Cultural protest

Published on 17/11/2012 00:00

IT IS not English accents that 
I “object to” (Andrew HN Gray, Letters, 15 November) – my 
admirable “incomer” son-in-law has one – but to English cultural imperialism and the long 
tradition of deferring to that in Scotland.

Rabid Unionistas like Mr Gray still don’t get it: the Anglification of Scotland has being 
going on, at a variable pace, for many years, but there is no possibility of England being “Scottified”, however many lads and lasses o’ pairts do well south of the Border.

If I may adapt the famous Clinton campaign slogan – “it’s the demography, stupid”.

Anyone who doubts that hasn’t got out much (in Edinburgh, the Highlands, Aberdeenshire or the Borders) in the past 20 years.

That bothers me much less (after all, the children of incomers will be Scots) than the gifting of the levers of cultural (and other) influence to, mostly, English incomers – however well qualified – if lacking a gut understanding of Scottish culture, education and history.

It is a problem unique to being British.

Andrew Gray and the nay-sayers are clearly happy to allow that process to continue unabated to ensure the Scots do not get above themselves.

He has no right, incidentally, to attach an SNP tag to my views – I have not – but I do believe that only independence will rectify this skewed state of affairs.

David Roche

Alder Grove

Scone, Perthshire