Harris Tweed has admitted that it has dropped the word ‘Scottish’ from the branding of its products sold in the USA.
This has been a commercial response to the negative attitude to Scotland following Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill’s release of Abdelbaset Ali Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing PanAm flight 103. This was the plane that catastrophically blew up over Lockerbie on 21st December 1988.
Polls already show that Scots opinion is balanced between approval and disapproval and that it is progressively switching to support the Justice Secretary’s decision – as it should do in sharing a humanity that has graced Scotland in affirming values beyond politics. Doing the right thing carries its costs.
If Harris Tweed attracts American buyers on objective grounds of quality, there is nothing underhand or nationally disloyal in the action it is taking to prevent its commercial survival being affected by short term discriminatory behaviour.
a disgrace that scottish producers have to hide their nationality because of the shameful actions of the discredited snp administration in releasing a mass murderer
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As your comment suggests there is always a cost in doing the right thing. Like you I see evidence of movement in the reaction to the Justice Secretary’s decision and frankly I never did recognise the level of disapproval here or overseas that the BBC suggested existed at the time of the release.
From conversations I have had with American visitors and the reaction that I have seen from Scots relations of the victims of Lockerbie there is an acceptance from many that Kenny MacAskill took a difficult and principled decision-he could have taken the easier opportunist option and attracted less venom from the likes of Kintyre I- and time will bear out that this was the right course of action. As Justice Secretary he released al Megrahi on compassionate grounds following precedents well established in Scots law while stating that he believed him to be guilty.
Many, of course, like the saintly Jim Swire, believe that the original verdict was unsound and that if the UK and USA governments were to release crucial evidence withheld from the trial and hold a proper independent enquiry the truth might yet emerge.
The Scottish Government are on record that they would support such a move but it is not difficult to identify those vested interests who are rigidly opposed to this and who will make very effort to continue to suppress the truth.
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This entire mess was whipped up into a political point scoring opportunity to the shame of the opposition parties and media networks.
Kenny MacAskill did the right thing, history will remember Kenny for the right reasons unlike this current labour administration who were prepared to contemplate the release of Megrahi for oil, the dirty sell outs. This is Labour’s shame, the only good thing in this whole affair was the Scottish MacAskill decision.
The SNP and Scotland are not discredited as stated in the comment above, Kenny MacAskill has reminded us all of what it is to be Scottish and why we are better than the bombers and terrorists and why our young men are fighting and dying around the world to ensure the same freedoms and justices we all enjoy on a daily basis. If the Americans are comfortable with water boarding, concentrations camps and a hell bent thirst for vengeance then that is what it is to be an American not a Scot. As Kenny has pointed out on many occasions, compassion is enshrined in Scottish law, this is what makes us better, the Scots have the moral high ground, we did no deal, we exercised the Law and did the right thing on compassionate grounds. The Americans will come to know this also when the red mist clears and the Scottish name will again be held in high regard. Good friends often have to save their friends from themselves.
The Dalai Lama said “For those who may not find happiness to exercise religious faith, it’s okay to remain a radical atheist, it’s absolutely an individual right, but the important thing is with a compassionate heart — then no problem.”
The Dalai Lama’s last reincarnation clearly included some good Scottish stock.
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I wonder if the recent success in the USA of Subo -Susan Boyle of X factor fame – was in any way diminished by the decision of Kenny MacAskill?
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Please try to keep up, kintyre 1.
Thatwhole story has been exposed as a total nonsense and that the MD of the Harris Tweed company concerned has said that it is complete fabrication, that they have no intention of removing the “Scottish” from their name, their advertising or their product and that there has been absolutley no adverse reaction from their American purchasers.
The suspicion remains however that the part-time employer who gave this cock-and-bull story to the Telegraph was not entirely unknown to ex MP Brian Wilson, the demented nat hater, known affectionately by the whole of the SNP as “that little sh*te”.
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it demeans you to resort to such tactics . brian wilson deserves credit for helping harris tweed and for sticking to his convictions despite all the personal invective from the snp
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Stop avoiding the issue. We’re not all daft.
That whole story has been exposed as total nonsense by the MD of the company which was slandered. The Brian Wilson connection was mentioned in many newspapers.
The young Brian Wilson was a member of the Dunoon SNP. Don’t know what happened to him. Maybe he fell down Tottie Brae
Have you anything serious to say that we can all debate?
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As an American I can report that we do not equate Harris Tweed with the release of that prisioner. Removing the “Scottish” label would hurt rather than help. Sadly most Americans are not very aware of geography and many may not realize Harris is an island off of mainland Scotland. I have just ordered my first Harris Tweed coat and can’t wait to proudly wear it.
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