The Gathering 2014 – Upcoming Event News

[Jock Scot]

With all these wonderful, once in a lifetime activities and events going on, I wonder why they all steadfastly refuse to give us the one activity that people are crying out for? By this I mean the mass parade of the clans. It surely cannot be beyond the wit of man to organise a 1 mile march through an urban area with pipebands and flags flying! It worked in 2009 and could do so again in 2014. But instead they want us to wander round the highlands and islands and get back to our roots in our clan lands. It can't happen at Bannockburn during the three day celebrations - there aren't the facilities. This is not what the public want.

Regards

Chas

Its not what the public want? Really? It, I think, depends on which public are you meaning? The visiting public? Or the resident public?

Now I cannot speak for Scotland, but I can tell you what I see and hear. If we just go back to 2009 for a wee while and let us not get mired in the detail, but suffice to say that much of Scotland were distinctly underwhelmed by the whole Homecoming event from start to finish and make no mistake those antics have left a lasting legacy of suspicion and lack of enthusiasm for any more of it.

Well of course there is a huge commercial side to all this and that should not be forgotten, but it would be unwise to forget the local public in all this and two of the major criticisms of 2009 from the locals was that only Edinburgh was involved and the whole event was hi-jacked by those outwith Scotland right from the outset. So, I suppose this time round the powers that be are at least trying to be more inclusive.

I was listening to a very enlightening discussion yesterday, between a group of Scottish School leavers who were debating properly at school and if I might say so, very well, "Scotland and its future after 2014, regardless of the referendum result". Very interesting stuff! Now I am not going into detail on that subject, but one speaker spoke very eloquently about Scotland becoming an outpost of Walt Disney and how demeaning for Scotland the tourist industry had become and how that must change. Hummm, careful chaps when demanding things of Scotland, times may be a changing in more ways than one!