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.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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The "Magazine" section consists mainly of brief descriptions of the items involved and a link to the Web page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
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This poem by Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) is one of the ten most requested poems at the Scottish Poetry Library. Thomas Campbell helped to found University College, London and is buried in Westminster Abbey. Lord Ullin's Daughter A Chieftain to the Highlands bound,
'Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle,
'And fast before her father's men
'His horsemen hard behind us ride;
Outspoke the hardy Highland wight:
'And by my word, the bonny bird
By this the storm grew loud apace,
But still, as wilder blew the wind,
'Oh! Haste thee, haste!' the lady cries,
The boat has left a stormy land,
And still they rowed amidst the roar
For sore dismay'd, through storm and shade,
'Come back! Come back!' he cried in grief,
'Twas vain: the loud waves lash'd the shore,
For those readers who would like to see some Gaelic here are the Gaelic months of the year, with translations and a phonetic version.
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Wendy Alexander, the Scottish Executive Minister for enterprise, transport and lifelong learning, surprised colleagues, friends, political commentators - and First Minister Jack McConnell - by tendering her resignation on Thursday. She delivered her letter personally at the First Minister's home in Wishaw early in the morning and then went on to Edinburgh to inform her staff. Regarded by many as the best brains in the Cabinet, her jargon-rich delivery often bemused supporters as well as the opposition. She was a protegé of the late Donald Dewar, who was the first First Minister of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Ms Alexander was reported to have had an uneasy relationship with both Henry McLeish who became First Minister after Donald Dewar's death and Jack McConnell. Despite being a workaholic, she is said to have had a major row with Henry McLeish when he wanted to add the water portfolio to her brief. She initially stood against Jack McConnell in the election for leadership after McLeish's resignation, but quickly pulled out of the race. She says that she decided as long ago as last December to resign as Minister but continue on the back benches as an MSP. However, she continued over the last four months in order to complete the new transport strategy. But she told nobody in the interim of her intentions. After her resignation, Ms Alexander flew of on holiday, leaving many questions unanswered and Jack McConnell with a gap in his team which will be hard to fill. The First Minister had intended to spend the weekend on Arran but had to cut short his break to fill the Cabinet post.
The resignation, from the Scottish National Party, of Scottish Member of Parliament Dorothy Grace Elder, was somewhat overshadowed by the resignation of Wendy Alexander the following day. But although she has resigned from the SNP as a result of what she described as "stupid, arrogant and bullying behaviour" of the party leadership, she intends to continue as an MSP until the next parliamentary elections. In recent weeks, she had been under pressure to stand down as one of the party's representatives on the health and community affairs committee - but had refused. The SNP parliamentary group then voted 25-1 in favour of removing her from the committee. An outspoken individualist, she did not always speak from the party hymn sheet and had been seen increasingly amongst other members of the party as a liability. John Swinney, the SNP leader, has now called on her to resign, rather than continue as an independent member, commenting that she had been elected as a representative of the Scottish National Party. Her resignation letter ran to 12 pages and, amongst other things, accused a number of her front bench colleagues of "prancing around like Hyacinth Bucket".
The £7.5 million e-commerce project, which should have been launched last year, has lost the backing of a second area tourist board and other boards are said to have serious doubts about its viability. Three years ago, Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley Tourist Board walked away from the public-private partnership which is scheduled to take over VisitScotland's online travel booking system. This week, the Western Isles Tourist Board voted to follow suit, in protest at the threat by VisitScotland to withdraw funding if the local board declined to participate. Other area tourist boards are also unhappy at what they see as "blackmail". The new VisitScotland website, to be launched in the autumn in partnership with the Scandinavian (but New York based) firm ShlumbergerSema, aims at selling Scotland and Scottish products to tourists and businesses around the world. But there are concerns that the 10-year, legally-binding contract involves too much risk and pursues private sector profit at the expense of the tourist industry. VisitScotland's previous attempt at an online booking system, named Ossian, was a complete disaster. 
Scotland's economy continued to expand last month according to the latest survey by the Bank of Scotland, with growth in both the manufacturing and service sectors. Order books appear to show demand increasing and the growth in service sector employment and a slow-down in manufacturing job losses seem to augur well.
The team progressing the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood are to ask members of the public to nominate favourite phrases and quotations, some of which will end up inscribed on the walls of the finished building. The idea was first proposed by the building's designer, the late Enric Miralles. An announcement is expected soon about a competition in which Scots will be asked for their favourite words and quotes. Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott will no doubt figure in the selection but whether today's TV catch phrases such as "Gonnae no' do that?" will make it to the walls of the Parliament is debatable. But perhaps the most appropriate words for the parliament would be from Robert Burns (of course) -
The derelict graving docks next to the Glasgow Science Centre certainly don't do any favours to the £75 million modern development. But the docks are "A" listed as architecturally important and cannot be filled in. But a French company has commissioned a plan for the 20-acre site to transform it into a residential and leisure complex. The "City Canal" development would retain the waterways as features but surround them with new buildings. Certainly, the Glasgow Science Centre, which tells the story of the river Clyde and its importance to the city, is being let down badly by the site which has lain unused for over 20 years.
When a Campbell was appointed by the National Trust for Scotland as the man in charge of their new visitor centre at Glencoe, there was a predictable outcry from those who still blame the Campbells for the Massacre there in 1692. The Trust responded that Roddy Campbell was the "best man for the job" and that they could not exclude someone because his surname was Campbell. But now the Trust have brought some peace to the glen - by appointing a MacDonald as a senior manager at the centre. Again, the Trust maintain that she was not selected on the basis of her surname - but there must have been a few wry smiles at their HQ in Charlotte Square in Edinburgh when she won the job - on merit. The new centre is to open next Wednesday and already has run into controversy about its interpretation of the massacre. It blames the event on the regimental soldiers of King William who were given clear orders to carry out the killings. Despite living on in popular memory as the Campbells massacring the MacDonalds, only a small number of the soldiers were Campbells.
The Scottish tourist agency VisitScotland has been accused of avoiding promoting deer stalking and shooting because of a culture of political correctness. It is being claimed that the blood sport is not being advertised on the VisitScotland website because it is considered to be "elitist." The claim was made by the owner of a 5,000-acre sporting estate who went on to point out that shooting and stalking employs 7,200 full-time workers and is vital to the rural economy. According to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, more than 100,000 visitors come each year to Scotland in pursuit of the sport which can cost up to £500 a day. 
A hotel, created out of the former offices of a national newspaper, has been named by the Condé Nast "Traveler" as one of the top 52 in the world. The "Scotsman" hotel, appropriately carrying on the name of the newspaper, is the only hotel in Scotland and only one of three in the UK to be included in the prestigious list. The 68-room hotel opened last year after a conversion cost of £14.5 million. Its whisky bar offers 399 different malts and it stands high on North Bridge, above Princes Street.
The locally produced, orange-coloured, fizzy drink named Irn-Bru has been top of the pops in Scotland for much of its 101-year history. Despite the in-roads of global giants such as Coca-Cola, it has kept back the tide. But like many of Scotland's traditional "industries" it is gradually succumbing, overtaken by a flood of cheap Coke and Pepsi imported from overseas. An independent market research company now claims that more Coca-Cola is being drunk in Scotland than the local product. Long seen as a pick-me-up and cure for a hang-over, Irn-Bru's profits declined by 23% last year as it cut margins in an attempt to maintain market share. Advertising campaigns have made famous such phrases as "Irn-Bru, made from girders" and "Scotland's other national drink". In recent years, the company has expanded into England and abroad - it is made under licence in Russia
The owners of a Glasgow city centre Italian cafe claimed victory this week when the city council backed down over a ban on a 5ft high imitation ice cream cone on the pavement outside the premises. They had faced a £3,000 fine from the council for refusing to remove the hazard. After discussions, the officials agreed that as long as the cone was kept half in the doorway and half on the pavement, they would turn a blind eye to it infringing local regulations. The cone has been standing outside of the cafe for ten years and is certainly no more of an obstruction that the "street furniture" which the council itself litters around pedestrianised areas.
A beekeeper in Orkney, the islands to the north of mainland Scotland, says that he is embarking on a project to breed bees which are able to forage and produce more honey in the colder and wetter climate of the islands. Erland Omand has already spent four years in New Zealand learning the techniques involved and he intends to build up a stock of specially bred queen bees, not just for Orkney, but for export to other countries with a similar climate.
After an average start last weekend, with temperatures around 10/11C (50/52F) in most parts of Scotland, there was a decided dip and by Tuesday it had become a chilly 6C (43F) in Glasgow and Edinburgh though Aberdeen managed to reach 9C (48F). But it did not last and the thermometer bounced back up again with Glasgow reaching 15C (59F) on Wednesday. Although the temperatures slipped back again later in the week, there was a good amount of sunshine around - Tiree had 13.2 hours of sun on Friday.
The giant R34 airship was built at a site near Inchinnan in Renfrewshire before it made the first ever Transatlantic flight by a lighter-than-air craft in 1919. Later, an art deco building, the India Tyre Factory was created on the site. This is now regarded as one of the most important art deco buildings in the UK. The tyre factory closed down 20 years ago and the building has been derelict ever since. Now, Graham Technology, an IT firm, has spent £7 million to convert it for use as their HQ. While the art deco frontage has been retained, a number of additions have been made which pay homage to its airship past. The futuristic extension at the rear is modelled on an airship gondola. Original features inside the building include an elegant staircase modelled on the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamen and rich turquoise tiles reminiscent of opulent Roman palaces. The illustration shows the modern extension with an aerofoil projecting at roof level.
One of Edinburgh's best known landmarks is the former Royal High School building at the foot of Calton Hill. But the Grecian style edifice has lain empty for nearly 30 years. In the late 1970s, it was set up as a debating chamber for a projected Scottish Assembly, but that did not materialise. The school was again considered as the site for the new Scottish Parliament in 1999, but was rejected in favour of a new building on a site in Holyrood. It was bought in 1994 by Edinburgh City Council for £1.75 million but the A-listed building now needs a total refurbishment which is estimated to cost £1 million over the next five years. Meantime, there have been lots of proposals about possible new uses. The latest is to create a showcase for the history of photography in Scotland, especially the work of David Hill and Robert Adamson who worked at Rock House, also on Calton Hill.
Engineers have been called in to examine the safety of the rock face on Edinburgh Castle, at Johnstone Terrace, after stones began to crumble from the city landmark. The busy street, which is a bus route, has been closed as a safety measure. A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland, the government agency that looks after the castle, stressed that no debris fell from the castle itself. A geologist pointed out that the volcanic rock on which the castle sits, has lots of natural cracks and that wind, rain and frost can cause small parts of it to break away.
Perhaps this item should appear in the "Historical Affairs" section of the Newsletter as it relates to a pagan celebration on Beltane's Day - May 1. Whether the Druids would recognise the 300 painted dancers, fire-eaters, jugglers, torch-light procession, bonfire and painted performers at the National Monument on Calton Hill (pictured here) in the centre of Edinburgh is doubtful, but thousands of spectators turn up each year to see the entertainment. This year, the Beltane Society, which organises the event, is asking spectators to make a voluntary donation. They are reluctant to impose a charge but they need £15,000 each year for security, health and safety and the clean-up operation afterwards. The Druids never had such problems.
Rangers beat Celtic 3-2 in a thrilling Scottish Cup Final. A last-minute goal by Peter Lovenkrands gave Rangers victory in a game which had seen Celtic go ahead twice. Hartson of Celtic scored first but Lovenkrands brought the scores level again within two minutes. Although Rangers appeared to be dominating, it was Balde who put Celtic ahead. But after 68 minutes of the game, Rangers captain Barry Ferguson fired a curling free kick into the net. Then, as everyone expected the game to go to extra time, McCann sent in a glorious cross for Lovenkrands to edge in with only seconds of the game remaining. The victory brought Rangers their 30th Scottish Cup title, just one behind Celtic.
A massive rise in the prize money for the Open Golf Championship at Muirfield in July was announced this week. The total prize money will be £3.8 million and the winner will receive £700,000 as well as getting his hands on the famous claret jug. The total prize money has nearly doubled in the last three years. In 1992, the last time the Open Championship was held at Muirfield, the winner's cheque was for £95,000, earned by Nick Faldo.
The administrator of Motherwell Football Club made nine of the players and three non-playing staff redundant and released another ten players whose contracts finished at the end of the season. Four other players were offered revised contracts on reduced terms and two accepted. The accountants are seeking to reduce the expenditure at the stricken club and £750,000 has now been cut from the wages bill. The Scottish Professional Footballers Association expressed anger at the latest moves, claiming that the players had legally binding contracts.
There are football clubs across Europe looking up their atlases to find out the location of Livingston after the club clinched the 4th position in the Scottish League and qualified for the early rounds of the Uefa Cup. The club's meteoric rise has been remarkable, particularly for a provincial club. In 1995, Meadowbank Thistle in the Scottish Third Division moved to a new stadium at Almondvale and were renamed "Livingston". They won the Third Division Championship, with a new manager, Jim Leishman, at the helm. In 1999, the club won the Second Division title - and upgraded their stadium to meet the standards set by the Scottish Premier League. Twelve months ago they won the First Division title and that ambitious expansion of the stadium proved a good investment as they were promoted to the SPL. Until that time, their biggest crowd at the stadium had been just over 4,000. In their first year in the SPL they made an immediate impact - beating Hearts in their opening game. In recent months they have stumbled a bit - almost as if they didn't want to win a place in Europe so soon - but have now achieved that dream.