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.
Current Affairs
Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
Entertainment
Sport
In the Scottish First Division, Gretna have firmly established themselves at the top of the table again, 5 points ahead of Partick Thistle. Airdrie United are trailing at the other end, one point behind Queen of the South.
Greenock Morton have a lead of 4 points at the top of the Second Division, ahead of Stirling Albion. Forfar are propping up the foot of the Second Division, 10 points behind Peterhead.
In the Third Division, East Fife remain 8 points ahead of Arbroath at the top, while Elgin languish at the foot of the table, with six fewer points than East Stirling.
Currie continue to march on at the top of the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 table, with 56 points, 8 ahead of Ayr. Aberdeen only have 10 points, with a margin of 7 points separating them from Hawick.
Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Another Scottish Company HQ Departs
As expected, the bid of £11.6 billion by Spanish company Iberdrola for Scottish Power has been backed by the company's board and, subject to shareholder acceptance, it will mean another Scottish company HQ will no longer be in Scotland. It will create Europe's third largest utility and Iberdola describes the deal as "strategically attractive, creating a leading European integrated utilities group with a broad geographical presence". Scottish Power is Britain's biggest generator and developer of wind energy and that is an area where Iberdrola specialises as it is the largest renewable energy operator in the world. Iberdrola is a 100-year-old Bilbao based company and has 16 million customers, over nine million in Spain with operations in another 27 countries. Scottish Power is no stranger to take-overs - in 1998 it took over PacifiCorp, the largest power company in the American West. That move was not successful and Scottish Power and sold off the subsidiary in 2005.
The Train Departing from Platform 1 Will Cost You More
Last August, First ScotRail announced an increase in fares of up to 10% on some journeys. The company claimed that it needed to increase fares to "ease congestion at its busiest times". Off-peak travel was indeed made cheaper at the same time. Now, the company is to impose an average rise of 4.3%, so some passengers will see an increase of 15% in just over four months - at a time when inflation is running at around 2.5%.
Hospital Waiting Times Improve
The amount of time that patients have to wait for outpatient consultations and inpatient care is continuing to reduce. The target is not exactly demanding - the aim was a maximum of six months wait for a range of eight key diagnostic tests such as endoscopy, CT Scans and MRI. Apart from a few patients (who missed the target due to "administrative error") the six months maximum wait was achieved. Many patients were seen in much less time. The numbers of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for inpatient and day case treatment is at an all time low. But there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially for cancer patients. According to the latest figures published by the Scottish Executive the National Health Service is failing to meet the target of 62 days for the start of treatment for over 20% of cancer patients.
A Day of National Celebration
This week, the Scottish Parliament approved St Andrew's Day as a "day of national celebration". It will not be a full public holiday, as the Members of the Scottish Parliament compromised to meet the concerns of Scottish companies about the cost of an additional holiday for staff. Instead, 30 November will be a "voluntary public holiday" with staff giving up another day's holiday in lieu.
Highland Showground on the Move
The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, which owns the showground at Ingleston near Edinburgh, where the country's largest agricultural show is held, have conceded that they will have to relocate to make way for the expansion of Edinburgh Airport. But a planning blueprint for the area, produced by Edinburgh City Council, provides for an alternative site for the showground, yards away, on the other side of the A8 dual carriageway. The move of the Royal Highland Showground is envisaged for after 2013 and could be as late as 2020, depending on the rate of growth of the airport. The council's plan also wants to place a restriction on the expansion of car parking at the airport. With the grandiose plans for a railway link to the terminal, plus a new tramway system added to the existing bus service, the council clearly want to encourage the use of these public transport facilities.
Glasgow Airport Rail Link Approved
The Scottish Parliament this week gave the green light to the construction of the rail link from Glasgow to the city's airport. The £160 million project involves upgrading the track from the city centre to Paisley and building a mile-long length of track between Paisley St James Station and Glasgow Airport. Days before the Members of the Scottish Parliament gave their final approval, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport announced that they had arranged the future of 22 football pitches at St James' playing fields in Paisley, where a rail viaduct will cross over on its way to the airport. There will be new changing facilities and other improvements. The sportsmen using what is described as the "biggest concentration of playing fields in west Scotland" had initially resisted the development. Now they describe it as " the best thing that's ever happened to St James' playing fields."
Hospital Food "Not Good Enough"
The Scottish Executive watchdog Audit Scotland is often critical of over-spending by government departments and agencies. However, this week it was effectively criticising hospitals across Scotland for not spending enough on meals for patients. The average cost of providing food for patients in National Health Hospitals was £2.34 a day. Many office workers, buying a sandwich for lunch, would spend more than that. Audit Scotland also pointed out that half of the country's health boards have not analysed the nutritional content of their hospital menus. As a result, many patients are suffering from malnutrition and delaying their recovery. Patients now have a bit more choice and vegetarian and religious preferences are often recognised. But many patients, particularly the elderly, do not get the assistance they need to eat the food that is provided.
A Glass Act
The Kibble Palace in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens reopened this week after a three-year, £7 million refurbishment. The ornate iron ribs of the huge Victorian glasshouse were painstakingly taken apart, cleaned, repainted and replaced and new glass windows inserted. Inside, there is a transformation, though many of the original ferns and other plants have been returned. Some, such as the Australasian tree ferns have been growing there for 120 years. New plants have been added, some donated by the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, the Eden Centre in Cornwall and the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Eight attractive marble sculptures have also been cleaned and brought back to grace the building. A new internal lighting system has been installed. To avoid unsightly cables, the lights shine from ground level and bounce off reflective circular mirrors in the roof. In the late 19th century, John Kibble, a wealthy merchant, built a botanical glasshouse for his mansion beside Loch Long. He subsequently donated it to the City of Glasgow. It was dismantled and moved to the Botanic Gardens at his own expense in 1873. It has been an enduring attraction ever since.
Employment Boosts for Kilmarnock and Glasgow
There was delight in the Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock with the announcement of 500 call centre jobs for a contact centre being set up by the Telecom Service Centres (TSC) company. The new facility will open before Christmas with 100 staff and another 400 will be required as the centre expands to meet the needs of major clients. TSC employs 3,000 people in ten locations across the UK and is already Scotland's largest call centre provider at its base at Erskine, Renfrewshire. Also announced this week was the creation of 200 high quality jobs in Glasgow by JPMorgan. There is to be a further expansion of its European Technology Centre (ETC) which designs and develops complex financial software and technology systems to support JPMorgan's financial services operations around the world. JPMorgan already employs 700 skilled technologists and is one of the largest IT employers in Scotland. It was named as Scottish Software Company of the Year 2006.
A Blithe Yule an a Guid New Year
The Scots Language Centre has launched a special festive version of its web site. It features stories, poems, songs and a short film all with a Christmas or New Year theme, all presented in the Scots language. Visitors can find the words to Auld Lang Syne and there are links to other Scottish sites where folk can buy Christmas and "First Fittin" gifts. The pages with audio in Scots are a delight for those who enjoy hearing the authentic voice of Scotland and a revelation for those unfamiliar with the Scots words which are spoken in the country every day. See www.scotslanguage.com.
Billion Pound Golf Plans
American property tycoon Donald Trump revealed this week that the projected cost of creating his "greatest golf course in the world" at Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire has soared to an estimated £1 billion. The 1,400-acre development now includes multiple championship golf courses, a five-star hotel, a golf academy and holiday homes. An outline planning application was lodged with Aberdeenshire Council on Monday and it is hoped that planning officials could make a decision by next June, with work on the site starting the following month. That would be an unprecedented speedy timetable , bearing in mind the usual planning approval timescales in Scotland for even small scale housing developments. But then, other building projects don't have the support of the Scottish First Minister.
£50 Million Investment in Dundee Research Centre
Scotland’s four medical schools and the pharmaceutical giant Wyeth are to invest £50 million in creating a research centre to be built at the Ninewells Hospital site. It will carry out pioneering work to exploit genetic advances to predict which patients will respond to new drugs - and who will not. The aim is to create "one of the most advanced laboratories on the planet." Laboratory research, clinical investigation and trials should make Scotland a world leader in translational medicine - a new approach to developing drugs by focusing research on "biomarkers" for human diseases.
Picture via Wikipedia.
English Support Scottish Independence
Even in 1707, when the Scottish and English parliaments were amalgamated, there were many English who were not in favour of the Union. According to a recent opinion poll by a Sunday newspaper, 59% of English people currently favour Scotland leaving the United Kingdom. The poll did not reveal whether that was because they thought the Scots should have the right to govern themselves - or whether they thought that as UK government spending per head is higher in Scotland, England would do better without us...
Dear Green Buses
Despite its industrial past, Glasgow is sometimes referred to as "the dear green place" because of its large number of parks and open spaces. Now a £10.1 million order for new low-emission buses will help to green the planet by producing a much reduced level of carbon dioxide emissions. First Bus will have 62 of these new vehicles operating next year. And the company's fleet of buses will all be using zero sulphur or bio diesel by the end of January 2007 in an effort to cut down on pollution.
Edinburgh Lawyers House Sales Smash £3 Billion
In Edinburgh, traditional estate agents struggle to compete with the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre (ESPC), set up by the lawyers in the Capital to provide a central clearing house for house sales. ESPC dominates the house sale market there and already this year the value of homes sold has exceeded £3 billion - for the first time in the last 35 years. The average price of a home in Edinburgh is now around £200,000, but the Capital has a the lion's share of houses sold for over £1 million. Average prices have risen by over 9% in the last year. Despite these statistics, the number of buyers exceeds sellers by a wide margin.
Glasgow to the Western Isles - By Seaplane
The Loch Lomond Seaplane company has been operating charter flights from Luss on Loch Lomond and from Helensburgh on the Firth of Clyde for three years now. Passengers fly over the Inner Hebrides or north to the Great Glen and can land at many of the sea lochs and harbours, perhaps for a bite to eat at a loch-shore hotel. Even a 90-minute flight can take in Argyll and Oban, with the islands spread out below. Now the company has been given permission to fly a regular passenger service from the river Clyde at the Glasgow Science Centre near the centre of the city to Mull, Jura and Skye. Fares will be between £110 and £185. So instead of a long car journey, travellers will be able to fly from Glasgow to Portree in Skye in less than an hour - with an unforgettable view along the way as the 5 or 8-seat aircraft will be flying at 5,000 feet or less. Other routes could include a Glasgow to Edinburgh service, landing at the port of Leith or at South Queensferry, beside the Forth bridges. Scotland has 6,200 miles of coastline, 750 major islands and 560 large fresh-water lochs, so it is surprising that seaplane services have not taken off before this.
Snowman Flies Into Controversy
The Raymond Briggs story about a snowman who takes a young boy on an aerial journey over the snow-covered landscape was turned into a famous cartoon, with a soundtrack by choir-boy Aled Jones. The charming film gets regular repeat showings nearly every Christmas on TV. But now Scottish soft drinks company Barrs has made an advert for it Irn-Bru product which is an amusing parody of the well loved cartoon. It shows a red haired Scots lad flying with the snowman - while clutching and drinking his can of irn-Bru. They visit various Scottish landmarks. But the boy continuously refuses to allow the snowman to have a drink from his can of Irn-Bru - so he is unceremoniously dumped in the snow in Glasgow's George Square. But the light-heated pastiche has been criticised for encouraging Scottish youngsters (many with major dental problems caused by sweet drinks) to consume more of a product which contains 215 calories and 52.5 grammes of flavoured, coloured, carbonated water. Some of the ingredients are claimed to increase hyperactivity in children. There is an apocryphal story that when Irn-Bru was sent to a laboratory for analysis, the report came back saying "This horse is not fit for work." Barr Soft Drinks say the advert is aimed at the 16+ age group and will be shown on TV mainly after 9.45pm. The advert can be seen at YouTube at Irn-Bru Snowman Advert.
Weather in Scotland This Week
High winds and torrential rain swept across Scotland on St Andrew's Day (30 November) resulting in flooding and storm damage and causing travel chaos as a number of roads were blocked by flood water or fallen trees. High-sided vehicles were barred from high bridges such as across the river Forth and there was a spate of minor traffic accidents. The river Nith flooded parts of Dumfries and the Ferris Wheel in Princes Street was brought to a standstill as winds gusted at up to 60mph in the east - and even higher on the west coast of Argyll. The west of Scotland was hit with a third of the average monthly rainfall in just twelve hours. The week had started well, with a fair amount of sunshine and temperatures around 12/13C (54/55F) which is much higher than normal at this time of year. After the stormy weather on Thursday, conditions were back to being calm and sunny again on Friday - though the clearer skies resulted in lower temperatures, more appropriate for early December. But the rain returned on Saturday and the forecast for Sunday is for even stormier weather than on Thursday.
The illustration above shows Loch Lomond on a dull and grey Wednesday this week - Ben Lomond has disappeared into the murk.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season include the Christmas tree and lights in Glasgow's George Square (see thumbnail here) and the "Ceiling of Light" at the Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Square. See This Week's Colour Supplement.
Wars of Independence Triumph
The BBC TV series on the most significant events in Scotland's history came to an end with the results of a poll of viewers' opinions on the "Top Ten" - and the Wars of Independence, in which William Wallace (illustrated here) and Robert the Bruce led the fight to oust the domination of England, came out on top. Viewers also placed highly the Declaration of Arbroath, the Enlightenment, the Reformation and the Highland Clearances. The viewers' list contrasted with that of a panel of eminent historians who included the First World War, the Scottish Empire and the 1707 Act of Union. The academics pointed out that the viewers had included only one historical episode after 1800 (the life of the scientist James Clerk Maxwell).
Carved in Stone
In 1965, a film was made about the men and technologies involved in Aberdeen's granite industry. The city was a world leader in the production and carving of granite, thanks to the local granite quarries in the area. Aberdeen itself made good use of the stone and its buildings, sparkling in the sun, gave rise to its nickname of "Granite City". But at the point where the film was being made, recording the skills of masons and polishers, the industry was coming under pressure from international competition employing cheaper labour. In the last 40 years, the local granite industry has declined and so the film has become an important record of the once proud industry. Now a DVD of the film has been launched in Aberdeen and will be sold via the Aberdeen Maritime Museum and Aberdeen Art Galley shops. There is also a version with a commentary in Doric, the language of the north-east, providing a really authentic flavour of the area.
Edinburgh Castle Defends Parking Ban
Historic Scotland, the government agency that looks after Edinburgh Castle, is to outlaw parking on the castle esplanade (forecourt). Until now, staff and Historic Scotland members (who pay an annual £30 fee which allows free entry to all the agency's properties across the country) were able to park for free on the area in front of the castle - so long as they were in fact visiting the building. But staff had found that many were abusing the privilege - and walking down to the shops and offices in the city below. From 1 January, only a few army vehicles will be allowed access. That will mean that the approach to the castle entrance is uncluttered by parked cars - improving the visitor experience, especially for the many photographers.
Next Week in Scottish History
Take the High Road with Scotland on TV
The Scottish Media Group (SMG), which operates the Scottish TV channel, launched an experimental TV service on the Web on St Andrews Day. Viewers from around the world will now have the opportunity to view classic programmes from STV's archives, ranging from the popular travel programme "Weir's Way" to the first-ever episode of the soap drama series "Take the High Road". (The list of available clips is on the right of the page). The daily STV news programme will be added shortly. SMG is using the trial to increase its understanding of what it means to broadcast over the web and to help the company gauge the interest of viewers in the Download-to-Own or Pay per View (PPV). Though market research on that isn't really needed - if it's free (as it is now) surfers will flock to it. See www.scotlandontv.tv
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Ceiling of Light
The Christmas lights which are blazing in many towns and cities across Scotland only shine for a few weeks over the festive season. But the "Ceiling of Light" which fills in the pedestrian precinct surrounding the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, will remain to brighten the spirits in the hours of darkness until March. In these days when we are all being encouraged to go "green", the thousands of lights have been replaced with more energy-efficient LED bulbs. The statue of Duke of Wellington, sitting astride his horse in front of the art gallery, is also being bathed in coloured lights. (Noticeably, the traffic cone which usually adorns the duke's head was missing when I called there last week).
£4.5 Million Heritage Lottery Fund Cash for School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art has been successful in its bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to the tune of £4,466,000 for the refurbishment of its iconic Charles Rennie Mackintosh building. The project will open up rooms not normally seen by the public and there will be a new exhibition gallery and an interpretation centre. Original features by Mackintosh will be restored - and modern additions removed. The School of Art is still working towards raising the balance of the finance needed for the restoration work.
Fireball Ceremony Appeals for Volunteers
At first glance, the newspaper item reporting that volunteers were needed for the Stonehaven Fireball Ceremony seemed to suggest that they were needed to swing the flaming wire cages around their heads. Each heavy cage is filled with combustible material - but it turned out that the volunteers were just needed to act as stewards because of the 12,000 spectators that turn up to watch the spectacle. Each basket has a wire handle, two or three feet long, to keep the flames well away from the swinger, but spectators can be vulnerable! The event starts at midnight lasts, twenty to thirty minutes and is intended to burn off the bad spirits left from the old year, so that the spirits of the New Year can come in clean and fresh.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Dundee United 1 St Mirren 0
Hibernian 2 Celtic 2
Rangers 3 Kilmarnock 0
Queen's Park 1 Brechin City (Scottish Cup First Round Replay)Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 2 December 2006
Celtic 1 Aberdeen 0
Hibernian 2 Dundee United 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 Motherwell 1
Kilmarnock 5 Dunfermline 1
St Mirren 2 Heart of Midlothian 2
Falkirk v Rangers is scheduled for Sunday.Scottish Football League First Division Results - 2 December 2006
Clyde 0 Airdrie United 0
Dundee 3 Ross County 1
Gretna 2 St Johnstone 0
Hamilton 1 Livingston 1
Partick Thistle 1 Queen of the South 1Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 2 December 2006
Alloa 1 Raith Rovers 2
Ayr United 1 Brechin City 2
Cowdenbeath 4 Stranraer 2
Greenock Morton 1 Forfar 1
Peterhead 2 Stirling Albion 3Scottish Football League Third Division Results - 2 December 2006
Albion Rovers 2 Dumbarton 1
Arbroath 2 Stenhousemuir 0
Berwick 3 Elgin 1
East Fife 1 Queens Park 0
East Stirling 0 Montrose 3BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 Results - 2 December 2006
Aberdeen 21 Watsonians 24
Boroughmuir 20 Ayr 20
Dundee 10 Glasgow Hawks 19
Hawick 11 Heriots 7
Melrose 12 Currie 15League Tables
Hibernian might have hoped to achieve their first win at Parkhead in six years when they went 2-0 up in last Sunday's match. But the Hoops fought back and drew level - though it was the first time for 12 SPL matches that they had dropped a point. The Parkhead side had another battle on Saturday as Aberdeen fought to establish their place near the top of the table - but Zurawski denied them. So that put Celtic 16 points ahead of Rangers and Aberdeen - though Rangers play Falkirk on Sunday. At the foot of the SPL, Dunfermline are 5 points adrift from Dundee United and St Mirren.
Scotland Manager Wins Spirit of Scotland Award
Walter Smith, the manager of the Scotland football (soccer) team won the top accolade at the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards this week in recognition of his contribution to the country's cultural life. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and the British wheelchair curling team, all of them Scots, were also among the award-winners. Ally McCoist, once a top footballer for the Scotland team and now a TV sports pundit and entertainer, was one of those presenting the awards.
Scotland's Tennis Stars Defeat England
Andy Murray led the Scotland tennis team to a resounding 6˝ -1 victory over England in the second Aberdeen Cup last weekend. Murray defeated Greg Rusedski twice during the two-day tournament and partnered his brother to win a doubles match against Rusedski and James Auckland. Andy Murray is currently ranked number 17 in the international tennis rankings.
Rugby Sevens Final Sponsored by Emirates
The finale of the International Rugby Board (IRB) prestigious sevens tournament is being held at Murrayfield on June 2/3 next year. The world's top seven-a-side rugby players will earlier have competed at venues around the world, from South Africa to New Zealand and USA to Hong Kong. The tournament kicks off at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This week, Emirates Airline, which is based in Dubai, announced that it was to be the title sponsor of the finale in Edinburgh. Emirates Airline flies a very popular service between Glasgow and Dubai and a while back had to put a larger aircraft on the route because of the demand for seats.
On Course for a Personal Best Marathon
Even amateur runners in races such as marathons and 10k races usually record the time they take to run each race - and are delighted when they record a "personal best" (PB) time. There are likely to be a good few of these next May when the Edinburgh marathon is run over a new course. It starts in the centre of the city, takes runners gently downhill for four miles and then 22 miles along a flat coastal route to Musselburgh. The organisers are adopting this route not to produce more PBs, but because of the lower cost of stewarding. The fifth annual race was in doubt due to lack of finance but the organisers have arranged sponsorship deals with Chevrolet and Real Radio.
Ailsa Craig Sweeps Up Orders
As a result of exposure on national TV, the sport of curling has become more popular in the US. That has meant a demand for the traditional curling stones made from granite from Ailsa Craig, the small island in the Firth of Clyde, off the Ayrshire coast. A shipment of 40 sets of 16 stones (640 in all) of the special stones is now on its way to North America. Curling became an Olympic sport in 1998 and that also led to an upsurge of interest. The number of countries now playing curling has increased since then by nearly 50% to 46. The World Curling Federation, based in Perth, has set up a loan-to-purchase scheme to assist new clubs get under way, without having to buy new stones at the outset.