View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Saturday 8 November 2008

History

Many thanks to Stuart for his offer of lessons in history. I'm going to decline, though.

My initial posting was of a party-political nature, something I rarely engage in as I am not eligible to vote in parliamentary elections. However, staying in Scotland means I am affected by decisions by those in high office (like Alex Salmond and his predecessor Jack McConnell). I shall revert to not making party-political statements.

I'd like to think I'm pretty well versed in the history of the Highlands and Islands, certainly where the Clearances are concerned. Reading the book On the Crofters' Trail by David Craig gives you a pretty good idea what went on at the time, and I've developed some very strong views on the matter. Here in Lewis, 36 villages lie derelict and have done so for 190 years because it was more profitable to keep sheep or deer in the Eishken district.

Irrespective of his political colour, Mr Salmond's expression that the Clearances were 'deplorable', something repeated by the Scottish Parliament, was not worded strongly enough bearing in mind the inhumane way people were treated in the Clearances.

However, we have seen a similar event in Australia this year, with PM Kevin Rudd offering an apology to the Aboriginal population for the way they were treated until very recently. An apology is all well and dandy, but does not undo the damage done. I realise that in the case of the Clearances, nothing will undo the damage caused.

Peace out.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, G. You have so many journals that it is har* to keep up with you. TY for congrats to Obama. I am very happy & hopeful for the changes we will see ahea*. TY for always keeping on top of the weather. I will nee* the up*ates from now on! LOL
    XX
    Winivere
    http://womanintheglassbox.blogspot.com

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  2. David Craig not Craig David ;) is not a historian but a teacher of creative writing he is not a historian! These are my people you talk about I know their history, it is my history.

    You might like to try this :

    Contempt,Sympathy and Romance: Lowland Perceptions of the Highlands and the Clearances during the Famine Years,1845-1855 by Krisztina Fenyo

    Publisher's Synopsis
    Using newspaper materials circa the mid-19th century, this book shows the usefulness of these sources for the evaluation of the range of Scottish public opinion in terms of the lowland perceptions of the Highlands and the Clearances during the Famine years of 1845-1855. Newspaper files of the period during the Famine years up to the Crimean War reveal that the most popular Lowland attitude towards the Highlanders at this time was one of contempt. They frankly regarded the Gaels as an inferior and often useless race, and the battle which sympathetic journalists fought against this majority view shows clearly these journalists' disillusionment at what they saw at the time as a hopeless struggle. At the same time, there were those who saw the Highlands through rose-coloured glasses, as they increasingly became an aristocratic playground, a nature reserve for tourists and a theme for pre-Celtic-twilight poets and novelists. But be it sympathy, contempt or romance, these three strands of public opinion in the Lowlands had one thing in common, they all saw the Highlanders as essentially a different race.

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