Reform the NTS

IN a world where sovereignty is repeatedly trampled on, there is a certain reassurance for us Scots that we are not alone in being a territoriallyestranged people. Now the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is taking to TV to effectively appeal for the help of the people of Scotland, whose name it carries with far less authentication than it does the numerous properties up and down the land in its proprietorship.

One of these is the site of the battle of Bannockburn, the word “battle” often in its historical significance bearing a capital letter B. The site is now subject to prolonged closure, ostensibly because of the current pandemic, and this has again brought the spotlight of controversy on the NTS.

The appointment of an outspoken opponent of an independent Scotland, Neil Oliver, as NTS president in 2017, sparked a spate of resignations from this body, and has effectively illuminated for many people the traditional role of the NTS, which in the glare of such controversies has been seen as a pillar of the establishment rather than a means of showcasing Scotland’s past through its buildings and land use.

In the many instances of Scotland being sold to highest bidders for chunks of its territory, echoes of The Clearances come loud and clear, and the same kind of echoes can be heard in this appeal for funding from an organisation that badly needs reforming into a body that will better embody the history of the people of Scotland.

Ian Johnstone Peterhead