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 play-offs between the second bottom club in the First Division and the second to fourth clubs in the Second Division, Stirling Albion gained promotion at the expense of Airdrie United who are demoted to the Second Division.
Third Division side Queens park gained promotion to the Second Division in the play-offs, with Stranraer dropping down. Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Scottish Parliament Postponed
The 129 newly elected Members of the Scottish Parliament were sworn in on Wednesday, fully demonstrating the multi-culturalism of Scotland, with oaths being taken in English, Gaelic, Scots, Doric and Urdu. History was made as the parliament's first Asian-born MSP (elected as Scottish Nationalist MSP for Glasgow on the regional list) took the oath first in English and then Urdu. The Scottish National Party has the largest number of seats (47) and its leader, Alex Salmond, is widely expected to be elected as First Minister, particularly now that a deal has been reached with the two Green party MSPs. But the Liberal Democrats (who formed a coalition with Labour after the elections in 2003 and 1999) have refused to join the SNP while they insist on holding a referendum on Scotland becoming independent from the UK. With voting on many issues in this session of parliament likely to be on an unpredictable knife edge, no party has been keen to "give up" a vote by having one of their number elected as Presiding Officer (roughly, Speaker) who does not have a vote. So that further discussions can take place on this, it was agreed that the first sitting of the new Parliament should be postponed until next Monday. Then a First Minister has to be elected. The Liberal Democrats are likely to support Alex Salmond, with the Labour and Conservative MSPs abstaining.
Edinburgh's Tramway System Derailed?
The new political minefield in the Scottish Parliament has already come into focus with discussion in the media of the future (or otherwise) of a project to build a tramway system in Edinburgh. The project and its financial support were approved by the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition Executive in the last parliament. The Scottish National Party opposed it (and the extension of the railway link into Edinburgh airport) and were reported in the media this week to be ready to cancel both projects, saving over £1 billion, to be used on other projects across Scotland. That produced an angry reaction from the Labour councillors in Edinburgh, who had pushed the project forward. But Labour lost 15 seats on the city council in Edinburgh - and the SNP gained 11 council seats. The SNP argue that it was their promise to ditch the trams and the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link that helped them to win seats from the Labour party in the Capital. In the Scottish Parliament, as the largest party, the SNP may well form a minority government and argue that they can cancel the central funding for these projects, thus bringing them to an end. The Labour and Lib/Dem members can equally argue that the electorate did not give a clear mandate - and vote to continue the funding. If Scotland is to be governed at all, it has to be hoped that the political parties can act sensibly and reach some form of modus operandi. Nobody wants another election, after all.
142,000 Spoiled Ballot Papers
The total number of ballot papers which were spoiled or wrongly completed in the parliamentary and local council elections on 3 May has now been calculated at 142,000 - far higher number than originally estimated. That means that 7% of votes cast did not count towards the final results. The high volume has been blamed on the poor design and wording of the ballot papers. Last year, research had warned that the design of the ballot papers could cause confusion - but the advice appears to have been ignored. The Electoral Commission is due to report on the fiasco in the summer.
Skyhub Plans Reach for the Sky
Last year, the British Airports Authority (BAA) published its £290 million plans to transform Glasgow Airport over the following 25 years. Now they have unveiled details on transforming the terminal buildings by creating a new "Skyhub". Crucially, the security arrangements for the three existing terminal buildings will be combined into one operation on the first floor. The aim is to free up space and also make the security search areas more efficient as all departing passengers will pass through one large, specialist area with 14 x-ray machines (four more than at present). BAA promise that most security checks will take no more than five minutes - a bold claim for any airport these days. There will also be additional seating capacity on the ground floor, as well as new shops and restaurants. A new duty free store will be opened for departing passengers. The new facilities are expected to be operational in eighteen months. The airport currently handles over nine million passengers a year - nearly 60% more than ten years ago.
Edinburgh BioQuarter
Scottish Enterprise has announced that it has completed a deal with a leading international life science property specialist to create a vast new medical research campus on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The aim is to create one of the largest such centres in the world, attracting the best researchers in the world, to develop new drugs and treatments. The Edinburgh BioQuarter already has outline planning permission on a site beside the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary at Little France. Roughly 1.4 million square feet of academic, institutional and commercial life science space will be created on the 100-acre campus. It is expected to create 6,500 new jobs. The University of Edinburgh is already developing 500,000 square feet of academic research space nearby, including its recently announced £60 million Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Thus, on one site, there will be academics, researchers, clinicians and patients as well as space for commercial pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and life science companies. Construction is expected to begin on the first building on the new campus before the end of this year.
End for Nuclear Landmark
The four landmark cooling towers at the Chapelcross nuclear power station, near Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, are to be blown up in a controlled explosion on 20 May. The plant was built in 1959, with a primary purpose of producing weapons-grade plutonium for the UK's nuclear weapons programme. It also generated electrical power on a commercial basis. In 1967 one of the reactors suffered a partial nuclear meltdown. It restarted in 1969, but Chapelcross finally stopped producing electricity in 2004, prior to full decommissioning. At that time, it was one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Scotland's Smaller Airports Taking Off
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), the company that runs ten smaller airports in northern Scotland, has reported that passenger numbers rose by nearly 7% last year, to 1,232,782. Kirkwall in Orkney had an increase of 17% and the number of passengers travelling to Islay rose by 26% (from a small base). Inverness, the largest of HIAL's airports, had its busiest ever year, with almost 700,000 passengers. Since 2000/2001, passenger numbers in the ten airports have taken off by 57% as a result of the increased frequency of flights, new routes and a government fares discount scheme for residents of the Northern and Western Isles.
Last Lap for Commonwealth Games Bid
Glasgow and the Nigerian city of Ajuba lodged their official bids to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games with the event's governing body in a ceremony in London this week. Glasgow has emphasised a "compact" and "green" Games, making the most of existing sports venues and leaving a lasting legacy in the city by bringing brownfield sites back into use. A Games village on the banks of the river Clyde would become more than 1,000 new homes, after the athletes had departed. Celtic Park would host the opening ceremony and the national football stadium at Hampden would be transformed into an athletics arena. Rangers' football ground at Ibrox would be the venue for the seven-a-side rugby tournament. The submission document is 600 pages long but the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland sums it up in three words - people, place and passion. The final decision on the 2014 Games venue will be made in November.
Victory for Imperial Measures
Much to the delight of campaigners, the European Union has shelved plans to abolish the traditional imperial measures in favour of metrication. So pounds and ounces and inches and feet will be "continued indefinitely". While the traditionalists may welcome the decision, the onward march of kilos, metres and other aspects of metrication is inevitably continuing. Thankfully, our currency is no longer 20 shillings to the pound and 12 pennies to the shilling, following decimalisation in 1971. Florins and half-crowns disappeared at the same time. The construction industry uses metric measurements these days and we now buy our petrol (gas) in litres That makes the price much less frightening than cost per gallon - now the equivalent of around US$7 per US gallon. But it also makes it more difficult for those of us who want to work out the "miles per gallon" fuel consumption of our vehicles. Road signs still give distances in miles and speed limits are expressed as "miles per hour". However, at least the new ruling will mean that there will be no more "Metric Martyrs" - those prosecuted in the courts for selling produce by the pound, rather than by the kilo.
Scottish Chefs Awards
Jacqueline O’Donnell, Head Chef of The Sisters restaurants in Glasgow, scooped the City Chef of the Year Award 2007 at The Scottish Chef Awards this week. Having eaten in The Sisters restaurant more than once, it came as no surprise - see the review at Great Places to eat in Scotland. Considered the culinary Oscars for Scotland, the awards were presented at a gala dinner in the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow, attended by 200 guests from the restaurant, hotel and catering industry. Awards were also presented to Tom Kitchen for the Scottish Chef of The Year and Ian McNaught of The Roman Camp Hotel in Callander for the Hotel Chef of the Year. The awards organiser commented: "Scotland has a wealth of new, exciting culinary talent. For such a small country, Scotland has batted above its weight for over a decade. We have seen more chefs becoming more ambitious, aiming for the top end of the market, and driving Scottish cooking further up the quality benchmark."
VisitArran
This week, Arran in the Firth of Clyde became the first Scottish island to have its own "Destination Management" organisation to sell its own "brand". Not just its local produce (ranging from cheese, smoked salmon and shell-fish to lavender oil and whisky) but also its tourist attractions and hotels. The new buzz-phrase in tourism is destination management - where local businesses are in control, rather than some centralised function in a distant city (like Edinburgh). Arran is often described as "Scotland in miniature" with the landscape going from 3,000 feet high Goat Fell to coastal areas, in an island of 430 square kilometres (166 square miles).
Moray Firth Flotilla
A spectacular boating event next month is expected to boost the economy around the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. Over 25,000 spectators are expected to travel to the area to see 30 traditional sailing boats participating in the "Moray Firth Flotilla". The boats will travel from Wick along the coast to Portsoy, to take part in that town's annual Scottish Traditional Boat Festival. The boats will set out from Wick on 23rd June and call at Lybster, Helmsdale, Cromarty and Buckie before arriving at Portsoy on 29th June. The sailing event is part of Highland 2007, a year of events celebrating Highland culture.
Picture copyright Scotavia Images.
Paramount Rebirth
The site of the Art Deco 1930s Odeon cinema in Glasgow is to be transformed into an office and leisure complex, according to plans lodged with the city council. Renamed Paramount Building in recognition of its cinematic heritage, the corner frontage would be restored to its original 1934 design. But an 11 storey high office block using "state of the art glass technology" would be constructed alongside, creating 150,000 square feet of office space and 17,000 square feet of restaurants and themed bars. The restored Art Deco building would house 20,000 square feet of leisure space.
Cold War Time Warp
It's twenty years since RAF fighters were regularly scrambled from Scottish airfields to intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft probing UK air space. But this week two RAF Tornado interceptors were scrambled when a Russian Tupolev 95 "Bear Foxtrot" appeared on the radar screens. The huge turbo-prop reconnaissance aircraft is of 1950s vintage and had flown from its base on the Kola peninsula in northern Russia, to spy on a Royal Navy exercise being staged in international waters, north of the Western Isles. The fighters flew alongside the Russian aircraft and it "left quietly" as an RAF spokesman put it.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Art Works Gifted to Edinburgh University
Over 100 art works by the late Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, the Scottish pioneer of pop art, have been given by his estate to Edinburgh University. Paolozzi was born in Leith (where his parents ran a local fish and chip shop) and he often returned to Edinburgh. The Museum of Scotland has a number of his sculptures on display and, in 1994, Paolozzi generously gave a large body of his work to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, some of which is permanently on display at the Dean Gallery. This latest gift from his estate will be displayed at the new School of Informatics, which is being built near George Square and will open in 2008. Paolozzi was fascinated by the relationship between the organic and the mechanical, and the relationship between man and machine. So the School of Informatics is an appropriate location for these works.
Graffiti Artists "Decorating" Historic Castle
Usually, owners of property try to discourage (if they can) the daubing of their walls with graffiti. But Lord and Lady Clyde, the owners of historic Kelburn Castle near Largs in North Ayrshire, are actually encouraging it. They have invited four of the world's top graffiti artists from Brazil to paint the external walls and turrets of the south side of the 13th century castle. They will have a free rein to paint what they want - the more colourful the better. The project is not quite as daft as it sounds though. The harling on the castle wall was applied in the 1950s, but has recently been found to be damaging the original stonework of the castle. So it is to be removed to prevent further damage. Even so, the graffiti will stay in place for two-and-a-half years. Perhaps some of the visitors to the 700 year-old castle will be amused by the "art work" but those who are coming to see a historic Scottish castle may not be so impressed.
Celtic Fan Names Her Baby "Lisbon Lyons"
Celtic football (soccer) club won the European Cup in Portugal's capital 40 years ago. The team was nicknamed the "Lisbon Lions" as a result of their 2-1 triumph over Inter Milan - coming from behind after the Italians had scored after seven minutes. Celtic were the first British club, and the first Northern European club, to win the European Cup and are still the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final. So when Celtic fan Sharlene Lyons realised that the baby she was expecting was to be born near the date of the 40th anniversary of the game, she decided to call her new daughter Lisbon Lyons. Shades of "a boy named Sue" as in the Johnny Cash lyric.. Just in case her offspring is not an enthusiastic Celtic supporter when she grows up (unlikely, given her pedigree) her full name will be Emily Lisbon Lyons.
Weather in Scotland This Week
After the above average temperatures and dry weather in April, it has come as a bit of a shock to have "April showers" and below average temperatures this week. Monday was a bank holiday in the UK, with many employees looking forward to a weekend of outside activities or in the garden. But in the west coast in particular, low pressure produced frequent, blustery showers and strong winds. There were sunny spells between the showers later in the week and Edinburgh reached 15/16C (59/61F) on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the showers were also much in evidence. On Thursday and Friday, Aberdeen's maximum temperature was only 8/9C (46/48F). All those flowers that have burst forth and the birds that have hatched early must have wondered why the spring had disappeared.
Despite the return of more changeable weather, this lilac showed that spring had really arrived.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season and its flora and fauna include Lochinch Castle near Stranraer (see thumbnail here); azalea in the grounds of Castle Kennedy; P&O ferry from Belfast in Loch Ryan; bell-shaped flowers of Abutilon; a mature Heron, with a long, black wispy crest; Culzean Castle and its palm trees; clematis on the terraced gardens below Culzean Castle. See This Week's Colour Supplement
Rosslyn Film Wins Awards
No, not the Da Vinci Code... "Rosslyn Enigma", a film produced to promote Rosslyn Chapel, is a finalist in the Tourism Sales category of the New York Festivals International Film and Video Awards. It was also awarded third place at The Golden City Gate Awards in Berlin and is currently nominated for six other film awards this year. The film was actually made to dispel myths about the ancient chapel portrayed in the Da Vinci Code book and film. Of course, another aim was to encourage people to come to Scotland and visit Rosslyn Chapel for themselves and learn about the conservation project there. Visitor numbers soared to an all-time high of 170,000 last year after the blockbuster movie generated massive publicity for the church in Midlothian.
Abseilers Roped in for Castle Repairs
A team of abseilers has been roped in by the National Trust for Scotland to carry out repairs to the stonework at Drum Castle in Aberdeenshire. The alternative would have been erecting unsightly scaffolding, which would have spoiled the view of the building for visitors. The abseilers will spend just two days repairing the limestone between the stones. King Robert the Bruce appointed William Irvine as his representative in the Royal Forest of Drum and the Barony of Drum in a charter dated 1323. The 15th century tower at Drum is one of the oldest of its kind in Scotland.
Next Week in Scottish History
Foodies at the Festival
The first ever dedicated food event at the Edinburgh Festival is to be launched on the 18th and 19 August at the Roxburghe Hotel and at the George Hotel in the Capital. The event will be a celebration of Scottish food and drink and superb cooking by some of the country's top chefs. The art of food will be illustrated through demonstrations by Michelin Star chefs including Martin Wishart, Tom Kitchin (pictured here) and Jeff Bland, as well as fresh, local food and drink stalls, whisky tasting, cocktail mixing and other culinary treats. Foodies at the Festival aims to add a completely new dimension to the biggest arts festival in the world. The event will include a "Scottish Chefs Theatre" at the George Hotel with cookery demonstrations featuring talented chefs such as Jacqueline O’Donnell from the Sisters Restaurant in Glasgow and Tom Kitchin from The Kitchin in Edinburgh.
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
The annual whisky festival in the heart of Speyside has sometimes struggled to attract enough visitors to turn it into a success. But this year's event seems to have attracted thousands of people to Morayshire to enjoy their favourite tipple as well as other events such as ceilidhs with traditional Scottish music, distillery tours, walks, tastings and art. The Whisky Museum at Dufftown even managed to combine two of life's pleasures with a selection of specialist chocolates that had been matched to different whiskies. For those in search of the great outdoors, there were walks exploring the Braes of Glenlivet and a hike over Gownie hill - what better way of inducing an appetite for the "water of life"?
Piping Hot
Tickets for this year's World Pipe Band Championships in August went on sale this week. The event is one of the most popular in Glasgow's entertainment calendar, with crowds of over 50,000 spectators in attendance to see 200 pipe bands and 8,000 competitors performing at the highest level. The event has been associated with Glasgow since 1948 and has evolved into a week-long festival under the banner of "Piping Live".
National Shooting Week
The British Shooting Sports Council has organised a National Shooting Week, from May 26 to June 3, with the aim of actively promoting the sport in a positive light to a wider audience. As part of that, Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course near Kelso is hosting a corporate novice ladies clay pigeon shoot on Wednesday the 30 May. The Roxburghe will be the only hotel within the Scottish Borders to host novice shoots throughout the week. The budget package includes lunch and a beginner's lesson, with shooting at 50 clay pigeons. No guarantees of actually hitting anything, of course!
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Heart of Midlothian 1 Aberdeen 1
Dunfermline 4 Motherwell 1
Stirling Albion 2 Airdrie 2
Queens Park 4 East Fife 2Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 12 May 2007
Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1
Falkirk 2 Dundee United 0
Heart of Midlothian 2 Hibernian 0
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Dunfermline 1
Motherwell 2 St Mirren 3
Rangers v Kilmarnock is scheduled for Sunday.Scottish Football League First Division Results - 12 May 2007
Airdrie United 2 Stirling Albion 3
Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 12 May 2007
East Fife 0 Queens Park 3
League Tables
Dunfermline has been fighting hard to avoid relegation in recent weeks and had closed the gap on St Mirren - their 4-1 win over Motherwell meant that there was only one point separating the two teams. But on Saturday, St Mirren came from 2-0 down against Motherwell to win 3-2 by the final whistle. Meanwhile, Dunfermline had been hanging on to a 1-0 lead over Inverness - only to lose two goals in the last 15 minutes. So Dunfermline will be playing in the First Division next season. The battle for third place in the SPL (and thus an opportunity to play in the qualifying matches for the Uefa Cup) is still wide open. Aberdeen are just one point ahead of Hearts - with both clubs playing their final game of the season next Sunday. Aberdeen have the toughest match - playing Rangers. Hearts will be playing Kilmarnock.
John Higgins Regains World Snooker Championship
John Higgins, from Wishaw in Lanarkshire, last won the World Snooker Championship in 1998 and was widely expected to win another world title in the intervening years. Although he has won many other titles in the last nine years (Grand Prix three times, British Open four times and the UK Championship twice, amongst others), his form slumped after the birth of his first son, with his concentration not as it was. But he has come away strongly again recently. Winning the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield last Monday ensured that he not only regained that title but also he also moved up the rankings to number one in the world - replacing fellow Scot Stephen Hendry.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Great Edinburgh Run
Nearly £1 million are thought to have been raised by the 10,000 people who braved strong winds last Sunday to take part in the BUPA Great Edinburgh Run. In a sprint finish, Hosea Macharinyang, from Kenya, won the men's race just ahead of Ugandan rival Boniface Kiprop. Jelena Prokopcuka, from Latvia, fought off a strong challenge from English runner Jo Pavey to take the women's title - for the third time in a row. The weather was largely kind to the runners - only the professional runners would be concerned about the strong winds.