IMMIGRATION : THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY

I’m delighted  to be here this evening but just a little in awe of the task I’ve been set.  When Neil originally asked me to speak, he said that he thought that I was a bit unusual (you’re not wrong there Neil). He went on to explain that, what he meant was that despite my having been born in England, I sought my future in Scotland (Please note I didn’t say fortune!) He thought that many of you here tonight would perhaps have experienced this process in reverse and that maybe you’ll find my story interesting. Neil went on to reassure me that even if you don’t, you’ll at least be polite. But my main consolation came from knowing, that you’re all good Scots and if you don‘t like what I‘m saying, you’ll only be throwing empties!

So just how unusual am I? Having done a little research, I can tell you that, as economic migrants go, the Irish were winning hands down during the 19th century, especially in Glasgow, but now the English are the largest immigrant group.  About 1 million of us have moved north over the past 200 years and, according to the Economic Research Council, there are about 400,000  English born residents in Scotland at the moment. Interestingly, The General Register Office for Scotland tells me that there are about 800,000 Scottish born people living in England. So Neil, you know what next year’s talk could be about!

Now all this quantifying came as a bit of a shock to me because, although I was obviously part of a minority, I hadn’t y thought of myself as an immigrant - an incomer. Perhaps, if I thought at it at all (and remember I was 18 at the time) I thought of myself as British rather than English. (More about this later) And the fact that my fellow planning students were made up of about 50% English also served to disguise the division. However, I soon came to realise that during my time in Scotland I have inadvertently created and threaded my way through some fairly complex relationships. Not least, in 1984 at Hampden Park, being the only person in the old Celtic end to briefly celebrate Paul Mariner’s splendid, headed goal.

Anyway, just to set a bit of background, I think my tale is pretty conventional. Born in the North East of England in 1951; passed my 11 plus, grew up listening to Bob Dylan and got a grant to go to university.  I saw little for me in the mining villages of my youth and very quickly, once the decision to leave home had been made, it came down to choosing where to go to university. Does this sound familiar?

I had interviews in Cardiff, Manchester and Edinburgh. (Just think I could be giving the same talk to a St David’s Society).  Seeing Edinburgh on a glorious sunny day in the lead up to the Festival was the hook.  Meeting Suse in Freshers’ Week was probably the gaff.  By the way, that’s without an “e”. However, although my love/hate relationship with Edinburgh and its people is a story for another day, it probably explains why I ended up working for Livingston Development Corporation as a Town Planner rather than staying with Edinburgh Council and why we set up home in West Lothian rather than Bruntsfield. 

Unlike nowadays, I had no difficulty in finding work in the public sector and with a modicum of skill, promotion to middle management obscurity was relatively straightforward. Re-joining a local authority in 1996 after the wind up of the Development Corporation was the beginning of the end  of my professional planning career. In 1999, I joined Suse in the magazine world and  in 2007 started building an environmentally friendly house in Kintyre, which is where we are now.

Anyway, enough of the Eamon Andrews.

So, having told you how I came to Scotland, I suppose the question that needs answering is “Why did I stay?”

An honest answer has to include inertia and other negative factors such as  economic recessions and their related property booms and slumps. I enjoyed my job. Family life was good. There really was no need to go anywhere else. My extended family had left Sunderland and I had completely lost touch with the people I grew up with.

But that wouldn’t be the whole picture. Even when opportunities to move back to England or even overseas were around, the joys of exploring Scotland, at first near to the Central Belt and then elsewhere, started to exert their influence. Sea bathing in sunlight at 11 pm at Achiltibiue  and skinny dipping in fog on New Year’s Day in Loch Awe are just a couple of special memories from a long list Scotland that has provided.  Sure, the long summer evenings are offset by long winter nights and the midges are, shall we say, character building. On the whole, however, there are  still plenty of places in Scotland that can lift your spirit, particularly if you engage with them actively.

Once my middle age flab made its appearance,  I knew that genes alone wouldn’t get me through.  Here, I was fortunate enough to fall under the influence of former Olympic 10,000m runner, Martin Hyman who encouraged me to go further afield and to enter hill races. In turn this led to orienteering and to sea kayaking which have sustained me over the years. Especially in these kinds of areas, Scotland offers world class opportunities which I’ve found I miss sorely when I’m away from them for any length of time. 

Although Scotland’s geography may have broadened my appreciation of “The Great Outdoors” , I now realise that the Scots and their culture have moulded me in many more subtle ways. I know I’m straying into tricky areas here, not least, the huge differences that exist between Highland and Lowland Scots and urban and rural lifestyles, but I’ll blunder on.

Coping with the Scots’ instinctive inclination to engage in banter is something which I found difficult to tune into. Sometimes,  especially when accent and dialect are particularly unfamiliar, as I discovered the first time I tried asking for directions in Glasgow, reading body language to fill in the missing bits is all that remains and I still have no idea why a lot of Scots ask how instead of why? The flip side of this can be that I think some Scots find the tendency, particularly of the southern English, to be reticent and anxious not to offend or disturb, a bit off-putting; often mistaking these qualities for stand-offishness  or even arrogance. It’s tricky and something that I do try to be aware of. Something that has surprised me is that, despite my time in Scotland and very little contact with the north-east of England, Scots have no difficulty in recognising my linguistic roots and often initiating banter about them,  whereas plenty of English people think I’m Scottish or even Welsh! Had awa’ marra, ye must be makin’ gam!

Given where I am tonight, and I know  it’s a bit of a bummer, but I have to inform you I still haven’t acquired a taste for highland dress. I tried wearing a kilt for the first time earlier this year and felt most uncomfortable for a number of practical, psychological and emotional reasons - although, I felt slightly less fraudulent when I donned a very stylish Argyll jacket. Similarly, I have yet to find the correct niche for bagpipes played indoors, Jimmy Shand and His Band, Accordians and Scottish Country Dancing generally. Sorry. I think this may say more about me than The Scots. But I don’t think I would feel differently had I been born north of the border.  

Sadly, my spiritual conversion took place, quite late in life and not until I was introduced to  the Speyside malts. (Yes that kind of spiritual conversion) As with most converts, I am now embracing the cause with enthusiasm pausing only occasionally to sip a slightly watered dram in memory of opportunities lost, such as golf.

Perhaps just a bit more seriously, I think I need to try and say something about this whole Scotland / England thing which, given the wrong accent, saying the wrong thing, too loudly, laced with drink can still surface. Mind you, given the way Mrs. Thatcher treated Scotland, I’m surprised it doesn’t do so more often and I think this speaks volumes for the Scots’ well-earned reputation for hospitality - or is it any excuse for a dram?

My own children are true Scots with all that that entails - including representing their country against England (Ireland and Wales) at orienteering internationals. Before I came to Scotland I had no idea of the importance that the Scots attach to their national identity and why. After 40-odd years in Scotland I think I have filled in some of the gaps which I think existed in my own knowledge of Scots history. In so doing, I am now more aware of the presence that most Scots seem to sense, whether they know their history or not, of a long chain of historical events which have created Scotland’s current relationship with England.  Recognising this sensitivity has been a hard skill to learn but one which, in my opinion, any immigrant should strive to master in the best interests of their adopted country.  

According to Celtic tradition, there are three sorts of incomer: the intruder, the guest and the fostered incomer. The latter appeals to me. I like the idea of being fostered by my community. I think that it may also the case that when the Scots do vent their feelings, they are more often directed at England, the state, and not the English. They know” A Man’s a Man for A’ That. “ Perhaps the only real exception to this is when John Motson or his ilke, finds it impossible not to mention England’s 1966 World Cup victory when Scotland is succeeding once again to drag another defeat from the jaws of victory.

Devolution has obviously altered the dynamics of the relationship between the two countries and Alex Salmond’s “National Conversation” and recent Scottish Parliamentary victory could even allow for an independence referendum in the near future. 

If you are interested, my position on this has changed over the years. I voted against devolution in the 1970’s and somehow ended up with Mrs Thatcher! Since then, having experienced at first hand the increasingly metro-centric attitude of most Westminister politicians and media magnates, I actually welcomed the formation of the first Scottish Parliament in May 1999. Since then, it is my view that the quality of governance by our MSPs has been less good than it should have been. I also think that the current administration’s apparent success seems more to do with Alex Salmond’s political savvy and the weakness of the opposition parties,  than with any marked overall improvement in the work of the Scottish Parliament. And I have no idea whether our free prescriptions, care for the elderly and bus passes are sustainable. 

To answer the question which I would be asking in your place, yes, I will vote in a referendum on Scottish independence and yes I will vote for independence - but only because I have a lower opinion of the qualities of Westminster politicians than those in Holyrood when it comes to dealing with Scottish affairs. However,  Wee Eck should stop playing games if he wans to keep me on board!

But here’s one I’m not sure of. If I were that 18 year old today, would I still be considering applying to a Scottish University? And having graduated from that Scottish University would I contemplate staying there and making my life in that country?  

The answer is certainly more complicated today. Will recent Scottish decisions about tuition fees change who applies to Scottish universities?  I don’t know but I do know that I probably couldn’t land a job as easily in Scotland as I did in 1974. From north of the border, I also sense that England’s  traditional indifference to most things Scottish is changing as the private and public sector cuts bite and the media continues to portray Scotland as a land occupied by subsidy junkies!   There also seems to be a  growing Scottish “bolshiness” towards all things “Westminster” and if independence is a real possibility, how will this alter the way incomers feel about their adopted  country?.  I suspect some kind of change is inevitable and I think it will be less straightforward for people to create and thread their way through the relationships I mentioned earlier. Maybe it‘s just possible, that the unifying effect of the EU may be sufficient to swallow up any of the consequences of change but that is less certain now especially if there is  the possibility of a two tier Europe. Whatever the outcome, people will continue to migrate to Scotland  and I know that most of those who do decide to seek their futures in Scotland,  will be made most welcome provided they strive to achieve the privilege of being seen as adopted Scots. I’m told that 3 or 4 generations are usually sufficient!

In conclusion, I would like to thank Neil for remembering me and for inviting me to express these opinions  which are sincerely held if somewhat inexpertly expressed. I hope that this sincerity will let you make allowances for any inadequacies of content or delivery. Furthermore, living in Scotland is a privilege which I cherish and through the offices of your Society I would like to publicly record my thanks to the  people of West Lothian and now Kintyre who have done well as they say “by me and mine.” over the years.

Word count 2280.

Time to deliver approximately 15 minutes.