Land of the
forgotten sex
Kenneth Roy
Airbrushed from history, or objects of misogynism on the internet: either way, bright Scotswomen endure a raw deal
Also on this page:
The Midgie
celebrates the great exam success
Fall of the Celtic Tiger
Tom Gallagher
Ireland is waking up to a nightmare and the candour of the country’s agonising is remarkable. Is Scotland capable of such self-examination?
Also on this page:
Alan Fisher
Hope in Niger
Beaten out of
their culture
Alf Young
The generosity of spirit of First Nation Canadians, punished for speaking their language, is deeply moving
Also on this page:
Rear Window
Ian Hamilton QC visits the local shop
The Back Page
Amusements and diversions
This Scotland
‘the people of Saltcoats – a sordid race’
John Galt (1779-1839), ‘The Ayrshire Legatees’
‘Never have I seen desolation less abominable; but desolate it is, Ulva’
George Scott-Moncrieff, ‘The Scottish Islands’ (1952)
‘Inverkip is so rough they put a date stamp on your head when they mug
you so they don’t do you twice in the one day’
Chic Murray (1919-85)
‘I am glad to have seen the Caledonian Canal, but don’t want to see it again’
Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), ‘Letters’
‘Dundee, a frowsy fisherwife addicted to gin and infanticide’
Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901-35), ‘Scottish Scene’
‘Wick is the meanest of men’s towns, set on what is surely the baldest of God’s bays’
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), letter
‘If Dingwall was in its ordinary state, it must be an excellent place for sleeping a life away in’
Henry Cockburn (1779-1854), ‘Circuit Journeys’
‘If justice were done to the inhabitants of Inverness, in twenty years’ time there would be no-one left there but the Provost and the hang-man’
John Telford (early 19th century)
About us
The Scottish Review is published by the Institute of Contemporary Scotland (ICS). ICS was established in 2000 with Magnus Magnusson as its first patron and Kenneth Roy, its founder, as first director.
ICS aims ‘to stimulate discussion and revitalisation of thought and debate in Scotland’ and ‘to stimulate awareness and discussion of social, economic and cultural issues affecting Scotland and Scots through education and educational initiatives’.
In proposing the foundation of ICS, at a public meeting in Glasgow on 23 October 2000, the broadcaster Ian Mackenzie said its purpose was to be ‘undogmatic, to be intellectually free, and to encompass and share any aspect of life in our land, past, present and future’. He described it as ‘yet another effort to break free from narrow sytems of thinking’.
ICS attempts to fulfil its founding principles and ideals in two main ways:
The Young Scotland Programme
There are debates on issues of the day, guest speakers (the first was a Nobel prize-winner), group discussions and informal dialogue. The intellectual core of the programme is however the writing and presentation, by each delegate, of an Argument paper on a subject of current interest or controversy of the delegate’s own choice. The author of the most outstanding paper is awarded the title Scotland Young Thinker of the Year.
The programme originated with a pilot scheme in Glasgow in November 2002. It was so successful that it was extended to Northern Ireland in 2003, England and Wales in 2004, and the Republic of Ireland in 2005. The Young Scotland Programme is now part of the wider Young UK and Ireland Programme organised by ICS’s partner organisation, Leaders of Tomorrow.
Since 2002, 471 delegates have successfully completed the Young Scotland Programme.
In conjunction with the Young Scotland Programme, ICS has an annual award for the Young Scot
(or Scots) of the Year
This award is given in recognition of outstanding work in the community by young people between the ages of 18 and 30.
The other principal way in which ICS strives to fulfil its founding ideals is through the publication, three times a week, of the online current affairs magazine, the Scottish Review
The Scottish Review, like ICS in general, is non-party-political and offers a forum for discussion for a variety of contributors of all political persuasions and none.
Until 31 December 2008, the Bridges Programmes Ltd, which works for the encouragement of asylum seekers and refugees and attracts a substantial volume of public funding, was a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICS. Since 1 January 2009, when the Bridges Programmes Ltd, with ICS’s blessing and good wishes, acquired autonomous status as a charity in its own right, ICS has been a much smaller organisation (at least in terms of financial resources and staffing) but has enjoyed a period of great creativity and development.
ICS has no public funding. It depends entirely on the goodwill of individuals who support its ideals and activities by subscription or donation. It has charitable status.
Trustees
Kenneth Roy (Chairman), Alan Fisher, Fiona MacDonald
Secretary of the Institute: Islay McLeod
Charity Number: SC030680
66 John Finnie Street
Kilmarnock KA1 1BS
Tel: 01563 530830
Fax: 01563 549503
email: admin@contemporaryscotland.com
web: www.contemporaryscotland.com
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