Bid to show Stone of Destiny film in Holyrood thrown out

THE SNP Government tried to stage the Scottish premiere of the new film Stone of Destiny in the Holyrood debating chamber, it emerged today.

But Scottish Parliament bosses vetoed the proposal by Culture Minister Linda Fabiani on the grounds the movie had "political overtones".

The film – which stars Robert Carlyle, Billy Boyd and Peter Mullan – tells the story of the daring theft of the stone from Westminster Abbey in 1950 by four young nationalists.

It is due to have its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival tomorrow.

The film could still be shown in the parliament as part of the Festival of Politics in August, but it would be screened in one of Holyrood's large committee rooms rather than the debating chamber.

A confidential report to the cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), which oversees the Holyrood building, said Ms Fabiani had written to Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson in September, seeking approval and parliamentary and government officials met "a number of times" to discuss the issue.

But the report said: "Even though the film is being considered as a comedy, we are advised it will have political overtones which under the agreed criteria for events exclude it from being screened in the debating chamber."

But the report suggested since the film would not go on general release until later in the year, it could still be shown as part of the Festival of Politics.

One parliament source said: "There's no objection to the film being shown in some way – it's a matter of political history. But they wanted it to be of political significance and we weren't happy about that."

A government source challenged the idea the story of the stone was a party political issue.

He said: "People right across the political spectrum took great delight in the retrieval of the stone. Many people do not realise those who took it had no connection with the SNP. They were more associated with the Scottish Covenant, which was gathering signatures on a petition for independence."

He said he was sure people would flock to see the film if it were shown at the parliament.

"The story of the stone is still rolling on after half a century."

A ROCKY HISTORY
THE Stone of Destiny, a four hundredweight slab of sandstone, was used in the coronation of generations of Scottish kings until England's Edward I seized it in 1296 and took it to Westminster Abbey.

It was stolen back again at Christmas 1950 when the nationalist gang raided the abbey and loaded the stone into the back of a Ford Anglia.

It was recovered in the ruins of Arbroath Abbey and taken back south. But in 1996 Tory Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth announced the stone was coming back to Scotland. It is now housed at Edinburgh Castle. But Alex Salmond caused controversy earlier this week by saying he believed the stone was a medieval forgery.

The First Minister backed the theory that a monk at Scone Abbey tricked Edward into taking a forged stone.

There have also been claims the stone returned after the 1950 raid was a copy rather than the one seized.