The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.
Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
The government Health Minister has announced plans for (yet another) radical shake-up of the National Health Service in Scotland. The present arrangement for the management of the service by means of bureaucratic NHS Trusts is to be swept away, replaced by "Community Health Partnerships" evolving into more powerful Local Health Care Co-operatives. There will be a new Scottish Health Council aiming to create greater involvement of the public in NHSScotland. There is much talk of devolving power and responsibility to clinicians and patients plus emphasis on the role of staff, and frontline staff in particular, as leaders of change in the health service. Of course, implementation of these measures, including the legislation, must be a matter for the next Parliament. You would never think there was an election on the horizon, would you?
A Member of the Scottish Parliament has suggested that because of the rising maintenance costs, consideration should be given to demolishing the Forth Rail Bridge and replacing it with a modern, low maintenance structure across the river Forth. Helen Eadie, an influential MSP on transport strategy, put the proposal to the chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority. Ignoring the iconic nature of the 113-year-old bridge, she argued that there was no difference between demolishing the landmark bridge and North Sea oil platforms. The A-listed bridge, with its distinctive cantilever structure, is known around the world and is recognised as an engineering marvel. True, it is synonymous with its needs for never-ending painting (though the new paintwork is expected to allow for a break in that task). Maintenance costs for the bridge are expected to rise, however, to around £20 million a year.
When proposals by the Boundary Commission to remove Leith from the political map of Scotland were published last year, there was a public outcry against the proposal - led by the local Evening News Newspaper. The Commission had suggested that the Parliamentary constituencies in Edinburgh should be given bland names such as "Edinburgh South" and "Edinburgh North" - ignoring the long history of the Edinburgh's port of Leith. After a public enquiry, the presiding officer has issued a critical report in which he says there was strong opposition to removing Leith from the name of the constituency. He has proposed calling it "Edinburgh North and Leith". The Sheriff who conducted the enquiry was also in charge when the Boundary Commission last proposed dropping Leith - ten years ago.
Motorists faced long delays this week as traffic restrictions and slip-road closures were imposed on the Kingston Bridge over the river Clyde in the centre of Glasgow. The crossing is one of the busiest in Europe but has been undergoing major repairs and strengthening on a frequent basis for a number of years. The present work is likely to last for the next 20 weeks. Further along the river, ongoing repairs to the Clyde Tunnel are costing nearly £20 million and the city council has asked the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh for help with the costs. The panels covering the inside the tunnel have been removed for some time and, as cars drive through, they are subjected to water dripping from the river above. 
The Royal Bank of Scotland announced this week a 12% increase in underlying pre-tax profits for 2002, to £6.45 billion. The Royal Bank took over the major English bank National Westminster three years ago and is still reaping the benefits of integrating the two banks. But the chief executive claims that they have also been pursuing a strategy of organic growth and an acquisition policy in the US where New England subsidiary Citizens Financial had a 53% jump in underlying profits, partly due to takeovers. The Royal Bank, with its HQ in ST Andrew Square in Edinburgh (pictured here), is the UK's second largest bank.
Researchers have uncovered an antibiotic in rock pools on Scottish coasts that kills Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA), a superbug which is resistant to most antibiotics and is posing increasing problems in hospitals. The MRSA bug has been responsible for the doubling of the death rate from staphylococcal infections in the UK between 1993 and 1998. While it will take many years yet to refine the product, there is excitement that the substance abstracted from the slime of rocks does an excellent job killing the bacteria.
The Odeon Cinema in Glasgow's Renfield Street is to close its doors for the last time on April 24, three months earlier than the original plan. Fierce competition from larger multiplex cinemas both out of town and in the city centre have had a detrimental impact on audience figures. The Art Deco building opened in 1934 as the Paramount but became the Odeon in 1939. The site is likely to be converted into a mixture of luxury flats and retail outlets. The Odeon Cinema in Edinburgh is also due to close later this year.
Land owned by Glasgow City Council at Hurlet, which is used as grazing for the award-winning Highland cattle at Pollok Country Park, two miles away, is to be sold to a developer who plans to build 3,000 homes there. The land at Crookston Farm is one of a number of greenbelt sites identified by the Council to boost the city's declining population and increase local tax revenues. But the plan has stirred up opposition from other political parties and nearby residents, who say that building should be on derelict industrial sites rather than farmland. At least the Highland cows would not lose out - they would graze instead on a farm near Easterhouse. But this cow, pictured at Pollok with its tongue sticking out, doesn't seem to approve!
When Scottish Water sought planning approval last year from East Dunbartonshire Council for a £100 million filtration plant at Mugdock Reservoir, the council rejected the application by 9 votes to 6. They said the decision was based on environmental grounds, noting that Mugdock was a popular beauty spot and that other sites had not been properly considered. Within 24 hours, a media frenzy broke out, with the "Friends of Mugdock" being accused of being nimbies (Not In My Back Yard) and threatening the health of 700,000 Glaswegians. European Union legislation requires Scottish Water to have water filtration in place by 2005. The Glasgow supply is the only one in the UK which does not have it - due to the water authorities dragging their feet on the issue in the past. This week, a revised plan by Scottish Water (which they claimed would reduce the environmental impact - an assertion rejected by an independent report) was approved by 20 votes to 2, despite continued local protests. The project is already three years behind schedule and will not be completed until the end of 2005. The Mugdock reservoir is at the end of the Victorian aqueduct which takes water from Loch Katrine. Work on the project is now expected to start within six weeks.
The traditional view of the Roman incursion into Scotland was that Gnaeus Julius Agricola, who became governor of Britain in the late summer of 77AD, pushed north after a campaign in Wales. The main source for the information is the Roman writer Tacitus. But Tacitus was the son-in-law of Agricola and some historians believe that he increased the significance of the role of his father-in-law. Again, tradition says that Agricola was the first Roman to push beyond present-day Perth and build a series of wooden forts and watch-towers, known as the Gask Ridge, around 80AD. But researchers from Manchester University have now established that the forts were built ten years earlier than this, during the governorship of Petilius Cerealis. If this is the case, they are not only Britain's oldest frontier outposts but pre-date a similar barrier in Germany, making them the oldest such structures in the Roman Empire. The Roman Antonine Wall across Scotland, from the Clyde to the Forth, was not built until around 142AD. The series of wooden watch towers at Gask stretched through 20 miles of Perth and Stirlingshire and were rebuilt, sometimes more than once. It would appear that Agricola was responsible for some of the reconstruction. Archaeology also shows that far from the forts being destroyed by the local population, there is evidence of farming, suggesting that the Romans were not being harassed by the local tribes. It is thought that the forts had been constructed to protect the Romans' new-found trading partners and farmers from incursions from the Caledonii, further north. The Caledonii were eventually defeated by Agricola at the Battle of Mons Graupius (possibly near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire) in 83AD. 
Art experts at the National Galleries of Scotland have been searching for a "lost" painting by the Edinburgh portrait artist Sir Henry Raeburn for many years. "The Yellow Boy" - a portrait of a sickly aristocrat who died not long after the painting had been completed - was at one time one of the artist's most admired works. But it disappeared and was assumed lost forever, until it turned up recently in a bequest to the National Gallery in the will of an Edinburgh lawyer. It is thought that John Hope Cook knew the importance of the work, but had not informed the Gallery that he owned it as he was a reclusive bachelors who disliked publicity. Cook also left two other valuable Raeburn portraits to the National Gallery.
A Midlothian hotelier has called for a major Scottish victory over the English to be properly recognised and the battlefield site to become a tourist attraction. On February 23, 1303, King Edward I of England sent an army of 30,000 men into Scotland, angry that the Scots had tried to strengthen ties with France. This was three years before Robert the Bruce seized the crown of Scotland. And Sir William Wallace had declined to lead the Scottish army after his disastrous defeat at Falkirk five years earlier (though he may have given advice on tactics). A Scots army of 8,000, led by Sir Simon Fraser, Sinclair of Rosslyn and the Red Comyn, surprised the English army of 30,000 led by Sir John Seagrave in Roslin Glen and defeated them. But because Bruce and Wallace were not involved, it is claimed that historians tend to ignore the battle. The illustration is of the ruins of a castle which overlooks Roslin Glen.
The Kelvingrove in Glasgow is the most visited Art Gallery and Museum in the UK outside of London. Financed in 1901 by local businessmen, it continues to be supported by the local people through local taxation, rather than central government grants. It is estimated that the building and its collections are now worth £565 million. But the art section will be closing on 17 March and the museum section on 30 June in preparation for a £25 million transformation which will not be completed until February 2006. By then, it will have been upgraded to a state of the art building with 50% more public display areas than at present. It is hoped that the number of visitors each year will then nearly double to over two million. At the moment, two-thirds of visitors never leave the museum on the ground floor to see the huge art collection upstairs. When it reopens, with both the basement and top floor available, the two collections will be mixed - with, for example, Old Masters displayed beside armour and other objects of the same period.
Over the years, journalists have no doubt frequently written about how the Harry Potter stories have figuratively "set the heather on fire." But now sparks from the steam engine being used as Hogwarts Express in the filming of the latest Harry Potter book near the Glenfinnan Viaduct literally set the heather moorland alight. Firefighters had to battle for many hours to put out the fire near the railway line between Fort William and Mallaig in the west coast of Scotland. The Warner Brothers film crew helped out by chartering a helicopter to water bomb the blaze. The fire started during the filming of scenes for "The Prisoner of Azkaban". This year, February has been an unusually dry month and so the fire spread rapidly due to the dead bracken being very dry.
It's not just the cost of building the new Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh which is running seriously over budget. The "fly-on-the-wall" documentary about the building project is now costing double its original estimate - in part due to the longer timescales needed to complete the parliament building. But the extra cash will be paid for by the BBC who commissioned the documentary - from the Scottish production company Wark-Clements. Kirsty Wark, the TV presenter who runs the firm with her husband, was also on the panel of judges that selected Enric Miralles to design the building. She claims there is no "conflict of interest" and that she is not involved in making the programme. The project is now costing the BBC an estimated £787,000 - far more than they would normally spend on two 60-minute programmes. The Scottish Arts Council is also contributing to the cost, and will get a 90-minute feature film version.
Rangers remain out in front of the Scottish Premier League, 6 points ahead of Celtic but having played one more game. Hearts are third, 20 points behind Celtic with Kilmarnock in fourth place, 4 points behind Hearts. Although pride is always at stake, it had looked for some time that whichever team ended at the foot of the SPL would not be relegated at the end of the season - First Division leaders Falkirk were well out in front but did not have a ground up to SPL standard. Now, Falkirk are talking of a ground-sharing arrangement with Airdrie United, until construction of their own ground is completed. In addition, Falkirk have stumbled in recent weeks and St Johnstone (who have an SPL standard ground) have had a good set of results and have closed the gap to 5 points (though Saints have played one game more than Falkirk). So the clubs trailing in the SPL have more reason to be nervous. Dundee United (who gained their second win in 14 games on Saturday) are currently at the foot of the SPL. But Motherwell, Livingston, Aberdeen and Partick Thistle are all within 3 points of the bottom club.
At the foot of the First Division, where two clubs will be relegated at the end of the season, Arbroath have only 13 points with Alloa on 19 points and Ross County above that with a more respectable 26 points.
With a 3-1 lead from the first leg at Parkhead, Celtic went to Stuttgart with some confidence that they would win through to the next round of the UEFA Cup, even without their leading goal scorer, injured Henrik Larrson. After Thompson and Sutton had scored twice within the first 20 minutes it looked as though they were home and dry - because of the away goal counting twice in the event of a tie, Stuttgart would have had to score five times to win on aggregate. Celtic then played a deep defensive game, allowing Stuttgart to come at them - and paid the price with Stuttgart scoring three times and having the consolation of winning 3-2 on the night. Celtic's opponents in the next round will be English Premier League side Liverpool, who defeated French side Auxerre 3-0 on aggregate. Both clubs - and their fans - are said to be savouring the prospect of a "Battle of Britain". Earlier in this tournament, Celtic defeated English Premier League side Blackburn by 3-0 over the two legs. The matches against Liverpool will be played on March 13 and 20. In addition, Celtic face rivals Rangers in the SPL on March 8 and the CIS Cup Final (also against Rangers) on March 16.
Scotland continued to break records with this Six Nations rugby international in Paris last Sunday. The previous weekend, they managed Scotland's biggest home defeat by an Irish rugby side. This time, the loss against France by a margin of 35 points matched the record in 1998 when they were defeated 51-16. At least five years ago they managed what they have so far failed to do so far in this tournament - score a try. It has to be said that Scotland kept plugging away in this match, but lacked the flair and skill (and, perhaps, a bit of luck) to make an impact. France, on the other hand, (who had lost to England in the first match) scored four tries and their substitute goal kicker scored 18 points and missed only one.
When Dundee Football Club signed a shirt sponsorship deal with the Jsearch Internet company last year, it was one of the most lucrative in the Scottish Premier League. At the time, the boss of Jsearch, Lancashire-based businessman Bob McCallum, even hinted that he might consider investing heavily in the club. Although the first payment of the £250,000 deal (over two years) was made on time, the second payment has not been made. It has now emerged that Jsearch has no recorded assets, according to documents filed at Companies House. But McCallum is reported to have claimed that his companies have been making "unbelievably massive profits."
The owners of the Loch Lomond golf club (illustrated here, courtesy of the club) have bought the nearly completed new course at Southern Gailes in Ayrshire. This means that the loch-side club now owns a links or seaside course as well. The course is likely to be renamed and improved in the same way as Tom Weiskopf transformed Loch Lomond. The connection also raises the possibility of the Barclays Scottish Open, currently played at the bonnie banks, being staged on a links course. This might induce the likes of Tiger Woods to participate in the week before The Open when it is being played at a links course. He currently practices in Ireland rather than the Scottish Open. It will also allow members of the Loch Lomond Club the opportunity to play all year as the inland course is closed in the winter.
