Call for Saltire to be flown at Edinburgh Castle

Published on Monday 13 September 2010 14:53

The Scottish Government today faced calls to erect a new flagpole at Edinburgh Castle allowing the Saltire to fly above the Union flag.

• The Union Jack currently flys over Edinburgh Castle

MSPs considered the call in a petition today after the Army, which has a base at the castle, refused requests to replace the British flag with a Saltire.

Nationalist MSPs have lodged a motion in Parliament calling for the Union flag to be taken down at David's Tower.

But Holyrood's Petitions Committee considered a call to erect a 90ft high flagpole in Crown Square in the Castle which would allow a Saltire to be flown on a permanent basis.

Nationalist MSP Anne McLaughlin said: "The petitioner has put forward a compromise suggestion that would allow that flag to continue to be flown, whilst we're still part of Britain, but ensures that Scotland's flag is flown from the highest point on the castle.

"I would support the petition."

Although a Saltire does fly at the castle, the petitioners want to see it given its "rightful premier position on Scotland's foremost tourist attraction".

The petition was lodged by Mark Hirst on behalf of the campaign group Saltire Scotland.

Labour MSP Bill Butler said: "The options that we have here are to ask the Scottish Government and Historic Scotland if they will take the action requested by the petitioner and if so when - and if not, why not."

The committee, meeting today in Arran High School, agreed to write to the Scottish Government, which owns the castle, and Historic Scotland, which manages the castle on its behalf. They are also to seek the views of the Ministry of Defence.

A Holyrood motion by Nationalist MSP Christine Grahame points out that the Army uses the Saltire in recruitment campaigns in Scotland and calls for the Union Flag to be removed from the castle and replaced with the Saltire.

It has the backing of a range of SNP MSPs and Government ministers.

Ownership of Edinburgh Castle passed to Scottish ministers in the early 1990s.