Carol and I spent a couple of
days up at the Edinburgh Festival this week. I guess we have been
regulars for twenty something years now. And every year the whole thing
grows. More shows. More venues. More everything. This year it seemed
the change was even deeper. More profound.
Is there any other city on
earth which could do what Edinburgh does for three weeks every August? Not
many. I am lucky enough to have got around a bit in my time and off
the top of my head, I can only think of two – St Petersberg and
Prague. And all they would manage to do is provide the physical
backdrop. Both would have pretty major problems with the whole
diversity thing. Edinburgh in August is a flamboyant bonanza of every
kind of human being our planet has to offer. Black, white, yellow and
red. Straight, gay and all stations in between. I think St Petersberg
and Prague would have more than a few issues with that kind of thing!
More than ever Edinburgh
feels like a Nordic capital. The Union Flag on the castle seems out
of place, as ugly as graffiti. It is a place comfortable in its own
skin. Happy to be different.
We were having a coffee in a
Brazilian cafe across the road from Bristo Square. The place was
being watched over by a gym fit Slavic guy who ticked the box for
more than a few stereotypes. You know. A tight black T-shirt
stretched over a gym fit body. A crew cut and quietly alarming eyes.
If we had bumped into him in a Lithuanian backstreet I would have
been laying eggs and then some.
His pale eyes latched onto an
approaching figure. Black. Rather scholarly. Very African. And then
the Slavic face suddenly transformed itself into a beaming grin. The
two guys exchanged an elaborate handshake and embraced. Well of
course they did. This was Edinburgh, not Stoke.
This is Scotland, not
England.
A few hundred miles to the
south, Boris Johnson was making his latest pitch for the Tory
leadership by comparing Muslim women in the Hijab to 'letterboxes'.
The pundits seemed to think it was a decent enough ploy. The road to
London power seems to require a healthy dose of racism these days.
The experts in the studios seemed to think Boris had found the right
pitch of dog whistle to satisfy the septuagenarian Daily Mail readers
who choose our leaders. With every passing week, this dreadful
aberration seems to be morphing into England's very own twenty first
century version of Herman Goering.
Let's compare and contrast. They both
busted a gut to cut a glamourous dash as young men as they emerged
from their silver spoon in the mouth upbringings. To be honest,
Goering shone a little brighter. Whilst Boris strutted about as
President of the Oxford Union and threw his guts up at the Bullingdon
Club, Goering cut his teeth as a bona fide war hero in the skies above
the Western Front. Then both men hitched themselves to the racist
bandwagon in the pursuit of power and glory. Once both men were
handed any actual responsibility, both proved themselves to be
completely incompetent. Of course, Goering got himself hanged in the
end. I guess hope springs eternal.
So many coaches. And so many
Chinese. And for the umpteenth time, it hit me just how much 'Brand
Scotland' is continuing to flourish and boom. Once again it hit me
just how much the rest of the world is buying what we have to sell.
And once again I seethed at the reluctance of the ever-cautious
Scottish Government to shout about it from the rooftops.
And I got to thinking. Can
the success of Brand Scotland be measured in more ways than counting
coaches at the Edinburgh Festival?
Maybe. I had a go. Here's
what I came up with. It goes something like this. I took three areas
of Britain whose natural beauty has been deemed to be National Park worthy. The
Scottish Highlands, the English Lake District and Snowdonia in Wales.
Is any of the three a clear
winner in terms of postcard potential? Not really. Everyone will no
doubt have their preferences.
Which is the hardest to get
to? That is easy. The Highlands.
Next, I picked three
'gateway' towns on the edge of these areas of natural beauty.
Inverness, Kendal, and
Bangor.
Next, I summoned up
Booking.com and asked what it would cost me to stay for a night in
these towns next Friday.
And the results were pretty
conclusive. For a relatively bog standard three star hotel, the
average prices for a double room were as follows.
Inverness - £220
Kendal - £90
Bangor - £80.
Would this have been the case
twenty years ago? I very much doubt it. In fact, if my memory serves
me right, I reckon Kendal would have been the dearest place to stay by
some margin back then.
So what has changed? Well, I
reckon it is clear enough. Twenty years ago most of the guests in
these towns would have been British. I guess this is still the case
for Kendal in Bangor. Not so Inverness. All of a sudden visitors from
all over the world are drawn to the Highlands.
This isn't simply down to the
Lochs and the Glens. Instead, it is all about Brand Scotland. Some
put it down to Braveheart and Outlander. I think it is rather more. I
wonder how much is down to the 2014 Referendum. We were given a very
different view of Indyref to the one served up to the rest of the
world. When thousands of flag wearing 'Yes' supporters filled a
street, the BBC would give them a grudging ten seconds before gushing
on about Jim Murphy using a loud hailer to speak to ten party
activists and a couple
of hopeful drunks. The rest of the world saw the carnival of Yes in
full technicolour and it caught the imagination. Scotland might not
have actually signed on the dotted line, but it showed itself to be a
completely different place from its backward looking neighbour. It
became a beacon.
If you are a tourist who happens to be black, brown
or yellow, you have to think carefully about where you choose to take
your holidays. I know, believe me. As a mixed race couple, there are
fewer and fewer European destinations where we don't get hard-eyed
stares.
We underestimate just how
much notice the rest of the world has taken of what we have become,
whether it be the Tartan Army or the Edinburgh Festival. Of course,
this is is a bit of a stereotype. But what the hell. If the rest of
the world wants to see us as party people who don't do racism, then I
for one ain't about to complain about it. And there has to be a
reason why we don't have our own Caledonian versions of Boris Johnson or Nigel
Farage or Tommy Robinson. Dog whistle racism gets blown away on the
wind up here. Surely this is the main reason why a bog standard hotel
in Inverness can ask £220 for a double room.
The rest of the world is
sitting up and taking notice of what we have become. Of who we have
become. And the rest of the world clearly likes what it sees. The
rest of the world is beating a path to our door. The rest of the
world wants a piece of our action. Our visitor numbers go up and up
whilst tourism is tanking in Trump's America and more and more shops
on Oxford St fall vacant.
The day we wake up and see
ourselves the way everyone else sees us is the day when the polls
will announce 70% support for Yes.
Surely it can only be a
matter of time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is incredible!! I still imagine how Dr Noble brought my husband back to me in just 2days. No one could have ever made me believe that there is a real spell caster that really work. My name is Micheal Taylor from United States, I want to quickly tell the world that there is a real on line spell caster that is powerful and genuine, His name is Dr Noble, He helped me recently to reunite my relationship with my husband who left me, When i contacted Dr Noble he cast a love spell for me and my husband who said he doesn't have anything to do with me again called me and started begging me. he is back now with so much love and caring. today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the powers of bring lovers back.because i am now happy with my husband. To anyone who is reading this article and needs any help, Dr Noble can also offer any types of help like Reuniting of marriage and relationship, Curing of all types of Diseases, Court Cases, Pregnancy Spell, Spiritual protection and lot's more. You can contact him Via this email; ( templeofjoyandprosperity1@gmail.com) Or Whats_App number \Call +2348145643630
ReplyDeleteI want to thank Chief Dr Lucky for the Herbal HIV medicine he gave to me and my daughter, i was suffering from HIV when i gave birth to my daughter and that was how my daughter got the sickness indirect from me, but to God be the glory that i am heal with the herbal medicine that Chief Dr Lucky gave to me when i emailed him. i want to use this medium to tell everyone that the solution to our sickness has come,so i will like you to contact this great healer on his email address: Chiefdrlucky@gmail.com with him all your pains will be gone,i am really happy today that i and my daughter are cured of HIV, we are now Negative after the use of his Herb medicine, my specialist doctor confirm it. once more i say a big thank to you Chief Dr Lucky for healing hands upon my life and my daughter, i say may God continue to bless you abundantly and give you more power to keep helping those that needs your help. email him now he is waiting to receive you. {Chiefdrlucky@gmail.com} or What's App +2348132777335 Website : http://chiefdrluckysolutionhome.website2.me/
Deletei am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
Deleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
Hiv disease for the last 3 years and had pain hard to eat and cough are nightmares,especially the first year At this stage, the immune system is severely weakened, and the risk of contracting opportunistic infections is much greater. However, not everyone with HIV will go on to develop AIDS. The earlier you receive treatment, the better your outcome will be.I started taking ARV to avoid early death but I had faith in God that i would be healed someday.As a Hiv patent we are advise to be taking antiretroviral treatments to reduce our chance of transmitting the virus to others , few weeks ago i came on search on the internet if i could get any information on Hiv treatment with herbal medicine, on my search i saw a testimony of someone who has been healed from Hiv her name was Achima Abelard and other Herpes Virus patent Tasha Moore also giving testimony about this same man,Called Dr Itua Herbal Center.I was moved by the testimony and i contacted him by his Email.drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com We chatted and he send me a bottle of herbal medicine I drank it as he instructed me to.After drinking it he ask me to go for a test that how i ended my suffering life of Hiv patent,I'm cured and free of Arv Pills.I'm forever grateful to him Drituaherbalcenter.Here his contact Number +2348149277967...He assure me he can cure the following disease..Hiv,Cancer,Herpes Virus,Epilepsy, fibromyalgia ,ALS,Hepatitis,Copd,Parkinson disease.Diabetes,Fibroid...
ReplyDeletePOWERFUL SPELL CASTER THAT BROUGHT MY EX HUSBAND BACK INTO MY LIFE AFTER HE LEFT ME EMAIL HIM VIA EMAIL INFINITYLOVESPELL@GMAIL.COM OR INFINITYLOVESPELL@YAHOO.COM ADD HIM ON WHATSAPP +2348118829899
ReplyDeleteHello my fellow friends online I'm Diana Gilbert from USA, I want to use this medium to thank Dr Great because he brought back my Ex husband. my husband left me for his ex girlfriend he had before he married me it's a difficult situation for me I called and beg him to come back he refused he said he don't love me anymore I tried every possible way to get him back all was in vain I told my friend about it and she gave me Dr Great email and I emailed him and told him my problem and he told me what to do and I did it and he cast a love spell which brought back my husband within 24 hours. If you need help in getting back together with your Ex, email Dr Great at infinitylovespell@gmail.com or infinitylovespell@yahoo.com WhatsApp him +2348118829899
POWERFUL SPELL CASTER THAT BROUGHT MY EX HUSBAND BACK INTO MY LIFE AFTER HE LEFT ME EMAIL HIM VIA EMAIL INFINITYLOVESPELL@GMAIL.COM OR INFINITYLOVESPELL@YAHOO.COM ADD HIM ON WHATSAPP +2348118829899
Hello my fellow friends online I'm Diana Gilbert from USA, I want to use this medium to thank Dr Great because he brought back my Ex husband. my husband left me for his ex girlfriend he had before he married me it's a difficult situation for me I called and beg him to come back he refused he said he don't love me anymore I tried every possible way to get him back all was in vain I told my friend about it and she gave me Dr Great email and I emailed him and told him my problem and he told me what to do and I did it and he cast a love spell which brought back my husband within 24 hours. If you need help in getting back together with your Ex, email Dr Great at infinitylovespell@gmail.com or infinitylovespell@yahoo.com WhatsApp him +2348118829899
POWERFUL SPELL CASTER THAT BROUGHT MY EX HUSBAND BACK INTO MY LIFE AFTER HE LEFT ME EMAIL HIM VIA EMAIL INFINITYLOVESPELL@GMAIL.COM OR INFINITYLOVESPELL@YAHOO.COM ADD HIM ON WHATSAPP +2348118829899
ReplyDeleteHello my fellow friends online I'm Diana Gilbert from USA, I want to use this medium to thank Dr Great because he brought back my Ex husband. my husband left me for his ex girlfriend he had before he married me it's a difficult situation for me I called and beg him to come back he refused he said he don't love me anymore I tried every possible way to get him back all was in vain I told my friend about it and she gave me Dr Great email and I emailed him and told him my problem and he told me what to do and I did it and he cast a love spell which brought back my husband within 24 hours. If you need help in getting back together with your Ex, email Dr Great at infinitylovespell@gmail.com or infinitylovespell@yahoo.com WhatsApp him +2348118829899
i will never forget the help Dr MUSA render to me in my marital life. I have been married for 8 years now and my husband and i love each other very dearly. After 4 years of our marriage my husband suddenly change he was having an affair with a lady outside our marriage, my husband just came home one day he pick up his things and left me and the kids to his mistress outside at this time i was confuse not knowing what to do again because i have lost my husband and my marriage too. i was searching for help in the internet, i saw many people sharing testimony on how Dr MUSA help them out with their marital problems so i contacted the email of Dr MUSA i told him my problem and i was told to be calm that i have come to the right place were i can get back my husband within the next 48hours, to my greatest surprise my husband came to my office begging me on his knees that i should find a place in my heart to forgive him, that he will never cheat on me again, i quickly ask him up that i have forgiven him. Friends your case is not too hard why don't you give Dr MUSA a chance, because i know they will help you to fix your relationship with your Ex Partner. contact him: {DRMUSALOVESPELL@GMAIL.COM .....
ReplyDeleteI want to thank Chief Dr Lucky for the Herbal HIV medicine he gave to me and my daughter, i was suffering from HIV when i gave birth to my daughter and that was how my daughter got the sickness indirect from me, but to God be the glory that i am heal with the herbal medicine that Chief Dr Lucky gave to me when i emailed him. i want to use this medium to tell everyone that the solution to our sickness has come,so i will like you to contact this great healer on his email address: Chiefdrlucky@gmail.com with him all your pains will be gone,i am really happy today that i and my daughter are cured of HIV, we are now Negative after the use of his Herb medicine, my specialist doctor confirm it. once more i say a big thank to you Chief Dr Lucky for healing hands upon my life and my daughter, i say may God continue to bless you abundantly and give you more power to keep helping those that needs your help. email him now he is waiting to receive you. {Chiefdrlucky@gmail.com} or What's App +2348132777335 Website : http://chiefdrluckysolutionhome.website2.me/
ReplyDeletei will love to share my testimony to you all in the world. i'm form new York i got married to my husband about 2 year ago we start having problems at home like we stop sleeping on the same bed, fighting about little things he always comes home late at night, drinking too much and sleeping with other women out side i have never love any man in my life except him. he is the father of my children and i don't want to loose him because we have worked so hard together to become what we are and have today .few month ago he now decided to live me and the kid, being a single mother can be hard sometimes and so i have nobody to turn to and i was heart broken.i called my mom and explain every thing to her, my mother told me about PRIEST PETER, how he helped her solve the problem between her and my dad, i was surprise about it because they have been Seperated from each other for three and a half years and it was like a miracle how they came back to each other. i was directed to priest PETER, and i explain everything to him, so he promise me not to worry that he will cast a spell and make things come back to how It was before, we where so much in love again. and priest PETER told me that it was another female spirit that was controlling my husband, and he said my problem will be solved within 2 days if i believe i said OK So he cast a spell for me and after two days my love came back asking me to forgive him i Am so happy now.
ReplyDeleteAND HE ALSO HAVE CURE FOR THE FOLLOWING DISEASE
HIV/AIDS.
2 BAD DREAMS
3 HEPATITIS.
4 LOW SPERM COUNT.
5 CANCER DISEASES.
6 FIBROID DISEASES.
7 GONORRHEA
8 FALLOPIAN TUBE.
9 PREGNANCY.
10 HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
11 HERPES
so that why i decided to share my experience with every body that have such problem contact priest Peter the great spell caster on his email Id: drpeterwilliams768@gmail.com or whatsapp him +2349019861336
i will love to share my testimony to you all in the world. i'm form new York i got married to my husband about 2 year ago we start having problems at home like we stop sleeping on the same bed, fighting about little things he always comes home late at night, drinking too much and sleeping with other women out side i have never love any man in my life except him. he is the father of my children and i don't want to loose him because we have worked so hard together to become what we are and have today .few month ago he now decided to live me and the kid, being a single mother can be hard sometimes and so i have nobody to turn to and i was heart broken.i called my mom and explain every thing to her, my mother told me about PRIEST PETER, how he helped her solve the problem between her and my dad, i was surprise about it because they have been Seperated from each other for three and a half years and it was like a miracle how they came back to each other. i was directed to priest PETER, and i explain everything to him, so he promise me not to worry that he will cast a spell and make things come back to how It was before, we where so much in love again. and priest PETER told me that it was another female spirit that was controlling my husband, and he said my problem will be solved within 2 days if i believe i said OK So he cast a spell for me and after two days my love came back asking me to forgive him i Am so happy now.
ReplyDeleteAND HE ALSO HAVE CURE FOR THE FOLLOWING DISEASE
HIV/AIDS.
2 BAD DREAMS
3 HEPATITIS.
4 LOW SPERM COUNT.
5 CANCER DISEASES.
6 FIBROID DISEASES.
7 GONORRHEA
8 FALLOPIAN TUBE.
9 PREGNANCY.
10 HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
11 HERPES
so that why i decided to share my experience with every body that have such problem contact priest Peter the great spell caster on his email Id: drpeterwilliams768@gmail.com or whatsapp him +2349019861336
Five weeks ago my boyfriend broke up with me. It all started when i went to summer camp i was trying to contact him but it was not going through. So when I came back from camp I saw him with a young lady kissing in his bed room, I was frustrated and it gave me a sleepless night. I thought he will come back to apologies but he didn't come for almost three week i was really hurt but i thank Dr.Azuka for all he did i met Dr.Azuka during my search at the internet i decided to contact him on his email dr.azukasolutionhome@gmail.com he brought my boyfriend back to me just within 48 hours i am really happy. What’s app contact : +44 7520 636249
ReplyDeleteFantastic job. I really enjoyed
ReplyDeletewhat you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
토토사이트
경마
온라인경마
I am glad to discover this page. I have to thank you for the time I spent on this especially great reading !! I really liked each part and also bookmarked you for new information on your site. 야한동영상
ReplyDeleteClick this link
야설
I was very pleased to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoy every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. 한국야동닷컴
ReplyDeleteClick this link
국산야동
it’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing. 국산야동
ReplyDeleteClick this link
야설
smm panel
ReplyDeletesmm panel
iş ilanları
instagram takipçi satın al
hirdavatciburada.com
WWW.BEYAZESYATEKNİKSERVİSİ.COM.TR
SERVİS
tiktok jeton hilesi
beykoz beko klima servisi
ReplyDeleteümraniye daikin klima servisi
beykoz toshiba klima servisi
üsküdar toshiba klima servisi
üsküdar beko klima servisi
pendik lg klima servisi
pendik alarko carrier klima servisi
pendik daikin klima servisi
tuzla toshiba klima servisi