From protest to pride? The story behind Glasgow’s streetlight saltires

The first saltires appear on Springburn Road, just beyond the Colston traffic lights marking Glasgow’s northern frontier, beyond which the TOA taxis can add their nippy boundary charges. One sits in front of Anderson Maguire Funeral Directors while its twin across the road flies from a streetlight at the KFC emporium.

Like all the others in this neighbourhood they’ve been affixed at step-ladder height. And so, when they first emerged on these streets a few months ago, you formed the impression that they were flying at half-mast to mark the death of a local panjandrum.

And then, on journeys into town through Lambhill and Possilpark or back up through Ruchill and the Milton you notice that almost every streetlight in this jaggy purlieu had been garlanded by Scotland’s careworn flag. They