Here are some of the most significant major Scots activist groups, who since 2014
- working hard for Scotland’s future democracy.
Scotland Act 1998 – to give us a referendum.
Is Scotland colonised?
Liberation Scotland
Salvo
Believe in Scotland
Common Weal
Scottish Currency Group
Scottish Constitution Group
The National Newspaper
Pennie’s poems have more lilting lyrical musicality than her English poetry. Her poems pack immediate emotional directness and punch. She says it was all the grandmothers who kept the Scots voices and language alive.
Welsh Labour are proud of Welsh Gaelic and the Welsh flag. We cannot say the same of Scottish labour, would they stand in front of the saltire and speak in Scots Gaelic or Scots? There’s been a long story of religious divisions in Scotland – the divide and rule tactic of the empire elites.
She suffered dreadful trolling online abuse. For many years the Scots language has been treated as a ‘pretendy language’ and oddly often by hostile Scots, it’s a centuries old saga. Yet Scots have been historically influenced by their connections and trade to Flanders and Ireland.
Pennie’s poems have more lilting lyrical musicality than her English poetry. Her poems pack immediate emotional directness and punch. She says it was all the grandmothers who kept the Scots voices and language alive.
Welsh Labour are proud of Welsh Gaelic and the Welsh flag. We cannot say the same of Scottish labour, would they stand in front of the saltire and speak in Scots Gaelic or Scots? There’s been a long story of religious divisions in Scotland – the divide and rule tactic of the empire elites.
She suffered dreadful trolling online abuse. For many years the Scots language has been treated as a ‘pretendy language’ and oddly often by hostile Scots, it’s a centuries old saga. Yet Scots have been historically influenced by their connections and trade to Flanders and Ireland.
II Back when James VI held a clan gathering on Iona, he insisted that the clans had their eldest son educated in England, and taught to speak ‘correct English’. This practice continues to this day, with the private school accents. All the assimilation, repression of cultural difference. In the 20thcentury English managers and middle class professionals came to Scotland – and Scots speaking workers were treated as second class citizens in their own country.
The opposite was true back after union 1700s though – the Scots were the workers of the British empire, when after Reformation many Scots were highly educated and there were more ancient universities in Scotland –
So what changed?
During the 1700s several poets wrote to keep the scots language alive - Allan Ramsey, Robert Fergusson and notably Robert Burns. Burns wrote in English, the language of his education in books. But it was when he read the Scots poems of Fergusson he was inspired to write in Scots, the language closest to his heart. His mother knew and sang all the old Scots ballads. Burns collected, added to and edited the auld Scots songs from his many Scotia travels.
English is of course the global language after the spread of the British empire. But crucially cultural diversity matters so much – both back in Burns day and today. We can have global trade and connectedness AND also have our own voices. We can have both. Why must it be either or?
For decades Scots children were rapped over the knuckles if they spoke with a Scots accent or belted if they used Scots words or dialects. Broadcaster Lorraine Kelly was initially told she must tone down her Scots accent if she wanted to be successful - and she thought why should I?
In the 1950s most radio and tv presenters spoke with a clipped Oxford English. Today we have many accents – yet worryingly Scots students attending Edinburgh university continue to be mocked for speaking with a Scots accent – and told to ‘speak more correctly’ by English private school students. When I travelled across Edinburgh on the top of the bus I heard English accents of students in brightly coloured blazers and thought, where are they from? Around 25% of Edinburgh students attend private schools. This creates an unhealthy two-tier society which holds many children back.
At Celtic Connections there are many hauntingly beautiful Gaelic singers
When Scots writer Billy Kay gave a speech in Scot in the Scottish parliament, he was ridiculed by many Scots. The usual Scots versus Scots. In Switzerland they can speak both local and high German languages – the two languages sit by side by side and not in opposition to each other.
Why must Scots chose a side? Religious wars are now centuries old – while the British Constitution of 1688 continues to dominate. Why cant we have English and Scots and Scots Gaelic alongside each other?
The Scots language is not merely a side issue – its crucial to our Scots identity and unique voice. Diversity matters.
**The Scots language has been recognised on Spotify – Iona Fyfe
Scots is now taught in Scottish schools.
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| Edinburgh International Book Festival at the Futures Institute |
I travel on warm sunny days and with heightened senses and high anticipation for new insights and inspirations. The Edinburgh festivals offer HOPE in a present world often torn apart. A place for shared, diverse voices from across the world. The theme of this years Edinburgh International book festival was ‘How do we Repair’- looking for positives and connections, “to repair and reconcile in culture, politics and environment, through improving balance, resilience and hope”.
The book festival is now hosted behind and on the ground floor of the impressive newly renovated Edinburgh Futures Institute near the Meadows walkway and Edinburgh university. The book festival aims to offer a safe place to challenge and to question – with over 600 writers from 35 countries offered differing perspectives on personal, social and global significance.100+ talks were live streamed.
EIBF hosted workshops, school events, music and poetry, young adult and children’s talks. The children’s events included over 100 talks and included renowned authors Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson and Cressida Cowell.
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| Nicola Sturgeon with Kirsty Wark |
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| Jenny Nelson & Mark Kermode |
Resilience: Renowned author Hanif Kureishi gave a talk about his recovery from a devastating accident which left him paralysed. Shattered But Unbroken. There were several book talks on books on the war in Gaza, which has turned into such destruction. Israeli writer Ilan Pappe and Israeli historian Avi Shlaim discussed the conflict in the Middle East and whether peace can exist.
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| Ivo Graham |
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| Alexander McCall Smith |
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| Brian Cox |
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| Kate Dickie |
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| Paula Hawkins |
Foreign correspondent Lindsey Hilsum came with her book of war poetry, I Brought the War with me’
And spoke of how we remember poetry more than journalists stories of war. She always carries a book of poems with her to help make sense of the destruction. It’s the spaces between, the forgotten.
I enjoyed a talk by larger than life and popular film critic Mark Kermode, along with Radio producer Jenny Niven on their book on film music Surround Sound. This has interviews with film music composers – Johnny Greenwood and many more.
The festival included prominent Front list talks at McEwan hall -
Former Scotland first minister Nicola Sturgeon held a positive chat with Kirsty Wark, about her new book Frankly. Mark Kermode talked all things film and acting with well kent Scots actors – Brian Cox, Kate Dickie and Michelle Gomez.
There were protests during a The Front List chat with: Yulia Navalnaya, about her husband the late
Alexei Navalnaya, over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
There were Podcasts, live cabaret, and exclusive talks. Young adult program, Children’s program. Something for everyone. Edinburgh book festival is supported by Creative Scotland, Edinburgh city council, Lottery funds.
The festival promotes vision, resilience and a safe place IN PERSON to debate! To encourage liberal thought – To remind the world of the role of freedom, truth, culture and the arts. We should find out what unites us, and what we have in common rather than what divides us.
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| Sam Heughan |
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| Naga Munchetty |
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| Michael Pedersen |
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| Maggie O'Farrell |
*An academic from Dublin suggests that “America should never have united," under its centralised control. Trump attempts to take control. The Maga movement for instance, appears to be culture wars between the extreme left and the extreme right. And the toxic online culture, which can’t differentiate between healthy debate and saying I dislike you, because of your views. Many in today politics seem shallow and thin, with no moral backbone or hinterland - the opposite of a an informed debate. We need Citizens Assemblies. Use your time wisely and don’t get sucked into ignorant, sensationalistic echo chambers. Look wider and broader for ideas – for innovation, diverse views and creative freedoms.
We should find out what unites us, what we have in common rather than what divides us. Hopefully Edinburgh festivals can continue to be a place for hope, voices form many places, to celebrate all the arts and that cross over. To celebrate the endurance of the human spirit.
**QUOTES from the festival:
Brian Cox, We need good people.
Kate Dickie, “I love England as a neighbour, but if you’re roof is leaking, you don’t ask your neighbour to fix it.” Tariq Ali, Fighting the empire
Edinburgh festival cultural icon Richard Demarco - “Reform is a danger to the Edinburgh Festivals”,
He calls for “a Festival of Thought” to help save liberal democracy - with no politicians.
Some celebrity faces attend EIBF -
**BOOKS & TALKS
Surround Sound – Mark Kermode and Jenny Niven
I Brought the War with me – Lindsey Hilsum
After Gaza – Pankaj Mishra
Frankly – Nicola Sturgeon
Shattered but Unbroken – Hanif Kureishi
A Truce that is not Peace – Miriam Toews
I would prefer not to see “History” books in the EIBF Bookshop by the archaeologist Neil Oliver or by the Canadian historical fiction writer John Prebble – of the Scotland lost and gone forever. Please stock more of Tom Devine’s well informed and articulate books. Also the excellent critiques of polticla theoristsTom Nairn.
Pakistani author Pankaj Mishra was writing about the two totally opposing narratives in the middle east – one of the Israelis (from the river to the sea) and the other of Palestinians (our Homelands) in his book After Gaza. It all made me think in Scotland we also have two opposing, irreconcilable narratives. In 2025 Scotland is stuck, so how can we move forward in love, in peace and in liberal thought?
Indy for Scotland’s self determination and improving democracy. Scots need a say over our own energy resources, immigration, climate, and infrastructure. We can still unite for good trade and security together. Unionism is for strength by being run by London, and being ‘together’ with the high centralization in London. Westminster refuses Scotland another vote.
“Nationalism is both good and bad” wrote politician historian Tom Nairn. All Nationalisms are different. He claims Scotland’s nationalism is unique as Scotland jumped ahead to a modern state 1700s. By contrast European states moved to modern states 1800s, due to the uneven nature of capitalism. Scots nationalism is about our self determination.
All I hear is depressive negatives and an SNP Bad message by the dominant mainstream unionist media. But indy isn’t all about the SNP. Its about democracy, accountability and how our democracy works or doesn’t work. Is devolution simply a trap? Someone at Westminster said recently – “Oh I forgot you’ve got that pretend government in Scotland.” After decades – the SNP Party was begun in 1934 - I’ve heard many reasons for Scottish indy, but so far I’m still searching for a positive reasons for the union.
STRANDS: Brilliant Fiction. Fascinating Non-Fiction will explore everything from moving memoirs to scientific excavations, family odysseys to travelogues. Good Information brings together a host of trustworthy experts well versed in sifting out hard fact and cutting through murky algorithms to give you an honest account of a diverse range of topics. New World Orders gathers the most authoritative voices across international and domestic politics, conflict, economics, and law to engage with and dissect current affairs, and Brainwaves holds up a magnifying glass to all things cranial, including mental health, neuroscience, and psychology. How to Live a Meaningful Life, guiding audiences new and deeper ways of creating connection, resilience and hope, amongst the chaos, and an expanded Table Talks series, with top chefs and food writers taking to the stage – or rather around the table – in intimate gatherings with audiences to enjoy delicious food and make memories together. Music, Poetry and Performance
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| Evening light high street |
I travelled on warm sunny days and with high anticipation for new inspirations. The high street was extra buzzing with the festival crowds – as was the station!
**The festivals theme for 2025 was THE TRUTH WE SEEK**
Its about searching for truth – to remind the world of the role of culture and the arts. And of the Freedoms needed to Create.
The Festival Fringe began in the 80s, to compliment the main international festival and to offer platforms for all kinds of artists. The Fringe festival is the place to be seen, and to get exposure.
This year with 400 shows, 1.2 million in ticket sales, thousands of visitors and with provocative bold shows. To question yourself. From the mainstream musicals shows, the ever popular comedy, to experimental new work. There are questions over who is investing and the domination of the big venues?
*AWARD, Fringe First Scotsman, good drama - Jean Frank, "Eat the Rich, Maybe not your Mates!"
There are classy performances on the main EIF stages. I went to several challenging EIBF talks on film, politics, and poetry.
This year I attended the excellent ‘Make it Happen’ with Dundee Rep and Brian Cox at the Festival theatre: the Festival Chorus performed an overwhelming Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Usher Hall. Palestinian festival at Portobello. All that joy of IN PERSON events.
**QUOTES from the festival:
*Search for the Truth rather than impartiality” Joyce Macmillan, Scotsman 15th August, BBC impartiality risks being complicit in the spread of misinformation
“Brexit, Trump, Gaza, have all made journalists impartiality a barrier to uncovering the truth.”
Nicola Sturgeon, Fearful of the rise of the far right during a chat at EIBF with journalist Kirsty Wark
Brian Cox, We need good people.
Kate Dickie, “I love England as a neighbour, but if you’re roof is leaking, you don’t ask your neighbour to fix it.” Tariq Ali, fighting the empire.
*Richard Demarco - “Reform is a danger to the Edinburgh Festivals”, he claims.
The rise of the Far Right is trying to shut down freedom of thought for creativity. How much does the media reflect truth today, and not simply Soundbites and Clickbaits - and the lack of informed debate. How is impartiality possible when one side peddle obvious lies.
* Martin Roche writes, “‘They fear the author, writer, poet, dancer, playwright, composer, musician, and great performer – because great art requires freedom. Where culture is dictated by strong men, it is produced not by free minds but by people in fear.”
Encourage the global majority, There is healthy competiveness, but also questions around whether the festival has become too much a flashy theme park, dominated by the big venues and expensive shows? Next year will be Edinburgh’s 80th one!
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| Crowds high street |
Freedom to Create
Scottish Festival cultural icon, Richard Demarco calls for “a Festival of Thought”
to help save liberal democracy and with no politicians.
“..to bring to the city the world’s finest liberal thinkers from the humanities, from the Arts and culture, from all the sciences and technologies. “There should be no separation between science and the Arts. Leonardo Da Vinci, perhaps the greatest artist ever to live, was a great scientist, an engineer and artist.”…..Edinburgh’s history as the home of the Scottish Enlightenment. He envisages a flowering of ideas and, eventually, a new kind of university of all the disciplines and all the talents.”
Demarco calls for his friend Robert Sturus to come of Scotland for the EIFs 80the birthday. Sturus is Director of Rustaveli State Theatre of Georgia and he brought Shakespeare’s Richard II to Edinburgh. Political debate today is thin, ill-informed and ignorant and uses “immigration” as a scapegoat from the real failings that are facing us – the cost of living, the widening inequalities, the rich elites getting ever richer. Economist Richard Murphy, claims the neoliberal economic policies are failing us, pretending there can be uniformity across the board…….
An academic from Dublin suggests that “America should never have united, under its centralised control.” The Maga movement for instance, appears to be culture wars between the extreme left and the extreme right. And the toxic online culture, which can’t differentiate between healthy debate and saying I dislike you, because of your views……Trump attempts to shut down free debate and take control of hugely respected American universities. Could we trust Putin or Trump to allow unfettered publishing of poetry or novels? Trump marginalizes the media over anyone who challenges him. And tells the Smithsonian museum how to tell the 'American story'.
All Nationalisms are different. By contrast Scots Nationalism is about our self determination, and according to political theory expert Tom Nairn, Scotland’s nationalism is unique – as Scotland jumped ahead to a modern state 1700s. By contrast European states moved to a modern state 1800s, due to the uneven nature of capitalism. We should find out what unites us, what we have in common rather than what divides us.
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| Evening crowds Edina High street |
In 2015, British historian Peter Frankopan changed the way we think about the historical relationship between East and West, with his book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. The book shifted focus from the West towards Eastern civilisation, religion, and industry, and opened up research on previous eras of exchange and collaboration.
The Silk Roads was a ground breaking book that explored the significance of the east on the development of ideas and trade: and shifted views of global power and on the history of our great civilizations. His new Silk Roads book is his updated version.
Peter Frankopan, who is professor of Byzantine studies at Oxford university gave an energetic and enthusiastic talk, that at times also jumped with too much information overload and was not a seamless narrative. He praised the historic beauty of Edina.
His book explores the spread of people, trade and ideas & religion (Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam) – across Persia before developing in the Mediterranean. He places the centre of the world further east, beyond Mesopotamia, and the Caucuses, in Iran and the “stans” - and not the Mediterranean. He spoke of the great city of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul which was the centre of the Roman empire. Also other great cities of Babylon and Mesopotamia. And the Mongol empire. The ancient Dunhuang at the British library.
The Silk roads was first coined in 1871 by German geographer, Ferdinand van Richthofen. Christianity spread and Islam too. Science and philosophy spread from east to west long before the voyages of Columbus.
He stated that the exploration of the silk roads was started by Alexander the Great who travelled across the Persian empire. He headed east to the home of the great cities and people and he brought the Greek culture to Indus valley and the Buddha was given form. Two thousand years ago Chinese silks were worn by the Carthaginians and Iranian elites used Provencal pottery. There were Indian spices in Afghan and Roman kitchens.
He challenges ‘euro centrism’ with fascinating stories of the rise of globalization. In 1492 there were the European voyages of discovery of the west outwards with the exchange of people, goods and ideas. In our European museums layouts we display firstly Egypt, Greece, and Rome and therefore view the narratives of civilization as centre around the Mediterranean. The Silk Roads is about how the Pacific connects to Britain and Europe. Trade changes history and access to rare metals and also caused the spread of disease.
However he ignores the achievements of the Far East – such as gunpowder, mechanical clocks and compass. Chinese paper making was brought to Persia (Chinese block printing 6th century) and movable –type printing press Pi Sheng 1040. And India – science, maths, astrology.
Are the Silk Roads now only a bridge between the geopolitical powered of the west - Europe, North America, and to the emerging east of China and India? There is also no mention of the European enlightenment or the thriving life around the North Sea.
India has to choose between Russia and Europe.
Russia is the biggest supplier of refined fuel,
Shanghai, top 20 ports many into Africa.
UAE investing in Africa.
Peter Frankopan is a British historian, writer. He is a professor of global history at Worcester College, Oxford, and the Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research. He is a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. He is best known for his 2015 book The Silk Roads.