Drunken philanderer to front homecoming

It was never meant to be particularly controversial. One might reasonably have suspected that the positioning of Robert Burns alongside whisky, clans and golf as the PR face of Scotland’s Homecoming 2009 would have attracted little attention other than the derision of those who have, for years, railed against the intensification of so-called “tartan tat.”

But remarks from one historian last week, who described Robert Burns as a “drunk, misogynistic, racist philanderer” have flung open the doors of debate as to the fitness of the Scots poet to front the celebration of Scotland, past and present.

Somewhat controversially, the historian said: “Perhaps he was not untypical of Scots, but we have to wonder whether this is the right image for the modern Scotland. By all means, let us celebrate the poetry according to its merits. But, in the same critical spirit, let us deal honestly with the man who wrote that poetry.”

Paraphrasing how Scots might follow Burns’ lead, he continued: “We could repeatedly get drunk. In this condition, the males among us could 'lay' one woman after another, following discussion of their respective merits in dirty talk with our drouthie cronies.

"Needless to say, this would be unprotected sex performed in a spirit of utter indifference to potential pregnancies, amang the rigs o'barley perhaps. Irksome consequences would be the females' own silly fault.”

On this basis, claims the historian “[Burns’] example, in a practical sense, could well send Scotland straight down the tubes.”

Organisers of the event have, however, rejected Mr Fry’s disparaging remarks. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Robert Burns is an international cultural icon and one of Scotland's favourite sons. He was both a man of his time and of all time. He wouldn't have been human without flaws, and his egalitarian ideals have helped cement his universal and timeless appeal.”

Scottish poet Liz Lockhead was somewhat less restrained, retorting: “This is complete rubbish.

"It's not relevant to his poetry, it's not the point. We don't look at him for a way to live our lives. We should enjoy Burns as a great poet whose work means a lot to a lot of people.

"Burns' poetry spoke about the wealth of human experience. Of course, I wouldn't look to him as a feminist role model, but he's not a role model, he's a great poet.”

Mr Fry comes, by no means, from an unbiased point of view: he has, over the past decade, demonstrated a turbulent relationship with Scottish nationalism. A failed Scottish Conservative candidate in the first Holyrood elections in 1999 (Glasgow Maryhill), Mr Fry has written extensively on the need to maintain the Union between Scotland and England.

Equally controversially, he has questioned whether the forced displacements of the eighteenth century known as the “Highland Clearances” actually occurred, downplaying the extent to which such events shaped the modern Scottish nation. Alistair McIntosh, an academic from the University of Ulster has, in the past, accused Fry of seeking to protect the landed aristocracy who did so well out of the Union, claiming in 1999 that Fry’s writings mark a “highly politicised attempt to turn back...the tide of historical revisionism that has undergirded land reform as the flagship policy of our new Scottish Parliament.”

Throughout his writings on Scottish history, Mr Fry has taken little truck with romanticised images of pre-Clearance Scottish life. In Wild Scots, for instance, he praised the management of the “humane, liberal, progressive landlords,” in comparison to the “primitive communism” of tribal loyalties. So, Mr Fry’s unwillingness to accept the legendary position Burns maintains within Scottish literature, perhaps comes as little surprise.

But, in an unexpected transformation, a Prospect article in late 2006 saw Mr Fry reject his lifelong-attachment to Unionism and embrace independence as a viable solution to Scotland’s problems. This might perhaps serve to explain his recommendation of Bonnie Prince Charlie Robert the Bruce or William Wallace as more appropriate symbols for the Homecoming. Mr Fry, however, retains his scepticism over the characterisation of the Highland clearances as disastrous national events.

The 2009 Homecoming Scotland—which kicks off next week on the eve of the 250th anniversary of Burns’ birth—marks a series of events continuing all the way up to St Andrews day in November. Designed to encourage those with Scottish ancestry to strengthen their links with the nation, the Homecoming, it is hoped, will boost tourism throughout what looks set to be a difficult year. Key events include a gathering of the Clans, a debate on “the role of the clan in the 21st century,” and a special Burns’ night for this anniversary year.

The event has been further overshadowed, however, by a spat between two eminent Burns scholars, Patrick Scott Hogg and Gerard Carruthers. The former has accused Carruthers—head of English and Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow—of waging a smear campaign against him, including vitriolic criticism of the biographer's work in academic papers and on internet forums.

Carruthers has responded with claims that Hogg made abusive calls to his home – a claim Hogg disputes. He said: "I have tried to avoid what he has written about my work, but a few months ago I contacted him and he said I should read what he had written. I was absolutely horrified at the level of invective."

The dispute appears increasingly likely to be resolved in court.