THE quango charged with promoting and caring for Scotland’s historic environment has said it is having discussions with various bodies about ways to mark the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath.
But Historic Environment Scotland (HES) refused to be drawn on whether it would ban access to Arbroath Abbey in 2020 after it refused to allow independence supporters into Stirling Castle car park on their 500-mile march across Scotland because of their “political” presence.
READ MORE: Historic Environment Scotland refuses Yes walkers entry to Stirling Castle car park
It also banned an All Under One Banner rally from Holyrood Park following next Saturday’s march through Edinburgh.
The National told yesterday how Gregg Brain had written to its chief executive Alex Paterson, pointing out that the declaration was “perhaps the most significant political act” in Scotland’s history.
“By definition, any commemoration of this event, will also be an overtly political event,” he said.
The full statement from HES read: “We are currently in the early stages of planning for Arbroath 2020, and have had discussions with a number of local partners around activities to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath and its place in the history of Arbroath Abbey.
“While we have not yet received Mr Brain’s letter, we would like to offer reassurance that our role as the lead public body for the historic environment is to highlight and enrich understanding of Scotland’s history, particularly significant events with strong links to our Properties in Care.
“Arbroath 2020 will provide an excellent opportunity to explore the story of the Declaration of Arbroath, one of the most famous documents in Scotland’s history, and of the Abbey itself.”
However, Brain said HES’s stance did not change the nature of the declaration or its anniversary, and he accused the body of cashing in on the event.
READ MORE: Historic Environment Scotland challenged over Declaration of Arbroath anniversary plans
He told The National: “Historic Environment Scotland has said that they want to ‘reassure’ people that they’ll have the ‘opportunity to explore the story of the Declaration of Arbroath’, which is nice.
“However, it doesn’t change the nature of the Declaration of Arbroath, or its centennial.
“The declaration was a political act by the fledgling State of Scotland, objecting to (and trying to change) the political overlordship of London rule.
“This act resonates very strongly with the current political landscape today. Indeed, the 700th anniversary will have so much value as a ‘commemoration’ to HES precisely because so many today identify with its sentiments.
“It will be absolutely impossible to divorce the anniversary from contemporary politics, and HES knows this full well.
“Their statement does nothing to address this, or how their current policy simply has to restrict almost any event for the centenary.”
Brain added: “Historic Environment Scotland no doubt wants to cash in on the 700th anniversary, which is quite understandable.
“I have no problem with that and wish them well; it’s just that they’ve decided to enforce a silly rule about political activities at every other site, while wanting to exempt themselves from their own rule – when there’s an enormous amount of money and international publicity to be had.
“To use an analogy from the Irish, their current behaviour seems to be neutrality, sure enough – but one needs to understand who they’re neutral against.
“As things currently stand, HES has a choice between integrity, and the cash. They can’t have both with their current policy.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel