Here's a toast to the Scots Word of the Week
Many of the newspaper examples listed in DSL are critical of the toast. In September 1999, the Mirror noted: 'That high opinion of Scottishness, typified by the arrogant saying 'Wha's like us? Damn few – and they're a' deid,' is fairly common among us.' Similarly, in February 2004, the Daily Mail said it 'represents the Scottish curse of denying or neglecting the great and gifted living among us'.
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
The elite built their wealth on slavery – what can we do about it?
Obviously this did not come cheap, but its second owner, Ninian Home, had no trouble finding the means to turn this into a show-stopping stately home. As a sugar plantation owner in the West Indies he was filthy rich and wanted everybody to know it. Paxton House Trust, which holds the property for the nation, does not shy away from this shameful legacy. Instead, it has an exhibition highlighting the family's lucrative links to slavery and their plantations in Grenada. Part of the house's collection of sumptuous Georgian costumes includes a model of a black servant dressed in elegant shirt, silk waistcoat and breeches. What he and other black servants made of the Scottish Borders is not recorded; perhaps the best that can be said is that they were likely to have lived longer and more healthily here than if they had been working on a plantation. For what it's worth (very little you might say), it seems that Ninian Home was not a brutal owner. But an owner he was, one of countless great planters who made their fortunes, and passed them on, from the labour of the enslaved. Such were conditions in the West Indies – and in other colonies on the eastern seaboard of America – that so many died of disease, overwork or harsh treatment, constant transports of new slaves from Africa were required to replace them. It was an unspeakable way to make money, and yet many who did so believed themselves to be morally upstanding figures. Nor was Home a rarity among the middle and upper ranks of 18th-century Scottish society, whose houses, parks and prestige are with us still. Almost wherever you look, plantation owners and slave traders' fingerprints are all over our major institutions. Wherever there is generational privilege and power stretching back centuries, be it a bank or a justice system or an entrenched social hierarchy, you can be sure there is a direct association with enrichment from the colonies, either through slavery or oppression of other sorts. Just how complicit or rapacious Scotland has been is yet to be fully examined. This week, however, in a ground-breaking move, the University of Edinburgh published a Race Review, exploring the university's historic relationship to slavery and colonialism, and the ways in which it has benefited from these connections. Read more It's the worst kind of cut any council could make. And yet still they did it Overseen by Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, Scotland's first black professor, who died in June, the report runs to over 100 pages. Its conclusions make sobering reading. Not only did Edinburgh University receive £30m in 'philanthropic gifts' from those whose income came from tobacco, sugar and cotton plantations, but it reveals the extent to which 18th-century academics promulgated ideas of the racial superiority of whites and the inferiority, in particular, of blacks. Those of us taught to take pride in the Scottish Enlightenment, which laid the foundation for liberal democracy and rejected the stranglehold of religion, might need to adjust our lens. Edinburgh's leading thinkers, among them the philosophers Adam Ferguson and David Hume and the historian William Robertson, assumed that whites were superior. Despite heated debate, this belief was reflected in the curriculum, moulding the minds of students before they headed out into the world. Highlighting the perniciousness of these ideas, the report also investigates the university's ties to apartheid and genocide of colonised people across the globe, including the Middle East. In this respect, they single out Arthur James Balfour, the university's long-standing chancellor (1891-1930) and the architect of the Balfour Declaration. He played a pivotal role, they write, 'in establishing and maintaining a century-long process of imperial and settler-colonial rule in Palestine, resulting today in one of the longest standing colonial occupations and apartheid regimes in modern history.' The Race Report makes several recommendations for apology and reparation, and the Principal, Sir Peter Matthiessen, has pledged 'meaningful change', promising to 'learn from and repair its past'. Delivering the report, Matthiessen announced that 'we cannot have a selective memory about our past, focussing only on the historical achievements which make us feel proud.' The legacy of David Hume is proving controversial (Image: Newsquest) He's right. When you learn that even the Picts traded in slaves, you begin to realise that violent subjugation and money made from the misfortune of others underlie much of the heritage on which our nation has been built. Indeed, as the global history of colonialism shows, ruthless mistreatment of those deemed inferior is one of the most deplorable human instincts. However, Edinburgh University's critics point out that it is rather convenient to draw attention to reprehensible historic liaisons, whilst ignoring its contentious present-day alliances. The protest group Edinburgh University Staff 4 Free Speech claims that the university has 'murky relationships with organisations and governments which support modern day human exploitation'. They cite the university's 'silence' over the treatment of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, and its profitable ties to the Chinese government, whose persecution of Uighurs has drawn international condemnation. How many major institutions and companies have connections they would rather were not investigated too closely? Better perhaps to ask, how few don't? Where there's great wealth, there's all too often criminal ill-treatment. Today's abuses might not be as egregious in scale as in previous centuries, but there are countless ways in which to exploit workers, even in this country, let alone those with a poor human rights record. Despite our faith in public and political transparency, it's safe to assume that ill-gotten gains continue to taint public life and private philanthropy, seeping into the bedrock of our society under the guise of donations, influence, endowments and bequests. As Edinburgh University's report makes clear, it is essential to look unflinchingly at the past and face up to its ongoing legacy. We should be equally forensic and unforgiving when scrutinising the present, but that's a great deal harder.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
The Cairngorm estate close to Royal Balmoral home hits 2,000-acre tree milestone
Native trees have been growing on their own alongside other activities including sheep grazing and deer stalking. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Scottish estate has proven large-scale natural regeneration of trees can happen among other land uses as it reaches a new milestone. Invercauld Estate, which neighbours the royal family's home at Balmoral in upper Deeside, manages some 12,000 acres as woodland, one of the largest such areas in the Cairngorms National Park. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Using GPS and mapping technology, employees have been, since 2017, measuring areas where new, naturally regenerating trees started to appear. This year, they surpassed the 2,000-acre milestone with 2,082 acres mapped of native trees that have sprung up on their own. The area is equivalent to 1,180 football pitches or nine settlements the size of nearby Ballater. Pictures showing an area of the Invercauld estate from 2005 (left) compared to roughly the same area in 2024 | (L) Ian Hill (R) Angus McNicol Estate manager Angus McNicol said the progress had shown that natural regeneration could happen in areas with other land use on the estate, including sheep grazing and deer stalking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One of the most interesting things about the recent natural regeneration at Invercauld is that this has not occurred in the absence of other social and commercial activities in the same place,' he told The Scotsman. Angus McNicol of Invercauld Estate | Supplied 'Our objectives in managing Invercauld can be summarised broadly as being to seek the sustainability of not just the environment, but of the economy and the local community as well. These three elements are all inter-linked and reliant on one another. 'People sometimes think of the countryside can only be used for one thing or another. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That has lead to a lot of polarisation in discussions about land management in recent years, particularly in upland Scotland. I think what the emerging new native woodland at Invercauld demonstrates is that several land uses can operate in one place, with more overall benefits resulting.' Picture showing some of the natural tree regeneration across the site | Invercauld Estate An example of this, he said, was looking to some of the tree regeneration as potential timber. 'As the vast majority of timber used in the UK is still imported, I don't believe we can afford as a country not to make use of trees in this way if we want to claim we are being sustainable,' Mr McNicol said. 'The key is that new trees replace those that are felled.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Natural regeneration spreading across Invercauld Estate among other land use including sheep grazing and deer stalking | Invercauld Estate The estate manager said apart from some non native larch, the majority of the trees were native to Scotland, with the main being Scots pine followed by silver birch, willow and some aspen. Mr McNicol, who has worked at the estate for the past decade, said: 'Other activities that happen in our emerging new woodlands include sheep farming, deer stalking with guests, way-marked paths and tracks both for the public and guided tours and, most recently, carbon capture and storage. 'Not all land is used for all of these things and the extent to which it is varies. However, it is vital to us that these emerging new woodlands do not just meet environmental goals, but provide a wide range of social and commercial benefits at the same time.' John Mackie, Scottish Forestry's operations manager for Deeside, said: 'It's great to see the excellent work that has been undertaken by Invercauld's forestry team coming to fruition. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I have been observing the progress of the naturally regenerating woodlands on the estate for over a decade now and it's amazing to see the positive impacts on the landscape, ecological diversity and recreational use in what is in forestry terms a relatively short timescale.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Record number of 'demoralised' early career teachers quit profession in Scotland
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A record number of early career teachers in Scotland are quitting the profession, sparking calls for an overhaul to make the job more appealing and ensure classroom leaders are given greater authority and support. Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show the number of recent registrants leaving the register each year has doubled from 183 in 2018 to an unprecedented high of 374 last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The data, compiled by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the independent nationwide regulator, shows that since 2018, a total of 1,673 individuals decided to permanently leave the register within five years of gaining their provisional registration. A record number of early career teachers in Scotland are quitting the profession | PA The figures also show a significant spike in the number of new teachers choosing to step away from the profession at an early stage. Whereas just 30 people quit within two years of receiving their provisional registration in 2018, that number jumped to 126 in 2024. Similarly, the number quitting within three years of receiving their provisional approval to teach stood at 131 last year, up from just 50 seven years ago. Separate research produced by the GTCS shows that across all areas of experience, some 4,815 people left the register between August 2022 and March last year, with just 58 per cent retiring. Hundreds cited reasons such as problems securing a post, a lack of support in the classroom, unnecessary bureaucracy, and pupil behaviour and violence. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Willie Rennie, education spokesman for the Scottish Lib Dems, warned the trend highlighted the need for a plan to get Scottish education 'moving in the right direction'. Teachers have cited burnout and bureaucracy among the reasons for leaving the profession. | PA He said: 'Teaching is not as attractive a career as it once was. Who would want to face violence in the classrooms while salaries in industry race ahead? Teachers who are just starting out on their careers are feeling demoralised, disillusioned and disincentivised. 'The SNP once claimed they wanted to be judged on their record on education. They certainly aren't saying that anymore. Our young people need access to great teachers and a great education if we want them to get ahead in life.' Mr Rennie added: 'Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see properly resourced schools and education authorities with a plan for getting Scottish education moving in the right direction. We would make teaching a more attractive career path by bringing back principal teachers for key subjects, boosting in-class support and giving teachers the authority they need to halt violence in our schools.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Labour's education spokesperson, Pam Duncan-Glancy, said the numbers leaving the teaching profession were a 'damning sign' of mismanagement. 'Teachers are being driven out of the profession by the incompetence of this government, from its failure to deal with rising levels of violence to its shambolic lack of workforce planning,' she said. 'A Scottish Labour government will support teachers and build the education system young Scots deserve.' Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education and skills Miles Briggs said: 'The SNP, far from meeting their pledge to increase teacher numbers, have actually presided over a fall. Meanwhile, they continue to short-change schools and students by failing to deliver the full-time jobs they promised newly qualified teachers.' A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: 'The Scottish Government recognises and appreciates the hard work of our teachers. Our determination to support them led to an historic pay deal which now means that Scottish classroom teachers, on the main-grade scale, are the best paid in the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We also know how important wellbeing is to retaining teachers in the workplace. That is why we provided an additional £186.5 million in our budget, which was welcomed across the chamber, to restore teacher numbers, alongside an additional £29 million to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce.
