The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil

I think it was Marx who said that “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” John McGrath's seminal play The Cheviot the Stag and the Black Black Oil has been done to death but it represented a high water mark in radical political theatre in Scotland when it was performed to thousands of people in community centres across Scotland by 7:84 and other community theatre groups. The story of the cruelty and savagery of the highland Clearances and the subsequent exploitation of the area still has the power to make people angry today and - and as KW has pointed out the BIG question underlying much of the spats and feuds of Ukania are about the Black Black Oil.

7:84's raison d'etre is still as stroiong and clear as ever as pointed out by this guest piece by the clearly un-dead You Scotland with Andy Wightman guesting.

But the x factor in all this is the sheep - this time light-lambs (250,000 of them) not Cheviots.

As the Scotsman put it: "THE UK government was last night accused of playing politics with Scottish farmers' livelihoods as it was revealed plans for an £8.1 million compensation payout for foot-and-mouth disease were mysteriously scrapped after Gordon Brown decided not to call an election."