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Set out below is the Scottish branch submission to the Scottish Government's Draft Gaelic Language Plan. The submission was compiled by Alba branch members and coordinated for the branch by Ray Bell. Celtic League General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, also provided an input to the document:
Introduction
This document represents the response of the Celtic League (an Comann Eadar-Cheilteach) to the Scottish Government's Draft Gaelic Language Plan (GLP), published for consultation on 29th January, 2009. The document includes an overall summary of the League's response, followed by answers to the specified questions.
Response summary:
The League welcomes anything which furthers the cause of Scottish Gaelic, and believes that the GLP provides many unprecedented opportunities for the language.
However, we feel that the document needs to be tightened up in some areas and is a little vague. There are also some serious oversights and omissions, particularly in the area of education, where it seems that only the GME option is discussed.
We believe that the regeneration of the language has to be based on a more holistic approach. Areas such as the rural economy, environmental protection, land reform, housing, planning and public transport, not to mention the delivery of services, all have to be taken into account, not just the more obvious aspects of language use, such as arts, broadcasting and publishing.
As part of the process for the normalisation of the language in Scotland, the general public need to be educated about language related issues like the history of the language, topography and how the language has an influence on non speakers today.
In May, 1873, The Highlander complained of Scottish Gaelic organisations that - "Most of them...have enjoyed themselves surely to a sufficient extent with their annual soirees...and it would not be unworthy of their consideration now for the incoming winter, instead of fiddling and dancing to the tune of £500, to devote say a half of this sum to the purpose of founding one or more Gaelic bursaries, or of helping to endow the proposed Gaelic chair." Unfortunately, some of this mentality remains – the fiddlers and dancers of today should realise that the success or failure of the GLP ultimately depends on actions, not just words or music. The GLP will also benefit from listening to and working with the people "on the ground". Cross party co-operation is needed on this issue and party politics should be put aside for the benefit of the language.
Consultation on the Draft 4.2 If there are any other points you would like to make please feel free to make them.
Regrettably, many Scots still hold outdated views about multilingualism. Certain myths about multilingualism that no longer have credence in many parts of the world are still in circulation in Scotland. Amongst the most prominent of these myths are a) that bilingual children perform less well academically than their monolingual counterparts, and b) that bilingual road signs cause accidents. Both of these can be disproven by the experience of other countries, amongst them our neighbours in Wales and the Republic of Ireland, not to mention the capital of the EU itself, Brussels, which has both Flemish and French signage. There is also extreme ignorance of the history of the language. In Caithness for example it is not uncommon to hear people state that the language was never spoken there, even though it had Scottish Gaelic speaking districts within the 20th Century..
It should be borne in mind that the Northern Isles have a very different history to the rest of Scotland, especially in the case of Shetland. While it is true that they have a Pictish past, they display no evidence of Scottish Gaelic as a vernacular, unlike in the rest of Scotland, including the south and east. Their language, into modern times was Norn. They should therefore be allowed to opt out from the GLP, if they so wish. Interestingly though, evidence from the 2001 Census, suggests there is a very small Gaelic speaking minority there.
4.3 The Scottish Government Draft Gaelic Language Plan – the four core areas of service delivery.
4.3.1 Identity Are you content with the commitments in the Scottish Government's Plan? Do you have anything further to suggest?
It should be noted at this point, that the Scottish Parliament itself is far ahead of the majority of Scotland in regard to Scottish Gaelic signage and usage (p43) and should be complimented on this.
We are told that a principle of "equal respect" is to be applied, but that this "does not automatically mean identical treatment" (p23). Surely by its very definition, respect refers to the way that people or things are treated. Contradictions such as this provide a very large `wriggle space' for certain local authorities and governmental bodies, which have treated the language with contempt in the recent past.
The GLP speaks of equal respect. In regard to letterheads, logos, signage and so on, this has to mean equal legibility, i.e. that the same font and font size is used in both cases. In all too many cases, when English and Scottish Gaelic are side by side, the Gaelic is either in tiny letters, or an archaic font which can only be read close up. Putting the language in italics under the English does not work well either and does not demonstrate equal respect. However we believe that the use of different colours to denote the different languages, as is already used on some signage in Scotland, is more in line with the equal treatment of the languages.
It is vital that Scottish Gaelic becomes publicly visible throughout Scotland, but there is also a danger that it could become over-identified with the government or the civil service. One of the most frequent criticisms of Gaelic in Ireland is just that. For the language to survive it must be seen to be a part of the community and not just the authorities.
An obvious way in which the Government can show its commitment is by having bilingual signs on the Border, as Wales does. At the time of writing, the main border crossings of the A1 and M6/A74 have some Gaelic ("Ceud mile fàilte"), but the third largest, the A68 route over Carter Bar has none, whatsoever. Nor do the A7, A697, or the numerous B & C roads which cross the Border. On the Welsh border, all of these would have some Welsh language on them.
It is highly likely that there will be some kind of backlash from supporters of the Lowland Scots language. It is regrettable that some Lowland Scots language activists see any progress in the use of Scottish Gaelic to be a hindrance for them. Scottish Gaelic though must be recognised as a national language and not a regional one. With this in mind, the Scottish Government should refer to the language as Scots/Scottish Gaelic, rather than just "Gaelic". (Scotland has another Gaelic minority – Irish speakers, mostly in Glasgow and many from the Donegal Gaeltachtai)
4.3.2 Communications Are you content with the commitments in the Scottish Government's Plan? Do you have anything further to suggest?
As with the rest of the GLP there is great potential for improvement, if properly implemented. However, once again the sentiment will have to be measured against the reality. In some cases to reach a Scottish Gaelic service, calls will still have to go through the English switchboard.
The GLP states that leaflets will be "made available", but the extent of this is unclear. I requested such a leaflet from a tourist information office, only to be told that they were "just out". How many times will we have to be told that such leaflets, are "just out", "on order", or supposedly "don't exist"? The history of Scottish Gaelic services has often been one of obstruction and dodging responsibility.
On page 49, it is stated that certain services shall be provided "where Gaelic is more prevalent". We are told elsewhere in the document that the Scottish Gaelic speaking population is heavily urbanised. Doesn't this mean therefore that Scotland's big cities need to take a stronger role in promoting the language? Urban Scottish Gaelic speakers may be a tiny proportion of city dwellers, but they form a massive proportion of the language's users. If politicians wish to show commitment to the language, then they should not do so merely through the Scottish Government and Parliament. We repeat our call for all major political parties in Scotland to have bilingual websites. They have the resources available to them that many groups do not.
4.3.3 Publications Are you content with the commitments in the Scottish Government's Plan? Do you have anything further to suggest?
Once again, the plan would represent an improvement on the current situation, but specific targets need to be set out.
Gàidhealtachd councils including Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland Region, Argyll and Bute, and certain parts of Perth and Kinross should be leading the way in language revitalisation/revival since they retain communities where some level of the language is maintained.
We note that many leisure facilities, especially libraries, continue to provide a disappointing service in regard to the language. Libraries often employ confusing categorisations and do not advertise their Scottish Gaelic stock properly.
4.3.4 Staffing Are you content with the commitments in the Scottish Government's Plan? Do you have anything further to suggest?
Jobs that specifically require fluent Scottish Gaelic should be advertised in that language only – if applicants are good enough, then they will not need to read the English. Posts which are based in the Gàidhealtachd should be advertised bilingually.
Wales has recently started a programme of language sabbaticals, which allow state employees to take time out from their workplace in order to take classes. We suggest that such a programme commences in Scotland. In order for the GLP to be properly implemented, staff in all areas must be informed exactly what is expected of them and be aware of what the requirement are.
4.4 General
4.4.1 Is there any aspect of our work that you feel is not covered in our Plan that should?
The GLP will not succeed unless it is properly enforced. Such a plan must be well thought out, so that it can be copied by other bodies. Several other bodies should have been included in the GLP – notably Careers Scotland and the Ports Authority. Also, the GLP does not provide enough guidelines for any future government bodies. These will have to have the GLP "hard wired" into them from the beginning in a different fashion to established ones.
At no point are any sport related issues mentioned. Unless Scottish Gaelic has some genuine foothold, however small, in the popular culture of Scotland, then it will not prosper. We reject the notion that politicians cannot intervene in these matters – they can and have intervened in regards to football sectarianism and the Government also helps fund a number of these bodies through Sport Scotland. We have campaigned for over a decade for national sides to have the word "Alba" (Scotland) on their uniforms. Yet we have repeatedly been told that "it is too expensive/difficult" etc. The SFA complied in 2006, but did so by putting "Alba" in an obscure font on the back of the shirt. More recently it changed it to light blue on dark blue! The SRU continues to refuse. The Commonwealth Games Committee refuses to discuss the matter, stating only "your comments have been noted". We believe that the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are an excellent opportunity to publicise the language even if it is only in the form of the word "Alba". All of the devolved powers have some bearing on the GLP - housing, planning and the environment are no exception. In many areas of the Gàidhealtachd for example, Scottish Gaelic speakers are often priced out of the local housing market by buyers/tenants from the big cities, and are completely unable to compete. In other areas, environmental and nature bodies, can be seen as fulfilling the negative role of `Green Lairds'. Local authorities in the Gàidhealtachd and big cities should be able to set aside certain areas or developments for speakers of the language. Insensitive zoning can imperil the language. A condition of community buy-outs in the Highlands must include adequate provision for Scottish Gaelic. When the Harris National Park was proposed there was an invitation for a large number of people to move into the area. Unless these people can speak the language or show a committment to learn it, the language will remain endangered. The Gàidhealtachd must not become a wasteland of holiday and retirement homes with no services, where there is little opportunity for the language to be used.
Part of the future of the Gàidhealtachd relies on an improved infrastructure, cheap transport and the ability to retain some of its youth. Unless the Gàidhealtachd is economically viable, then it shall not survive. Unfortunately, many services are being cut from Scotland's rural areas. The privatisation of the Royal Mail and the Post Office has resulted in the cutting of unprofitable routes in remote areas. Paradoxically, in recent years, the economy of rural Scotland has been revitalised by the Internet and mail order. We believe that the delivery of services in the language is all important.
Unless the language can be normalised and used in all areas of life then it will soon cease to exist. The use of the language should be facilitated within Scottish legal contexts and also within the NHS. In regards to Gàidhlig schools, they must be subject to the same standards and inspection as any others. In view of the fact that there are currently so few schools, parents do not get a choice of which ones they want to send their children to or given an alternative if they remove their children from such a school. Without going into the rights and wrongs of such disputes it is clear that this should not occur. For example, there is an ongoing dispute in the Inverness school and around eight years ago, there was also a problem at Tollcross, which led to at least one child being withdrawn. Such disputes are regrettable, but shows that these schools are not so unique in certain respects. Citizens should have the right to register in both English and Gaelic forms of their name, and to use Gaelic addresses on forms. Some of our members have attempted to use their Gaelic address in the past, only to have them translated into English when a reply is sent. Clearly some effort must have been made to translate this address back.
4.4.2 Do you think that Gaelic language plans are an effective means to promote the Gaelic Language?
Politicians should be aware of the very real problem of hostility towards the language in some areas of the population. There are many reasons for this, but a common one is simple ignorance, which can be alleviated somewhat through a process of re-education. Many members of the general public are not aware that Gàidhlig covered a much wider area of Scotland than it does today. This is true even in such regions as Caithness, where the language was being spoken into the 20th century. There has been no Gaelic equivalent to Billy Kay in popularising the language. How many Scots are aware, for example, that Gàidhlig place names can be found in every corner of mainland Scotland? Without some kind of ground work being undertaken at a grassroots level to educate the public, it is possible that more harm than good may be done.
In regard to transport, the language is all but invisible in most airports, bus stations and train stations. Both the road and rail policies suffer from the same flaw, namely that place names are displayed bilingually, but information and instructions are in English only. Electronic displays on buses and trains are currently monolingual, as are announcements.
Considering that ferries are the main mode of transport to many areas of the Gàidhlig heartlands, it should be pointed out that Caledonian MacBrayne's (CalMac) record on the language is appalling. It has improved somewhat recently, but all signage and announcements should be bilingual, in Gaelic first. We would hope that CalMac will soon have the same level of bilingualism as Welsh buses – i.e. bilingual signage, announcements, website etc. We hope that the rail network, including Scotrail as a public transport, will move beyond its current policy of translating place names at stations only. We note the ongoing improvement in regard to the NHS. However, the Forestry Commission and MoD in Scotland both have a deplorable record on the language.
The British Council has also failed in promoting Scottish culture abroad, even though this is within its remit. Both Sport Scotland and Careers Scotland and the bodies they support should be included in the GLP. Various departments and quangoes, such as the MoD, Forestry Commission, and NHS have little or no language provision. Likewise, Scotland's national park authorities are largely monolingual at present and have made some ill judged decisions. Crucially we note that no political party in Scotland has a bilingual website, although many used to around ten years ago. This represents a backward step and contradicts their avowed aims to support the language.
Regarding advertising at present, the Scottish Government and various quangoes spend far too much on ineffective billboard and broadcast advertising. This is money that could be better spent on infrastructure for the language – whether in English or in Scottish Gaelic.
We support the idea of MSPs and Government staff being provided with free lessons and paid leave for the latter to do so. Money should be provided to put texts online. While there is a glut of Gàidhlig poetry and songs on the web there is not enough in the way of Gàidhlig prose and novels on the internet. Dwelly's dictionary was also transferred online, without any public funding – this should, we believe, receive retrospective funding. Basic projects might include putting the entire Gàidhlig Bible online in a searchable database, in line with most other languages or creating electronic versions of early Gàidhlig novels such as Dùn Àluinn, and An Cailean Sgitheanach. Any literature over thirty years old, should be released into the public domain and made available online. This would include past issues of Gairm, Guth na Bliadhna, An Deò-Ghréine etc, which are not available, but are useful in demonstrating the fact that Gàidhlig prose has much deeper roots than some folk suppose.
There should be funding made available to put sound recordings and transcriptions of folklore material from various schools of Scottish studies online, to create democratic access. Folklore material originated in the public domain and so can be said to belong to the public in that sense. The GLP does not mention the thousands of Scottish Gaels who do not live in Scotland. The Scottish Government does have the power to reach out to some of these, especially through broadcasting and the Internet. There are possibly thousands of speakers living in England for example and a considerable portion of those live and work in London. The Irish Governmemt has recently shown the way in this by making avaiable hundreds of thousands of euros for the teaching of Irish abroad.
If a language academy is set up, then it should try and "mine" the resources of the existing Gaelic language, right back to its roots in Old Irish. It should turn to Irish and Manx before borrowing from English. Continual lazy transliterations of English terms such as Suirbhidh Òrdanais (Ordnance Survey) will weaken, not strengthen the language. We ened up with a `newspeak' type position where the vocabulary of the language was being eroded and replaced by English terms.
Better links should be maintained with the Nova Scotian Gàidhealtachd and the Gaelic communities in Ireland and the Isle of Man. "Colm Cille" (formerly the Columba Project) has made some headway with Scottish-Irish link ups, but there is much room for expansion and we note that the Isle of Man is excluded. In particular, a Gaelic Language Academy should be set up, along the lines of the Language Secretariat of the Nordic Council, which would help co-ordinate developments between all three of these closely related languages. For new terminology, it would be preferable to mine Dwelly's dictionary (now online), Irish and Old Gaelic, which had a more extensive vocabulary. There is a disturbing tendency not to translate place names and personal names, even when they are of obvious Gàidhlig origin, such as McLetchie or Gleneagles. In your exhibitions section you claim that Scottish Gaelic would be used where it is "more prevalent" and in ones which relate "specifically to Gaelic Culture." Once again, this is a matter of debate as Gaelic culture is not just of the traditional variety, but also takes in a number of different modern features. Also, it is worth reiterating that the majority of Scottish Gaelic speakers currently live in cities. If improperly implemented, there is a risk of tokenism.
4.4.3 Do you think that Gaelic language plans are an effective means to secure the future of the Gaelic Language?
The GLP has the potential to raise the profile and status of the language in Scotland. However, Scottish Gaelic must never be seen as some kind of `white elephant' or as stealing resources from public services. Nor must it be in the position of being in the front line of any budget cuts. We reiterate that the GLP must be properly enforced and that any compromises may hinder future development. In regards to the emergency services, what recognition there is, is extremel limited and unevenly spread. The Celtic League has contacted all of the police services in Scotland to ascertain their committment to the language and culture and will do the same with the fire service, St Andrew's Ambulance, mountain rescue and coast guard.
The question of Scottish Gaelic broadcasting is a curious one and would be best resolved by devolving broadcasting powers in this respect to Scotland. Most importantly BBC Alba must be available on Freeview. We welcome the BBC Alba service, but we also hope that Scottish Gaelic programmes shall continue to be broadcast on BBC1, 2 and ITV. If the latter ceases to occur, then BBC Alba may become a kind of ghetto, which gives the language no visibility outside the Gaelic community. The GLP possibly lays too much emphasis on BBC Alba alone and not on radio and these other channels. Radio nan Gàidheal would also benefit from extended hours and should be broadcast throughout the working day at the very least. We welcome the increasing presence of pop and rock on the station, but this should not all be in English. Radio nan Gàidheal has a role to play in the dissemination of non-traditional music and its playlist could also be extended by playing music in the closely related languages of Irish and Manx and maybe even Welsh (which has an excellent selection of music in contemporary styles.) This would prove to younger audiences that the Celtic languages are still very much modern ones.
The quoted figure of 8,000 adult learners in 1995 seems to be far too low. What does the term "learner" encompass - someone who is still attending classes or even someone who has picked up some phrases from a friend or a book? Another 1990s survey suggested that 2 million Scots had some interest in Scottish Gaelic.
Any educational plan is going to have to take into account the number of children in English language education. It is desirable for pupils to start learning the language in primary schools before the age of eleven. It is likely that most parents in Scotland would not be willing to put their children into Gaelic Medium Education. However, a substantial number of those parents would no doubt be willing to have their children take classes in the language in an English language school. This would raise the profile of the language, but it is clear that the style of language teaching in Scotland in general (not just with Gàidhlig) needs to be overhauled. Language teaching for children in the UK is poor and it would help if the general grammar of English were better taught in schools, so that children have a better grounding in how language is structured. Comparing the figures quoted in the GLP with the number of schools in Scotland (from scotland.gov.uk ) reveals that over 90% of Scottish schools do not offer Scottish Gaelic as a subject. This is truly inexcusable and one class a week would be an improvement on no classes at all. How can the language be promoted to the wider community if awareness of its existence is so dim?
The recent decision of Bòrd na Gàidhlig to cut funding to An Gàidheal Ùr is a disappointing one. It leaves the language without a regular written publication. The history of the Scottish Gaelic language is one of "swings and roundabouts" – we get a digital channel, but lose a publication. We are backwards from the position forty years ago when Gairm magazine was being published quarterly (mostly thanks to the efforts of Derrick Thomson), but on the other hand, a number of novels are now being published. So the outlet for fiction has decreased, but longer works have also become more viable. The GLP should also consider the use of English language broadcasting to strengthen the language's position. While far too much English appears within Gaelic programmes, there is no Scottish Gaelic equivalent to The Mither Tongue or other such programmes. On page 75, there is the worrying statement – "on those routes leading to western isles ferry ports" ("nan Eilean Siar"). From other contexts, it is clear that this is not being used in the traditional sense of all the Hebrides, but solely the Outer Hebrides. The GLP must not further relegate the language to the outer isles, when it is still very much spoken in the Inner Hebrides and has a strong connection to the islands of the Firth of Clyde, not to mention some mainland areas where it is still a community language.
In regards to arts and education policy, things have improved, but it is still clear that there is a high level of exclusion of Gaelic culture in many areas. For example, until recently, most Scottish Literature courses did not mention Scottish Gaelic literature at all. Many arts festivals also excluded it until recently.
4.4.4 Are there any benefits from the promotion of the language that you feel have not been covered and would like included in our Plan?
We feel that there are many parents who would be willing to have their children take Gàidhlig as a second language in an English school, but not to put their children into a GME. However, we believe that the next generation of these children would be much more likely to put their own children into a GME. Most Scottish schools currently have no provision at all for teaching the language. However, the GLP makes no mention of provision for other minorities, especially in education and specialist schools. Members of these minorities are as entitled to have access to the national language as any other Scot. The GLP makes no mention of the language within religious schools. RC schools are extremely common in Scotland and although several parts of the Gàidhealtachd e.g. Barra, South Uist, Morar have substantial RC populations, there ar currently no RC GME units. Likewise, the expansion of the language into Episcopalian, Jewish and any future Muslim schools, also remains undiscussed. How many of such schools teach the language as a subject? The proposal for Polish schools in Scotland also goes unremarked in the GLP. There is a similar issue surrounding private schools – and not an insignificant one, for in Edinburgh for example, 25% of school pupils attend them.
Likewise, the GLP makes no mention of access for the deaf, blind or handicapped. While some people with disabilities have no barriers to attending Scottish Gaelic schooling – e.g. provision of wheelchairs ramps etc, in others the situation is more complicated. Some years ago, there was an incident, in which a couple wished their Down's syndrome child to grow up Gàidhlig speaking, but various hurdles were unfortunately put in their way. This further demotes the language – a disability should not prevent children from becoming bilingual, as some parts of the world show. Deaf people can also learn the written language and use the Internet, but if if a deaf person wanted to watch television, they would be forced to read English subtitles, as very few if any, programmes have Scottish Gaelic subtitles. As far as we know, none of the schools for the deaf and blind have any provision for teaching the language – despite the fact that the pupils may identify strongly with their Scottish roots. While the Scottish Government claims to support Scottish Gaelic and the state claims to have the welfare of children at heart, what happens when these two areas collide? If a child is taken into state care, or fostered, does that means/he is still permitted to access the language? What are the procedures here? Would a child be kept in GME if s/he went into care? Could a foster parent be allowed to ask that their child study the language? We suspect the answer to most of these is a negative one, but it is an area that needs further research
Another issue is that the language is often portrayed as belonging only to white Scots or more specifically white Highlanders or white Hebrideans. In actual fact, it should be seen as belonging to everyone, especially as people from many different backgrounds can and do take an interest in it. For example, the Tollcross GME unit in Edinburgh has taught children of various different ethnic origins (the Mod frequently highlights members of the Nazir family from Stornoway and one of the foremost advocates of the language in recent times has been the late Ali Abassi, who was born in Karachi). Y et it seems that the language is both constantly excluded from diversity programmes and also marketed in the way described above. Scottish Gaelic speakers also require protection against unfair dismissal and need better information on their rights. There was a recent case in Wales where a travel agent attempted to sack employees who were speaking in Welsh to one another – this is a clear case of discrimination and it should not be permitted in Scotland. The problem here though is that employment legislation seems to fall on either side of the devolution fence. The word "respect" is used on p 23, but certainly a more accurate explanation of the term is needed, especially in regard to discrimination.
In regard to adult learners, few of these reach any level of fluency and many of them appear to be retired people with adult children, so there is no generational transmission. Also the older a learner is the harder it is for her/him to pick up and retain the language. We believe that there should be some funding made available for learners under-25s in tertiary education, if they are not native speakers.
For the promotion of the language, probably the best example available is that of Wales and we believe that the government should look more to examples of language promotion that has worked in that particular country. Some other general points and suggestions -
All Gàidhlig publications should be VAT free, as is the case for children's books. A taster pack should be sent to all schools in Mainland and Hebridean Scotland. A lack of continuity is harming the language The composition of Bòrd na Gàidhlig should be decided by a cross-party group, rather than just whoever happens to be in government at the time.
Many Scottish Gaelic speakers use libraries, but Gaelic books are often not well promoted/shelved. A number of areas cross over into Reserved Powers – and politicians at Westminster should start campaigning on these there. We call upon the British Government to devolve at least some of the reserved broadcasting powers, so that Gaelic language broadcasting can be dealt with properly at Holyrood. This is an anomalous position and hinders development. See note 2.
Notes – Translation
The writer of this response fully appreciates the difficulties of competent translation, particularly where formal language is concerned. He also regrets having produced it monolingually, due to various time and financial constraints.
We would like to point out the following example of where the same document can hold a slightly different meaning in each of the languages – In Chapter Two (p41), we find it stated that the language is a "sgil–obrach feumail", which is translated as a "desirable job skill". It is arguable whether "desirable" carries quite the force of "feumail", which can be translated as "necessary" or even "compulsory".
2. Reserved powers
We include these in order that open minded politicians in Westminster will try and resolve these problems. While it is not in the remit of the Scottish Government to deal with Reserved Issues, and some areas do not directly affect the language, it is also clear that the sometimes unclear boundaries of the two legislatures, particularly in areas such as transport, can and do create confusion.
In other cases, such as Gàidhlig broadcasting, policy can be contradictory and unhelpful, when the two legislatures disagree. At the bare minimum, broadcasting in regard to Gàidhlig must be devolved.
Again, many of the problems in these areas relate to delivery of services, or public image. It is common for the MoD to locate facilities in remote areas, or in the Gàidhealtachd, but their own use of the language is minimal, and incourteous. The same would go for the matter of energy, with power stations etc not using the language.
In regard to Westminster, laws directly related to Scotland should be translated. Westminster also has no translation facilities whatsoever, and the use of any UK language other than English is forbidden there.
The following reserved powers have only limited immediate relevance to the GLP:
Constitutional issues, Common markets, Gambling and Abortion/Embryology etc UK foreign policy – customs, coast guard may be relevant to the language in some instances. UK defence - the MoD maintains a number of bases in the àidhealtachd, but their external signage is monolingual. Fiscal, economy – Scottish bank notes should be bilingual. Immigration – if an immigrant displays a genuine interest in, or knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, this is to be seen as a positive endorsement. Transport safety, and regulation – in these two areas, there appears to be a considerable overlap with devolved powers. There is also the potential here for Westminster to block usage of the language in regard to health and safety. Employment legislation – major overlap with devolved powers. Scottish Gaels need protection from workplace discrimination, and this also could impinge on advertising in Gaelic only. Social security, Energy etc– here the Gaelic issue would be with bilingual service delivery, e.g. forms, signage etc in the language
Comments on the Celtic League submission can be forwarded to the Alba branch or the General Secretary.
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
06/05/09
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