Auld Enemies: The Scots and the English

by David Ross

For almost 1000 years, Scotland and England have been neighbor nations. For more than half that time, they were foreign countries to each other, often at war. In the 1700s, they joined in a United Kingdom and the new concept of 'Britishness' arose. But this covered over, rather than combined, the long-established identities. For most purposes Scots remained Scots and English remained English, and the old sense of rivalry did not go away. It still remains. In olden times, a war of words and propaganda accompanied the fighting. As the countries got to know each other better, and the fighting died down, the verbal exchanges continued, and became sharper and funnier. This work provides a record of the long contest of verbal warfare across the Border over the centuries. More than a collection of jokes, insults and critical observations, however, it shows how humor in its own way can join as well as divide, providing a handbook that can be enjoyed whichever side you are on.

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

David Sutherland Ross is a fully fledged member of that well-established species, the Scottish literary exile. Born in Oban, Argyll, he was removed at an early age to his ancestral county of Ross and Cromarty, where he grew up and went to school. Furnished with a little knowledge about all sorts of things thanks to a Scottish education, he migrated to London expecting to become a journalist, but became a publisher instead.

Having learned from blurb-writing how to represent a tangle of ill-assorted elements and random events as a unified whole, he realised he was eminently qualified to write the history of Scotland, and produced Scotland: History of a Nation. Nowadays, as chairman of a small Scottish-based publishing company, he combines publishing with writing and the compilation of anthologies, including Awa’ and Bile Yer Heid, a collection of Scottish insults and invective. Although he enjoys it all immensely, sometimes he wonders whether it isn’t too late to try something completely different, like utilising his ability to do water-divining; or perhaps opening a beach restaurant in Bali.

His favourite place in Scotland is the summit of Ben Venue; his favourite Scottish food, new-baked scones with raspberry jam; his favourite Scottish book, The Scottish National Dictionary, and his favourite Scottish phrase, “Just a sensation.”

Reviews

[John Naylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this and wondered what the reason for it is.

It has a lot of quotes and poems regarding the animosity as well as the friendship between the English and the Scots. It also includes a lot of bad jokes about the people of both nations. It just lacks a substance beyond these.

The book doesn't even try to reach any conclusions about the "auld enemies". It reads more like a slanging match from history. I couldn't recommend this to anyone of any nationality. It lacks a narrative and a point. There is nothing wrong with the writing or the research but the concept is one that I do not see appealing to many readers.