Tory MSP: Let’s work together for Gaelic
A Conservative MSP has said his party wants to work with the Scottish Government “to find a workable and enduring solution” to help preserve Scottish Gaelic.
Earlier this week, a new book – entitled
The Gaelic Crisis In The Vernacular Community: A Comprehensive Sociolinguistic Survey Of Scottish Gaelic – suggested the language might not survive beyond this decade.
The authors said Gaelic is “in crisis, and that within remaining vernacular communities of Scotland, the social use and transmission of Gaelic is at the point of collapse”.
Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron admitted the issue had been overly politicised in recent years but has offered to try to find a consensus to help Scottish Gaelic grow again.
He said: “Over the years, the Gaelic issue has been overly politicised on all sides, and that’s something everyone needs to own up to.
“While that has been going on, this report reveals how much the language has suffered, and indeed declined.
“We need to know why, after considerable investment, that situation has unfolded and how we can urgently rectify it.
“We’re reaching out to the SNP Government to see if we can find a consensus.”