Ugly Bear - I have no doubt that you would encounter nothing but a welcome if you visit Scotland. The Guardian is an English newspaper and 99% of its views and contents reflect that. Also they are very much against the Iraq war and Tony Blair's support for it and their views on Global warming are verging on hysteria. World War III could be going on in Scotland and they wouldn't notice though. Read the Herald or Scotsman to get a better idea of what is happening in Scotland but keep an open mind. These papers don't sell copies by printing dog bites man stories - it's man bites dog stories they want and they don't usually mind whether they are true or not.