If you’re Scottish, you cannot fail to have heard of Alistair Moffat. You probably think you know him or have at least met him. He seems so ‘knowable’ and familiar. His latest book, To See Ourselves, will confirm that view in anyone over the age of about sixty. It’s a ‘personal history of Scotland since 1950’, the year Moffat was born, and it made me think of those ‘… in fifty objects’ programmes.
The audience for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s finale to its Winter Words Festival had to be a hardy lot as there was snow on them thar hills, and I suspect that had put some people off or cajoled them into leaving earlier in the day. Consequently, the event was moved from the main auditorium to the Studio—a smaller, more intimate space. It worked well for Moffat’s one-man show. No ‘in conversation’ here, just Moffat and the audience.
The ‘lucky’ generation?
It was lovely and very nostalgic, reminding us of a time gone by when housewives apparently went to the shops over seven times a week—that’s good going, given half-day closing on Wednesdays and Saturdays and complete closure on the Sabbath. Probably doesn’t sound much to today’s online shoppers, but Moffat’s point was that the community was more cohesive back then because you went into an actual shop and spoke to real people there. No ‘self-service’ back then or automated tills.
His latest book, To See Ourselves, will confirm that view in anyone over the age of about sixty. It’s a ‘personal history of Scotland since 1950’, the year Moffat was born, and it made me think of those ‘… in fifty objects’ programmes.
And there was not even terrestrial television until the mid-50s, hardly any cars, and no fridges. Universities still spelt opportunity and there were no wars to be drafted into. The ‘lucky’ generation.
Well, I’m younger than Moffat, but I can vaguely remember no central heating or telephone and trips to the supermarket being a family adventure on a Friday evening, and I am grateful for the lovely life I’ve lived. But I do also remember being terrified that war was coming, not thinking I’d ever be able to afford a car or a house, and not getting funding for my vocational post-graduate course. Technology has definitely made my life easier and there are still choices to be made about which aspects of it to tap into—or not.
Optimism in a smaller room
Moffat is an optimistic man and I don’t think this book is a rose-tinted paean to the past, more a look back at what the last seventy-odd years have given us and on which our lives have turned—for better or for worse. He regaled the audience with amusing stories, many of which evidently hit the spot with memories of less complicated times. However, he also spoke from the heart about the deprivation of the rat-infested, overcrowded Gorbals in Glasgow, without glossing over the downsides of the high-rise living with which the slums were replaced.
Moffat is an optimistic man and I don’t think this book is a rose-tinted paean to the past, more a look back at what the last seventy-odd years have given us and on which our lives have turned—for better or for worse.
It was very measured and the Q&A at the end—which overran the allotted time for the show in its enthusiasm—suggested it had also been very thought-provoking. Several of the ‘questions’ were observations about what has been lost as well as about what has been gained.
A younger member of the audience—in her thirties—wondered where the new ‘third spaces’ might be found, or come from nowadays, as she mourned their loss as something she’d never really had the chance to enjoy.
An older lady suggested life was getting worse not better, and the inevitable thoughts of Trump and Putin loomed. Moffat is still optimistic, though rightly afraid of the ‘nutcases’ who are the loose cannons whose actions we can’t predict. Dictators have too much to lose—in real estate if nothing else—to risk it by hitting the red button. Let’s hope he’s right and not just riding high on the euphoria of the Calcutta Cup returning ‘home’ at the weekend.
Featured Image: Pitlochry Winter Words Festival – Alistair Moffart Poster
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