Flagging up Saltire costs £300,000

Published on Monday 28 June 2004 02:32

MINISTERS were berated yesterday for spending £300,000 of taxpayers’ money to find out that the Saltire is the best symbol to promote Scotland abroad. The Executive’s political opponents, as well as flag experts, expressed disbelief at what they described as a waste of public money.

The Saltire has been a symbol of Scottishness for about 12 centuries. But it is now to become the official symbol to promote Scotland abroad after an exhaustive search by consultants and image professionals to find the best logo.

Marketing groups hired by the Executive spoke to people around the globe and reported back to Jack McConnell, the First Minister, that "people regard the Saltire as Scotland’s national symbol".

Mr McConnell will unveil details this week of a new campaign to sell Scotland to the world. But instead of creating a trendy new image, he is to announce that the government will rely on the national flag. A Saltire will be sent to every British embassy, consulate and public building, and officials will be asked to fly it whenever appropriate.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive explained: "Just as the South African flag belongs to everyone in South Africa, the Saltire transcends political controversies - it is a symbol of confidence and pride. It is a symbol of a new Scotland.

"It is a symbol of national unity and is recognisable to Scots everywhere, whether they live in Aberdeen or Adelaide, but it is also rooted firmly in our history. That is why we will use it as the symbol for our campaign," he said

But Brian Monteith, for the Tories, said the extraordinary amount of money spent on such an obvious decision showed how out-of-touch the Executive had become.

Richard Lochhead, for the SNP, said he could have saved the money by suggesting it for free.

George Reid, an Edinburgh pensioner who has campaigned for years for a standard colour of blue to be used in the Saltire, said: "I could have saved them the time and money had they come to me."