Bagpipe ban for tat shops

[Jock Scot]

Jock:
I was in a place you may know, Gellions on Bridge Street in Inverness a few months back and the Castle Tavern (lovely spot) as well. And got varied responses in discussion. Do Scots not see the economic benefit in promoting the kilt beyond Scots? It keeps mills going, workers employed, food and clothing bought and sold etc. Is it possible as a Scot not to look at the kilt sold and marketed in other places to other cultures and see that as a point of pride rather than regret and dilution of culture? I ask this open minded but interested in your thoughts.

I really don't know the answers to your questions, but I suspect that many Scots care very little about the health of the tartan trade, until put on the spot. Then they might concede that it would be make good commercial sense to encourage the home tartan trade in all its forms. However, I am afraid to say, and again I am guessing, that most would prefer the Clan tartan to stay within Scotland. Some might suggest that the Scots mills should design special tartans for other countries and of course they would be suprised to discover that that is already happening!

This is the conundrum that many outwith Scotland find so confusing ,yet to me with my guesses, I find it all so consistently and bafflingly inconsistent and oh so Scots!