MSPs Vote for 13% Salary Increase

Despite some discomfort and embarrassment - and downright hostility on the part of some Members of the Scottish Parliament - the people's representatives voted themselves a 13% increase in their salaries this week. An independent review body had recommended the extra money. Even so, there was a realisation that most voters were, to say the least, unenthusiastic. MSPs salaries will rise from £42,493 to £48,228. In the future, the salary will be calculated automatically on the basis of 87.5% of the salary of Members of Parliament at Westminster - removing any red faces and soul searching in the future.

Rail Union Hits Buffers

The Scotrail train drivers who have banned overtime and rest-day working and have staged a series of one-day strikes in support of their pay claim were forced to "suspend" their strike action in the face of a barrage of negative comment - including Jack McConnell, the Scottish Executive First Minister (and leader of the Scottish Labour Party). Earlier in the week, the union had announced the dates another eleven 24-hour stoppages, including the 15 May when the European Champion's League final is being played in Glasgow and the Thursday before Easter. They also announced that some of the 24-hour strikes would begin at lunchtime, meaning that commuters would be disrupted on two days instead of one. In the unprecedented intervention by the First Minister, he described the action of the drivers as "simply unacceptable" and akin to the industrial relations of the 19th century. Which was surprising as trade unions had hardly started in the 19th century. Until now, ministers have insisted that it was a matter for Scotrail and the union to negotiate. Public opinion and "vox pop" interviews with commuters have shown little support for the strike action. Any sympathy has now been blown away by the cynical selection of dates for strike action. The union argue that they are seeking parity with other drivers in other parts of the UK but management fear that increases for drivers would result in claims for other rail workers who would not want pay differentials eroded. Management and union representatives have now agreed to meet for a protracted series of negotiations.

Charm School for Scotrail Staff

Rail travellers experiencing the reduced services arising from the train drivers' ban on overtime and the series of one-day strikes were unimpressed by the announcement that Scotrail wants to open a charm school for all its 3,000 staff. But the £1.5 million "customer service academy" will only be built if Scotrail are successful in winning the rail franchise from April 2004 - the facility will be part of its bid to continue to run the rail service.

Scottish Power Axe 400 Jobs

Glasgow-based Scottish Power are cutting 500 jobs across Scotland, about 5% of their total work force north of the Border. Increasing competition in the electricity and gas supply industry is forcing companies to cut costs. Scottish Power hopes that the reductions can be achieved by natural wastage and voluntary redundancies but cannot rule out compulsory job cuts. Most of the posts being axed are in back office support areas, including some senior managers.

Number of Unemployed Falls

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell in February - the third consecutive month there has been a decline. There are now 102,100 people unemployed, 6,100 less than a year ago. However, the number of unemployed, including those not eligible for benefit, showed an increase of 15,000. The increase in average earnings in January fell by 0.7% making the increase over the year to January 2.7%, the joint lowest figure since the present series began in 1991.

Shopping List Rewritten

Social change and new buying habits by the public has resulted in the National Statistics Office revising the contents of the "shopping basket" on which inflation figures are calculated. Out will go loose tea (most people use tea bags) and ready meals are on the increase, tinned salmon is out as farm produced fresh salmon is on the increase. The inflation figure is calculated using a basket of 650 goods and services which supposedly mirror the typical purchases of an average household. For the first time, footballs and dumb-bells make an appearance while admission to cricket matches is omitted. Items get dropped when a "typical" household does not buy them in the course of a year.

Reprieve for Barlinnie as Peterhead Prison Axed

A proposed shakeup of the Scottish prison service published this week recommends that Peterhead and Low Moss Prisons be closed and that two or possibly three new prisons should be built in Scotland. It had been expected that the old prison at Barlinnie in Glasgow might be axed, but instead it is just to be reduced in size. The new prisons will be built by public sector companies and one of the new prisons may be established at the site of the existing Low Moss Prison, near Glasgow.

Seonid Increases Web Traffic

Improvements to the Web site of the Scottish Government, including the addition of "Seonid" (Scottish Executive Online News and Information Distributor) has resulted in an increase in the number of visitors to the site. There is now a daily news and a youth section and recently there was a "minister-cam" broadcast showing the Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm at work in the Executive. See www.scotland.gov.uk.

Skills Shortage Hits Building Projects

The chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce warned this week that the building boom in the city could be adversely affected by the lack of skilled tradesmen. The schools building programme, the projected new housing to be constructed by the Glasgow Housing Association, the various building projects along the banks of the Clyde (Atlantic Quay is illustrated here) and the M74 motorway extension could result in having to look outside of the city or even outside of Scotland for labour. Significant numbers of new brick-layers and plasterers will need to be trained so that the gap can be filled with local people.

Pension for Lord Provost's Rolls

The 30-year-old Rolls Royce limousine used by the Lord Provost is to be pensioned off. It has clocked up over 80,000 miles ferrying the Lord Provost and distinguished visitors to the city, but it is becoming too expensive to maintain. Although the car is valued at over £80,000, it is likely to be retired from service and presented to the Transport Museum at Kelvin Hall. It would be retrieved once a year to take part in the Lord Provost's annual parade. The distinctive "G0" registration is to be transferred to a new limousine - probably a luxury Jaguar.

Capital's New Store Nearing Completion

The exclusive Harvey Nichols store in St Andrew Square in Edinburgh is nearing completion and will be handed over to the London-based company by the end of this month. The up-market store plans to open on 14 August after internal fitting out has been completed. It will create what is being called the "Golden Triangle" of Harvey Nichols, Jenners on Princes Street and John Lewis in the St James Centre. It remains to be seen whether that will rival the "Golden Z" of Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyll Street.

Increase in First-Time-Buyers

A report by Halifax, the biggest mortgage lender in the country, shows that in Scotland the proportion of First-Time-Buyers (FTBs) has increased from 32,000 in 1995 to 48,000 in 2001. They accounted for 45% of all house purchase loans - above the 43% average for the UK as a whole. Affordability of houses has remained good across most of Scotland, except in Edinburgh where FTBs are finding it difficult to enter the house purchase market due to soaring prices. The average price paid by FTBs in Scotland has risen by only 19% over the last five years, compared with an increase of 58% in the UK as a whole.

Record-Breaking Campaign to Attract Visitors

A £3 million campaign has been launched to attract UK visitors to Scotland. It includes cinema adverts and posters on the London Underground and is entitled "Live It. Visit Scotland" and encourages visitors to "touch, taste, hear, see and smell the best Scotland has to offer." It features everything from pine forests to snowy mountain tops and is aimed at those living in Scotland as well as the rest of the UK.

Sticking with Luskentyre and St Abb's Head

Like many postal services, the UK Post Office has realised that there is money to be made from issuing commemorative and special issue stamps. Their latest offering of ten first-class stamps with aerial views of Britain's coastline includes Luskentyre on South Harris in the Western Isles (illustrated here) and the National Trust's St Abb's Head in Berwickshire. The Luskentyre stamp was taken in May last year and shows the swirling effect and colours created when the water fills the channels and sand banks at mid to high tide.

Putting Glasgow on the Map

Every 11-year-old school child in Glasgow will be able to receive a free Ordnance Survey map of their local area as part of an education initiative launched this week. The scheme is designed to encourage pupils in their studies of geography and local history and develop concepts of distance, direction and a sense of scale.

New Role for Court House

Approval was given this week to the redevelopment of the former Glasgow Sheriff Court, ending years of uncertainty for this major building in the Merchant City area. Work will begin soon on creating a home for the Scottish Youth Theatre, shops, a bar/restaurant and 61 luxury flats on the upper floors. The exterior shell of the building will be retained but the interior will be gutted.

2.5 Million Trees

At one time, parts of Scotland were covered by huge forests but these days, there are few really large areas of native trees. But that will change in Wester Ross where approval has been given for the creation of a swathe of 2.5 million native trees, covering an area of 8,000 acres over the next five years. John McKenzie's 60,000 acre Gairloch Estate received a grant of £1 million ten years ago to plant native species on 2,500 acres and the new project will build on that experience. Half of the new trees will be Scots pine and others will be a mixture of birch, rowan, wild cherry, alder, juniper and holly. The aim is not just to grow trees for timber but to create an environment which will attract wild life including golden eagles, pine martens, peregrine falcons and capercaillies. And Mackenzie is certain that tourists will be attracted too, giving an added boost to the local economy.

Tallest Tree Moves From Birnam Wood to Beauly

Birnam Wood was made famous by Shakespeare's Macbeth, but the fact that the tallest tree in Scotland has moved from there to Beauly is not due to any witchcraft. Arboreal experts, using the latest laser technology have found that the tree in Birnam, which had held the title as the tallest tree in the UK, had been usurped by a Douglas Fir at a beauty spot near Beauly, west of Inverness. It is 203ft 5ins tall. The illustration is of a (smaller) Douglas fir in the grounds of Scone Palace.

Dress Code for Edinburgh Schools

Following an extensive period of consultation, it looks as though a city-wide dress code for school pupils will be adopted in Edinburgh. It would ban items such as high heels, football colours and crop tops and support a move back towards school uniforms. Of course, the many private schools in the capital already have requirements for school uniforms but the dress code in the public schools would be voluntary. Support for the move exceeds 90% - but it is expected that a minority will object strongly. Similar guidelines are already in place in Glasgow, Dundee, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

Gleneagles Development Rejected

Five-star Gleneagles Hotel has failed in its appeal against a refusal for planning consent for a £14 million timeshare development in the grounds of the estate. The hotel originally planned to create 49 time-share units but although this was reduced to 41, Perth and Kinross Council rejected the luxury buildings on the grounds that it contravened the local development plan. Residents in upmarket homes nearby had also objected vehemently. But the hotel is now looking at an alternative site on an area of heather moorland which has panoramic views north to the mountains and lies conveniently close to the hotel.

Never on a Sunday

The Stornoway Fishermen's Co-operative has bowed to the inevitable and has scrapped the ban on its members fishing on a Sunday. There are claims that many fishermen on the strongly-Presbyterian island of Lewis are already ignoring the never-on-Sunday rule, following the example of their mainland-based colleagues. The Co-op said that the change in rule did not mean that they encouraged working on a Sunday, just that they were neutral on the subject, leaving it to individuals to decide for themselves.

Cheap Sunday Flights from Orkney

Loganair, who are often criticised for the high cost of their flights between airports within Scotland are introducing a new Kirkwall to Aberdeen Sunday service with a £75 return fare, starting on 31 March. The standard return fare is £277. The new service is the result of a long campaign for Sunday opening at the Orkney airport. During the summer, Loganair will be operating 65 services a week from mainland Scotland to the northern isle.

19% Pay Rise for Ministers

It looks as though Church of Scotland ministers are no longer content with getting their reward in heaven and are likely to have a 19% pay rise approved at the General Assembly in May. It will bring the minimum salary for a minister up from £18,737 to £22,237, plus benefits such as free housing and other allowances which are worth another £10,000 a year. But the church is facing a recruitment crisis and the church is praying that the extra money will help to address this. 200 parish churches are currently without a minister - the number has dropped from a peak of 2,889 in 1930 to 1,100 today.

Daleks Replace Tardis Police Boxes

The blue police boxes which were made famous as the Tardis time travel machine by the BBC sci-fi TV series "Dr Who" are no longer used - more hi-tech communications have been introduced into the police force. But Strathclyde Police are planning to re-introduce police boxes but with a new version which looks more like a Dalek than the Tardis. They will have electronic sliding doors, electronic communications and, unlike the old style boxes, will be capable of being transported to major events such as football matches and music festivals.

Geese Given Marching Orders

Allied Distillers at Dumbuck in Dumbarton have announced a major cutback - 70 out of the 100 "Scotch Watch" of geese have been made redundant and given their marching orders. The geese have formed part of the low-tech security defences in the 14 acres surrounding the bonded warehouses at the site. Numbers have grown in recent years and there are now too many to control - and they are attracting the attention of foxes. They were introduced in 1959 and their loud screeching has seen off many intruders. But the company says that the after years of loyal service the "workers" will be "redeployed" to good homes. Union officials, with their tongues fixed firmly in their cheeks, have expressed "dismay" as they understood that Allied Distillers operated a "no compulsory redundancy policy."

Ospreys Return

The first ospreys to return to Scotland after wintering in Africa have been spotted in Perthshire, near Dunkeld. The birds travel 3,000 miles to come back, usually to their original nesting sites. But it is thought that with increasing numbers, young birds are returning early to look for the best empty nests and take up "squatters' rights". But if the original owner comes back, there will be a battle for ownership.

Goodies for Gigha

The island of Gigha, ownership of which was officially transferred to the islanders last week, as a result of a community buy-out arrangement, have already seen the benefits of the new regime. The most practical improvement has been the introduction from Easter of a new early morning ferry between the island and the Mull of Kintyre. It will mean that secondary-age school children will be able to travel from Gigha to Campbeltown Grammar school each day instead of having to stay on the mainland during the week. A new Gigha tartan has also been designed and will be sold to raise funds for the community which must raise £1 million of the £4 million purchase price for the island. Money will also be earned from the royalties on a new tune entitled "New Dawn" which was written by a composer in Campbeltown.

Clan Maitland Gathering in Lauderdale

On 8/9 June this summer, Clan Maitland will be meeting in Lauderdale and the programme of events starts at Traquair House, near Innerleithen - the oldest continuously inhabited home in Scotland; it was owned by the Maitlands from around 1360 until 1410. This is followed by a visit to Old Thirlestane to see the peel tower where Sir Richard Maitland first settled in Lauderdale. On the Sunday, there is a tour of Thirlestane Castle (illustrated here) before going to the Lauderdale Aisle, Haddington, where there is a magnificent 16th century monument to the First Earl. Then a guided tour of Lennoxlove (formerly Lethington). Lethington was the family home from around 1300 until the Duke's death in 1682, and the old part of the house is substantially that built by the Maitlands. It is now the seat of the Duke of Hamilton. See www.clanmaitland.org.uk.

MacArthur Gathering in Canada

A Gathering of the MacArthur Society of Canada will take place at Edmonton, Alberta, on July 6. The event is a joint one with the Clan MacArthur Society of the U. S. who will be holding their AGM. They will also attend and march in the Parade of Clans at the Fort Edmonton Games on July 6. Further information is available from Russ McArthur, president of the U. S. Society, at russmcarthur@bigfoot.com

Hi-Tech Snow Blower for Highland Roads

BEAR, the company responsible for maintaining trunk roads in the Highlands and the north, has been severely criticised for its inability to keep the roads clear of snow in winter. While denying that it is responding to the condemnation, the company says it has invested £4.8 million in state-of-the-art road clearing equipment, including a new £80,000 hi-tech snow-blower capable of hurling 3,300 tonnes of snow an hour up to 45 metres away from the road. The company says it now has 72 road gritters, 8 snowblowers and a 24-hour weather monitoring centre in Beauly, west of Inverness.

Easter Exodus

Around 150,000 Scots are expected to travel abroad over the next two weeks as schools break up for the Easter holidays. But local tourist organisations say that occupancy levels in hotels and guest houses are at a high level in Scotland. The World Irish Dancing Championships are just one of the events bringing in tourists from all over the world. 25,000 visitors have come to Scotland from Northern Ireland as a result of special offers by the ferry companies.

Scotland's Weather in February

South-westerly air flows over Scotland for much of February produced temperatures above the long-term average. But there was also much more rain than usual. Southern Scotland had temperatures more than two degrees Centigrade above the norm for February and even the far north-east was milder than usual. Rainfall in some parts of the country was three times the expected level and most areas had at least twice the usual amount for February. With all that rain, sunshine was in short supply, with only a few areas in the east, away from the prevailing wind, getting close to the usual levels. The highest temperature in February was recorded on the 1st at Dunbar, when the mercury reached 13.9C (57F). The greatest rainfall in one day was at Dalmally in Argyll which had 87.1mm (3.4 inches) on 21 February.

Weather Eye on Health

"Heather the Weather" who gives the weather forecasts on Scottish Television, is to pioneer a new service warning viewers about health hazards which arise as a result of weather conditions. Hayfever sufferers already get a pollen count, but this is to be expanded so that those susceptible to heart attacks, strokes and arthritis plus those who are elderly or frail will be informed of sudden drops in temperature, heatwaves, storms and damp conditions. The new service is being promoted jointly by the National Health Service and the Meteorological Office.

Weather in Scotland This Week

After a relatively mild weekend when temperatures reached 14C (57F) in Glasgow on Sunday, temperatures fell sharply on Tuesday, reaching 5C (41F) as a result of an easterly air flow. There was a slow recovery and Glasgow was back to 14C (57F) by Friday but the easterly wind kept Edinburgh and Aberdeen down to 8C (46F). Sunshine was in short supply, Edinburgh faring best on Sunday with 4.7 hours. There was over half an inch of rain in Glasgow on Thursday but at other times rainfall across the country was mainly light showers.

The illustration of a current "flower" is of the catkins on an alder tree in the grounds of Culzean Country Park in Ayrshire. The picture was taken about ten days ago.

Smailholm Tower Back in Business

The first tourist attraction in the Borders to close lat year as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak was one of the last to open. Smailholm Tower is in a remote area of the Borders and is surrounded by sheep farms. It is one of a host of attractions featured in a new Borders Visitor Attraction map which has been produced as part of a campaign to entice visitors back to the area.

Priceless Documents at Stirling Castle

An exhibition entitled "The Thistle and the Rose" opened at Stirling Castle this week. It includes priceless medieval documents which are returning to Scotland for the first time in 500 years. In 1502, a Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed by Scotland's King James IV and England's King Henry VII. James married Margaret Tudor, Henry's daughter in the following year. Even so, in 1513 King James IV invaded England in response to a plea for assistance from France. The exhibition includes other precious items such as a prayer book given by James IV to his bride. It will be the first time it has returned to Stirling since the marriage as it is currently held in the National Library of Austria.

"Roaring Game" on Film

Scottish Screen have uncovered what is believed to be the earliest newsreel with sound ever filmed in Scotland. It shows around 800 players enjoying a "bonspiel" or open air curling match on Loch Leven in 1933. A bonspiel can only be held on the loch when the weather has been very cold for some time to create ice thick enough for the game. Unlike the track suits of Rhona Martin and her Olympic gold medal curling team, the participants in the film are wrapped up against the cold with tweed coats, tartan trews and tam-o'shanters. The movie was made by the US Paramount studio and has an American commentary.

Edinburgh's Caledonian Club Closes After 176 Years

One of Scotland's most well-known "gentlemen's clubs" is to close its august doors at Abercromby Place in Edinburgh after 176 years. Once the haunt of Conservative grandees, prime ministers and cabinet ministers, the club now has only 200 members. It first allowed women members in the late 1980s. The club has struggled to attract new members and maintenance and investment has suffered as a result. However, there are other clubs in Edinburgh for the blue-blooded to sip their gin and tonics. The New Club (established in 1787) remains on Princes Street and the Royal Scots Club (a latecomer, established in 1919) is thriving with 1,200 members.

Nelson Monument Restored

The end of a £900,000 restoration of Nelson's Monument on Glasgow Green was marked by a ceremony at the 140ft high obelisk this week. The monument was erected in 1806, less than a year after Nelson's death at Trafalgar and 30 years before the more famous counterpart in London's Trafalgar Square. The money to build it was raised by public subscription. The monument has been under scaffolding for many months while masons repaired cracked stones and repointed it with traditional mortar. New floodlighting has also been installed.

This Week in History

• March 24 1603 - Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland on the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the succession of King James VI of Scotland.
• March 25 1437 - Coronation of King James II.
• March 26 1934 - Car driving tests introduced for the first time.
• March 27 1306 - King Robert I ("The Bruce") crowned at Scone.
• March 27 1371 - King Robert II crowned at Scone.
• March 27 1871 - First Scotland/England rugby international, 20 a side, played at Raeburn Place. (Scotland won).
• March 27 1971 - David Coulthard, Grand Prix racing driver born.
• March 28 1318 - King Robert the Bruce captured Berwick on Tweed.
• March 29 1915 - Jazz trombonist George Chisholm born.
• March 30 1406 - King James I captured by English near Flamborough Head on his way to France.

Hell Bent at GOMA

Scottish contemporary artist David Mach's first homeland exhibition for many years is opening next week at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art - with the title "Hell Bent". Mach was born in Fife and is considered by some to be one of Scotland's greatest contemporary artists. One of his works - the "Big Heids", three large red heads made up of steel rods, stands at the side of the M8 Motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The exhibition shows a wide range of Mach's creative talents and imagination. Ranging from a nine-foot coathanger Spaceman to a group of crazed garden gnomes, to a series of intricately crafted collages, created by photos of and taken by Glaswegians, forming a self-portrait of Glasgow, the show contains something to fuel everyone’s flights of fancy. The artist will be constructing one of his renowned giant newspaper sculptures in the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art's Earth Gallery from April 2.

Orkney's Theatrical Smorgasbord

A festival of more than 20 original one-act plays is being held at Kirkwall in Orkney next week, organised by the Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA). Nine teams will be performing the plays in the hope of taking home the Scott Salver trophy which is judged on scripts not the performances. This is the 70th anniversary of the Scottish national competition. Winners could go on to represent Scotland at the British Finals against teams from England, Northern Ireland and Wales in June/July.

Whitburn Band Invited to Golden Jubilee Celebrations

The Whitburn Band, Scotland's top rated Brass Band, has been invited to perform as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in London on the 4th June. The band will perform on the Queen's route from Temple Bar to St Paul's Cathedral and will be playing a specially commissioned 'Jubilee Fanfare' that will also feature the best brass band from England, Wales and Ireland. The entire procession will be televised throughout the world. The self-financing Whitburn Band is justifiably proud of its position at the top of the brass band tree, despite competing now for many years against other brass bands that receive substantial sponsorships from major companies. Whitburn have qualified to represent Scotland at the National Brass Band Championships at The Royal Albert Hall in October - that will cost over £6,000 alone for the band to travel down and most of that will be paid for by the members.

Tattoo Taken to Tusk

Proposals to include an elephant in this summer's world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo in an "Indian cultural feature" has got up the trunk of an Edinburgh pressure group "Advocates for Animals" who claim that the elephants would suffer by participating in the noisy event. The group say that they would mount a public protest if the idea became a reality. The organisers of the Tattoo, which sells out every year, say that at this stage it is only under consideration and that they would consult with all necessary organisations before making a decision.

Virtual Science Theatre

Glasgow Science Centre opened its Virtual Science Theatre to the public this week. The facility uses a Silicon Graphics Onyx 3 Reality Monster supercomputer to generate real-time 2D and 3D images. Initially it will be used to present a show called "The power of the machine", which looks at the way this high-end visualisation technology is being used across a range of disciplines including the design and testing of cars, in medicine with the Visible Human and the design of drugs. Future shows will include "Living and Working in Space", "Who am I" a medical show investigating the genetics of personality and "Conquest Mars".

Ewan McGregor Brings Back Old Times

Passersby in a corner of Glasgow made a double-take this week as film star Ewan McGregor transformed it into a film set for a scene from the 1950s. There were old-style green, gold and cream corporation buses, vintage cars and shop fronts to create a post-war look. The set was assembled in St Andrew's Square, off the Saltmarket and only a few blocks from the busy central shopping area in the city. This is the first movie in five years in Scotland for the Crieff-born actor.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Rangers 4 Ayr United 0 (CIS League Cup Final)
Rangers 5 Kilmarnock 0
Motherwell 0 Celtic 4
Ross County 0 Caledonian Thistle 0

Tennent's Scottish Cup Semi-Finals

Celtic 3 Ayr United 0
Rangers v Partick Thistle will play on Sunday.

Scottish Premier League Results - 23 March 2002

Dundee United 1 Hibernian 2
Dunfermline 2 Dundee 0
Hearts 1 St Johnstone 3
Livingston 0 Aberdeen 0

Scottish First Division Results - 23 March 2002

Arbroath 2 Raith Rovers 2
Falkirk 2 Airdrie 2
Inverness 1 Ross County 1

League Tables

Celtic remain 13 points ahead of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier Division. Aberdeen are in third place, 26 points behind Rangers, followed by Livingston, two points further back. Hearts' hopes of catching Livingston and so obtaining a place in European football next season took a knock when they were beaten by bottom of the league St Johnstone. If Saints had lost, their relegation would have been sealed. Now there is still a mathematical, if unlikely, possibility of staying up if Motherwell do badly in their remaining matches and St Johnstone win all their games.
Partick Thistle are six points ahead of Airdrie in the Scottish First Division and, unlike the lower leagues, only one team is promoted to the SPL at the end of the season.

Giving Youth a Chance

There were six new faces, aged 19 to 23, in the international football (soccer) squad announced this week by the new Scotland manager, Berti Vogts. Although he had not managed to persuade Duncan Ferguson to restart his international career, it looked as though he had convinced Rangers' captain Barry Ferguson to participate - the 24-year-old has cracked ribs and needs pain-killing injections before important games. There had been speculation that he would take advantage of the break in league games due to the international. Scotland play France in a friendly match next Wednesday.

Six Nations Rugby Championship

Scotland lost by 22-10 at Murrayfield against France as the unbeaten French side march on towards a Grand Slam - they have "only" Ireland to beat to achieve that. Scotland took some consolation from a battling performance. So far, Scotland have won only one game in this season's Six Nations - against Italy.

CIS League Cup Final

First Division Ayr United put up a plucky fight against Scottish Premier League Rangers in the final of the CIS League Cup last Sunday. They had opportunities in the first half to take a shock lead but failed to take them. Then Rangers' Argentinian striker Caniggia scored two minutes before half time. Rangers returned to dominate the second half, Barry Ferguson scoring from the penalty spot two minutes after the restart. Caniggia then went on two score two more goals before the end. It was new manager Alex McLeish's first trophy at Ibrox and the first cup for Barry Ferguson as Rangers' captain.

6,000 Ayr Miles

An Ayr United fan spent more than £2000 flying from China to watch his childhood heroes take on the mighty Rangers at Hampden in the CIS Cup Final. Despite seeing his team go down 4-0 he said he was proud of his team's performance. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity" he said. Lifetime? Ayr were in the first Cup Final in their 92-year history.

Baxter Stripped of Olympic Medal

Skier Alain Baxter was ordered to return his bronze medal, won at the winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, after he was found to have a banned substance in a blood sample taken after the event. The IOC rejected his plea that he had inadvertently taken a type of methamphetamine as a result of using a Vick nasal decongestant bought in America. He says that he has used the preparation for many years in the UK - where the same product does not contain the banned substance. But the strict liability rules make it clear that an athlete is automatically disqualified if a prohibited substance is found. Baxter asserts that the type of methamphetamine in the inhaler is not performance enhancing but the IOC do not differentiate between different types.

Brechin First in Britain

Brechin City became the first club to win football (soccer) league promotion in Britain this week. The Scottish Third Division is perhaps not the pinnacle of the game, but the club is delighted with its achievement - after all, they can recall the last days of the 1998/99 and 2000/2001 seasons when they were pipped at the post.

Scot Wins World Ice Golf Championship

Roger Beames from Wick won the Drambuie World Ice Championship in Uummannq in Greenland this week - the first time he had played in the event. He was the first player to shoot par on the nine-hole golf course which is set up on the snow. A final round of 30 gave him the title.

Yellow Card for Referee?

An amazing oversight by top referee Hugh Dallas has resulted in Celtic winger Didier Agathe avoiding a suspension which might have seen the player banned from the Scottish Cup Final. Agathe was booked for allegedly "diving" in the Tennent's quarter-final at Aberdeen on February 25. But Dallas forgot to include the incident in his match report to the SFA. In recent days, following a second booking at the semi-fianl against Ayr United, the matter was raised in the press. The SFA made frantic phone calls to contact Dallas, who was on his way to Korea, where he is to officiate at the World Cup later this year. In the circumstances, it was decided not to allow the first booking to stand.

Former Owner of Airdrie Owes £760,000

The company headed by Steve Archibald ran up debts of £760,000 during the ten months in which it was responsible for the club. None of the creditors - including players, lawyers, Strathclyde Police and transport firms - will see a penny of their money. Archibald, who was the sole shareholder of the company, put in £250,000 of his own money and will not see any of it again.

Burger Vans Banned

Fast-food stalls and vendors of hats, scarves and flags have been banned from the environs of Hampden stadium when it hosts the European Champion's League Final on May 15. Burger and hot-dog vans are a feature of all major matches at Hampden. The owners are licensed by Glasgow City Council but can only operate in approved areas. The owners say that it is "absolute snobbery" and that they will lose hundreds of pounds as a result. The Council claim that the stalls will be found alternative sites - away from the ground.

Second Ski Lift For The Lecht

The Lecht Ski Centre at Corgarff in Strathdon, Morayshire, has applied for permission to build a second lift at the popular resort to reduce queuing times. The equipment and concrete to secure it would be pre-assembled and lifted to the Eagle Run by helicopter. The work could be completed this summer if planning approval is given.