How come we've no got a town machar?

There’s a national one, some toons have one. So how come the toon that’s internationally kent for it’s renowned poet, Robert Burns doesnae have a machar?

I’m sure it must have occurred to someone with the power to sanction such a thing at some point over the years.

Maybe, just maybe, Burns is the problem. Gasp! After all, there’s nae shortage of poets and scrievers in this toon and I’d say the balance is tipped strongly in favour of the poets, certainly by body count, if not by word count.

Maybe the presence of Burns and his place in local culture, as a kind of ‘Seal of the Poets’, would make it difficult for someone to step forward and take on the mantle even if that reign was for only two years, say.

Has the bar been set too high? At least too high in our collective imaginations? Let’s break free of this notion and appoint a machar or two to enliven our schools, hospitals, matches, galas, democratic proceedings and public spaces with words to inspire and make you reflect.