The Gathering 2014

**AcuteEnigma** · 20th October 12, 04:28 AM

I think Gathering 2014 may be the biggest topic at the Stone Mountain Highland Games today, but unless someone comes up with a miracle, there will be no big gathering.

Regional Gatherings might still be done in the 20 months time left, but then why not move the Gathering to 2016 and have time to do it right?

Personally I think there should be a Clans Gathering at Edinburgh every couple of years. The Fringe Festival is there every summer, so why not a Clans Gathering?

What we are left with at this point is either everyone choosing a big games to show up at, like the Strathmore games at Glamis in June, or no BIG gathering, but several regional gatherings.

So why did Stirling Council say they would put on this event and then do nothing at all???????

All those clans who already made plans, booked rooms and buses, and set up tours before & after are not happy.

That book "How Scots Invented The World" is going to have a bad ending. :-(

**Tuirc** · 20th October 12, 04:48 AM

Not to be too cynical, because I'm not at all, but one must remember that this all occurs in a context, not in a vacuum. 2014 is when the vote for Scottish Independence is to be taken. The SNP government of Scotland has wisely chosen this vote to occur in the year of the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn. Having all the Scots from around the world gather in support, would not be a bad thing. Especially since I'm sure those of Scottish ancestry support independence much more than Scots living in Scotland do (below 30% last I heard), but we don't have to bear the repurcussions if things don't turn out. Romanicly and patriotically, we would much prefer an independent Scotland. So in terms of the potential Gathering, the government would be much in favor of having the Scottish people surrounded by a lot of people in favor of independence and urging them them to vote that way.

**Jock Scot** · 20th October 12, 05:21 AM

Tuirc, whilst what you say could possibly be a fair observation, but as a resident Scot, I can only hope that the good people from outwith Scotland and the UK in general------I quite accept the rest of the UK does have a serious and valid interest in the proceedings as they could be affected by the vote, if the vote went a certain way----- keep out of the debate. Whatever the outcome of the vote, it would be just awful, unbearable, and a repeat of the last three hundred years for us here today to inflict upon future Scots the depressing and unhelpful prospect of spending the next three hundred years moaning and groaning about the result and blaming all our assorted and undoubted ills on others.

**McClef** · 20th October 12, 07:20 AM

Indeed the vote is not a proper subject by our rules whether one is outwith or within Scotland.

Please keep contributions to the topic of the Gathering, thanks.

**Jock Scot** · 20th October 12, 07:23 AM

Ooops sorry, one post does seem to lead to another, does it not?

**McClef** · 20th October 12, 07:46 AM

I wasn't having a go at you Jock but rather trying to stop the thread going off topic as you were trying to do also from the viewpoint of a resident Scot.

The rules do not allow political discussion and therefore attempts to link the gathering with something else occurring had to have the proverbial shot across the bows.