Quote Originally Posted by Paul. View Post
It's ashame that it ended like this. I think next time round it should be purely funded by The Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council, and not be privatised again. After all - Edinburgh benefited greatly from the amount of people who showed from elsewhere and supported both the event and local businesses.
We must remember that this idea, its production and, ultimately, its collapse, was that of a limited liabilty company. Within the production there were those who benefited greatly, some financially and some in terms of status. I would think that it was Lord Semple's idea that he should be a participant in both aspects; I suspect that he was paid a healthy salary to the end, but that his reputation as an opportunist has not been improved by his performance on this occasion. There is little that can be done about this other than to remember in the future.

Many (I think "most" might be going too far) Scots questioned the concept from the beginning; certainly most Scots who are members of this forum did. Lord Semple played his game well, however, by drawing in societies from countries where individual entrepreneurship is more highly prized than it is in Scotland. As these societies climbed aboard the bandwagon they forced the chiefs and many local organisations to join in or be left by the wayside. Most paid their way -- some quite highly -- in order not to be shamed by their absence. Eventually almost all were caught up in the hype and some even used their considerable influence to further Lord Semple's game. Two examples of this: the largest ever meeting of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and the appearance of the Duke of Rothesay at the Gathering.

We must also remember that it was not Lord Semple's idea to lose money for himself or anyone else, or that small contributors should fail to receive what they were promised. He was simply inept at the level of expenditure control necessary to conduct such an event. As Paul said, these things in Scotland are best done by government or dedicated groups of not-for-profit individuals so that cost overruns are automatically covered by the taxpayers or by fund-raising efforts.

Rex, too