'2009 is Homecoming Scotland year. I believe a few pounds have been put in a kitty to allow special events to take place all over Scotland.
Just in case you were thinking of returning to Scotland this year, you will be pleased to hear that there is a Homecoming event in Nairn, namely the Nairn Book and Arts Festival.
For those of you doing a double take on this announcement you are right, this is the very same festival that has been running for some years but to make it ‘special’ it’s theme will be ‘Homecoming’.
The Book and Arts Festival usually put on fine little pinky events to which I look forward each year, but a shame that this seems to be is the one and only event Nairn will host for Homecoming year. Maybe the kitty wasn’t that big?'
Just in case you were thinking of returning to Scotland this year, you will be pleased to hear that there is a Homecoming event in Nairn, namely the Nairn Book and Arts Festival.
For those of you doing a double take on this announcement you are right, this is the very same festival that has been running for some years but to make it ‘special’ it’s theme will be ‘Homecoming’.
The Book and Arts Festival usually put on fine little pinky events to which I look forward each year, but a shame that this seems to be is the one and only event Nairn will host for Homecoming year. Maybe the kitty wasn’t that big?'
18 comments:
No 'homecoming' Highland Games this year then AyeRight? Ah, but don't a lot of people come home for that anyway?
Games days would have been obvious events for Homecoming Scotland to list as you say Craisg, no-idea why they haven’t? Maybe they would have had to offer some funding!
This is purely a marketing exercise, designed to try and get more tourists (of Scottish origin) to visit Scotland, by placing an 'envelope' round mainly existing events. I see nothing wrong with this, and I see the minimal extra funding required for this as a positive benefit in these straitened times; the lower value of our currency is likely to be at least as helpful in attracting overseas visitors to the 'old country' as anything that heavily-increased funding could achieve, unless our government actually started to drop airline tickets from 'planes above the cities of the US, Canada and Australia/New Zealand, which heaven forbid.
As for the Nairn Highland Games it is already sponsored by whisky-maker Macallan, or at least it has been for as long as I've lived in Nairn.
Am I missing something?
on the subject of homecoming scotland 2009 here is the video of scottish stars singing "Caledonia" for the event... it raised a chuckle with me when at 0.32 secondd in to the video Sir sean connory says his little bit "let me tell you that i love you and think about you every day" (from my home in spain ) here is the you tube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pszgxCKz-0s
Nairn Highland games have indeed enjoyed sponsorship from Macallan Whisky, but with a run of successive foul weather and hence poor attendance on their games day in recent years (Excluding 2008), I am sure they wouldn’t be adverse to a mention by Homecoming Scotland for their 2009 event, and if there's any spare money in the kitty...
Thanks for the link Doc, I'd not seen this clip before. Sir Sean doesn't exactly seem to have got his head around the tune!
It's a fine song but I would have liked them to have chosen Michael Marra's Hermless, just for that coming home chorus:
Hermless, hermless, There's never nae bother fae me
I ging to the libry, I tak' oot a book
And then I go hame for ma tea
Thats what we need, folk from overseas coming home to Scotland for their tea :)
LOL - I'm sure you are correct AyeRight, however I was much too polite in my earlier message when when I used the word 'marketing'; I had seen the YouTube clip before and of course the whole project is not just a 'marketing effort' to try and bring more visitors to Scotland, naturally a very worthy aim, but is also (and mainly?) a propaganda strategy by the SNP Scottish Executive (aka 'Scottish Government') to further its aims for its projected 2010/2011(?) referendum on independence; one can imagine that some people at least are a little wary of 'taking the homecoming shilling' given this background.
Bill, an interesting observation on the SNP. Are you suggesting that if the Homecoming project is successful then it will be a feather in the cap of the SNP and then effect the way that people vote in the projected referendum on independence?
If indeed the Homecoming project is no more than a marketing exercise making folk aware of existing events happening in Scotland, how does that become SNP propaganda? After all, it is aimed at tourists and not the voting population.
Apologies if I am being very dense here and not seeing the obvious connection!
Well AyeRight, as I see it there are two strands here:
- many UK citizens (from wherever they hail within the UK) who reside outside of the UK retain the right to vote in the UK for many years, under legislation introduced in the 1980s if I recall correctly (it is not necessary to be a taxpayer in the UK, unlike for citizens of the US) - so it is obviously of interest to any UK political party to 'market' itself to those abroad who might be able to vote for it in an election or a referendum;
- the second strand is more one of creating an 'atmosphere', creating the impression that Scotland, since Devolution is already becoming less part of the UK and that 'independence' is inevitable, for example the recent appearance by Alex Salmond on a Catalan television station here, or his hosting of various events with other regional governments in other EU countries designed to further his political agenda, but at general taxpayer expense, which I've written about, just about a year ago, here.
That, in my opinion, is what this 'Year of Homecoming' is really all about. I'm all for trying to enhance Scotland's tourism potential, both for intra-UK and overseas tourists, but I think there is a definite [SNP] agenda behind this particular campaign, just like almost everything Salmond and his SNP accomplices have done or tried to do since he became First Minister. Fine, just so long as he doesn't spend a penny of taxpayer money to further this partisan agenda.
Hi Bill,
Over the centuries many Scots have been forced to leave and move away from their land, usually for hard economic reasons rather than a true desire to travel. I doubt that there has been one who has not thought long and hard about their homeland, and dreamt of returning.
It may be as you have asserted that the Homecoming campaign underpins SNP ideals, but to me it is more about making a dream come true, and for non-Scots portraying a certain amount of romanticism about Scotland.
Whilst the Homecoming campaign might be run in many countries I truly doubt it will inspire the notion of ‘I really must apply for my postal vote this year’. A much easier target would be trying to raise the apathy of those who choose not to vote who reside in Scotland. I believe a certain President elect had some success in this area recently, I would suggest political apathy is the nut to crack for all parties.
I would agree that most would see Scotland as less part of the UK since devolution, but then that is the effect of devolution?
I wish every success to what I see as the innocent aims of the Homecoming campaign, and note that HIE are already preparing for an influx of German tourists this year, no Fawlty Towers sketches please!
Hi Graisg
The two links which I tried to embed in my earlier comment don't seem to work, so I'll try and copy them 'in clear':
First link - Salmond on Catalan TV
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/2935897
Second link - a post I wrote about a year ago about a year ago about Salmond hosting a meeting of regional governments from throughout the EU, at public (not SNP) expense:
http://billcameron.blogspot.com/2008/01/european-devolution-cliques-gather-in.html
I hope the links are fully visible; maybe Blogger comments require a procedure I am not familiar with to embed links, or perhaps it is not possible at all, who knows.
Hi AyeRight
I too wish the 'Homecoming' campaign success in bringing more tourists to Scotland (as I think I already mentioned), it's just that I'm a little cynical about people's first instinct being to fling more 'public funding' at such things - public funding of course either has to come from taxation or public borrowing and people don't usually think about that when they call casually for more 'funding' or 'investment' in this or that, without much attempt to quantify what cost/benefits may be expected to result, and of course they always want someone else to pay (usually accompanied by calls to 'soak the rich').
Funnily enough I wrote yesterday about the new Lufthansa flight out of Inverness this summer (which is the basis of the HIE hopes for an influx of German and nearby tourists) and I wish it all success, but I suspect the current low value of the Pound against the Euro, together with our beautiful low-density and unspoiled countryside, will be the deciding factors in whether it achieves the hoped-for load factors for both passenger and freight traffic.
Hi AyeRight (again)
- bye the bye, I think you meant to write lower the apathy (rather than 'raise the apathy') in one of your earlier comments? Else I've drunk rather too much Marsala tonight ;)
I had a look at your links Bill and to me Alex Salmond is acting responsibly bringing together members of other small independent countries for discussion. If Scotland is to become Independent it would be irresponsible for him not to glean as much information as he can beforehand?
I don’t suppose that any New Laborite was that impressed when Gordon Brown invited Margaret Thatcher to his residence during working time, but we vote people in and trust them to act in a responsible way and if we don’t like it we can say so at the next election.
To the matter of the posting... judging by the minutes of meetings in the Scottish Parliament, Homecoming Scotland is supported by all political parties, I cannot see any comment to suggest that it is an SNP fueled honey trap.
A full list of supported events and monies by Homecoming Scotland given can be found at: http://tr.im/6pl0
I tend to use: http://tr.im/ for URL postings Bill, makes them bite size and seems to work OK, although check with Craisg
Bill,
You are perfectly correct. I did mean to say 'lower the apathy'
(Too much political apathy this end)
Regards
AyeRight
Hi AyeRight
I support the 'Homecoming' initiative as it stands; I do not see the need for or utility in an increased budget to try an create a large number of special events purely for this year to justify the project; it is a modest 'envelope' project for mainly pre-existing events designed to try and boost tourist numbers to Scotland, some of whom will have family links to the country in the recent or far past. As you point out, all political parties support it - so do I. Stop trying to paint me as an opponent of this project.
I disagree with you about Salmond and his EU 'regional' governments initiative last January but, as you say, the voters will decide at the next elections (European and Westminster and Scottish); the day that the SNP gains 30 seats in Westminster then I'll believe that the bulk of Scots want separation (aka 'independence'); until then it's all just talk. When will Holyrood reduce the number of MSPs to 108/109 in accord with the terms of the Scotland Act 1998?
This is my final word on this subject; it's becoming tedious.
A final word?
Homecoming was originally set up by the then Labour first minister Jack McConnell
The final word?
Homecoming was originally set up by the then Labour first minister Jack McConnell
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