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
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Scots Abroad
Sport
Hamilton are now 4 points ahead of second place Dundee in the Scottish First Division, with St Johnstone 4 points further back. Stirling Albion's defeat of Dunfermline put them 2 points below Queen of the South at the foot of the First Division table.
Ross County are just one point ahead of Raith Rovers at the top of the Second Division, with Berwick Rangers bringing up the rear, 3 points adrift from Brechin City.
With no league games in the Third Division, the positions in the table remain unchanged. East Fife are 5 points clear of Montrose and Forfar are 5 points behind Albion Rovers at the foot of the table.
In the Scottish Hydro Electric Rugby Division One, Boroughmuir are now 9 points ahead of Melrose, with Glasgow Hutchesons bringing up the rear, 4 points away from Edinburgh Academicals.
Celtic's match against Portuguese side Benfica in Group D looked as though it was going to produce the same result as that of Rangers, but a late goal, four minutes from the end, continued the Parkhead side's poor away record in the Champions League. Up until then, Celtic's goalkeeper Artur Boruc had done well to keep the score-sheet blank. Celtic now languish at the foot of Group D, with just three points from three games.
Aberdeen got a tough lesson in European football when they lost 3-0 in their Uefa Cup Group B match against Panathinaikos in Athens. The Greek side scored their first goal after just ten minutes. It was well into the second half before Panathinaikos scored again but they followed up once more with a goal 13 minutes from the end.
Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Voters Treated as "An Afterthought"
The Scottish Parliament and local government elections in May this year were marred by confusion over a new ballot paper, a new system of voting for local council seats and failures in the machines reading the completed ballot papers. Over 140,000 ballot papers were rejected as a result of all these factors. This week, a report by an international expert claimed that ministers in Edinburgh and London had focused on partisan political interests - and voters were treated as an "afterthought". The electorate may feel that there is nothing new in that, of course. The report recommends that there should be separate days for parliament and local elections, responsibility for both council and Scottish Parliament elections should be assigned to one entity (logically the Scottish Government) and party names should appear first on ballot papers (voters were thrown by being confronted with "Alex Salmond for first minister" at the top of the regional list ballot paper). Former Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander (now promoted in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government) has apologised for his role in the May elections fiasco. But he has refused to resign his present job. The report does not lay the blame at any one individual, prompting one commentator to remark "The mood is nostra, not mea, culpa" (us, not me, to blame).
Population Set to Rise
In 2002, the downward trend in the population of Scotland since 1974 was extrapolated to show that it would fall below 5 million by 2036 and continue to decline to just 3.8 million in 2065. Since then, thanks largely to an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe but also due to a decline in the number of deaths and an increase in births, the same experts are projecting that the number of people living in the country will rise from 5.12 million in 2006 to a high of 5.37 million in 2031, before slowly declining and eventually falling below the five million mark in 2076. A population of 5.37 million would exceed its previous record peak of 5.25 million in 1974. Of course, the population will have a significant increase in the percentage of those aged over 75 - by 2031 there will be 18 people over that age for every ten today. And the number of retired people will soar by over 30% from 0.98 million to 1.29 million in 2031.The Registrar General also predicts that the number of under-16s is projected to fall by 7% to 0.86 million in 2031, while the number of people of working age is expected to increase slightly to 3.23 million.
44 Post Offices to Close
The Post Office announced this week it was proposing to close another 44 outlets in Scotland. 23 of these are in the Greater Glasgow area, with others going in central Scotland, west Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute. These are the next phase of a large masterplan to reduce the size of the network. The Post Office claims that use of their branches was falling "as more customers utilise services at other places, make more use of the internet and have their government benefits paid directly into bank accounts". The organisation says that "It is essential that the changes, which include a reduction in the number of branches, are made if the network is to have a sustainable future." But there are concerns that certain areas are being hit disproportionately and that vulnerable people such as the elderly and those without a car, will be badly affected. The Post Office said the Scottish network cut from 308 main branches to 264 would only affect 10.7% of the population, of whom 6.3% would have access to services within a further mile of travelling. But in March 2001 there were 1933 main and sub post offices across Scotland. By March this year the number had fallen to 1651- and is continuing to decline.
Free School Meals
A scheme to provide free school meals for all children in the first three years of primary education is under way in Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire. Schools in East Ayrshire, Fife and the Borders will follow shortly. The six-month pilot has been set up to see if providing a nutritious lunch for all children could help improve their diets. Until now, free school meals have only been available for children of parents receiving state social security benefits. The change is expected to stimulate demand for school meals which, these days, are designed to provide a balanced, nutritious diet. Currently, 65% of primary school (ages 5 to 11) pupils take school meals and that is expected to rise to 85%. Children will be encouraged to choose a three course meal including soup and bread, a main meal choice, fruit, yoghurt and drinks including milk, water and fruit juice. Instead of salt, the meals contain herbs and spices and the hope is that they will develop a taste for healthier foods and good lifestyle habits that will stay with them. If the scheme proves to be a success, the Scottish government plans to roll it out to all pupils in the first three years of primary school at a cost of between £30 million and £46 million.
Pharmacies Seek Access to Patients' Medical Records
Community Pharmacy Scotland, which represents the owners of Scotland's 1200 chemists, suggested this week that as their responsibilities for healthcare are growing and they take over more work from General Practioners, they need direct access to electronic patient records. The move has raised concerns from some groups about confidentiality being breached and personal information being used to market products. The pharmacists' group want access to the existing Emergency Care Summary - an electronic file which shows basic information about patients, including any bad reactions to drugs - plus aspects of patients' full medical record, as these are moved to a national database. In future, pharmacists are likely to play a greater role in public health, such as support to quit smoking. They also plan to play a greater part in managing patients with chronic diseases, helping doctors to monitor people on longterm medication. But patient representative organisations have pointed out that there is no such thing as an IT system with perfect security and if more people have access to personal medical records, the more confidentiality goes out the window.
Rise in Land Prices
A survey published this week by the Bank of Scotland shows that agricultural land prices increased by 47% in the three years to the end of 2006. That means that agriculture's prime asset has risen in value at seven times the rate of retail inflation over that timeframe. Even so, the average selling price of a house has grown by 53% over those three years. And farm land in Scotland is still the cheapest in the UK, with an average price of £2,734 per acre. The most expensive region is, of course, the south-east of England, where the price was £5,705 per acre. Scotland's low average price is partly due to the areas of hill farms (over 1,500 feet above sea level) where they only make £165 per acre.
350 North Sea Oil Jobs Cut
Despite rising oil prices, oil giant BP saw a stagnation in its profits last year and its third quarter profits this year slumped by 45%. The company has been moving its focus from the North Sea to Russia and has been seeking ways of cutting costs. This week it announced that 350 onshore support jobs in Aberdeen are to go by next March as a result of restructuring. BP has a total onshore staff and contractor workforce in the UK of 2,100 at present and produces around 350,000 barrels of oil per day from the UK Continental Shelf. But that is down from the 550,000 barrels a day in 2004.
Harbour Plans Sunk
Ferry companies Stena Line and P&O have been discussing for four years a new multi-million pound shared terminal at Cairnryan in south-west Scotland. P&O are already based at Cairnryan and Stena Line have outdated facilities at Stranraer, six miles further up Loch Ryan. The development would not only have provided Stena with new facilities, it would have cut journey times to Northern Ireland. Planning permission was given earlier this year, but this week the two companies announced that they were abandoning the project, saying that it was "simply no longer economically viable" to proceed with the shared port facilities for Irish Sea services. The decision will have an impact on plans for regenerating Stranraer waterfront, once the ferry terminal had moved away.
Dame Edna to Entertain McPossums
The legendary Dame Edna Everage was this week confirmed to headline next year's Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Punters will have gladioli at the ready as the international megastar, housewife, swami and icon (her own description of herself) graces Scotland with her rare presence for the first time in over ten years. She (some have claimed it is an alter ego of Australian comedian Barry Humphries) will be holding court at the city's Clyde Auditorium on Friday 21st March. This is Dame Edna's only scheduled UK appearance in 2008, and marks something of coup for the festival organisers. Australia's self-styled First Lady says she can't wait to see her adoring crowds. In a proclamation, she said: "My Dear Glaswegian Possums! Can you believe it's been umpteen years since you flocked to the theatre to worship at my shrine? So wait no more my little McPossums! I'm coming back for one night only to spread my message of caring and sharing at that spooky yet strangely intimate Clyde Auditorium. Don't miss this seminal and pivotal life-enhancing experience. Buy now possums and laugh later!"
Picture via Wikipedia.
Dundee Botanic Garden Remaining Open
There have been months of speculation about the long-term future of Dundee University's Botanic Garden, a popular and attractive facility on the west of the city. The university has an accumulated budget deficit of £1.6 million and jobs and courses will have to be cut to remedy this. A review of budget cuts earlier this year had also highlighted the cost of the botanic gardens and closure was one of the options considered. That threat may have focused minds in Dundee City Council and in the tourism agency VisitScotland (which granted the garden a four-star rating in August). Now Dundee College, a further education and higher education college in the city, will take over the garden’s education programme and the university will find a way to increase the number of paying visitors to the garden, increase its commercial income from retail outlets and introduce car parking charges. The university also has an option to sell surplus land in the future and use the proceeds on the garden.
Submarine Makes History
Britain's nuclear-powered submarine HMS Sceptre, based at Faslane on the Gare Loch, arrived home this week after nine months at sea. The Royal Navy claims that this was one of the longest patrols in submarine history. The Swiftsure class vessel had been to the Persian Gulf and South Africa and had covered a distance equivalent to circumnavigating the globe. HMS Sceptre was launched over 30 years ago and is equipped with torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Many of the 116 crew have been with the vessel for the full tour of duty and wives and families were on the quayside at Faslane to welcome them home.
Graphic via Ministry of Defence.
Fort William Waterfront Development Back on Track
The plan to create an £80 million waterfront development at Fort William in Argyll is back on track this week as Highland Council voted in favour of offering a 175-year lease to the Fort William Waterfront Company. There had been initial backing from the council some months ago, but there had been calls from councillors in Lochaber to have the scheme stopped, following opposition within the local business community who were concerned about the impact of the development on the other parts of the town. The site on the banks of Loch Linhe will provide a marina and a loch-front promenade, retail outlets, high-quality housing, restaurants, cafes and bars, at least one hotel, and new culture and leisure facilities. Fort William nestles beneath Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain.
Hovercraft "Proved Its Case"
The trial of a hovercraft across the Firth of Forth from Kircaldy in Fife and Portobello (3 miles (5 km) to the east of Edinburgh city centre), has proved the case for a permanent service, according to its operator, transport giant Stagecoach. The two-week trial is claimed to have established a "clear business case" for a preferred full-time route between Kirkcaldy and Ocean Terminal in Leith from 2009. The company proposes to run to and from Portobello from next year, while the facilities at Ocean Terminal are made ready. The Leith crossing is shorter and provides access to better transport links to central Edinburgh. Stagecoach are predicting that within four years a service using two hovercraft could attract 900,000 passengers a year. Fares are expected to be charged at a small premium to rail prices.
"Auld Reekie" Again
In the 18th century, smoking chimneys and open sewers prompted the Old Town of Edinburgh to be handed a nickname of "Auld Reekie". Modern Edinburgh is far removed from those days, but its environmental credentials were being questioned this week by World Wild Life (WWF) Scotland in a survey which named Scotland's Capital as the least ecologically-friendly city in the country. Affluent, prosperous cities like Edinburgh use up more resources per head of the population than elsewhere in Scotland. The WWF Scotland survey takes into account the impact of things like housing, transport and service industries, as well as the food and other consumer items which its residents buy. It is calculated that if everyone in the world consumed the same quantity of resources as those in Edinburgh, then we would need at least "3.2 planets to support us." That may sound bad, but although Edinburgh came out worst in Scotland, there were 49 cities and towns in other parts of the UK that came out with an even bigger footprint.
Airstrip Subject to Weather and Tides Continues
The airport at Barra in the Outer Hebrides is the only one in the world where scheduled services land on a beach. The sand is set out with three runways, marked by wooden poles at their ends. This allows the Twin Otters that serve the airport to almost always land into the wind. At high tide, these runways are under the sea - flight times thus vary with the tide. The beach is also popular with locals and tourists - who are asked to move away when a windsock is flying on the single-storey terminal building when an aircraft is approaching. A proposal to build a permanent airstrip on the island has been under consideration, but Transport Minister Stewart Sutherland has indicated that this is now unlikely, citing damage to the "environmentally vulnerable machair" on which an asphalt runway would be built. And a single runway would reduce the present flexibility of landings and take-offs, compared with the three runways marked on the beach. The elderly 18-seat DHC Twin Otters used on the service are coming up for replacement, but that would cost much less than building a permanent runway. The aircraft is one of the few commercial planes which can land on the sand. Fortunately, the Canadian-built Twin Otter is back in production, so it will be possible to buy two new aircraft to continue the Barra service.
Weather in Scotland This Week
There was a lot of cloud this week, though the sun did come through well on Wednesday, especially in central and southern Scotland. Temperatures were not high that day, however, reaching only around 10C (50F). There was more cloud and rain later in the week, but the maximum temperatures rose again, reaching 15.6C (60F) in Edinburgh on Saturday, though it was only 12C (54F) further north in Aberdeen. "British Summer Time" ends at 2am on Sunday morning and clocks here will move back one hour. Most of Europe and many other countries will change at the same date, but this year the US will wait until next weekend.
The graphic here shows a real touch of autumn with Rowan berries and the withering leaves on the tree.
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 the autumn leaves of a fiery acer tree in front of Drummond Castle in Perthshire (see thumbnail); brilliant white petals of Eucryphia; bright red hips of Rosa Rugosa; a fearsome Crocodile beside an ornamental pond at Drummond Castle; the showy, intensely bright flowers of Nasturtium; purple Colchicum, the "Autumn Crocus".
See This Week's Colour Supplement.
Black Douglas Remembered
Sir James Douglas (also known as Guid Sir James and the Black Douglas), lived from 1286 to 1330 and fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Independence. He showed himself to be utterly ruthless, particularly in his relentless attacks on the English garrison in his own Douglas Castle. On the morning of the Battle of Bannockburn, Douglas was made a knight and after the battle pursued the retreating English king and his group of knights with relentless vigour. Later, Douglas took King Robert the Bruce's heart on a pilgrimage to Palestine, but died in a battle in Teba in Spain, helping locals to fight against the Moorish invaders. He is remembered to this day in Spain, with an annual event at the Castle of the Stars where he fought his last courageous battle. But he is not commemorated in Scotland, other than his remains deposited in the family vault at St Bride’s chapel. Now one of his descendants, Lord Selkirk of Douglas, has unveiled a portrait of Good Sir James created by Ronnie Brown - best known for the unofficial Scottish anthem "Flower of Scotland" but also a talented artist. The painting, showing Douglas in battles in Scotland and Spain, is to be displayed in the Hamilton Collection at Lennoxlove House in Lothian, the home of Lord Selkirk. When the work was unveiled this week, other Douglas descendants were present, including the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, together with the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale.
Digging Mining Museum Out of a Hole
The Scottish Mining Museum in Midlothian, at the 115-year-old former Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange, has been in financial difficulties for some years. It is estimated that it needs £2.5 million to fix some of its buildings if they are not to become a safety risk. The museum forms an almost complete survival of a major Victorian colliery and includes the pithead, where generations of miners descended 500 metres down into the blackness of the "Lady Vic". There is a re-created underground roadway and coalface where visitors experience the atmosphere and noise of a working pit. The museum boasts 100,000 items charting Scotland's mining past, including tools, photographs, miners' domestic items and work equipment, and a library of books, maps and plans. The museum trustees had been waiting for the government to complete its spending review from which the museum hoped it would receive funds for the remedial work. However, this week the attraction was given new hope when it was announced that it would be added to the prestigious "Recognised Collections of National Significance" list, along with the Museum of Childhood and the Scottish Art Collection. The register is run by the Scottish Museums Council on behalf of the Scottish Government and inclusion puts the Mining Museum in a much stronger position.
Next Week in Scottish History
Dreaming of a Green Christmas...
The Christmas lights which will be switched on in Glasgow's George Square on 18 November will be bigger, brighter - and greener - than ever before. New displays are being installed which are made up of hundreds of thousands of light-emitting diode (led) bulbs. These not only create a brighter light, they are more energy efficient. They will form curtains of red, sprinkled with enormous stars, which will hang from pillars in the square. And a 60ft-Christmas tree, which forms the centrepiece of the decorations, will also be covered in the brand new led lights.
The illustration shows the lights in George Square in previous years.
Kylie Makes a Hit
The exhibition in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which displays costumes and accessories of the Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, opened on 2 September and already it has attracted more than 50,000 visitors. Kylie Minogue donated over 600 items of clothing to the Arts Centre, Melbourne. The centre showcased 45 costumes and 500,000 people saw the display during a tour of Australia. The exhibition at Kelvingrove runs until 13 January.
Celtic Connections Growing Fast
Over 100,000 people attended the Celtic Connections event in January this year and there was a 30% increase in ticket sales and twice as many sell-out performances as in 2006. 94% of visitors said they would like to return to the festival in 2008. 10,000 of those attending came from outside Scotland, boosting the tourism industry at a quiet time of the year. The figures were published this week as the organisers unveiled the line-up for the next event in January. It will be headlined by Canadian songstress k.d. lang, ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and his band the Rhythm Kings and American country music rebel Steve Earle. Also on the bill will be Glasgow-born guitarist Bert Jansch, singer Eddi Reader and bands including Capercaillie, Teenage Fanclub and Moving Hearts.
Click on the picture to see all 12 calendar views...
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland. But the "Scots Abroad" section, invites folk to write in about Scottish-related events in their part of the world. It allows publicity for them and an appreciation by others of just how much Scottish culture is perpetuated in every corner of the globe.
Centre for Scottish Studies
Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver (and Burnaby and Surrey) in British Columbia opened in 1965. It is named after Simon Fraser (1776-1862), a son of Scottish Highlanders who explored of the Vancouver area and what is now known as the Fraser River, which bears his name. His efforts were partly responsible for Canada's boundary later being established at the 49th parallel. With such a pedigree, it was not surprising that SFU set up a "Centre for Scottish Studies to provide a focal point for faculty, students and members of the community interested in exploring Scottish history and culture and the impact of Scots on other cultures and nations, including in particular Canada. In addition to running specific courses related to Scottish subjects, the Centre runs a series of lectures which are open (and free) to the public. Upcoming events include "Edinburgh: A Brief History" (a broad look at the history of Scotland's most famous city), "Edinburgh in the Age of Scott" (showing how novels, poems and tales by Scottish authors, focusing on Scottish history and Scottish national character, dominated the international literary market following the publication of Walter Scott's Waverley in 1814) and "The Rise and Fall of the Gaelic Empire" (a broad look at the shape of Gaelic culture and history during the Middle Ages). For more details, see Simon Fraser University, Centre for Scottish Studies.
A Celtic Christmas
Tenor Peter Ian McCutcheon is celebrating five years as a solo artist, presenting "A Celtic Christmas", an evening of traditional holiday and Celtic repertoire with Margaret Mikelait, piano and Scottish piper Rob Crabtree. The concert is taking place at the Jubilee United Church, 40 Underhill Drive, Toronto, Ontario, on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. For more details and to obtain tickets, see Peter Ian McCutcheon.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Aberdeen 2
Rangers 0 Barcelona 0 (European Champions League, Group E)
Benfica 1 Celtic 0 (European Champions League, Group D)Clydesdale Bank Premierleague Results - 27 October 2007
Celtic 3 Motherwell 0
Gretna 0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4
Hibernian 0 St Mirren 1
Kilmarnock 3 Heart of Midlothian 1
Aberdeen v Falkirk and Dundee United v Rangers will be played on Sunday.Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Results - 27 October 2007
Hamilton 1 Greenock Morton 0
Livingston 2 Queen of the South 2
Partick Thistle 1 Dundee 1
St Johnstone 1 Clyde 1
Stirling Albion 3 Dunfermline 0Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 27 October 2007
Airdrie United 4 Berwick Rangers 0
Alloa 2 Raith Rovers 1
Ayr 2 Brechin City 1
Cowdenbeath 0 Peterhead 2
Ross County 1 Queens Park 1Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Third Division Results - 27 October 2007
No matches here as some of the clubs are involved in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup.
Scottish Hydro Electric Rugby Division One Results - 27 October 2007
Boroughmuir 32 Ayr United 15
Dundee 23 Heriots 26
Edinburgh Academicals 26 Currie 27
Glasgow Hawks 24 Hawick 10
Melrose 33 Glasgow Hutchesons 17
Stirling County 19 Watsonians 20League Tables
Scott McDonald scored a hat-trick to keep Celtic at the top of the SPL on Saturday. To topple Celtic, Rangers would not only have to win their game against Dundee United on Sunday but do so by a margin of over 4 goals. Dundee United, on the other hand, could leapfrog Hibernian in the SPL table if they were to win against Rangers. The margin between Gretna at the foot of the SPL and Falkirk is now 4 points after Saturday's defeat by Inverness.
Scotland's Highest Ever Football Ranking
The latest international ranking by FIFA, the organisation that controls world football (soccer) places Scotland at 13th, the highest level achieved since the rankings were introduced in 1993. England have fallen to 11th after a number of poor results in their Euro 2008 campaign, including a 2-1 defeat by Russia. Argentina and Brazil are joint leaders in the rankings, followed by Italy, France and Germany. USA are currently 18th. The Scottish Premier League has agreed to a request to postpone matches involving Rangers and Celtic on the weekend before Scotland's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy on 17th November. That will allow key players to have a rest and avoid injury before the match.
Mixed Fortunes for Scottish Clubs in Europe
Rangers did well to hold Spanish club Barcelona to a well-deserved 0-0 draw at Ibrox in their European Champions League, Group E match this week. Barcelona boast such players as Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry but although Barca had a number of opportunities, they failed to capitalise. Goalkeeper Allan McGregor denied the Catalan side on a number of occasions as they dominated possession. Rangers did have a few counter-attacks but were clearly aiming to thwart Barcelona - which they did, in fine style. Rangers and Barcelona now head Group E undefeated, with 7 points each.
Andy Murray Reaches St Petersburg Final
Scottish tennis star Andy Murray had to fight back to beat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny and reach the final of the St Petersburg Open. 20-year-old Murray won the first set 6-2 but lost the second 5-7. In the third set, he was 1-4 down and looked beaten but broke his opponent's serve to reach 3-5. He saved match point in the next set to level 5-5 and then went on to win 7-1 in the tie-break. He will play against either Spain's Fernando Verdasco or Croatian Marin Cilic in the final. Murray has an extra incentive to win the title as it would give him the points to qualify for next week's Masters Series tournament in Paris. He was out of action for many months this year due to injury, but won the San Jose ATP event in February and has recently been runner-up at Doha and Metz.