I think Burns has been abused in every quarter; traditionally by the old men of Scotland who are all red noses and too much whisky; then by commercial interests who have hijacked the poet for their haggis and shortbread agenda. He is not much respected by modernity either which takes one look at the imagery and stays well clear. This means that the sheer excellence and majesty of Burns often goes unappreciated.

As he is my favourite ever Scotsman I would like to see that addressed. The man’s life story itself is a great tale: failure to fame, to failure again, to eternal fame. His legacy is an impressive body of work: songs, poems and letters as worthy and valuable as any in the English language. He is historical, entertaining, enlightening, funny and relevant to the human condition in any age. For these reasons Burns should be rediscovered.