Latest news with #ArchieHamilton
Scotsman
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Scottish unicorns given names after restoration at ‘iconic' whisky visitor attraction
Two unicorn sculptures have been reunited with their horns, and named after a restoration project. 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... Two prominent Edinburgh sculptures have been given new names after being lovingly restored to their former glory as part of a wider conservation project at one of the city's most iconic visitor attractions. Perched above the historic Scotch Whisky Experience at the top of the Royal Mile, the pair of unicorns, long stripped of their horns by time and weather, have now been fully reinstated through a major heritage-led restoration of the building. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A naming competition, launched in partnership with Forever Edinburgh, attracted hundreds of creative suggestions from locals and visitors alike. The winning names, Deoch and Doras, were chosen by the public in a witty and affectionate nod to the Gaelic phrase deoch an dorais, meaning 'a farewell drink' or 'one for the road', literally 'drink of the door.' One of the winners, Archie Hamilton, noted the Harry Lauder song, A Wee Deoch An Doris, which captures the spirit of the tradition, as he explained the inspiration behind the names. He said: ''Deoch an dorus' just seemed natural for the Unicorns, our national animal. With Gaelic being our national language, plus the whisky link through the old Harry Lauder song, what better option.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Julie Trevisan Hunter, marketing director at The Scotch Whisky Experience , said: 'We were genuinely moved by the imagination and thought that people put into naming the unicorns. 'Many of the more than 1,500 suggestions reflected deep affection for Scotland's culture, language and folklore, which is exactly the kind of connection we hope to inspire as we bring the world of Scotch whisky to life. 'Deoch and Doras' captured something uniquely Scottish while being warm, fun and rooted in tradition.' Among the many entries were names drawn from Scottish landscapes and whisky regions and history, and some playful puns such as Whisker & Snifter. Others favoured names from popular children's stories, reflecting the unicorns' imaginative appeal across generations, and there were many Gaelic references. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ealasaid MacDonald, Ceannard (CEO) of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the main public body for promoting and developing Gaelic language and culture in Scotland, praised the decision to use Gaelic, saying: 'I was delighted to hear from the Scotch Whisky Experience that Gaelic featured so prominently in their highly successful search for strong Scottish names for their unicorns. 'This highlights the understanding and appreciation of Gaelic when we celebrate the old and the new in Scottish culture, underlining its importance as a national cultural and economic asset. I'm sure the newly restored Deoch and Doras will provide a warm Gaelic welcome to everyone that visits." The unicorn restoration is part of a major project to preserve the integrity of The Scotch Whisky Experience's historic site while enhancing its visitor experience. Susan Morrison, chief executive of The Scotch Whisky Experience explained the programme: 'The building's recent conservation programme has been guided by a deep respect for our setting next to Edinburgh Castle and a commitment to our role as gateway for the appreciation of Scotland's national drink and rich cultural heritage.
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Tory peer forced to apologise for antisemitic slur over Holocaust memorial
A Tory peer has apologised after saying Jewish people should pay for a London Holocaust memorial themselves because they have 'an awful lot of money'. Archie Hamilton, a former minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, said taxpayers' money should not be used to pay for the memorial and education centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to parliament. In a debate in the Lords, he said the park is too small for the proposed project, adding: 'I do not understand why the government have volunteered taxpayers' money, when there is so little of it, to finance this. 'The Jewish community in Britain has an awful lot of money. It has a lot of education charities that would contribute towards this. I do not understand why they should not pay for their own memorial.' The Antisemitism Policy Trust said the comments were 'ill-judged, racist and false' and it was 'shocking that his slur was not challenged by those leading the debate'. Ex-Labour MP Ian Austin, a crossbench peer, pushed back against Lord Hamilton's comments saying the memorial is 'not for the Jewish community… it is a memorial for everybody'. Lord Hamilton replied that the 'driving forces behind putting up this memorial are the Jewish people in this country'. 'They are people who have property everywhere. I do not see why they should not fund it. I just do not understand why the British taxpayer should be asked to pay for this when there is quite clearly a tremendous shortage of taxpayers' money to go around,' Lord Hamilton added. He was criticised by Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein, who hit back: 'The noble Lord cannot stand up here and say, 'The Jews want the Holocaust memorial, and they ought to pay for it'. 'The Holocaust is not something that is just about the Jews.' Lord Hamilton pushed back saying that he has 'plenty of Jewish blood' and is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel. The Antisemitism Policy Trust said Lord Hamilton's comments were 'ill-judged, racist and false'. Its chief executive Danny Stone added that they 'betrayed a lack of knowledge and understanding about the Jewish community and what the Holocaust memorial is for'. 'It is shocking that his slur was not challenged by those leading the debate. We will be working with parliamentarians to ensure this appalling rhetoric does not remain unchallenged,' he added. In a statement issued after the debate, Lord Hamilton withdrew the remarks and apologised. He said: 'My remarks were not intended to be antisemitic and I apologise unreservedly. 'With hindsight, having read my comments , I realise that my remarks were insensitive and I apologise. I intend to meet with groups from the Jewish community in order to understand how to communicate about issues affecting British Jews.'
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Conservative peer accused of using antisemitic tropes in Lords debate
A Conservative peer has been accused of using antisemitic tropes after telling a debate in the Lords that Jewish people should pay for a proposed Holocaust memorial in London because they have 'an awful lot of money'. Archie Hamilton, who served as a minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and was made a peer in 2005, was criticised after the debate about whether to put the memorial and education centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to parliament. Lord Hamilton said that he lived nearby and the park was too small for the memorial, before adding: 'I do not understand why the government have volunteered taxpayers' money, when there is so little of it, to finance this. 'The Jewish community in Britain has an awful lot of money. It has a lot of education charities that would contribute towards this. I do not understand why they should not pay for their own memorial.' Ian Austin, a former Labour MP who now sits as a crossbench peer, intervened to say that the memorial was not one for the Jewish community but 'a memorial for everybody'. Hamilton replied: 'I take that point, but the driving forces behind putting up this memorial are the Jewish people in this country. They are people who have property everywhere. I do not see why they should not fund it.' The peer added that he had 'plenty of Jewish blood, and I am a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel'. Austin said afterwards that Hamilton's comments were 'completely unacceptable' and that the Conservatives should take action. He said: 'How many antisemitic caricatures is it possible to get in one speech? It is shocking to hear comments like this in a debate about the Holocaust. It shows that antisemitism remains a real problem – even in parliament – but it does show why a memorial that focuses on anti-Jewish racism is still necessary.' Danny Stone, the chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, which works with parliamentarians and others, said: 'Not only were Lord Hamilton's comments ill-judged, racist and false, they betrayed a lack of knowledge and understanding about the Jewish community and what the Holocaust memorial is for. 'It is shocking that his slur was not challenged by those leading the debate. We will be working with parliamentarians to ensure this appalling rhetoric does not remain unchallenged.' The site for the memorial and education centre was approved in 2021 following a public inquiry, eight years after David Cameron's government announced the idea. While the decision was backed by many Jewish groups, some people said the decision to use a relatively small green space was mistaken. Among the opponents was the crossbench peer Ruth Deech, whose father fled the Nazis. Speaking in the same Lords debate as Hamilton, Deech said she wanted to bring some 'fiscal discipline' to a project she said could now cost more than £190m. Hamilton and the Conservative party were contacted for comment.
