Wha’s like us? – Scottish culture on the reopening of Notre Dame

On the day that Notre Dame Cathedral reopens five years after a devastating fire, our finest building, the Mackintosh School of Art, still lies in ruins. Unlike Notre Dame, the Mack is a sad tale of political disinterest and project missteps. This mirrors the wider disregard for Mackintosh’s legacy and the fabric of Glasgow more generally. Is it only Edinburgh that really matters amongst our threadbare cultural priorities?

“The fire at Notre Dame reminds us that our history never stops and we will always have challenges to overcome. We will rebuild Notre Dame, more beautiful than before – and I want it done in the next five years. We can do it. After the time of testing comes a time of reflection and then of action.” Emmanuel Macron 16 April 2019

“Most people in Glasgow weren’t that bothered. After a few days of constant talk of the fire, its implications and whether the damage was permanent or could be salvaged, some (myself included) began to get irritated by what felt like the disproportionate coverage. Many of us were offended at the amount of time dedicated to this story, not just because we had no real interest in contemporary art, but because we grew up in communities where things burn down all the time.” Darren McGarvey, Poverty Safari, Luath Press, 2017 (writing about the first Mackintosh Art School fire in 2014)

“The fire has been a devastating blaze, much worse than the one that took hold of the Mackintosh building four years ago. The damage is severe and extensive. My heart goes out to everybody associated with the art school.”  Nicola Sturgeon 16 June 2018

It is incredibly difficult to be objective about art and architecture. Not least “what matters”. To whom? And why? What has worth? Aesthetically?  As an icon? Nevertheless, the diametrically different fates of Notre Dame and Glasgow’s Mackintosh School of Art building post-catastrophic fires are remarkable.

In France the fire was a national tragedy. Unlimited resources and energy were promised to restore it fully within 5 years. A five-star general and a powerful task force were appointed to ensure this restoration occurred successfully. Over £580m was raised (and spent). And today that glorious effort bears’ fruit. The iconic beautiful cathedral has risen from the ashes.

In Scotland, after two fires, the Mackintosh building lies in ruins, the surrounding area largely devastated. Procurement processes failed. Investigations dragged on. Insurance claim and counterclaim clutter the project. Glasgow School of Art (GSA) project leadership is secretive and wholly unimpressive. At Holyrood and Westminster level this is neither a national tragedy nor a restoration priority. It is unclear whether this ruin will ever be restored, and the longer this situation persists the more likely it will not. Despite all protestations to the contrary, GSA can function without the Mack. Hundreds of graduates now have no connection whatsoever with the building. And, as Darren McGarvey claims, Glasgow can survive without it, as many Glaswegians have bigger issues to deal with.

This is a tragic outcome for “Britain’s favourite building in the last 175 years” (2009 RIBA poll winner). The pinnacle achievement of Scotland’s finest architect, and our most internationally recognised and valued building. And the contrast with Notre Dame is shocking.

First, a few numbers. Paris has roughly three times the population of Glasgow. Paris gets 50 million tourists annually, of which 20 million visit Notre Dame. Glasgow gets around 3 million overnight visitors, of whom one third visited Mackintosh sites. Paris GDP is estimated at £210bn. Glasgow GDP is one eight of this.

So, Paris is bigger. Wealthier. More popular with tourists, especially Notre Dame. A national capital. The French arts budget is £3.4bn.

Glasgow is smaller. Poorer. Less popular with tourists. The Scottish arts budget is only £60m. Mack restoration is estimated at a further £100m (having spent over £30m after the 2014 fire).

So maybe this is all inevitable…Notre Dame rises in five years like a magnificent phoenix from the ashes as the beating heart of a great city. The Mack lies in ruins, perhaps for ever, in an impoverished and disinterested Glasgow. Macron nails his colours to the mast on day one. Our First Ministers wring their hands and…well that’s it really…

From day one, standing amidst the horrifying stinking Mac ruins, Nicola Sturgeon’s words set the tone for the miserable path the building is on. No commitment to action. No acknowledgement of the keystone role the building played in Glasgow and Scottish cultural life. Nothing on our international standing. And subsequently…no 5-star general or world-class taskforce.  No “big tent” approach to tackle the impact on community and fabric. We chose a different path. Wee. Parochial. Unprofessional. Secretive. Glacially slow.

The Scottish Nationalist movement has repeatedly used the “too wee, too poor, too stupid” phrase to illustrate how Unionists denigrate Scotland’s capacity to run its own affairs. Ironically it is a quote from John Swinney, who said in 2001 “They are terrified of the idea that the lives of millions of Scots would be improved if control of Scottish resources were in Scottish hands, and that is why they will always run down the Scots – why they will always say we are too stupid and too poor to be trusted to run the affairs of our own country”.

So, are successive Scottish First Ministers or Governments “too wee, too poor and too disinterested” when it comes to the Mack? Is that why Mackintosh’s wider legacy in Glasgow is neglected, ruined or sold off? Maybe the money could be better spent elsewhere? Maybe we do not deserve better? Nor care? Maybe the million plus visitors would be better off in Edinburgh? Or looking at castles in the Highlands?

We have been here before. In 1933 architect Robert Hurd reviewing the Charles Rennie Mackintosh memorial exhibition wrote: “It is an unfortunate fact that even the educated Scotsman does not seem to realise the international importance of Mackintosh as an architect”.

I agree with some of Darren McGarvey’s writing about poverty and class. In the same way as much of Irvine Welsh’s view of working-class Edinburgh resonated in the ‘90’s.

But the disparity in our care for Edinburgh versus Glasgow is completely jarring. The capital has National museums, collections and strategic infrastructure (not least the £1.25bn tram network). Glasgow has local museums, collections and largely shabby infrastructure (excepting the £300m on the decade long Underground modernisation).

In Edinburgh the King’s Theatre is undergoing a major renovation (£35m). The Old Royal High School will be transformed into a National Centre for Music (£68m). The construction of a 1000 seat classical venue, the Dunard Centre is nearing completion (£110m). A potential 8500 seat venue is planned for Edinburgh Park (£80m). A new National Galleries of Scotland conservation and community space is to be built in Granton (£9m). Renovation of Edinburgh Filmhouse is almost finished (£2m). The new Scottish galleries at the National Gallery of Scotland are recently opened (£39m).

It looks like those of us living in Edinburgh (some 550 000) or visiting (around 4 million/year) are luckier than those wee, poor, disinterested Glaswegians…down the back of the Holyrood and Westminster and Edinburgh and private sofas we’ve been fortunate enough to find some £340m (and counting). What luck!

Scottish creative and cultural sectors annually contribute more than £5 billion to the economy, employing more than 150,000 people. Scotland’s creative practitioners are world-renown, producing internationally recognised work known for innovating, pushing boundaries and challenging conventions. Glasgow is the centre of this. And at its heart was the Mack and the wider Mackintosh legacy. At the very core of why Glasgow matters…nationally and internationally.

But is this us now? Milquetoast leadership in the face of the big challenges? An inexorable drift into shabby mediocrity for our largest city? A careless disregard for our cultural fabric, irrespective of the impact of decay? One favoured city largely growing and thriving, while the the rest do not? Scotland splintered on class grounds with the disenfranchised abandoned while the “liberal elite” make hay?

This is what too wee, too poor, too stupid looks like. We can always reach for something else to blame. To justify our behaviour. The English. Westminster. The Unionists. Brexit. But it would be better if we took a long hard honest look at ourselves first. When we stand in our own ruins wringing our hands. When we leave most of the 5.5 million, and especially the working class,  out of any plans or solutions or the opportunity to work together to build a better Scotland. When we hide behind bureaucratic process or doublespeak.

We, the Scots people, did not ask for this. We do not mandate this. We expect so much better. For all of us. We look at Notre Dame today and wonder “why not us?”.

Neil Gilmour is a former energy industry senior executive recently returned to Scotland having led numerous successful world-scale projects.