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
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The "Magazine" section includes songs/poems of Scotland, Scottish humour and brief descriptions of Scottish Culture items added recently to the Rampant Scotland Website - with a link to the page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
The poem below is by Robin Laing. Smokey the Cat Smokey the cat came from nowhere;
She'd arrived at Bowmore distillery
They say cats have more than one life
There's something about her that takes you
It's the way she melts into the shadows
She sits on the sill of the maltings
Small birds and mice eat the barley
Felines don't care for whisky
On Islay people made whisky
Meaning of unusual words:
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown presented the UK government's annual budget in parliament this week and, with a general election in the near future, announced a series of "sweeteners". The older voters (who tend to go to the polling stations more assiduously than the younger generation) came out best from the package of changes with a one-off reduction of £200 on local council tax for pensioners over 65 and the threshold of inheritance tax being raised from £263,000 to £300,000 over the next two years. Of course, that will be of more benefit, eventually, to the children of property-owning parents! The threshold of stamp duty on house purchase is also being raised and an inflation increase in duty on petrol is being postponed until September. Low-income families will get increased child tax credits and duty on spirits - including whisky - will not be increased in line with inflation. Much of the give-away will be financed by changes in North Sea oil tax. With the huge profits they are making at the moment, few will disagree with that, unless the companies pass on the extra tax they pay in higher prices at the pumps. But nearly all economic analysts believe that the Chancellor will have a "black hole" of around £10 billion as predicted tax revenues are considered to be too optimistic. Tax rises are therefore expected after the election, hence the newspaper headlines such as "Beware the Bribes of March" and "You can pay me back later". 
The ladies of Morningside in Edinburgh who frequent the tearoom of Jenner's department store - overlooking Princes Street gardens and the castle - were choking on their scones and tea this week when it was announced that the world's oldest independent department store was in advanced negotiations to sell out. The buyer is the House of Fraser but, as with other stores in the Fraser Group, Jenners will without doubt continue to trade under its well-established name. Jenners has occupied the same site at the east end of Edinburgh's Princes Street since 1838. It was founded by two young men (one of whom was Charles Jenner) who had been sacked by a local draper for skipping work without permission to attend a horse racing meeting. It soon became a unique Edinburgh institution, frequented not just by genteel Edinburghers but also by many tourists who are attracted by its wide range of quality goods in 100 departments and good "old fashioned" service. Fortunately, alterations are restricted because of planning constraints in the labyrinthine building, which is part of its charm. Externally, it is one of the few remaining original buildings on Princes Street where a spate of 1960s construction completely destroyed the character of the famous street. Jenners has faced increased competition with the arrival of London-based Harvey Nichols and has had the expense of setting up new satellite stores at Edinburgh Airport and at the Lomond Shores retail development. Those genteel Edinburgh ladies having their afternoon tea in Jenners are likely to recall that House of Fraser was founded in the less genteel city of Glasgow (a city that now fancies itself as the top UK shopping destination outside of London). Partners Hugh Fraser and James Arthur opened a small drapery shop on the corner of Argyle Street/Buchanan Street, Glasgow in 1849. The store is still there - though considerably larger than it was 150 years ago.
When the Royal College of Science and Technology in Glasgow metamorphosed into Strathclyde University in the mid-1960s, there was a mad scramble to find accommodation for the expanded seat of learning. Various buildings, including an empty speculative office block, were pressed into service. Since then, the campus in the centre of the city has expanded further, sometimes with further office blocks, but also with some fine new buildings. Now Strathclyde is embarking on a £200 million construction project over the next ten years. Many of the inadequate, stop-gap office blocks will be demolished or totally renovated. The 13-storey Livingstone Tower (seen here), which houses the English and Maths departments, and the McCance Building will be demolished, while the Colville Building will have its concrete facade replaced with glass. In total, 13 buildings will be refurbished and a new sports complex and biomedical building will be created. Like all other universities, Strathclyde is competing for students, especially those from abroad who pay up to £20,000 a year in tuition fees. Having an attractive campus with up-to-date facilities can make a big difference in recruiting the best students.
The Scottish Executive has announced an additional £150 million for National Health Service (NHS) dentistry over the next three years to improve the health of children's teeth. The number of NHS dentists has been rapidly declining in recent years - large areas of Scotland do not have such services due to dentists moving to take on more lucrative work serving private patients. So much of the extra cash will have to be used to attract dentists back to the NHS. Those going into the private sector also claim that NHS fee structure does not allow them to provide patients with the right level of treatment, particularly in regard to preventive dental procedures. The Scottish Executive's aim is to allow every child in Scotland to have access to dental care on starting nursery school by March 2008. Recognising that parents also have a role in ensuring that children learn oral hygiene at an early age, the government in Scotland is introducing the largest supervised toothbrushing programme in Europe. Over 120,000 children will receive free toothbrushes and toothpaste and take part in daily brushing at nurseries and schools across the country. It is claimed that the new measures will be the biggest shake-up of National Health Service dentistry in Scotland since the creation of the NHS in 1948.
UK Health Secretary Dr John Reid surprised BBC TV interviewer Jeremy Paxman (pictured here) by bridling at being called an "attack dog". Reid suggested that Paxman's description was due to his Glasgow accent. Later, the interviewer (who can be bit of a Rottweiler himself) said in an interview with the Sunday Times that he admired the health secretary's "knowledge" and "strength of character," but could not understand why Dr Reid had gone "doolally" The TV frontman then commented "I mean, down here we live under a sort of Scottish Raj... I don't see why there is any reason for them to feel chippy. Do we complain about it? No we don't." The British Raj (from the Hindi term ‘Raj’ meaning rule) was the nickname given to the colonial administration which ran India for over 100 years. Chancellor Gordon Brown, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling and Lord Falconer (the third Scottish lord chancellor in succession).are other key members of the current cabinet who are Scottish. Prime Minister Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh and can claim to be Scottish (but usually doesn't). Robin Cook, who was the Foreign Secretary until resigning over the Iraq war is also a Scot, as is Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party. Meantime, on TV, Paxman will know only too well that Andrew Marr (born in Dundee) is the main BBC political editor and one of the most recognised faces on television. Over on Channel 5, Kirsty Young (credited with changing the way British television news is presented) still has her Scottish accent showing through her cultivated tones. Maybe Paxman has been having a hard time with his co-presenter on Newsnight - Kirsty Wark, a grand dame of the Scottish media. She got into trouble recently by having the Jack McConnell, the Scottish First Minister, on a vacation at her Majorcan holiday home over Christmas. Maybe Paxman has a point....
New figures published this week show that trains between Glasgow and London are the worst in Britain for punctuality. In October to December 2004 only 66.4% of trains arrived within ten minutes of schedule - down from 74.5% the year before. The West Coast line is currently undergoing a £9 billion refurbishment, which is not expected to be completed until 2008. Last year the train operator, Virgin West Coast trains headed by Richard Branson, launched their new high-speed "tilting" trains on the route. Although signalling failures contributed to the delays, teething problems with the new rolling stock were also a major factor in creating delays. The company claims that there will be a "marked improvement this year" and that in recent weeks more trains have been arriving on time.
City Star Airline is the UK trading name of the Iceland-based airline Landsflug EHF which is commencing services linking Aberdeen to the Norwegian capital of Oslo on 28th March. There will be twice-daily flights from Monday to Friday, with times clearly aimed at busy oil executives but no doubt tourists in both directions will find the service useful too. The new airline is using Dornier 328 Turbo Prop aircraft with 32 seats.
So it's not just the Scottish Parliament building where costs can escalate. A new bridge across the river Clyde at Finnieston in Glasgow (which is crossing at an angle, rather than straight across - hence it's nickname, the "Squinty Bridge") has been years in the planning stage as various objections to its construction were overcome. The most recent appeal to the Court of Session was by one resident from Kinning Park who claimed that the bridge would result in the end of dredging of the river, thus increasing the chances of his home being flooded. Now that all the legal hurdles appear to have been overcome, over a year after construction was supposed to begin, the city council has recalculated the costs of the crossing. They have been told that the original price tag of under £10 million has soared to £30.3 million because of the delays and costs which were not accounted for. BBC Scotland's move from their old building in Queen Margaret Drive to a new HQ at Pacific Quay on the south side of the river was based on the creation of the new four-lane crossing to improve road access.
Baxters Food Group, the 136-year-old canned food company based at Fochabers on the River Spey, has reported that profits grew by 11% last year to £6.7 million while turnover was up by 10%. Including recent acquisitions, however, turnover grew by 18%. The family-owned company - which is best known for its quality range of soups, jams and marmalades - has embarked on a development strategy to increase turnover by 300% to £300 million over the next 15 years. In the UK, Baxters is second only to Heinz in the tinned soup market. The company is aiming to expand in overseas markets. Baxters is regarded as a prime takeover target and has reputedly rejected 191 takeover bids.
Perth-based road and rail travel company Stagecoach has placed orders for 340 new buses for its UK operations, at a cost estimated to be worth around £35 million. About £30 million of this investment will be going to Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis - Stagecoach bosses Brian Souter and his sister, Ann Gloag, were part of a consortium which rescued the bus construction company when it went into administrative receivership, threatening the loss of 1,400 jobs. However, they deliberately did not get involved in the tendering process for the order.
The rising price of oil has generated renewed interest in North Sea oil exploration, but companies wanting to drill exploration wells have found that there is a shortage of the specialised rigs they need. As the oil industry in the North Sea has ebbed and flowed, there have been times when there were rows of unused oil rigs moored in the Cromarty Firth. Not any more. The problem has been building up over the last year and as the number of available resources dwindled, the cost of hiring them has soared too. Low prices and extra taxes imposed by the government led to lower investment a few years ago and many exploration rigs were taken to less mature markets, such as Africa. 
Last weekend, Scotland still seemed to be in the grip of winter again with temperatures down to 2C (36F) in Aberdeen and further heavy falls of snow in the north of the country. But a few days later Aberdeen was basking in several consecutive days of temperatures reaching 17C (63F) as milder winds originating in the eastern Mediterranean swept in. Temperatures reached 14C (57F) overnight in Aberdeen on Thursday, the warmest March night since records began 50 years ago. Although Aberdeen had a fair amount of sunshine on Wednesday and Thursday, the same could not be said of the west where the milder weather brought in moisture-laden clouds. Glasgow had two inches of rain over the four days from Tuesday to Friday.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has attacked the decision of the Royal Mail to issue a postage stamp to commemorate the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The oldest surgical institution in the world will be celebrating its 500th anniversary on July 1, but a request to have a stamp to be issued to mark the anniversary was turned down. The royal wedding on 8 April was announced only recently but the Royal Mail announced a special stamp very soon afterwards. A previous vice-president of the college has written to a national newspaper in which he says: "The Hanoverian dynasty, succeeding to the throne in 1714, and the relationship between Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles have lasted significantly fewer years than the college.... The college can justifiably feel aggrieved that the Royal Mail has favoured the Royal Family while ignoring 500 years of setting standards in surgical training, assessment, continuing medical education and research."
Stirling Council has agreed that the 71.5 inch broadsword once brandished by national hero Sir William Wallace and which has been displayed in the Wallace Monument near Stirling since 1888, is to travel to New York as part of the Tartan Day celebrations. Little is known about the origins of the sword for it carries no maker's mark but the quality of the metal used for the blade suggests that it may have been forged in Scotland (unlike other swords of the period which were often Flemish or German in origin). King James IV ordered the sword to be rehilted in 1505, so that it would be more fitting to Scotland's National Hero. The size of the sword indicates that Sir William Wallace must have been at least six feet six inches tall. It will be the first time that the 700-year-old weapon has been taken from Scotland to the US and the Stirling Provost (mayor) is to travel with it on its historic journey. Hopefully, whichever airline he is travelling on has a good record on not losing passengers' luggage - he is unlikely to be allowed to carry the weapon as "hand luggage"!
Recent claims that the iconic painting of "The Reverend Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch" was not by the Edinburgh portrait painter Sir Henry Raeburn have been dismissed the world's leading authority on the artist. Dr Duncan Thomson, a former keeper of the National Portrait Gallery, says that Raeburn's "signature" is evident from the way the minister's coat shines through the white material of his cravat - "absolutely typical of Raeburn". He has identified a number of other characteristics and has expressed annoyance that he was not consulted before the claim that it was not by Raeburn was published. The picture of the soberly dressed minister gliding across the loch adorns mugs, place mats, diaries and ties - and even the bus which takes visitors around the various art galleries in Edinburgh. The picture is unsigned and was painted in the 1790s. The Walker family passed the painting down the generations after the minister's death in 1808 but it was sold by a descendant around 1930. Walker family tradition ascribed it to Raeburn and art experts until now have not disputed this.
After its enforced break in production due to financial constraints, Scottish Opera is returning to the stage with a performance at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF). The company is producing a controversial work "The Death of Klinghoffer" about the hijacking of the Italian cruse ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists in 1984. Scottish Ballet, which has also been in financial difficulties, will also be at the Festival - the first time for 20 years. Another highlight of the programme for the EIF (announced this week) will be the return of La Cubana, a Spanish company that created one of the biggest hits in the history of the Festival in 1997. Germany's Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Ballet, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch National Ballet are also featured along with six Irish plays being performed on one day and the staging - in Hungarian - of the Chekhov tragic comedy "The Seagull".
Ceilidh Culture is Edinburgh's annual showcase of traditional arts, with the best of home-grown talent alongside acts from across the world. This year's packed programme also features some special Norwegian events as part of Edinburgh's celebration of 100 Years of Norway's Independence. Overall, there will be 23 organisations taking part in 24 venues across the city, with 120 individual performances, concerts, workshops and classes in traditional song, music, dance and storytelling. Highlights of this year's programme include Cantrip, a quartet of Scottish traditional musicians, Salsa Celtica delivering their trademark mix of salsa and celtic beats and Emily Smith, winner of the 2002 BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year award. Ceilidh Culture runs from 19th March - 17th April. For more information, visit 
The annual celebration of Easter in Edinburgh gets well under way with a Festival Cavalcade on Easter Sunday at 1pm. This is a fabulous procession along Princes Street, presenting all the international and local groups that will be performing in the Princes Street Gardens on two stages during the day . There will be many free activities for children and families, including Maypole Dancing, Circus Skills, Face Painting and an hourly Easter Egg Hunt for under 5's. A series of lunchtime and evening concerts will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Greyfriars Kirk and St John the Evangelist in Princes Street during the Festival and an Easter Passion Play will be performed after a Lunchtime Jazz Concert on Easter Saturday. For more information visit 
Running from 24th - 27th March in Hawick in the Scottish Borders, this unique festival celebrates a well-known and romanticised period of history when the border area of Scotland and England were the home of cattle thieves and outlaws, men who lived by fire and steel known as the Border Reivers. This festival brings that 16th century period to life with re-enactments of historical events and also evokes the spirit of those times through music and the arts. There is a also spectacular procession and fireshow. Festival highlights include a Reivers Concert, a Reivers Ceilidh and a 16th century market place, re-enactments, drama, music, arts, crafts, walks and horses, followed by torchlight procession and fireworks - free events all day on Saturday, 26th March. For further information visit 
Superstar Kylie Minogue is playing five shows at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow this week and is staying at the five-star luxury Mar Hotel in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, according to a local newspaper. The media and fans had settled down to wait for the popular star at One Devonshire Gardens, which Kylie had used on previous visits. But instead she was at the converted 264-year-old gothic mansion which stands in 240 acres and where a suite cots a mere £475 a night.
With Celtic playing a match mid-week and Rangers playing Motherwell on Sunday in the CIS Cup Final, Celtic have now played the same number of games as their rivals and have now edged 2 points ahead in the SPL. Hibernian have moved back into third place ahead of Aberdeen as a result of the Dons only managing a draw against Dundee on Saturday. Despite a spirited performance against the SPL leaders, Dundee United are at the foot of the SPL, one point behind Livingston and 3 points behind Dundee. Dunfermline are also in the danger zone, being only one point above Dundee.
Despite only managing a draw on Saturday against bottom club Raith Rovers, Falkirk are still far ahead in the First Division, 12 points above Clyde.
In the 122 years of home international rugby, the highest score made by Wales against Scotland was 35 points. By half-time last Sunday, in the 6 Nations Championship, Wales had passed that total. Wales then throttled back and Scotland came more into the game but the final score was Scotland 22 Wales 46. Wales were 26-0 ahead after 18 minutes and scored five tries in the first half which finished 38-3 in Wales' favour. Admittedly, Wales are on a roll this year and went on to win the Grand Slam (their first since 1978), defeating all the other teams in the tournament, including the match against Ireland on Saturday.
After a string of disappointing results, Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson has fired manager Ian McCall. Back in December, the chairman had issued a public statement which warned that results had to improve. Two wins in 13 Scottish Premier League games is not what he had in mind. The club is now at the bottom of the SPL and face a sequence of games against three of the top five teams in the league. Reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final in April was quite an achievement but will mean nothing if Dundee United are relegated. McCall has been manager for two years - his predecessor Paul Hegarty lasted only 86 days. Gordon Chisholm, McCall's assistant, has been appointed interim manager - United's sixth in seven years.
The plans to redevelop Musselburgh's horse-racing track have been delayed for a year as a result of concerns about the impact on the neighbouring Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club. The racecourse has engaged Donald Steel, a world-respected golf architect, to come up with plans to improve the historic course, while still going ahead with the creation of an all-weather horse racing course in the East Lothian town.
This poem appeals to me on two counts. Firstly, I used to be owned by a cat called Smokey (anyone who owns a cat will know what I mean). Secondly, because of the story of "Towser" the former distillery cat at Glenturret Distillery near Crieff. She lived in the distillery for almost 24 years and during that time caught 28,899 mice. While it is well known that the barley stores in a distillery attract mice like bees to a honeypot, that's an average of over three a day. I'm not sure how the numbers of mice were measured so accurately, but Towser is now in the Guiness Book of Records as a result of her feat!
