Looking for panache, savoir faire and real class? Look no further than a Scotsman. Clark McGinn investigates...

I'm in Sydney, ready to talk at a Scottish gathering in the SydneyOpera House – so I am standing at the bar, looking out at one of themost beautiful vistas in the world, sharing in the view normallymonopolised by the uber cool and suave of international society, fromOpera Point over to Sydney Harbour Bridge. . . .

The chief barman – sorry, mixologist– is interested in all the guys in kilts. Even for a true Scot it's hotdown under and so he has invented a cooling cocktail called the RBSKiltlifter to keep everyone from evaporating – two measures of Scotch whisky,one of Drambuie, then add one shot each of Australian honey syrup andof peach purée and then top up a long frosted glass with ice cold applejuice.

Just what Dr Finlay ordered when the temperature is a very unScottish 28 degrees Celsius!

We get to talking about the Ozzie view of the Jocks. Popular opinionhere is that we are either barnstorming Braveheart warriors or cannymerchants, bankers and engineers – both species having added toAustralia's development and history over the last couple of centuries.

But here we have kilt-wearing cocktail drinkers, looking very suaveand sophisticated (and the ladies in the audience seem to heartilyconcur with that assessment). So maybe there is a third kind of Scot,combining the physique of the fighter, and the wit of the professionalman.

I try to explain about the many examples of dashing, gentlemanlyScots who walk their smart way across Scottish literature: a favouriteof mine is the Jacobite Alan Breck in Kidnapped by Robert LouisStevenson – with his catch phrase ('am I no a bonny fighter?') and ageneral approach to life that's smoother than a cashmere sporran.  Orperhaps we could talk about the heroes of John Buchan's stories –equally assured in tweeds foiling villains on the moors as in black tieover a whisky in the library; duelling with vampish honey trap spies inthe morning, or ceilidh dancing with Perthshire heiresses in theevening.  These are gentlemen warriors with charm, skill and brains butare they just historical fiction?

The perfect example of this species must be Bond, James Bond.

Not just because of the immortal portrayal by Sean Connery, but because Commander Bond is very emphatically a Scot.

That is hardly surprising when you think his Scottish creator wasIan Fleming who lived his golden life in Goldeneye, Jamaica (an islandwith strong Scottish links from the early days of Empire). It's hiscentenary this year, but Bond is immortal! So the character is bothFleming's alter ego (and wish fulfilment) and an authentic distillationof a particular set of peculiarly Scottish traits.

Our Commander Bond was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh and kept theaccent and habits of that class of Scots, but magically transformedwhat can be seen as aloof into what we call suave! With more amorousencounters than Burns, more life threatening adventures than Rob RoyMacGregor and more drink under his belt than Will Fyfe on Glasgow Fair Friday, hecaptures a great fantasy – with immense panache.

Even his famous sharp one liners show that essential economy oflanguage that allows a Scot to joke (or to put someone back in hisplace) with a few sharp and witty words. That's another part of thesuave persona too.

My mixologist friend is, however, professionally sniff about thegreat man's famous recipe for a drink: the Vodka Martini, shaken notstirred, which he insists gives you a cloudy glass of watery EasternEuropean potato juice. He was reassured when I told him that 007 reallydrank malt whisky for choice – in the books his consumption of thewater of life is ten times more prevalent than his ill-made martini.But it is a good catch phrase which the movie script used with gusto.

So 007 displays defining Scots characteristics in accent and habit,but rarely in dress – there was a disastrous scene where a be-kiltedGeorge Lazenby looked more Moss Bros than MI6 (was that why he didn'tcome back?). Our mind's eye image must be Bond in a dinner jacket. Ifhe'd been in a Scottish regiment during the war, rather than the RNVR,we might have had the perfect compromise: black tie and Regimentaltartan trews (which is an increasingly popular dress choice nowadaysand has a certain "je ne sais quoi", as we suave chaps would say!).

Of course, the steel and excitement in this species is that theoutward style is cool, slightly detached and very social – but underthat is the licence to kill!

Bond, with a soft Scottish accent, in black tie a glass in one handand a beautiful women at the other – what an advert for being Scottish!

For most people there is only one Bond – the first and the Scot,Sean Connery. In real life, Sir Sean, with his international lifestyle,film star glamour and tartan visits home is a pretty good approximationof his screen persona. Not unlike another favourite, David Niven, whoseclass act as an actor and a gentleman would be hard to follow – muchmore convincing in the debonair roles than when roped into high octanetartan soap like being Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was pretty suave tooin his day – or at least his brief moment – but whose life has beentaken over by mythology, which sits unwell with suavity.

This all sounds pretty historical – can we not capture the magic with some modern Scots?

We are really fortunate to be living in a period where Scots andpeople of Scots heritage (or inclination) have a real joy inparticipating in our culture, dress, drink, music and sports. So it'snot surprising that you can see some new suave lads on the stage.

In New York each April, Tartan Week / Scotland Week sees stars andwannabees jostle at bars and on catwalks in kilts and tartan and it's agreat sight to end up in one of New York's famous bars to find it fullof well dressed tartan folk with that famous NY buzz peculiar to thecity that never sleeps.

There are flagbearers of the suave today – I think of Gerard Butleras one – largely because my inbox is filled daily with email petitionssigned by girl fans calling on him to play Rabbie on screen – hecertainly seems to have the Burns quality when it comes to the female!The star today though, must be Ewan McGregor. A gifted actor and a veryScottish approach. I am reliably informed by those who know that he israther sexy in his kilt (which he's often seen wearing) and his embraceof all that's good on Scotland sees him in the heart of parties whichpartake of our Caledonian cheer – even hiring the famous Red Hot ChilliPipers to entertain his guests.

So yes, our historic clichés are widely known, but more thansoldiers and bankers, there is a distinct, sharp and very sexy group ofScots out there – the suave who capture that secret side in every oneof us – displaying panache, savoir faire, and real class!

Or so it feels as the sun goes down over Sydney Harbour Bridge, theKiltlifter is quaffed and I tidy my notes waiting for the MC to say'Ladies and Gentlemen . . .'.

Here's a toast to all our suave Scotsmen, wherever they may be!

Clark McGinn, the Burns Supper Speaker and SCOTSIN Member, is a well-known Scottish banker in asset finance globally andcombines the day job with speaking, lecturing and writing on Scottishsubjects. A fully paid-up member of the Scottish Diaspora (based in thewilds of North West London) he has written the acclaimed guide to BurnSuppers: The Ultimate Burns Supper Book published by Luath Press at£7.99/$14.95 which is available in bookshops or Amazon.

Further information:

> Link to Clark McGinn SCOTSIN Profile  

Courtesy of Scotland.org