No Contest for First Minister

Before the contest to elect the next First Minister had even got underway, Wendy Alexander astonished everyone by announcing that, after a lot of "heart-searching" she had decided it would not be right to put her name forward. She said she had worked closely with the late Donald Dewar who had been the First Minister in the new Scottish Parliament and found it difficult to see herself in that role at the present time. Then Malcolm Chisholm, the deputy health minister, announced that he was willing to stand; but within 48 hours he too had to withdraw as he could not obtain 7 Members of the Scottish Parliament to support his candidature. So on Tuesday, when nominations closed, the Finance Minister Jack McConnell was the only candidate for the post. Mr McConnell is aged 41 and was at one time a school teacher before becoming involved in local government and the Labour party. At the end of the week, there was an "affirmation ballot" at a meeting of the Labour Party's 55 MSPs and the party's Scottish executive committee at which he was formally elected leader of the Scottish Labour Party. The election as First Minister in the Scottish Parliament next Thursday is therefore a formality.

First Minister Candidate Confesses About Love Affair

When Jack McConnell announced that he was standing for election as the next First Minister of the Scottish Executive he said that he would "clear the air" and be honest and open. So, on Tuesday he and his wife faced the press to confirm what the media already knew - McConnell had had an affair with a former Labour Party press officer which ended seven years ago. McConnell said that he had made mistakes, including denying publicly that it had taken place. While there was clearly a risk of a backlash as a result of the announcement, most commentators and politicians felt that the statement had "cleared the air". Even so, tabloid journalists are furiously "researching" to see if they can find any more skeletons.

Water Charges Rising 29%

The amount paid by households in most parts of Scotland for their water supply is to rise by up to 25% over the next four years. The only area to escape will be the north of Scotland - where charges are already over 20% higher than the rest of the country. By 2005, charges will be equal across Scotland. Costs are rising to pay for the major capital expenditure required to meet water quality standards set by the European Community. It is being argued by the Executive that if the recent merger of the three water authorities in Scotland into one unit had not taken place, the increases would have been even higher. However, opposition parties point to lower charges in England and Wales - where the water companies have been privatised.

£360 Million for Edinburgh Schools

Edinburgh City Council announced this week that it had concluded a "Public Private Partnership" deal to rebuild and renovate 18 schools across the city. The contract has been awarded to a consortium which won a £1.2 billion schools project in Glasgow last year. The blueprint in Edinburgh involves the building of 10 primary schools, two high schools, two special schools and a community centre plus the refurbishment of three existing high schools and a special unit. More than 10,000 children will benefit from the contract.

Scottish Businesses Not Ready For Euro

A report from a parliamentary committee has expressed "disappointment" at the low level of preparedness of many Scottish businesses for the introduction of Euro notes and coins in the European Monetary Union next January when 300 million people across Europe will start using the new currency. They called on VisitScotland to ensure that prices were quoted in Euros as well as sterling and on other organisations to get ready for the new currency.

Longannet Coal Face Closing

The last deep coal mine in Scotland, at Longannet in Fife, is to shed 170 of its 508 workers as a result of the closure of a coal face which is regarded as too dangerous to continue working. The major geological problems under the river Forth leaves only one coal face in operation at the mine. If this can be kept open, there are reserves there for another 15 years. The mine supplies the nearby power station at Longannet.

1,000 Jobs Cut at Oil Refinery

It was announced this week that the massive BP oil refinery and petrochemical works at Grangemouth is to shed 1,000 workers out of a total of 2,500 over the next two years. The reduction is being attributed to the depressed chemical markets and what are described as "operational problems". In recent years the aging plant has been hit by a number of safety scares. BP have had a presence in Grangemouth for over 70 years.

600 New Jobs For Glasgow

A new company which has been set up to launch a third-generation mobile phone service, has announced that it is creating a sophisticated customer help centre in Glasgow which will require 600 staff over the next three years. Hutchison 3G is 65% owned by the Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa. The company has rented 70,000 sq ft in St Vincent Street, in the centre of Glasgow.

Scottish Retail Spending at Record High

If the UK and Scotland in particular avoid recession in the current economic downturn, it will be due mainly to shoppers continuing to spend at high levels. Sales soared in October and were nearly 8% higher than the same month last year according to the Scottish Retail Consortium. The growth rate was the fastest since the Consortium began publishing figures in 1999. According to opinion polls, shoppers are still likely to spend heavily for Christmas. There has been a slight rise in the number of those claiming unemployment benefit, but not enough to create a general atmosphere of job insecurity. Even so, confidence about the future amongst the management of manufacturing companies has declined sharply, particularly in Scotland. Exports have been particularly badly affected.

Disgruntled Commuters Launch Their Own Bus Service

Changes to the routing of the FirstBus service between Bathgate in West Lothian and Edinburgh has resulted in longer journey times for commuters - that is when the bus turns up at all. So a group of regular travellers are co-operating to hire a bus and run a service in the morning and in the evening. It will reduce travel times and, if enough customers use the service, it will break even.

Replacement Engines for Flagship Fleet

All 78 of the new Turbostar trains, which were supposed to improve reliability on the main Scotrail routes when they were introduced last year, are to have their engines totally replaced - with the cost being paid by the manufacturers. Over the last year, the trains have had over 300 modifications, in an attempt to improve reliability. But the company has eventually agreed to stop "tinkering" with the problem. But the problems with the mainline Turbostars (pictured here) are put in the shade by the fleet of 19 new electric Juniper trains which operate routes around Glasgow. They break down nearly three times as often as the old trains they replaced. They have had 400 modifications since they were introduced in Scotland. Scotrail announced this week that they are suspending delivery of the remaining 21 Juniper trains.

End of Glasgow's Orange Glow

Over many decades, anyone flying over Glasgow at night can see large areas of the city lit by the orange glow of sodium lighting. Introduced as an improvement, especially in fog and mist, they have never been popular and newer street lighting has reverted to white light. Following an incident in Tyneside where an old lamp-post collapsed, local authorities across the UK have been alerted to examining their many ancient lamp-posts In Glasgow, where some of the lighting is 70 years old, it has been decided to take the opportunity to replace more than 55,000 street lights. But as Glasgow City Council cannot afford the cost of £60 million, they are looking at setting up a deal where they would be leased from a private company over 30 years.

Makeover Complete for Shopping Mecca

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow's famous shopping mecca, has been undergoing a £3 million facelift over many months. The refurbishment involved laying a new surface, landscaping, new trees and street furniture. The exercise was officially completed this week and Councillor Alistair Walker, convener of land services unveiled a commemorative plaque. And to show that the street was carpet-smooth, he wore a pair of large, hairy, "Yeti" slippers and was joined by a genuine Sherpa guide from the Nevisport shop in Sauchiehall Street. Shoppers will be delighted that the work has been completed - at some stages the thoroughfare looked like a war zone as workmen ripped up the street.

Undersea Electric Supply Grid

The potential of supplying renewable energy from wind and wave/tide power installations on the west coast of Scotland and the outer isles, came a step closer this week. The UK energy minister announced that a study is to be undertaken into the viability of an undersea power grid which would take such electricity from the periphery to link up with the national grid in Glasgow and possibly as far as the south-west of England. The present electricity grid is designed to take power from the centre and distribute it to remote areas - not in the opposite direction, which wind and wave power stations would require. It is likely that there would also be objections to overland power cables from the west coast, via such routes as Glencoe, to the more populated areas.

Selling Scotland With Tartan Cartoon Characters

A new comic strip featuring stereotyped Scottish characters is to be used by VisitScotland (formerly the Scottish Tourist Board) to attract tourists to Scotland. Gormless-looking characters such as drunken "Tartan Tammy" and his wife "Big Annie" will be launched during a Tartan Week in Florida next February. A number of real Scots, including politicians and entertainers, will make "appearances" in the comic strip. A free colour magazine called "Tartan Character" will feature articles on travel and current affairs. But "health" pages will feature a fat cartoon character who likes to sit in front of TV all day. Critics have slammed the new initiative as representing the very worst of national self-images and that it is the bad case of "culture cringe".

Barra Girl Flies Home

When Annag Macleod was a young girl growing up on the island of Barra, she used to watch the aircraft landing on the beach. The service there is the only one in the UK where landings are "subject to weather and tide". But Annag had a dream of becoming a pilot of the planes which provide such an essential life-line to the Western isle. Unlike many childhood dreams, however, she kept her ambition alive. And this week the dream came true when, after years of study and training, she landed the Loganair aircraft at Barra on its regular service from Glasgow to Campbeltown, Tiree and Benbecula for the first time as first officer. Loganair has six female pilots but Annag is the youngest.

Scottish Airports Avoid Slump

With many of the air services from Scotland going to internal destinations or to Europe rather than North America, airports here have bucked the decline in passenger numbers which have been experienced in other parts of the UK and abroad. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Prestwick airports have all reported increased numbers in October 2001 compared with the same month last year. In particular, Prestwick had a rise of 21% due to increased flights by budget airline Ryanair and a growth in holiday charter traffic.

Don't Fall For A Fake Fir

A national campaign has been launched this week to encourage householders to buy a real Christmas tree this year rather than an artificial one. Of course, the sponsors are the British Christmas Tree Growers' Association. The campaign was launched in Glasgow by Glasgow-based Eden Christmas Trees who supply an 18ft Norwegian spruce to 10 Downing Street each year. They argue that the trees are a sustainable resource and provide a natural environment for wildlife. Purchases of real trees have been increasing slowly over the last few years but many people still prefer to "recycle" their artificial trees - and avoid having to sweep up the fallen needles from the carpet.

Design Contest for Bridge Falls Down

A competition to design the new road bridge over the river Clyde at Finnieston in Glasgow has collapsed due to the rising cost of the bridge and delays in moving the project forward. The contest was launched in April last year to design, build and maintain a four-lane, 455ft long bridge at a cost of £5.5 million and a completion date of April 2003. But none of the tenders proved to be satisfactory and the contest will have to be rerun. Costs have increased to £8 million and the likely completion date is now January 2004. Work will start in September next year. It is claimed that the cancellation of the first competition is a legal technicality and that the same companies will continue to be involved.
The illustration shows the stretch of the river Clyde at Finnieston where the bridge is to be built - up-stream of the Finnieston crane, a relic from the days when cargo ships came as far up-river as this.

Ministers Set In Stone

In days gone by, churches were often adorned by gargoyles, designed to convey a message or, in the case of the grotesque ones, to ward off evil spirits. But new sculptured heads being added during the renovation of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow's Great Western Road, will include portraits of those who have been involved in the fundraising, planning and construction. The provost of St Mary's, the Very Rev Griff Dines and the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, the Right Rev Idris Jones are amongst those to be remembered in this way. Rev Jones commented that the stone masons had been generous and portrayed him as a cheerful cherub.

Marry Where You Want

Proposals to change the rules governing civil marriage ceremonies were published this week. They will allow such events to take place at any venue so long as it preserves the dignity of the marriage ceremony. Weddings can be performed by ministers of religion at any location i Scotland but civil ceremonies have so far been restricted to the 247 registrars' offices across the country. It has been pointed out that with so many romantic locations it is to everyone's benefit to take advantage of these. The bill, which is the result of extensive consultation, is expected to become law by next summer.

Shop Around the Clock

Retailer Marks and Spencers, who used to be the darling of shoppers (and their shareholders), used to disdain such things as opening on bank and local holidays or extended hours at Christmas. But the store has been struggling in recent years as competitors have eroded its once dominant position. In recent years it has responded to the new climate on the High Streets and it has announced that this year, for the first time, it is planning to open some of its larger stores for 24 hours a day in the weeks before Christmas. This would match a number of supermarkets that already do this throughout the year. Of course, while this may please customers who want flexibility, they have to persuade some staff to work shifts. So far, they have not finalised which stores will remain open.

19th Century Whisky Replica

A Speyside distiller is planning to recreate the distinctive taste of a malt whisky which was made in 1841. The taste is being based on a vintage bottle of Macallan which was bottled in 1841 which recently came into the possession of the distillery. The experts have already taken a sample and will recreate it from current malts which, in combination, match the unique taste of the 1841 version which was originally created by using American oak casks. It is hoped to be able to produce around 12,000 bottles of the whisky at a retail price of around £100 each.

Glasgow Underground Winning European Fight

Legislation currently wending its way through the European Parliament in Brussels would have resulted in Strathclyde Passenger Transport having to privatise the Underground rail service in Glasgow. It was estimated that the cost of putting the system out to tender (while retaining the stations, track and signalling) would have cost £15 million. But intense lobbying by the organisation, in conjunction with other metro operators in Paris, Rome, Berlin and London, has led to an amendment which would exempt the city underground services across Europe, most of which are operated by the local authorities.

Beware of the Haggis

Drivers in Aberdeenshire have been somewhat puzzled recently by the appearance of signs declaring "Beware of the Haggis" which have sprouted in the Bennachie area. The signs also direct motorists to a non-existent "Bob's Farm, Haggis Sanctuary". The local roads department is mystified by the signs although locals say that they may have been set up to highlight road safety - or maybe by someone concerned about declining numbers of haggis (due to global warming?). Of course, the peak season for haggis is approaching - St Andrews Day at the end of November and the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns on 25 January.

Caribbean Turtle Goes Forth

Just as the weather was turning colder, a Caribbean leatherback turtle, which is more often found in the warm waters off South America turned up in the river Forth last weekend, 100 yards from Alloa in Clackmannanshire. The 5-ft-long animal was thousands of miles off-course and may have been following a shoal of jelly fish (its favourite food). Marine experts stood by in case they needed to coax the turtle back into the North Sea but it seemed to decide that sight-seeing in Scotland was not what it wanted to do and was last seen heading out to sea.

Weather in Scotland This Week

For most of the week temperatures continued to be above the average for this time of year, around 11/14C (52/57F) except that on Tuesday and Wednesday they plummeted to 5/6C (41/43F). On Tuesday, Lerwick in the far north reached only 3C (37F). Sunshine has been in short supply, however, with Lerwick recording only four hours of sunshine in the whole week with Glasgow not far behind with only seven hours.
With the approach of Christmas and with all the shops with their festive season decorations, here is a picture of some holly berries which were spotted this week in suburban Glasgow during one of the (few) spells when the sun was actually shining brightly.

Abbotsford at Risk

Sir Walter Scott's Border home at Abbotsford, on the banks of the river Tweed near Galashiels, has seen visitor numbers at an all-time low this year, threatening the future of the private manor house. The house is owned by Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, a direct descendant of Sir Walter. She says that the decline is not just due to reduced numbers of tourists due to foot and mouth disease earlier in the year and the aftermath of September 11. She believes that there is a decline in interest due to the fact that Scott's works are no longer part of the curriculum in Scottish schools. There have been only 31,500 paying visitors this year, down on the 40,000 of the previous year and well down on the 86,000 visitors in the 1970s.
The illustration is of the monument to Sir Walter Scott in Princes Street, Edinburgh.

This Week in History

• November 19 1600 - King Charles I born.
• November 21 1673 - King James VII married Mary of Modena.
• November 21 1835 - Poet James Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, died in Ettrick.
• November 22 1942 - Actor Tom Conti born.
• November 23 1847 - Historian Walter Biggar Blaikie born.
• November 24 1331 - David II (aged 7) crowned at Scone.
• November 24 1542 - Rout of Solway Moss in which King James V sent a force of 10,000 into England which was defeated by an English force led by Sir Thomas Wharton.
• November 24 1572 - John Knox, leading reformer of Church of Scotland, died.
• November 24 1942 - Comedian and actor Billy Connolly born.

For the other 51 weeks in history and a chronology of Scottish events see the Scottish Timeline.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay

Details of the programme of events in Edinburgh over the last few days of the year were announced this week. The four-day street party will feature the Scottish pop singers the Proclaimers in a concert in Princes Street Gardens. There will also be the popular torchlight procession from Edinburgh Castle and the largest number of street theatre companies ever gathered at Hogmanay. There will be the traditional fireworks display - once again spread across the seven hills of Edinburgh but concentrated at Edinburgh castle. On New Year's Day, there will be a bicycle triathlon and sled dog teams in Holyrood Park. And of course at the Firth of Forth, beneath the famous railway bridge, there will be the instant cure for a hangover - the "Loony Dook" swim into the freezing waters of the river. See the Edinburgh Hogmanay Web site for more details.

Tartan TV for US Scots

Fiona Kennedy (daughter of singer Callum Kennedy) is fronting a new project to create a half-hour magazine programme for US TV. While it may not be a fair exchange for Ally McBeal in the opposite direction, the programme could be on cable networks in the US and Canada by next spring. You can get an idea of some of the potential content at their Web site http://tartan.tv and, if you have the requisite plug-ins, you can see some streamed video extracts from items on Ewan McGregor becoming Chieftain of the Crieff Highland Games, Lord MacDonald recounting some of his family's history and a look at the ingredients and history of Scotland's most famous national dish - haggis.

Artist Attacks Public Art

The creation of five new sculptures in Tay Street, Perth, was attacked this week by artist Charles Harris who accuses the Perthshire Public Art Trust (made up largely of local politicians and civic officials) of promoting only modern art instead of also backing works with "traditional" values - such as his sculpture of the "Three Graces". Perth has made quite a name for itself by funding a large number of art works in public spaces - Norrie Miller Park, Rodney Gardens and Bellwood Riverside Park are full of modern sculptures and there are many other examples around the city - including a far from modern sculpture of the Fair Maid of Perth, sitting demurely in a shopping precinct. The Trust claims that it takes on board all comments from the public but point out that Mr Harris' latest submission for Tay Street incorporates three female nudes. The Trust says that the potential for vandalism is great and that "Perth doesn't display three naked ladies in public".

Mull of Kintyre Still Moves McCartney

Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney spoke recently about his love of his retreat on the Mull of Kintyre on the west coast of Scotland. McCartney put the area on the world map with his classic song "Mull of Kintyre" and he says that it is still providing him with inspiration. One of the tracks of his latest album was written and partly recorded at High Park Farm near Campbeltown. He bought the property 40 years ago and spent a lot of time their with his wife Linda. He returned there to seek solace in the calm beauty of the area after her death in 1998. He arrives at Campbeltown by private jet and is rarely seen by the locals. While on the farm, the McCartneys became vegetarians - and Paul was once arrested for growing cannabis.

Miss Scotland Comes Third

Aberdeen student Juliet-Jane Horne, who participated in the "Miss World " contest this week as Miss Scotland, came third in the beauty contest in South Africa. The 18-year-old said that she was "surprised" at being placed so high in a competition involving 93 girls from around the world. This is the highest placing ever achieved by Scotland in the contest.

Scottish Premier League Results - 17 November 2001

Aberdeen 2 Hibernian 0
Dundee United 2 St Johnstone 1
Hearts 0 Celtic 1
Kilmarnock 2 Motherwell 0
Livingston 1 Dundee 0
Rangers 4 Dunfermline 0

Scottish First Division Results - 17 November 2001

Arbroath 1 Raith Rovers 1
Clyde 3 Partick Thistle 1
Falkirk 1 Airdrie 2
Inverness 3 Ross County 0
St Mirren 0 Ayr United 1

League Tables

Once again there is no change at the top and the foot of the Scottish Premier League. Celtic are in the lead with 40 points, followed by Rangers, 7 points behind. Livingston and Aberdeen are 7 points behind Rangers, with Livingston with the better goal difference. St Johnstone continue to struggle at the foot of the SPL, 7 points behind Motherwell. In the Scottish First Division, Airdrie have caught up with Partick Thistle on 30 points and are ahead on goal average.

Advocaat Pledges Future with Rangers

Football commentators have speculated (as they are prone to do) that as Rangers manager Dick Advocaat has not agreed a new contract beyond the end of next season, there is a serious possibility that the Dutchman might leave at that stage. His name was recently touted as a replacement manager for the Dutch national side. Advocaat led the Dutch side to the quarter-finas of the World Cup in 1994. His stock response is that a formal announcement will be made by the Rangers chairman David Murray in January. But this week Advocaat gave a strong hint that he wants to continue beyond the current season. He says that Rangers is a great club with great fans and a great chairman - so why move? It was announced this week that Advocaat had won the Bank of Scotland "Manager of the Month" award for October.

Larsson Nominated For European Footballer of the Year

Celtic's star striker Henrik Larsson - who won the "Golden Shoe" award last season for scoring more goals than anyone else in Europe - has been nominated for the European Footballer of the Year Award. He is the only player with a Scottish team to be included in the list of 50 players. No doubt his performances for Celtic in the European Championship have helped to secure the nomination - he scored twice against Italian giants Juventus.

Craig Brown For World Cup Finals?

The possibility of Scotland's ex-manager Craig Brown going to Japan and Korea for the football World Cup Finals was raised this week by a phone call to the coach by an agent asking if he was interested in becoming manager of the Saudi Arabian team. However, although the call appears to have been a genuine enquiry, but it has not been followed up. Later in the week the Saudi Arabian Football Association said they had nothing to do with the rumours as they promoted the assistant coach to the top job. Despite the Saudi Arabian football team having had 12 managers in the last three years, it has qualified for the World Cup.

New Rugby Stadium for Borders?

The possibility of building a new all-seater rugby stadium with a capacity of 10,000 is being looked at again as a result of the launch of a new Borders professional team next summer. Previous plans for such a venue were dropped as it was estimated that maintenance costs would produce an annual loss. But the new set-up may create a new opportunity. It is being said that the parochial approach of the existing rugby clubs in the area will have to be overcome first. The likely location would be at the existing ground at Netherdale in Galashiels.