Scottish Register of Tartans Criticised

The Scottish Register of Tartans has been criticised for including designs in their repository by Disney, a German Pipe Smokers group and Peter Rabbit.

The Government register, which provides a definitive resource for protecting and promoting tartans, has come under fire by Scottish Members of Parliament, claiming the approval process needs to be changed to prevent “shallow and irreverent” tartans.

Alex Johnstone, Conservative MSP for north-east Scotland said regulation of tartan legislation ensures the protection of Scotland's heritage so that Scottish culture continues to be held in high esteem. “The way the Register is behaving only serves to enhance the nonsense it was set up to prevent. There is an excellent case here for demanding that the SRT is overhauled to protect our heritage.”

While Johnstone fully supports 'inclusive' tartans such as those designed for Islamic societies and asylum-seekers in Scotland, Green MSP Patrick Harvie says he was puzzled by political designs such as the Occupy Movement's tartan. “The issues such causes represent are important. But I’m struggling to see how having their own tartan would help defeat capitalism.”

Read the full story here, and check out Disney's listing on the Scottish Register of Tartans here.