Scottish culture

Lesley Riddoch’s article (Perspective, 11 June) was quite confusing in its endeavour to review who we are.

When I was trying to learn German in Glasgow many years ago, we were asked what we thought was typically German, and were somewhat stumped to come up with a reply.

Leather pants and Hitlerian flourishes were out; a hard work ethic and Vorsprung durch Technik drove advancement.

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More recently, on a train in Germany, we mentioned we were from Scotland, so the attendant automatically poured us an extra, extra-large whisky.

To be Scottish was to be a heavy drinker, in his mind. Our international image is just of tartan, bagpipes and booze in many minds, whereas it should be much more of high-level workmanship linked to a fine long-standing education and training system and personal cultural development.

It is just not possible to define any national identity without falling into very inadequate stereotyping. How does one then define “robust Scottish culture”, to which Ms Riddoch refers? Scottish culture, I suggest, is nowadays actually in many ways not too dissimilar to that of the rest of the UK. What matters is building up all aspects irrespective of their perceived origin or long-standing nature. How this will be financed for future generations is what we need to know.

Joe Darby

Dingwall

Ross-shire

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