Give Scotland Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses...

Well, not quite - only if they have a job to go to... Scotland's declining population (due largely to a lower birthrate and continued emigration to richer parts of the world, like England) is being addressed by the Scottish Executive. While they say that "the first priority is to nurture and retain home-grown talent by meeting their hopes and aspirations", they also want to encourage Scots living abroad to come home and (perhaps more realistically) attract those who are completely new to Scotland from the rest of the UK, from the EU and further afield. The imminent expansion of the European Community by 10 more countries, covering a number of poorer parts of the continent, is being seen as an opportunity to attract young people to come to Scotland and join the work-force. As the UK Home Secretary has decided not to introduce a work permit system which could have been used to steer applicants to Scotland - the only part of the UK facing a declining population - the Scottish Executive is planning to advertise in Eastern Europe. Over the centuries, although many Scots have emigrated, the country has also benefitted from an influx of migrants at various stages who have become established here to the benefit of Scotland. But this is probably the first time that positive efforts have been made to encourage such migrants.

Parliament Building Cost Over £430 Million

The Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the Scottish Parliament announced officially this week that the construction costs for the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood had risen by another £30 million - to £430.6 million. While it is being claimed that this "ought to be the last escalation in costs", there is speculation that the contractors will miss the completion deadline of July, giving rise to further cost over-runs and meaning that the legislature will not be able to move into the building in September. Delays have been experienced in fixing massive apostrophe-shaped dark granite slabs to the exterior walls. Some of these design elements have been abandoned. Frantic efforts to speed up completion are also taking their toll on the budget.

Record Numbers Working in National Health Service

Figures published this week show that the number of staff employed by the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland has increased by over 4,000, bringing the overall number to a whole-time equivalent of 123,937, a record level. Qualified nursing and midwifery staff rose from 37,259 to 38,262 and the number of General Medical Practitioners (GPs) has also continued to grow, rising to 4,239. The number of doctors in training has also increased. A new guaranteed maximum waiting time for hospital treatment has also been delivered - no patient with a guarantee waited over 9 months for in-patient/daycase treatment compared with nearly 2,000 patients a year ago. And the number of patients with a guarantee of inpatient/day case treatment who were waiting for more than six months fell by over a quarter in a year.

1,000 New Teachers

The number of places at teacher training schools are to be substantially increased over the next three years in an effort to cut class sizes and raise pupil attainment levels. This is aimed at increasing the number of teachers by 1,000 (to 54,000) by 2007. This will reduce class sizes for mathematics and English in first and second years of secondary education to a maximum of 20.

Taxation Threat to Tourist Sites

The Gift Aid scheme created by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget of 2000 means that charitable donations to tourist attractions by private individuals can produce a tax rebate for these organisations. The scheme was introduced to encourage donations and has been very successful - perhaps too successful. Because the Chancellor is now planning to change the rules to "close a loophole" which will impact heavily on the financial viability of the tourist industry. For example, the Royal Yacht Britannia has had 1.6 million visitors and receives no public subsidy to support it. Loss of the Gift Aid scheme will mean a loss of income of £200,000 a year. Some leading visitor attractions ranging from Edinburgh Zoo to the Highland Wildlife Park at Aviemore and the Scottish Mining Museum at Newtongrange will be badly hit. In 2003 the benefit of Gift Aid is estimated to have accounted for nearly 20% of their income. Many heritage operations are investing time and money in their facilities on the basis of this income and now it is being threatened with being brought to an end next year. Some will be threatened with closure.

Former Bank Governor to Chair Independent TV Company

Sir Peter Burt, the former chief executive of Bank of Scotland (now part of "HBOS" after its merger with Halifax), has been named chairman of the new ITV company which was formed by the £6bn merger of ITV and Carlton. Last year, major shareholders had blocked Carlton chairman Michael Green from taking up the post. Sir Peter is said to have edged out a supermarket chairman because of his experience in leading an FTSE 100 company and his relative youth - he is "only" 59. But Sir Peter was the first to admit that he had no experience of the TV industry, but claimed that as a non-executive chairman, earning £200,000 a year, "I don't see that as a problem." The selection committee was led by former Lloyds Bank chief executive Sir Brian Pitman who had known Burt "for many years". And the chief executive of HBOS, James Crosby, is a non-executive director of ITV and was involved in appointing his bank's former deputy chairman to the part-time job.

Luxury Flats in Gorbals

In the 1930s, the Gorbals area of Glasgow used to be synonymous with gang warfare and grinding poverty. This is where Glasgow got its reputation as "No Mean City" (the title of a book set in 1930s Gorbals). After WW2, many of the apartment blocks were razed to the ground, with many of the residents decanted to soulless housing estates on the periphery of the city. The replacement tower blocks were filing cabinets for people. The old community spirit of the area was thus largely destroyed. In recent years, some of these high-rise blocks have been demolished and rows of modern low-rise flats with landscaped gardens have been built. There are open spaces and art works and a £9 million leisure centre. The improvements have been such that a developer is now planning a block of luxury penthouse apartments, with a price tag of up to £300,000, for young professionals who want to live close to the city centre but away from the traffic noise.

Residential Property Sales to Exceed £12bn

Figures released by the government agency Registers of Scotland indicate that the value of the residential property market will exceed £12 billion in the financial year 2003/2004 - up from £10.9 billion in 2002/2003. The figures also show that the average price for a residential property in Scotland continues to increase at a steady pace and is now £103,394, an increase of 17 per cent on the same period last year. The highest average house price of £136,120 is in the Edinburgh conurbation, while the highest increase of 21 per cent is in South West Scotland, where the average house now sells for £86,668. Glasgow prices rose by around 16%. The Register captures every house sale across Scotland, so the Agency holds the most comprehensive data on house prices at national and local level and individual property sales. Details of the quarterly report (which covers the period October to December 2003) are available from Registers of Scotland at www.ros.gov.uk/pressreleases.html

Big Rise in Parking Fines

Figures released by the Scottish Executive show that Edinburgh City Council raised £7.1m from parking fines and vehicle removals in 2002 while Glasgow motorists paid £6.6m. More than half a million drivers received tickets for parking in the two cities in the course of the year because they have parked illegally or not got back to their cars before the time paid for runs out. But critics claim that there is no evidence of a large rise in illegal parking, even though there has been a 40% rise in the amount of cash raised. The increase is being attributed to an increase in the number of parking attendants dishing out tickets. A spokesman for the Royal Automobile Club says that the two cities are driving motorists away from their cities. "Any business which deliberately drives away customers does not deserve to remain solvent" claims the organisation. And on top of that, Edinburgh is planning to introduce "congestion charges" - payable on all cars entering the capital (whether at peak times or not).

Disruption for Rail Travellers

Work designed to pave the way for trains to run between London and Glasgow at 125mph will mean major disruption to services on the west coast main line at Easter and on subsequent bank holiday weekends over the summer. The work involves replacing five bridges and major work to track and signalling equipment. Journeys will be delayed by at least an hour and overnight sleeper services are being diverted to the east coast line and so will miss some of the usual stations on the way south. Work on the project to allow the high-speed trains to travel at 125mph is said to now be progressing well, but improvement to allow the tilting trains to travel at the design speed of 140mph is not likely to be completed until 2008. The project is costing £9.8 billion.

Tapping in to New Blend

When residents in the east end of Glasgow take a drink of tap water this week they may not notice any difference. But Scottish Water are proud of the fact that they are now supplying a new, better quality blend to consumers - water from both Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond (pictured here). A new pipeline, part of a project costing £100 million, allows water to flow from the two lochs to the Balmore Water Treatment Works near Kirkintilloch. Eventually, the entire city will benefit from a new water treatment works at Mugdock reservoir at Milngavie where work has begun to improve filtration on the water from Loch Katrine which has been flowing through there since Victorian times. Water chiefs claim that customers should notice a difference as the new combined supply has a better colour balance and contains less chlorine.

Remote Restaurant Wins Michelin Award

A restaurant in the Western Isles, which is housed in a converted Royal Air Force barrack block, has won a prestigious Michelin award, the first time that a restaurant in this remote part of Scotland has achieved such an accolade. The Bonaventure stands at the top of a 600 feet high cliff top at Uig, the western tip of Lewis. The owners are Richard and Jo-Ann Leparoux and the couple have just celebrated the birth of their first child. Mr Leparoux comes from Brittany, France and his wife is from Northern Ireland. Despite its remote location, it is becoming well known and UK government ministers Alistair Darling and Brian Wilson dine there regularly. An article in the Spectator magazine prompted bookings from New York and pop singer Sade recently turned up for dinner.

Work Starts on New Rail Link

The Scottish Executive has announced that work has started on the first rail link to fully reopen in Scotland since 1979. The new £35 million route will provide reinstatement of the first passenger rail service between Hamilton and Larkhall since 1965, increase the frequency of cross-city services between the south east and north west of Glasgow as far as Milngavie (pictured here), and create new stations at Merryton and Chatelherault on the Larkhall line and Dawsholm on the Maryhill line. The work will reopen the passenger service between Anniesland (the former Great Western Road station) and Maryhill since it stopped in 1917. The line is expected to fully reopen by the end of 2005.

Fighting Fat With Pill From Dundee

Researchers at Dundee University claim that they have created a pill which could be a major breakthrough in the battle of the bulge. Tests on animals have shown that it results in significant weight loss as a result of mimicking the action of leptins which tell the body to eat less. The drug is soon to be tested on humans and could help those who are clinically obese. The induced weight loss comes from fat and not muscle.

Ralph Lauren Contract for Scots Textile Company

Lochcarron of Scotland, based at Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, has won a contract to supply 8,000 metres of tartan fabric for US fashion guru Ralph Lauren's autumn collection. Lochcarron created the tartan for New York which was presented to the city on Tartan Day 2002 and they have also supplied kilts to film stars such as Samuel L Jackson and Ewan McGregor (who comes from Crieff in Perthshire). The company also reports that sales of luxury cashmere goods have been strong over the last year, especially to Italy.

Lease of Life for Caledonian Canal

A £20 million, ten-year project by British Waterways to upgrade the Caledonian Canal is nearing completion. The canal runs from Fort William on the west coast to the Moray Firth and so links the Atlantic to the North Sea. Part of the canal uses a series of lochs which run across the Great Glen, a geological fault line. The canal was facing closure a decade ago and parts of the banking had collapsed. Work is currently concentrating on the Muirtown Basin where the canal runs through Inverness.

Unluckiest Town in Britain?

It appears that the Lanarkshire town of Motherwell is the unluckiest town in the UK, based on the amount won in the national Premium Bond prizes. Its inhabitants won only £238 for every million pounds of Premium Bonds held. The Western Isles did not fare much better, with only £285 per million bonds. At the other end of the scale is Aberdeen, where people won £18,846 for every million of bonds held, making it the second top city in the UK (behind Sunderland in the north of England). The prizes are allocated by a computer named "Ernie" - standing for Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment.

Lost Forever

Aberdeenshire Council has given up replacing the signpost for a village in the county and is instead going to give it a new name. The little village of Lost has been without a signpost for the last 18 months after losing it to souvenir hunters for the fourth time in five years. When the sign is there, it is a popular location for tourists having their photograph taken (a bit like the village of Moscow in Ayrshire). But in an attempt to discourage the theft of the signage, the villagers have agreed to their hamlet being renamed "Lost Farm". They say that not having a sign causes endless confusion especially for drivers of delivery vans get lost because they can't find Lost.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Freezing weather and blizzards affected the north and east of Scotland this week, causing disruption to road, rail and air links and closing hundreds of schools. Orkney, Shetland, Aberdeenshire and Angus were the worst affected. Central and western Scotland escaped the snow, apart from a few flurries, but it was bitterly cold everywhere with daytime maximum temperatures of 3/4C (37/39F) in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The strong north wind making it feel even colder. The clear skies which brought freezing temperatures at night also meant that there was a fair amount of bright sunshine during the day. The big freeze lasted until the weekend but forecasters say that milder weather will return next week.

This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland show flowering cherry in full bloom earlier this week in Morningside, Edinburgh. Clearly it had been encouraged to flower by the milder weather earlier this month! The picture below shows how the owner of the house is growing a hedge of this lovely plant along the front of his (or her) garden.

Hand Grenade Found at Killiecrankie

Archaeologists, working at the battlefield of Killiecrankie near Pitlochry in Perthshire, have uncovered a fearsome new weapon used by government soldiers against the Jacobites. It appears that during the battle (on July 27, 1689) hand grenades were used for the first time in Britain. But analysis of the position of the fragments of corroded iron suggests that it may have resulted in a "friendly fire" incident by rolling back into the ranks of the English soldiers and exploding amongst them. Early weapons of this type were round - looking similar to the bombs used by cartoonists. Previously, it had been thought that such weapons were first used in 1719 at the Battle of Glenshiel near Inverness. At Killiecrankie, Viscount Dundee (John Graham of Claverhouse) leading a force of Jacobite Highlanders, overcame the forces of King William, led by General Hugh Mackay. Viscount Dundee was killed leading the charge and is buried in the grounds of Blair Castle, a few miles away. The battle was one of the bloodiest of the era with over 4,000 government redcoats slaughtered, leaving only 400 to escape - one reputedly over the river Garry, at what is now known as the soldier's leap.

Stage Show on World's First Private Eye

The life of the Glasgow-born founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Chicago is to be made into a stage play which will see Timothy Dalton, better known for his roles as James Bond, in the title role. The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow is planning to stage the play in Allan Pinkerton's home city. Son of a Glasgow policeman, Pinkerton was born in 1819 and emigrated to the US in 1842. His detective agency gained a reputation for solving railway robberies - including tracking down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He foiled a plot to assassinate Lincoln in 1861 and became head of the US secret service during the Civil War. The expression "private eye" came from a logo on his Chicago head office building.

Tron Kirk at Risk

One of Edinburgh's historic landmarks has been placed on an "at risk" register amid concerns that it is being neglected and falling into disrepair. The 17th century Tron Kirk on the Royal Mile is now owned by the city and operates as a tourist information centre. On display within the building is Marlin's Wynd, thought to be the oldest surviving paved street in Edinburgh, which was rediscovered during excavation work. The Edinburgh World Heritage Trust has expressed "regrets" at the building being included in the "at risk" register but it is not the only historic building in Edinburgh to be classified in this way. Blackfriar's Church, Craigmillar Primary School and the City Observatory on Calton Hill are amongst over 20 buildings listed.

Next Week in History

• February 29 1528 - Patrick Hamilton, a Protestant martyr, was burned at the stake in St Andrews.
• March 1 1546 - George Wishart, a Protestant martyr, was burned at the stake in St Andrews.
• March 1 1682 - The Advocate's Library (known as the National Library of Scotland since 1925) opened by its founder, Sir George Mackenzie, the Lord Advocate.
• March 1 1979 - Scots voted in favour of Devolution, but failed to reach the required 40% of the population in favour of implementing it - due to 36% of the electorate not voting.
• March 2 1316 - King Robert II born in Paisley.
• March 2 1838 - Clydesdale Bank founded in Glasgow.
• March 2 1990 - The Queen officially inaugurated Glasgow's year as Cultural Capital of Europe.
• March 3 1792 - Robert Adam, architect, died.
• March 3 1847 - Alexander Graham Bell, first to patent the telephone, born Edinburgh.
• March 4 1756 - Sir Henry Raeburn, renowned for painting the portraits of many of the citizens of Edinburgh, born.
• March 4 1890 - Forth Rail Bridge opened by Prince of Wales.
• March 4 1936 - Jim Clark, Formula I World motor racing champion, born Fife.
• March 5 1323 - King David II born.
• March 5 1787 - Deacon William Brodie executed for theft - on a grand scale.
• March 5 1790 - Flora Macdonald, who helped to save Prince Charles Edward Stewart during his flight after the defeat at the Battle of Culloden, died in Kingsburgh, Skye (in the same bed in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept during his escape).
• March 5 1929 - David Dunbar Buick, founder of the Buick Manufacturing Company which later became General Motors, died in Detroit. He was born in Arbroath in 1854. March 6 1457 - King James II decreed in an Act of Parliament that there should be regular target practice and military parades and that "football and golf be utterly cried down and not used". This was the first time that the games had been mentioned in Scottish documents.
• March 6 1923 - BBC Scotland founded.

Tartan Day 2004

A few years ago, the US Senate created Tartan Day on 6 April "in recognition of the monumental achievements and invaluable contributions made by Scottish Americans." Previously, in some parts of the US, and in other parts of the world (notably Canada where a Tartan Day was already in place) special events had been held to celebrate this day. But the Senate resolution has provided a further impetus and a growing number of organisations and individuals are having their own local festivities. So that these events can gain further publicity within the world-wide Scottish community, and to allow as many people as possible to participate, the details of a number of these celebrations have been listed on a page of Rampant Scotland. I am trying to update this list for 2004, so if there is a Tartan Day function in your area, please send an email to Scottie@RampantScotland.com with details. The page currently contains a mixture of information on this year and last year. See the list of Tartan Day Events around the world.

Nightclub and Casino Plan for Railway Station

Plans have been unveiled for a multi-million pound entertainment complex beneath Central Station in Glasgow. It would incorporate a nightclub, casino, bar and restaurant in a 4,472 square metre (48,000 square feet) area which was previously used for car parking. The space has ben empty for nine years and city planners are said to be in favour of the proposal. The Central Station itself recently won a prestigious award from architectural group Europa Nostra for the upgrading to the Victorian building which opened in 1879.

New High for Artist Vettriano?

A painting by Jack Vettriano, the popular artist from Fife, who is treated with disdain by the arts establishment, is expected to reach a new record price at an auction in April. "The Singing Butler" is the UK's most popular print and the original is now expected to fetch between £150,000 and £200,000. More than a million of the prints have been sold of the painting which shows a butler and a maid trying to shelter a windswept dancing couple from the rain. A private collector who owns the original has decided to sell what is described as Vettriano's "most iconic image".

Love Festival Success

Preliminary figures by the organisers of this year's City of Love Festival in Glasgow show that it was the most successful to date. More people than ever attended a wide range of events over 12 days, timed to coincide with St Valentine's Day on 14 February. A full-length musical is being planned to celebrate the status of Glasgow as "City of Love". It is hoped to stage it by the summer of 2005.

Scotland's Favourite Film - Trainspotting

In a poll organised by the List magazine, readers voted Trainspotting the most popular Scottish film of all time. The story of drugs and violence in Edinburgh came out ahead of Gregory's Girl in second place, followed by American Cousins, Local Hero and Whisky Galore (the latter known as "Tight Little Island" in North America).

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Partick Thistle 1 Celtic 4
Livingston 2 Hearts 3
Motherwell 1 Aberdeen 0
Clyde 0 Dunfermline 3 (Tennent's Scottish Cup, Round 4)

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 28 February 2004

Dunfermline 0 Hearts 0
Hibernian 0 Aberdeen 1
Kilmarnock 4 Dundee 2
Motherwell 3 Partick Thistle 0
Celtic v Livingston and Dundee United v Rangers will be played on Sunday

Scottish First Division Results - 28 February 2004

All First Division matches were cancelled on Saturday due to ground condition - either snow or frozen pitches.

BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 Results - 28 February 2004

Stirling County 54 Peebles 31
Watsonians 27 Currie 54
Heriots 13 Glasgow Hawks 27
All the other matches were postponed due to either snow or a frozen pitch

League Tables

In the Premier League, Celtic maintained their 13 point lead over Rangers with their win last Sunday and Hearts have defended their third position with today's draw against 4th placed Dunfermline, 9 points behind. At the foot of the SPL, Partick Thistle are now 14 points behind Aberdeen.

There is no change from last Saturday in the Scottish First Division. Clyde remain in the lead with 49 points from 23 games, followed by Inverness (46 points from 24 games) and Ross County and Queen of the South (both with 38 points). The foot of the First Division is close, with Brechin 19 points from 25 games at the foot and Raith Rovers (20 points from 24 games) and Ayr United (20 points from 25 games) above.

In the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1, Glasgow Hawks are 21 points ahead of Boroughmuir, but have played 3 games more than the Borders side. Peebles are trailing at the foot of the division, 6 points behind Glasgow Hutchesons' but Peebles have played 2 more games than the Glasgow club.

New Record

Celtic's win last Sunday was their 24th consecutive league victory, creating a new Scottish record, beating Greenock Morton's achievement of 23 wins in the Second Division in the 1963/64 season. The club have also an unbroken winning streak of 71 matches at home. Rivals Rangers also had a significant win last weekend - their 3-0 result against Hibernian was their biggest winning margin since last November.

A Million Spectators

Celtic's UEFA Cup third round match against FK Teplice saw the millionth spectator pass through the club's turnstiles this season - that's over 55,000 per match. The crowd were entertained by an early goal by their top goal scorer Henrik Larsson who hit the back of the net after only three minutes - his 33rd European goal for the club. Chris Sutton scored nine minutes later. The rest of the match was described by the football writers as "pedestrian" and only came alive again in the dying minute when that man Larsson scored again. The 3-0 result will give Celtic a good cushion for the return leg in the Czech Republic.

Rugby Entertainment Compared to "Pop Concert"

The England rugby team coach has angrily complained that the pre-match entertainment before the Six Nations match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield last Saturday was "a pop concert". He also suggested that match protocol had been breached by his players running out ahead of Scotland - and then having to wait in freezing temperatures until the Scotland team appeared, heralded by fireworks and ticker-tape. More than 800 performers, mainly pipers and drummers, playing rousing Scottish tunes, had to clear the pitch before the match could begin. The sell-out crowd of 63,000 produced Scotland's most lucrative ever sporting event, taking £2.4 million in revenue.

Liz McColgan Forced to Quit Running - Again

The running career of Olympic medal winner Liz McColgan has finally been brought to an end - by a shattered toe. Liz took 10,000m gold at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991 to add to her Commonwealth gold from 1986 and her Olympic silver from Seoul 1988. She had previously announced her retirement because of injury but had been competing in cross country races in recent months after surgery in December 2002 rebuilt her toe seemed to have worked so well. Liz will be 40 in May and despite her injury she is still very much a part of Scottish athletics as chair of Scotland's athletics governing body, scottishathletics.

Football Fans Get Government Support

Scottish Executive funding for the campaign group Supporters Direct will increase from £75,000 to £90,000 per year, over the next two years to help them have more say in how their clubs are being run. The announcement was made at the Supporters Direct annual conference at Hampden Park, Glasgow. The organisers have established 20 trusts with more in the pipeline. The government cash will be used to continue the employment of a Scottish case worker to provide advice and assistance to Supporters' Trusts already established and to groups of supporters who want to establish trusts.

Clyde Plan Groundshare

Clyde Football Club are currently at the top of the First Division and have a good chance of winning the championship and qualifying for promotion to the Scottish Premier League. But their ground currently does not meet the SPL requirement of 10,000 seats, although there are plans in place to build another stand over the summer, before the start of next season. But as a fall-back position, they have been in discussion with Airdrie United about reaching a ground share arrangement. But last season, Falkirk were denied promotion after they proposed just such a groundshare with Airdrie United.