Queen Mother Dies Peacefully

Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, died peacefully in her sleep at her weekend home at Royal Lodge, Windsor on 30 March at 3.15pm. She would have been 102 on her next birthday in August. The Queen and a number of close members of the family were at her bedside. The "Queen Mum", who was well-loved across the generations, had a cold and chest infection last Christmas and had taken some months to recover. In recent months, she had withdrawn from public engagements and had been confined to a wheel chair. Immediately after the announcement, all five terrestrial TV channels suspended normal broadcasts and showed news programmes and tributes instead.

The Queen Mother was closely associated with Scotland - her father was Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She spent much of her childhood at the family home at Glamis Castle. Her second daughter, Princess Margaret Rose (who died earlier this year) was born at Glamis Castle, the first royal baby in direct line to the throne to have been born in Scotland for 300 years.

There is a feature on the "Queen Mum's 100 Scottish Years" at www.RampantScotland.com/famous/blfamelizabeth.htm

First 1,000 Days of Scottish Parliament

Tuesday marked the first 1,000 days of the new Scottish Parliament which was a good excuse (not that they needed one) for the media to review the performance of the legislature and point out its failings. It can certainly be argued that the Scottish Parliament has not met the over optimistic expectations which were encouraged by its advocates in the campaign for a "Yes" vote for the new body. And the tawdry affair of the expenses of First Minister Henry McLeish, which led to his resignation did the office no favours. And the escalating costs of the new parliament building at Holyrood brings into question its credentials for financial management. And its aim to be "open" has meant that every minor cause has the ability to lobby for consideration - and sometimes win some benefit. But there is no doubt that legislation which would never have seen the light of day in Westminster, is now on the statute books - most of it to the benefit of people living in Scotland. Thanks to a good economic climate in the UK, spending on health has risen and unemployment has been falling. The new Parliament has not transformed Scotland, as some had claimed it would, but overall its report card for the first 1,000 days could be said to be a pass mark with a "could do better". Let's see what it can achieve in the first ten years, rather than in under three.

Normal Service Will Be Resumed As Soon As Possible

The industrial dispute between Scotrail and their 750 drivers has been settled. Their trade union has accepted an immediate increase of 14% which will rise to 22% in 18 months time. The company say that 11% of the increase will be self-financing from productivity improvements. The deal is not very different from the one rejected by the drivers before they began a series of one-day strikes. The dispute never had much support from the travelling public, but a planned escalation in the one-day strikes - including one on the day of the European Champions League final in Glasgow - caused outrage. The Scottish First Minister, Jack McConnell described the action of the drivers as "simply unacceptable" and akin to the industrial relations of the 19th century. But it will be some time before the rail timetable returns to normal. The reduced service resulting from the drivers' ban on overtime will continue for some weeks, while a backlog of driver training is caught up. Of course, there is always a possibility that other Scotrail workers will demand that they get a similar deal...

Royal Mail Returns

The UK mail delivery company Consignia, which is making losses of £750 million a year, has announced that it is to change its name back to "Royal Mail". It is also to make massive job cuts in an effort to get back into profit. In addition to reductions in delivery and sorting staff, there are fears that the reduction in the number of post offices could impact on many Scottish towns and villages. As many as 1,000 staff in Scotland could lose their jobs over the next few years. The loss-making Parcel Force (currently in the red by £15 million a month) will see half of their staff being axed with a number of depots being closed, including two in Glasgow, one in Irvine, Ayrshire and another in Dundee. Postal workers have been amongst the most militant in recent years and any compulsory redundancies are likely to lead to strike action.

That Sinking Feeling

When 17 million gallons of water flowed into the Longannet coal mine in Fife last Saturday, workers there were relieved that it had happened at the weekend, when the mine was not being worked. But they feared the worst in terms of it being able to continue in operation. These fears were realised on Friday when the mine's board considered an engineer's report and decided that there was no possibility of getting the mine back into production. Longannet, which drives out under the Firth of Forth near Culross, had known coal reserves of 30 million tonnes. Its closure will result in the 500 workers losing their jobs and brings to an end the long tradition of deep coal mining in Scotland.

Ten Call Centres to Close

BT Group, the largest phone company in Britain, is to close 53 call centres, including ten in Scotland. Only three Scottish centres will survive - though they are being upgraded at a cost of £17.1 million. The company cannot say how many staff will lose their jobs as a result of the shake-up. BT currently employs 3,000 call centre staff in Scotland.

Clyde Naval Yard Cuts Staff

It was announced this week that plans to transfer 1,700 staff, who work at the naval maintenance bases at Faslane and Coulport, to a private company, could result in up to 500 job losses. It is claimed that the streamlining of operations at the Clyde bases and at Devonport and Portsmouth in England, will save the Royal Navy £300 million over the next five years. The RN has seen a reduction in the size of its fleet over the last few years and a corresponding decline in support and refit work is regarded as inevitable.

2,000 Jobs for Braehead

The owners of the Braehead Shopping Centre on the banks of the river Clyde, on the border between Glasgow and Renfrewshire, have announced an ambitious plan to develop a derelict site next to the existing complex. The blueprint includes Scotland's first indoor ski slope using "real" snow, cinema, health club, sports and leisure facilities, parkland, hotel, a business park and nearly 1,000 homes. When it is fully developed it will create several thousand new jobs. Renfrewshire Council have given out-line planning permission and work could start later this year, once full planning permission is granted. Being so near to the river, flood defences would have to be improved. The site was formerly occupied by Braehead Power Station.

Ferry Service "Doon the Watter"

Plans for a new £20 million high-speed ferry service from the centre of Glasgow to Braehead, Greenock, Dunoon and Rothesay would create the first ferry service "Doon the Watter" for over 30 years. The two state-of-the-art ferries are built in Australia and feature airline-style seating, widescreen television and cafes - somewhat different from the old steamers which sailed down the river Clyde. The trip from the Broomielaw in Glasgow to Dunoon by Clydefast will take just 70 minutes. There are plans also to run a five-times-a-day service to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. The company hopes to have initial services operating by June. The catamaran high-speed ferry can travel at nearly 25 knots and concerns have ben expressed about the effect of heavy wash as it passes. But it is claimed that same class of ferry is operating on the Thames from Canary Wharf to Tower Bridge, without any effect on the other traffic, as the wash is absolutely flat.

New R&D Plant in Dundee

The world-wide centre for the design and manufacture of NCR cash machines has been located in Dundee for many years. But this week Helen Liddell, the Scottish Secretary, opened a new £20 million NCR "Discovery Centre" which will bring all of the company's automatic teller machine (ATM) R&D team into a single 148,000sq ft building. NCR has had a presence in Dundee for 50 years and employs 1,600 staff there. Nearly 40,000 ATMs are manufactured at the plant each year, many being exported all over the world.

Government Rolls Dice on Gambling Industry

The biggest shake-up in UK gambling laws for 30 years is being proposed in a government consultation paper published this week. It could see the introduction of massive jackpots and more casinos across the country. The brash English seaside town of Blackpool is already getting ready to become the Las Vegas of Britain - but the Firth of Clyde resort of Ayr is also throwing its dice into the ring too. But the biggest winner in the shake-up is likely to be the government, with increased corporation tax and gaming duties. Currently, casinos are not allowed to advertise, locations are restricted and there is a maximum of 10 fruit machines per casino. Live entertainment is not allowed and alcohol can only be drunk at the bar, not at the tables. Most of these restrictions will be abolished or relaxed if, as seems likely, the new proposals are implemented.
The illustration is of the riverside Casino beside the river Clyde in Glasgow.

Anger at VisitScotland's Online Booking Plans

Although the much vaunted VisitScotland "Ossian" system for booking accommodation in Scotland has been an unmitigated disaster (a "good learning experience" is the best spin they could put on it), the tourism agency is having another go, this time in partnership with a third party. SchlumbergerSema are planning to invest £11 million in eTourism Ltd which will be jointly owned with VisitScotland as the junior partner. The plans have outraged some Scottish hoteliers who see the new company's aim being to make profits out of online bookings rather than fostering tourism. Others have also complained about the total lack of consultation on the project.

Live It - Visit Scotland

VisitScotland is running its biggest ever UK Spring campaign this year. The campaign will focus on the UK market which represents 92 per cent of visits and 82 per cent of spend and is worth more than £3billion to the Scottish economy. VisitScotland is spending £3million on a national, multi-media campaign with extra activity in Scotland, North of England, London and the South East. The advertising campaign with the tagline "Live it - Visit Scotland" will run from March 18 until the end of June, and will include activity specific offers and promotions on brands like golf, walking, cycling and culture. It is expected that more than 40million people will be given exposure to VisitScotland advertising throughout the UK. VisitScotland is also spending more than £2.5million on marketing to key markets in the USA and Europe.

More People Needed for "Booming" Highlands

Jim Hunter, the Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the government agency which encourages economic growth in the area, says that more should be done to boast about the regeneration which has taken place, in order to encourage more people to return. For the first time ever, the unemployment rate in the Highlands and Islands is running below the average for Scotland. Lochaber, which once had an unemployment rate of 18% is now as low as 1.8%. Over the last 30 years, the population of Skye has increased by more than 50% (helped, no doubt, by the bridge connecting the island to the mainland). Although the Western Isles are continuing to see a drop in population, the Highlands and Islands has seen an overall 20% increase in residents in the last 30 years. It is claimed that of all the rural and peripheral areas in the European Union, there isn't one which has performed as well as the Highlands and Islands in the last 30 years.

Romantic Holiday for Chelsea

Former US President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea took a romantic break in Glasgow last week with her boy friend Ian Klause. They are both studying at Oxford and during their stay in Glasgow shared a room at up-market Lang's Hotel in Port Dundas Place (pictured here), before moving on to the Highlands. When they had a meal in the hotel's Oshi restaurant, it was closed to other members of the public.

Inverness Lodges Culture Capital Bid

The bid from Inverness and Highland as an initial step towards winning the title of "Culture Capital of Europe" was lodged this week. But the brochure, outlining the events which the city would lay on if it were successful, was immediately criticised by councillors. They say that there is an inaccuracy of the Gaelic translations and Dunbeath in Caithness has been placed instead in Sutherland. Sir Cameron Cunningham, the theatre producer, who has a home in Lochaber, has become the first patron of "InvernessHighland2008." Planned events include a public art programme, a Cairngorm snow and ice festival, a full-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Culloden, a Highland Homecoming Festival, free whisky for travellers entering the Highlands, Royal National Mod in Inverness, an interactive science centre, an international curling championship and many others.

Arts Council Grant for Glasgow City Halls

The planned upgrading of the A-listed Glasgow City Halls in Candleriggs got a boost this week with the announcement that the Scottish Arts Council is to give a £1 million national lottery capital grant towards the £7 million total cost. The auditorium has 1,000 seats and is said to have some of the finest acoustics of a concert hall in Europe. After the revamp, the City Halls will become the home of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Scottish Music Information Centre. Work is expected to be completed in July 2004.

Clydebank Radio Ham's Role in Falkland's War

A radio ham from Clydebank is one of only 16 people invited from the UK to attend the 20th anniversary celebrations for the liberation of the Falkland Islands. It is only now that his role in communicating by short-wave radio with contacts on the islands during the Argentinean occupation has been made public. During the conflict, a local radio operator communicated the results of RAF bombing, location of minefields and the disposition of Argentinean troops on the islands. The information was passed on to the Ministry of Defence who said after the successful campaign that it had been invaluable.

Selling Banking Ethics

Dr Charles Munn, the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, established in 1875 and the oldest professional banking organisation in the world, has co-authored a guide to Ethics, Integrity and Reputation in banking. His partner in the project is the head of group compliance at the Allied Irish Bank - which was recently hit by a rogue trader in its US subsidiary. It is claimed that there has been a lot of interest in the book, particularly in Eastern Europe where the Institute is devising a foundation course in financial services.

Jedburgh - A Fashion Mecca?

The Borders town of Jedburgh (population under 5,000) is not the first place you think of as the place to go for high fashion. But "Maxim Fashion", a magazine for upmarket shoppers, lists David Thomson's shop in the High Street in Jedburgh as 19th in a list of 80 shops around the world which are the best fashion outlets. True, it was established in 1883 and sells labels such as Yves Saint Laurent as well as tweeds and tartans to local customers as well as those from abroad. Apparently a Russian cosmonaut popped in the other day. But customer confidentiality prohibits naming the individual - or whether it was a tweed or a tartan they purchased. David Thomson's (DT's to regular customers) are not saying.

150-Year-Old Bookshop Chain Saved

Edinburgh-based James Thin bookshop chain, which was founded in 1848, was forced to bring in the liquidators in January. It had faced fierce competition from larger rivals and Internet outlets. Now Ottakar's, a rival bookseller, has purchased eight shops, including five in Scotland, saving 141 jobs. Three shops, including those in Perth and Ayr will close and the others will trade as Ottakar's. Ottakar's already has eight outlets in Scotland. James Thin's 11 academic outlets and its publishing arm, the Mercat Press, are still the subject of negotiations with potential buyers.

Last Legal Fox Hunt?

The Duke of Buccleuch's Hunt in the Ettrick Valley in the Scottish Borders mounted this week what may be the last legal fox hunt in Scotland with dogs. They have been chasing and killing foxes in the Hunt for 176 years. But the Scottish Parliament passed a law recently which banned the hunting and killing of foxes by this means, despite protests by country people who claim that their way of life is being challenged by townspeople who are ignorant and prejudiced. The hunting season has now ended, but it is expected that there will be legal challenges later this year when the hunting season would have re-started if the legislation had not been enacted.

Irn-Bru's Profits Lose Fizz

AG Barr, the makers of Irn-Bru, the biggest-selling fizzy drink in Scotland, increased its sales in England by 22%, compared with a growth in the market of only 3%. But competition from cheap imports and the strong pound forced the company to narrow its margins, resulting in a fall in pre-tax profits of 23%, despite the increase in turnover.

Expensive Car Ferry

£7.8 million of public money has been invested in creating a new terminal, pier and causeway to allow the Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry MV Loch Ness to berth on the island of Eigg. But the islanders have secured a special traffic order to ensure that only cars belonging to residents can use the ferry. With only 30 cars on the island's single-track roads, that's £260,000 for every car. Previously, islanders had to import their cars by specially hired landing craft. But they do not want the tranquillity of the island spoiled by tourists bringing in their cars, hence the restriction.

Marriage Makes a Comeback

Figures published by the Office of National Statistics show that the number of marriages went up in the UK last year, the first rise for eight years. But church ceremonies are still in decline with 60% of couples choosing a civil wedding (compared with less than 50% ten years ago). Those who were married by a minister were more likely to choose venues such as hotels and stately homes, rather than a church. And couples are waiting longer before tying the knot - the average age for a bridegroom is now 35 and 32 for a bride.

Holy Row Over PC Hymns

The Church of Scotland is planning to replace traditional hymns such as "Jerusalem" and "God Rest Ye merry Gentlemen" with modern works dealing with social issues such as unemployment, violence against women and environmental damage. A draft of a new hymn book is to be presented to the church's General Assembly in May. It includes a new hymn "Pray for a World" which includes the lines "..pray for a world where all have a voice and none will batter, rape, abuse." Not quite the same as "a green and pleasant land."

Seals Win Another Round

The battle by gamekeepers to persuade a group of seals to leave an island near the mouth of the Thurso river in the far north of Scotland is still being won by the seals. Various attempts, including wire netting and gaudy scarecrows have failed and the latest idea - to use a model killer whale - has been abandoned. The International Animal Rescue organisation has a glass-fibre dummy of the whale but they pointed out that the young seals would probably never have been hunted by a killer whale and so would not be alarmed by it. Another idea - to play the sounds of whales hunting - might have worked but it would also have scared away the salmon which the gamekeepers want to encourage to swim up the river. Physically moving them to another location would probably not work as they would very likely just swim back. Suggestions that the gamekeepers would cull the seals have been vehemently denied by Thurso Fisheries who own the fishing rights on the river. Meanwhile, the seals seem to be enjoying the fish in the river - and the attention of the media and passers-by.

Weather in Scotland This Week

After a cool and cloudy weekend, temperatures and sunshine produced the first real spring weather. On Tuesday and Friday, Glasgow had over 11 hours of sunshine. On Thursday, temperatures reached 16C (61F) in Aberdeen, which rivalled the weather in the Costa del Sol (though the Spanish resort had reached over 30C (86F) a few days earlier). There was very little rain this week and although this weekend is forecast to be a bit cooler and cloudier, tourist attractions are gearing themselves up for a busy Easter Holiday weekend. With "British Summer Time" and the clocks springing forward one hour, there will be more useful daylight hours from now on. Many tourist attractions close down over the winter or operate reduced hours and 1 April is the watershed for most of these.

This week's illustration of current flowers in Scotland is of a magnolia beginning to open out in the grounds of Pollok House in Glasgow.

Last Post for Army at Edinburgh Castle

There has been an armed guard at the gates of Edinburgh Castle for centuries - probably ever since the fortress became royal property. These days, the troops who stand outside the castle, rifles on their shoulders, are there in a purely honorary capacity - they don't really guard the castle and the Scottish crown jewels held there. Indeed, they are only there during the summer, from May to October, during castle opening hours. But the changing of the guard every hour is a popular tourist attraction, so there was some dismay when the army announced that they were to end the age-old tradition. In future the sentries will operate only during Royal visits and during 21-gun-salutes for Royal anniversaries. A spokeswoman for the army said, somewhat huffily, that the army was not run for the benefit of tourists.

More Genealogical Records On-Line

The General Register Office for Scotland has added the 1901 birth and marriage records, and the 1926 death records to the Scots Origins web site. The total number of records now available on Scots Origins is over 37 million, dating from 1533 ­ 1926, including the 1881, 1891 and 1901 censuses. For full details go to http://www.scotsorigins.com There is a new, free service allowing users to search their Irish ancestors on Irish Origins at http://www.irishorigins.com Many Irish records were lost in the 1922 fire at Four Courts in Dublin. But there are a number of sites on the Web containing highly valuable datasets such as birth, marriage and death records etc. Irish Origins allows users to search for free across 17,000 Irish genealogy web pages, containing 1.5 million names, including census data, Griffith’s valuations, ships’ passenger lists, church records, convict records and more. By entering in a surname, and any other relevant information such as year, place of birth, residence, the search engine will link you directly to sites where that name and information appears.

Atavus From Burke's Peerage

Burke's Peerage & Gentry have launched the first issue of "Atavus", a new e-magazine bringing the Burke's family records to life. Derived from the Latin for 'great, great, great grandfather or ancestor', "Atavus" is a quarterly periodical available to subscribers of Burke's online database. This quarterly publication will complement users' access to the 5,000+ records which document Britain's titled and landed families. To mark the launch, ATAVUS is available free to all site visitors until April 8th at www.burkes-atavus.com

Manuscript for Oban?

A campaign has been launched to bring the manuscript of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture back to Oban where the composer started to write the composition. The aim is to have the document as the centre-piece of an exhibition which would feature the places Felix Mendelssohn visited during his trip to the area in 1829 - including Fingal's Cave, immortalised in the music. But the estimated cost of the document at auction to be held in May is £500,000 to £700,000. Mendelssohn drew a sketch of the view from Oban across the Firth of Lorne (pictured here) and then began the "Overture to the Isles of Fingal" as the work was originally called.

Glut of Castles

Buying a romantic scottish castle seems to be no longer on the shopping list of the rich and famous. As a result, a number of Scottish castles have been on the market for some time. In the mid-1990s, castles were being snapped up as soon as they put up a "for sale" sign. But Mains Castle near East Kilbride has been on the market for over a year (a snip at only £350,000 but regarded as too near a major conurbation) and Dalnaglar Castle in Glenshee, Perthshire (no offers for the million pound property in two years) as well as 15th century Cloncaird Castle in Ayrshire (a bit pricey at £2.5 million) have failed to find buyers. Taymouth Castle near Aberfeldy (pictured here) was offered for sale at "offers over £5.5 million". But although Madonna was reported to have looked at it, no offers have been made and it has now been withdrawn from the market.

This Week In History

• April 1 - "Hunt the Gowk" - Scottish equivalent of April Fool's Day (gowk is a cuckoo).
• April 1 1295 - Robert Bruce, "The Great Competitor" and grandfather of King Robert the Bruce, died.
• April 1 1406 - King Robert III died.
• April 1 1571 - Dumbarton Castle, under siege since January 1570, captured by Captain Thomas Crawford scaling the walls.
• April 2 1593 - Marischal College, second University in Aberdeen, founded.
• April 2 1603 - King James VI leaves Edinburgh to travel to London.
• April 3 1401 - Murder of Duke of Rothesay, heir of Robert III.
• April 4 1373 - Parliament held by King Robert II at Scone, resolved that his son, the Earl of Carrick should succeed his father as King (as Robert III although he was baptised John).
• April 4 1384 - John of Gaunt, son of Edward III attacks Scotland.
• April 4 1689 - Scottish Parliament declared that James VII had forfeited the Scottish throne.
• April 4 1617 - John Napier, inventor of logarithms, died in Edinburgh.
• April 5 1830 - Birth at Lesmahagow of composer Alexander Muir, creator of "Maple Leaf Forever".
• April 5 1902 - Disaster at English/Scottish football match at Ibrox Stadium when part of the flooring collapsed, killing 25, injuring 500.
• April 6 1320 - Declaration of Arbroath - "For we fight not for glory nor for riches nor for honour, but only and alone for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life".
• April 6 1998 - Celebration of Tartan Day approved by the US Senate, in recognition of the monumental achievements and invaluable contributions made by Scottish Americans.

New Lanark Opens New Gates

Marking New Lanark's status as a World Heritage Site, special gates have been installed at the entrance to the mill village. They incorporate the UNESCO logo and the words "World Heritage" in Gaelic. New Lanark attracts 400,000 visitors a year who enjoy its history, audio-visual presentations and the tranquil location on the banks of the Clyde, with walkways leading to the Corra Linn Falls, the largest fall of water in Scotland.

Art of Star Wars

An exhibition showing the artwork from the Star Wars films opened in the City Art Centre in Edinburgh last weekend. It includes more than 200 original artefacts from the producer's archives, including robots C-3PO and R2-D2. There is also a model of Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker's Podracer. The exhibition runs throughout the summer until September 8.

Jimmy Shand's Music Remastered

A new CD containing digitally remastered recordings of the best of Jimmy Shand's music is soon to be released. Shand was born in East Wemyss, Fife, in 1908 and died in December 2000 at the age of 92. He sold more records of his own brand of Scottish country dance music than the Beatles and Elvis Presley combined. The new CD will contain his own favourites, rather than those selected by his fans. But popular hits such as "Bluebell Polka" and his signature tune "Kate Dalrymple" are included, along with tunes such as "The Hen's March O'r the Midden". The first album, "Waltzing Through the Years" has already been released while "Favourite Hymns" and "Old Tyme" are due to be issued later this year.

Glasgow Sculptor Starts Thanksgiving Beacon for Belfast

Andy Scott, who works in a studio in Maryhill, Glasgow, is about to start work on the largest piece of public art ever commissioned by the city of Belfast. Andy is well known for his imaginative works made from steel rods - he created a sculpture of a Clydesdale horse which stands at the side of the M8 motorway in Glasgow and a 13ft high statue of Athena the goddess of wisdom and learning outside new luxury accommodation for students in Glasgow's Yorkhill area (illustrated here). But the work for Belfast, entitled "Thanksgiving Beacon" to symbolise peace and reconciliation will be nearly 60ft high. The artist beat off 99 other competitors in a design competition

Pop Idols Rock Glasgow

The ten finalists in a recent TV series to find a new "pop idol" all appeared at a concert at the Scottish Exhibition and Concert Centre in Glasgow this week. Local boy Darius Danesh from Bearsden near Glasgow, who came third in the TV programme where listeners voted by phoning in, brought the house down when he appeared dressed in a kilt in the show's final presentation of the Sinatra classic "My Way".

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Rangers 3 Partick Thistle 0 (Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final)
Ross County 4 Airdrie 1
Ayr United 0 Arbroath 0

Scottish First Division Results - 30 March 2002

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

BT Cellnet Rugby Cup - Semi Final

Hawick 27 Currie 13
Glasgow Hawks play Heriot's on Sunday.

League Tables

At this stage in the season, the Scottish Premier League is divided into two sections and the top six clubs play each other to decide the championship and who will play in European football next year - apart from Rangers and Celtic. Currently, Aberdeen are in pole position for a European competition, being two points ahead of Livingston. The bottom six clubs play one another to decide who is to be relegated - almost certainly St Johnstone.
Depending on the success or failure of Rangers and Celtic over the next few games, the SPL trophy could be won (and presented) next Saturday at Livingston or the following week at Dunfermline. But if Celtic lose both these games and there is still a chance of Rangers snatching the title, it will not be presented at the old firm clash at Parkhead on 21 April.
In the First Division, Partick Thistle have consolidated their position at the top - they are now 7 points ahead of Airdrie. At the foot of the First Division, Raith Rovers have 32 points, Falkirk 36. St Mirren are 4 points ahead with a game in hand. Two teams will be relegated at the end of the season.
Hawick finally edged ahead of Boroughmuir with a total of 72 points against 71 to clinch the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1.

France 5 Scotland 0

It was always going to be a difficult match - pitting the World and European Champions against a team which did not even qualify for this year's World Cup in Japan and South Korea. But football is a funny game and there was always the optimistic hope that the new manager and his young team would give a good account of themselves. But it was not to be. Instead, it was the worst defeat since April 1993 when Portugal beat Scotland with a similar score-line. By half time, France were leading 4-0 and had shown the gulf between the two sides as they outclassed a Scottish team which manager Bertie Vogts said afterwards "lacked passion and commitment." He did claim, however, that a much changed Scottish team performed better in the second half, conceding only one late goal. But it is easy to think that France throttled back after taking such a commanding lead in the first half. But the new manager says he is convinced that "Bertie's Babes" will improve. 3,500 Scottish fans travelled to the Stade de France stadium in Paris but had little to shout about - Scotland had only two off-target shots at goal in the entire 90 minutes.

Anger at High Noon Timing

Anticipating that Celtic will win the Scottish Premier League title by winning their match on 6th April, Sky TV have scheduled the match at 11.30am. If it had been screened at the normal time of 5.30pm, Celtic might already have been crowned champions if Rangers lost their game in the afternoon. But many Irish fans are upset at the timing as many will not be able to travel to Scotland in time for the early kick-off.

European Champions' League Ticket Chase

The European Champions' League soccer final at Hampden Park in Glasgow will be watched by a TV audience of 200 million people but many fans are trying to get tickets so that they can see the match live. But an estimated 52,000 fans are chasing just 6,000 tickets being allocated for general sale. All the rest have already been allocated. Only about 2/3,000 tickets for the sell-out match will be available to fans in Scotland.

Price of Failure

The Scottish Premier League splits into two at this stage of the season - the top six clubs play each other, as do the bottom six. While some clubs easily fell into one category or the other, those at the margins are counting the cost of falling out of the more lucrative top six section. Kilmarnock, for example, estimate that being in the bottom six will cost the Ayrshire club £350,000 in reduced revenue. Dunfermline's win last Saturday pushed Kilmarnock into 7th place.

Rangers Double Their Losses

Rangers Football Club announced this week that in the last six months they made a loss of £13 million, more than double that for the same period last year. David Murray, the Rangers chairman, says that their failure to qualify for the later stages of Champions' League was a contributory factor. He is "confident" that the club can break even next year. The current figures include the cost of the club's new state-of-the-art training centre at Murray Park, Auchenhowie, Milngavie.

Aberdeen Cut Their Losses

Aberdeen Football Club have reported that although they are still making losses of around £50,000 a week, they expect to cut their annual loss from £3.2 million to £2.5 million this year. But that will still mean that the club has an accumulated deficit of £8.5 million.

Baxter Fights On

Although the International Olympic Committee have ordered Alain Baxter from Aviemore to hand back the bronze medal he won at the Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, after a banned substance was found in a blood test, the skier has vowed to fight on to clear his name. Unusually, the IOC have agreed that he can have the rest of the blood samples so that he can have tests carried out to prove that the form of methamphetamine found originated in a Vicks inhaler bought over the counter in the US. While the IOC rules are clear (if draconian) it may be that Baxter can stave off a lengthy ban by the International Ski Federation. A spokeswoman for the British Olympics Association has said that although Baxter was given an automatic life ban from future Olympics, he "had a very good chance" of overturning it on appeal, because of mitigating circumstances. The test to differentiate between the two forms of the drug is routinely carried out - the International Tennis Federation distinguishes between the performance enhancing version and the one which Baxter took.

Taxes Sink Ice Hockey Team

Paisley Pirates, one of the leading ice hockey teams in Scotland, has gone into liquidation. The team, which plays at the Lagoon Centre in Paisley, has been struggling for some time to pull in spectators - they sometimes attract only 300 at their home matches. The final straw was a tax bill for £100,000. Fans are hoping that Renfrewshire Council will provide more finance to allow the team to keep going.

New Scottish Racecourse?

"They're off!" A survey was published this week which put the city of Stirling under starter's orders to create a new horse-racing stadium to add to the five already operating - at Musselburgh (near Edinburgh), Hamilton, Perth, Kelso and Ayr. The report says that horse racing is worth £125 million to the Scottish economy each year - and that excludes betting revenue. Attendance at race meetings has been increasing in recent years and £19 million has been spent upgrading the five courses in the last five years.