Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[Jock Scot]

Thank you for all your thoughts and comments here, some have been very helpful. Not so much in answering the question as a whole to my satisfaction, but they have lead my mind and enquiries in directions that I had not previously considered.

Alright in truth, I still do not understand where my thoughts are going to end up, but I can, I think, see trends in Scotland that I have not seen before. I quite accept that these germs of observations of mine may well have been there for years and I was unaware of them, I have an open mind on that, but I don't think so. So what am I thinking.

I think Scotland, perhaps due to the national discussion going on at the moment, but I think it goes back more towards the time of Scotland getting it own Parliament and that allowed Scotland as a whole, to review its place in the world and without doubt there is a National confidence growing and I think the tourist industry and "world Scottishness" are going to have to have a rethink, possibly a major rethink.

The tourist industry is a major and important industry in Scotland, of that there is no doubt -----it is not the only income generator in Scotland though-----however, the "romantic, Clan, short bread, tartan clad everything, rose tinted specticled, Laird filled, bagpipe, kilted" country that has been painted by the tourist industry for the last 150 years needs a rethink. In truth, it has realistically never existed, but it has, very successfully, been marketed by a fairly cynical tourist industry to, lets be frank, generations of willing customers. Its been done, overdone for years and I do detect an accellerating tiring of tolerance of all this, by the younger generation that I have to confess, I had not seen in any sort of scale before. Let me say straight away that this is not "anti tourist", it is more of an "anti-romantic, lets get real" type of thing. Many of those of the older generation have quietly let it all happen around them, whilst having quiet and genuine misgivings, but there has been I think, a major change of emphisis from the younger generation that "Sally and Harry" unwittingly brought to my attention. Where all this will lead who knows? Will it be sustainable? I know not. My research goes on.

This is not a political post and I would appreciate it, if politics are kept out of this thread. Mods should this go political, then please close this thread forthwith.