THE Proclaimers and Val McDermid are among those who have signed an open letter calling for the proposed statue of Dr Elsie Inglis in Edinburgh to be rejected by the council.
The pair are among dozens of artists, writers, professors and doctors, to sign an open letter being sent to every Edinburgh councillor over the statue, calling the design and process to select an artist "deeply flawed".
Authors Carol Craig, Mary Paulson-Ellis, and Lesley Riddoch have joined musicians Tom Lyne and Corrina Hewat, as well as historians Nick Aitchison, Dr Helen O'Shea and Dr Kate Sloan, in making the call.
The campaign to erect a statue of Inglis on Edinburgh's Royal Mile has been mired in controversy since 2017 due to the selection process for the sculptor, as well as the final design.
Initially, an open competition was launched for the historic commission, aiming to engage both established and emerging artists inspired by Inglis's legacy.
However, the trustees of the charity "A Statue for Elsie Inglis" suspended the competition, after artists had spent dozens of hours on their application, to appoint Alexander Stoddart — the King's Sculptor in Ordinary in Scotland.
Stoddart had not participated in the open call.
East Lothian-based artist Natasha Phoenix is spear-heading the latest campaign, as the charity has now submitted a planning application for the statue, proposing its placement outside 219 High Street, near the original site of Inglis's hospice established in 1904. Councillors are set to vote on the application on Friday.
The artist said there is significant support for halting the proposal and starting the commissioning process again.
The letter is calling for a qualified and independent commissioning team to be put in place.
The Proclaimer brothers, Craig and Charlie Reid, told The National: "We are concerned about the focus on Elsie Inglis as a war-time nurse, rather than on her lifelong commitment to women’s health.
"We also believe that there is insufficient attention being paid to the historical importance of the site in High Street.
"We wish the campaign success in bringing accuracy to the legacy of Elsie Inglis life."
Writer Sara Sheridan (below) is also among those who have signed the letter.
"Dr Elsie Inglis is a woman who had a huge impact on Edinburgh and on the world. People care about her memory. I care," Sheridan said.
"Like many generations of babies, I was born in the Elsie Inglis Maternity Hospital. This statue will be the first to a non-royal woman in our capital city.
"It’s important that it’s a monument that attests to Dr Inglis’s achievements, that respects her memory as a pioneer, a maker of change and an advocate for other women. She deserves better than what is being proposed and her monument deserves a better process than the one that has been undertaken.”
The campaign is encouraging people to object to the planning application online.
"The entire process led by the charity A Statue for Elsie Inglis is tainted with dishonour," Phoenix said.
"The only way to have a statue that the public support and that is not controversial, is to start again with professionals in place who are prepared to openly engage with the public and truly comprehend and value the public's warmth and love for Dr Elsie Inglis.
"For this letter , currently backed by a thousand people, to be ignored by the trustees , would clearly demonstrate a level of arrogance and narcissism that show this proposal is a vanity project for those involved and very little to do with Dr Elsie Inglis and the people of Scotland.
"We can only hope that Frank Ross and Sandy Stoddart finally do the right thing and step away completely, allowing the public to get a fitting legacy for their beloved hero. An independent commissioning team should be appointed and a new fair transparent and inclusive process should commence."
The A Statue for Elsie Inglis charity is currently uncontactable and has closed all social media accounts.
