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It’s the last place you’d imagine but there’s good reason why we’re celebrating Glasgow’s Nelson Column and Mandela in the world.

Scotland’s biggest city has a long, pioneering tradition of supporting Madiba going back to 1981.

When it became the first in the world to grant the freedom fighter the freedom of their city.

Followed by Aberdeen, during your favourite Bandanaman’s time editing the university’s student newspaper there.

One in the eye for apartheid

All of which makes you wonder why it has taken until now to erect a statue to the Great Man.

But rather on dwelling on that and the statues in the nearby George Square which celebrate the exploitation of empire.

We’d prefer to mark that it’s 40 years since the city renamed St George’s Place to Nelson Mandela Place.

A delicious, and typically gallus Glaswegian dig at the South African consulate-general whose address was there.

Mandela repaid the tribute when he visited the Dear Green Place in 1993 and spoke in front of 10,000 people.

A giant of South Africa

Now it is gratifying to see Mandela as equally celebrated in my hometown as in his home province of the Eastern Cape.

But it begs the question why is there not a Nelson’s column in every country in the world?

And we reckon this is a Nelson the Irish and the Bajans could get behind.

Now Nelson Mandela is understandably ubiquitous in South Africa.

And we had the pleasure of holding hands with him in the 38m-long Voting Line in Gqberha (Port Elizabeth).

But for sheer height then the 10m bronze statue of Nelson in Durban soars over them all.

An icon of the ages

Get him down. The Bajans hauled the other Nelson down

Mandela is celebrated too in London whose citizens campaigned long and hard for his release.

But it remains incongruous that Boer leader and South Africa’s first premier Louis Botha should be on a pedestal in Parliament Square.

Our Mandela mates tell us that there are statues of him in at least 24 places around the world.

From China to Cuba, Washington to Ramallah in Palestine, South Africa to Brazil, and elsewhere.

And other heroes we’d love to raise up

But, of course, as inspiring as it will be to look up to Mandela every day as we walk to work.

The struggle, much like the unfinished statue of Martin Luther King in DC, goes on.

Until we see Frederick Douglass raised up in Edinburgh, where he lived three years, and slavery prevaricator William Dundas torn down.

As well as countless other anachronisms around the world.

It’s our other national drink Irn-Bru and it’s been made in Scotland from girders for 125 years.

The bronze-coloured soft drink is so much part of Scots’ blood that brewers Barr have come up with a novel idea.

With a drop-inn parlour where you can have your love of ‘ra Bru‘ inked into your arm or wherever you want to mark it.

The story goes that Barr, then a makers of corks, tinkered with the idea of a tincture.

After seeing Irish immigrant steel workers sweating it out and refuelling with beer.

On the rebuilding of Glasgow’s Central Station.

Which, of course, is the focus of more refurbishment after the destruction of Union Corner by a fire this month.

The Irn Age

Spell it out: Part of the Scottish landscape

Glaswegians of a certain age will, of course, recall that the Victorian B-listed building opposite the train station was adorned for years.

With signage of an Indian boy in a turban advertising Irn-Bru.

The Bru has prided itself on its promotions over these 125, second only to Coca-Cola, but first and ahead of them in sales in Scotland.

Traditionalists will fondly remember, for instance, the athlete on the bottles and then cans.

That being 19th-century Highland Games athlete of note Adam Brown.

But the Bru has moved with the times and we’ve travelled with them.

And it is barely remembered now that the strange misspelling has only been around since after the Second World War.

Prior to which it was Iron.

Barr had become worried over changing food labelling regulations after the war.

With the mysterious orange elixir containing only the minutest traces of iron and not being brewed.

Raising the Barr

For all of us who jealously protect our favourite brands (think Tayto in Ireland) we have our own in jokes which we can share.

Anywhere we meet fellow Scots and flush out the authentic ones.

By asking the likes of ‘I’m Thirsty, I’m very thirsty too… so here’s a drink that’s made for you, Barr’s Irn-Bru.

Of course, each generation has its own favourite ad, the young boy who lifts a girder after drinking the Bru.

A skit on The Snowman movie and the recent Fanny gag.

And it works too in American English as well as Scots English.

By gum

Now where once you would struggle to get the Bru beyond the northern bit of this British island it is widely available now.

With our other national drink even sponsoring that most northern English of sports rugby league… and you’re welcome.

Whether though, you’re prepared to mark yourself with an Irn-Bru tattoo really depends on how much it’s in your blood.

And pretty much every Scot does have it in under their skin.

But it is worth a try although maybe not say it tastes like bubblegum.

Unless you want to invite some kind of unpronouncable slur spat back at you.

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Glasgow’s Nelson’s Column and Mandela in the world