Who says the Peacock is a flightless bird? With one flap of his wings, Highlands and Islands MSP and former Education Minister Peter Peacock has soared skywards and taken us with him in a light-hearted but challenging flight of fancy.

He has tabled a motion at the Scottish Parliament suggesting that the Duke of Sutherland might consider making a donation to Scotland from the £50 million proceeds of his recent sale to the nation of the Titian painting, Diana and Actaeon.

Mr Peacock’s suggestion gives a lift to the current gloomy political scene. He admits it is mischievous and of course it is – on two counts. It neatly draws attention to the Himalayan profit made by the Duke on the deal – the biggest hit coming from the easement of the tax he would have had to pay on the sale of the painting in the open retail market, in addition to its top whack price.

But, with equal mischief, Mr Peacock touches on what he hopes may be at least a trace of historical guilt. He has wondered aloud if such a donation might go some way to clearing the name of the Sutherlands, tainted by the memory of the Highland Clearances. The name ‘Sutherland’ is all but synonomous with the clearances because they were initiatied with great vigour and commitment by the first Duke of Sutherland whose in-your-face-statue bestrides Ben Bhraggie, above the town of Golspie and near the family seat at Dunrobin Castle.

The one thing we can be sure of is that disbursement from the Sutherland coffers will not be forthcoming. These guys can chuckle to show an intentionally  disarming sense of humour but loosening the purse strings is not something they see as funny.

But hey, Peter Peacock has given us all a grin at a time whe we could do with it. And perhaps his action floats the notion that any future sale shoud enshrine the notion of the Irish custom of the ‘luck penny’ returned to the buyer by the vendor.

The photographs above are of Peter Peacock, top and of a contemporatry painting of the First Duke of Sutherland, George Leveson-Gower. The first is reproduced here with permissiosn and the second is in the public domain.