To General Synod Office in Edinburgh yesterday, where I discovered lying prominently in the reception room (Room 1) an up to date copy of Scottish Field and a small pile of Scottish Fields for recent months.
Can anyone confirm whether this is anything to do with the fact that the leader of the Scottish Tory Party has been asked to speak at the Provincial Conference? Does the one follow the other as night follows day, or are these two things in fact unrelated?
I might prefer a group discussion on Scottish Field to listening to speeches by members of the conservative party at the provincial conference.
Do you speak as someone from Rural parts of the Nation, Kimberly?
There is a Rural Commission for people like you, you know.
She is an Elder of the Kirk, I believe, so she’s a Christian as well as a politician. I’ve met her, and even though we disagreed on politics I thought she was great fun.
I quite admire Ms Goldie myself, though not of course her politics, and I’m unsurprised to hear that she is good fun.
I’m going to gloss over the claim that someone is a Christian because they are an elder of the kirk and leave someone more qualified to respond to it. I’m sure you are right, Robin.
Would it be out of the question, Robin, for Ms Goldie to become the new Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway?
“Do you speak as someone from Rural parts of the Nation, Kimberly?”
no, not at all.
Just checking.
In a former life I used to work for the Scottish Field, (along with the Scottish Farmer and a now defunked climbing magazine) and so I am somewhat surprised to hear of you suggesting that it is Tory in nature. I and those in the office I worked certianly, at that time (early 80’s) saw it as liberal (the same couldn’t be said for the Scottish Farmer)! Has it really changed that much?
My prejudices were formed by doing a curacy in Perthshire. I’d love them to be completly inaccurate.
However, I’m aware that I was not the only person in the room yesterday who perceived the mag as a symbol of a right-wing rural affairs agenda.
Us townies know nothing about the country. At least, it would seem that way by the way I’ve heard people speak at diocesan and general synods.
As a born n’ bred countryman, it’s at least refreshing to see an admission that “…townies know nothing about the country.” For too long the rural economy has been dealt blow after blow by politicans and civil servants who have no understanding of the countryside and the people who live and work there. Country folk, particularly farmers in recent years, face challenges every bit as painful as those who inhabit inner cities. Suicide rates are proportionately higher than in urban areas and the pastoral issues for rural clergy (often lacking the support of clergy teams) equally as challenging.
It’s understandable that town/city dwellers perhaps find field sports and other aspects of country life distateful, not having been reared to them and not fully understanding what is actually going on – fed, as they often are on an unbalanced diet supplied by the media and politicians with a class chip on their shoulder. However, I would ask that urban folks try to show a degree of tolerance and cease from their continual bashing of country people, their lifestyles and their economy. The countryside is not a playground for city dwellers at weekends and holidays – for many of us it is home and a workplace.