EDINBURGH, December 24 (Sputnik), Mark Hirst – The centenary anniversary of the death of one of the world's most renowned conservationists, Scottish-born John Muir, has been "tainted" by a decision by community councillors in his home town of Dunbar to replace the Scottish flag with the United Kingdom's Union Flag.
"This is very sad that this controversy has arisen and has tainted what should have been a day of celebration," Cameron McNeish, a broadcaster and expert on John Muir, told Sputnik.
"I've been a student of John Muir most of my life and I can't recall one instance when he has been described as British. He has always been known as a Scots-born environmentalist. He was extremely proud of his Scots background so it seems to be a very churlish thing to do on this day, the centenary of his death to replace the Saltire [Scotland's national flag] with the Union Flag," McNeish added.
Muir, a naturalist and author, pioneered the preservation of wilderness in the United States after emigrating there from Dunbar in 1849.
His writings and work inspired the creation of national parks across the world.
The Saltire has flown over Dunbar Town House honoring Muir's international conservation legacy since 2007. In April, a second flag pole was erected and the US Stars and Stripes were flown alongside Scotland's national flag. But community councillors decided to change that policy in recent days when a local Labour Party councillor argued that official UK-wide protocol dictated the Saltire be replaced by the Union Flag.
"After the Scottish independence referendum, a proposal was made by one of the Councillors that we should go in line with the United Kingdom Parliament protocol and fly both [the Saltire and the Union Flag]. But it does create the situation where, when one flag has to give way [to the Stars and Stripes], it has to be the Saltire," Stephen Bunyan, Chairman of Dunbar Community Council told Sputnik.
Bunyan went on to say the community council's final decision had followed a "ruling" by East Lothian Labour Councillor Norman Hampshire, who is a member of the regional local authority.
"We had this ruling [from Councillor Hampshire] pretty late in the day – an East Lothian Councillor – who sent us as the final solution to what had become a very interesting situation," Bunyan added.
But when it was put to him by Sputnik that the UK Flag Flying Protocol only relates to specific "designated flag flying dates" and that December 24th wasn't one of the stipulated dates, Bunyan responded, "We're clearly going to have to revisit this, but there is nothing I can do in the next couple of hours."
Jamie Baker, spokesperson for East Lothian Council, told Sputnik that contrary to Councillor Hampshire's ruling concerning Dunbar councillors, the full Council had not adopted the UK flag flying protocol and the decision was one entirely for Dunbar Community Council.
"The Community Council is pretty much autonomous from us, so it's their decision," Baker told Sputnik.
Labour Councillor Norman Hampshire refused to be interviewed or discuss the issue, but an email seen by Sputnik reveals that Hampshire effectively ordered the community councillors to keep the UK flag flying.
"On no account must the Union Flag be taken down," Hampshire wrote in an email sent on Tuesday.
McNeish believes the decision to remove the Saltire was taken for political reasons.
"It seemed like an odd decision to make and I can't believe it was not politically motivated," McNeish told Sputnik.
His view was shared by other members of Dunbar Community Council who had tried to block the decision to remove the Saltire.
"The way the Community Council works in Dunbar is really quite frustrating," Community Councillor Isobel Knox told Sputnik. "There is a feeling that [Councillor] Norman Hampshire is making the policy up as he's going along. One of his emails claimed that taking down the Union Flag would be an insult to the Queen."
The Saltire is reputed to be the oldest continuously flown national flag in the world and has its origins in Athelstaneford, just 10 miles from Dunbar, when it was first used by the Scots in 832 A.D. in a victorious battle against an invading force from what is now the North of England.
The diagonal cross symbol, representing the cross of St. Andrew, is also used as the official ensign of the Russian Navy.
