Burns nicht the nicht, sae an obvious time tae brak ma lang silence, dicht the stour frae ma keybuird and blether about… the economy.

Weill, on a day whan the shops’ll be getting a heize as regairds the haggis, neep an tattie based pairts o the economy, an beuk-shops shift their Selected Verse of Robert Burns it micht no be sae byordinar… an the economy haes been i the news an affy lot thir days.

O course, it’s no the economy in general I’m intressit in the nou, but raither the economy o the Scots tung.  It seems tae me that the economic potential o Scots haes been ignored for a lang time, an I’m no shair there’s a guid reason – syne Scots products sell.

I’m no jist talkin about Scots beuks – though sum haes been daein weill, an getting a hie profile.  Whit wi Itchy Coo’s beuks for weans, the classic an modern verse frae Rab Burns tae Rab Wilson, Lorimer’s New Testament as weill as dictionars an the like, maist guid beukshops wull hae sumthing tae offer.  Yin thing that’s wantin is mair prose, o course.  It micht be guid tae leuk tae the ensaumple set by Gaelic here – until no lang syne Gaelic had a similar poesy/ prose imbalance we hae i Scots, wi gey few novels bein set furth wi onie kind o regularity.  The Innerness-based publishin-hous Ur Sgeul haes duin a rare darg i pittin thon richt, settin furth novels, collections o short-stories, audio beuks an the like.  They saw a merket, an they muivit tae exploit it – wi siller frae Bord na Gaidhlig an the like.  Nou, I ken there’s no muckle siller for Scots the nou, but gin this can wark for Gaelic, it can wark for Scots.  A stairt has awreidy been made, as we hae seen wi “The Ghaists o Greyfriars’ Lane” on the SLC – but I jalousie there’s room for growthe.

But ayont beuks, it’s becomin clear that Scots products daes weill.  I bocht a pack o Yule cairds frae Scots Tung, an ilka family memmer that got yin wis delichted wi thaim.  Nane o thaim is Scots leid activists, they is rale fowk, fowk that’s delichtit tae see Scots products.  The success o Mither Tounge i Keith (getting tae the final o the Scots  Kintraside Alliance Awairds) pynts tae this an aw.

The census this year micht come in brawly helpfou here an aw.  O course, we’ll no hae the results straucht awa, but whan better data is available as tae whaur Scots speakers bydes, we micht see mair companies targettin the merkets there.  Wha can say?  Yin thing’s for shair, the merket for Scots products daes exist, an mibbie i the current economic climate, whan fowk is mibbie mair like tae support local businesses an producers,  the guid Scots tung coud be a yaisefou brand?  For thon, it wad be guid tae see mair Scots signage/ packaging – as Bill Wilson MSP has cawed for i the past.  This canna be hailly seperatit out frae politics, o course, but whaever bears the gree at Holyrood this year, I howp sum greement can be reached tae support Scots as pairt o wir economy.

Aw the best,

Dunc

Sang o the Week:  The Hellacopters – Welcome to Hell.