Yes Scotland release campaign tartan

By SHÂN ROSS
Published on 25/01/2013 09:23

A TARTAN commissioned and approved for use by the Yes Scotland campaign was ridiculed by Labour and Tory politicians on Thursday for choosing grey to represent Scotland’s future.

The Yes Scotland tartan, approved by the Scottish Government funded Scottish Register of Tartans yesterday, is listed as being designed for the “campaign for the referendum on Scottish independence, 2014”.

The colours of the tartan - blue, white, red and green on a purple background, are described as having been chosen to link Scotland’s past and future.

But it was the grey described as representing “Scotland’s future with business and industry” which attracted criticism. Some politicians also likened the colour purple in the weave to First Minister Alex Salmond’s face when receiving unwelcome political news.

The tartan, designed and registered by Libby Young of Glasgow-based Bare Knees Kilts, for a fee of around £80, can only be bought through the Yes Scotland campaign, or from Bare Knees Kilts.

The reason for choosing the colours for the tartan are given on the SRT website as: “The colours of the saltire are woven into the grey, green and purple of the landscape. The grey also represents Scotland’s future with business and industry.

“The green is for the wealth of natural resources in Scotland, including how green energy can play its part in the future, and the purple represents the blend of people who make up Scotland - both those who were born and bred here, and those who have chosen Scotland as their home.”

Alex Johnstone, Scottish Conservative MSP said: “It’s clear that the grey reflects the vague uncertainty surrounding a separate Scotland’s future, and the wind turbines that will dominate every hillside.

“The Yes Campaign attempts to turn regular Scots green with envy by stoking up resentment between them and the rest of the UK.

“And purple will be the colour of Alex Salmond’s face in 2014 when he watches his independence dream go up in flames.”

Commenting on the tartan being approved by a body funded by the taxpayer, Mr Johnstone added: “There’s more than one element within the public sector which confused its priorities with those of the SNP.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “Perhaps the purple represents the colour of Alex Salmond’s face when he saw the polls this week.”

A spokesman for the Yes Scotland campaign said: “It’s a great tartan. We hadn’t seen what the design company were saying about it. Most people at the Yes Scotland Burns Supper on Wednesday evening, where it was shown to people, thought the grey was meant to represent Scotland’s weather.”