurants and subsidised bars will need staff to cater and clean. Wonder how social distancing will work there?
Of course the Houses of Parliament have wide corridors and lots of room. I’m sure when I saw folks on the telly they were standing up to stretch their legs – not because there was a lack of space.
Did he say it to provoke a response, or has he really not thought through the consequences? Does he think that the 800 Lords should also provide an example to the nation? Or are they considered vulnerable due to their average age?
Time to consider the £3.5 BILLION they planned to spend on refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament. Voting by phone is a lot less expensive.
J Guz
Dundee
THE Jouker’s item about Nicola’s hairdo was hilarious and disturbing (Yoons have FM haircut conspiracy, May 13). It seems that because she’s intelligent, successful in her work, well-dressed, an excellent debater and is by far the best presenter of information and opinion, she’s so difficult to fault the world should worry about where and how she got a haircut. Is this the new normal?
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Unionists spread bizarre haircut rumour
I was out and about yesterday and people couldn’t understand how I had had a haircut. They didn’t even believe that my wife had done the job, for the first time in our 30 years of marriage. What critical issue will the Yoons dig up next ????
Kenneth HW Campbell
Troon
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