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.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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The "Magazine" section includes songs/poems of Scotland, Scottish humour and brief descriptions of Scottish Culture items added recently to the Rampant Scotland Website - with a link to the page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
Nowadays, poor children are marked out by receiving free school meals. In former times, second-hand clothes were the give-away. But often the poor kids made their way in the world, as this poem by Douglas Barber shows. Free Boots Oft time I view my childhood days
The parish mannie o' that time
For weel I mind he says to me
They gave me a lift that day
But oh! boy they were beezers
Ye can speak o' faithful servants
The toffs' kids had a swagger
But nae doot there's some amongst them
Meaning of unusual words:
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
It is looking increasingly likely that the leadership of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties are close to an agreement which will see an end to "first past the post" local government election system and the introduction of proportional representation. PR would result in numbers of councillors more closely matching the number of votes cast for each party. The current system has led to minority parties being under-represented - and Labour domination of some councils for decades. But many in the Labour Party are unhappy about the proposals which are being made in order to keep the Liberal Democrats as part of the coalition government in the Scottish Parliament. A Bill, setting out the new voting system for local government, is now likely to be published before next year's elections and would be implemented by the 2007 council elections. While the Labour leadership can count on the support of the Liberal Democrats to push through the legislation, rank and file Labour MSPs (a number of whom are former local government councillors) may be harder to persuade.
The Scottish Retail Consortium/Royal Bank of Scotland retail sales monitor shows that sales in Scottish shops were up in August, possibly helped by the better weather and purchases related to children returning to school towards the end of the month. Total sales are estimated to have grown by 6% in August, up from 4.9% in July. The picture here shows Buchana Street in Glasgow on a busy afternoon. However, sales in the UK as a whole rose even faster, by 7.6%. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the underlying rate of inflation in the UK fell back to 1.9% in August from 2.0% in July. The headline rate of inflation which includes mortgage payments was 1.4%, down from 1.5% in July. The Bank of England may even consider a further reduction in base interest rates, currently 4%.
Scottish banks have printed their own banknotes since 1695 and have fought over the years to be allowed to continue to do so - Sir Walter Scott was a major force in the 1820s, writing in defence of the Scottish note issue (which is why his portrait appears on all the current Bank of Scotland notes). The Banknote (Scotland) Act passed in 1845 regulates today's note issue by the Scottish banks. With the introduction of the Euro, all the individual currencies of each of the twelve countries involved have disappeared. But a clause in the Maastricht Treaty, introduced at the last minute at the insistence of the UK government, appears to allow the possibility of the Scottish banks continuing to print (Euro) banknotes if the UK adopts the new currency. There have even been negotiations with the European Central Bank on this and, so far, the ECB has not said "no".
The arrival of up-market retailer Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh (pictured here) might have been expected to dent the sales at rival expensive stores in the capital (such as Jenners and John Lewis). Not a bit of it. Instead, the number of customers passing through the doors at Jenners is up by 14% since Harvey Nicks opened for business. Sales of perfume are up by 20% and fashion accessories are also showing increased business. Of course, both Jenners and John Lewis anticipated the arrival of Harvey Nichols with major face-lifts on their premises. House of Fraser, at the other end of Princes Street, could not quote any figures but commented that when the London-based Harvey Nichols opened a branch in Leeds, the Frasers outlet there experienced a boost in customers and they anticipated that the same would happen in Edinburgh. Retail pundits are suggesting that many fashion conscious Edinburgh residents travelled to Glasgow for their clothes and have now less need to do so. But if shoppers want Versace and Armani, Glasgow is the only place in Scotland where their stores can be found.
On the day that Loganair was being confronted by the Lord's Day Observance Society about its plans to introduce flights on a Sunday between Stornoway and Inverness at the end of next month, bmi (formerly British Midland Airline) announced that it was to operate a seven day a week service between the Western Isles and Edinburgh. The new service will use 49-seat Embraer jets.
A league table of UK universities has placed the university at which Prince William is an undergraduate as the best in Scotland. The annual Sunday Times university guide has named St Andrews as the UK University of the Year for its outstanding teaching and research. St Andrews came out ten places higher than in last year's guide. Some academics query the results of the newspaper's table, but it suggests on the assessment criteria used, Edinburgh and Glasgow are the second and third universities in Scotland - with Paisley coming bottom of the table. This is due in part because Paisley is not so involved in research and works hard at developing mature students and those from less favoured backgrounds. This year, Paisley has had the biggest increase (30.3%) in applications for courses of any university in the UK.
While some of the words such as neg, pash, pech, butty and wheen may have been familiar to some Scots before they appeared in the "Inspector Rebus" novels by Ian Rankin (pictured here), it is because they have popped up there that they have now been recognised as "English" words in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, along with quotations from the novels to show their context. Rankin says that he set out to write his books in the "Queen's English" but as he gained confidence he began to add Scots words from his childhood in Fife. Rankin even disagrees with some of the definitions given by the new edition of the dictionary - he says that at least in Fife a butty is not a slice of bread or a sandwich but a floury bap or roll.
The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry company has announced a host of extra sailings on most of the routes from Oban to Islay, Colonsay, Mull, Coll and Tiree from next spring. The arrival of a new vessel at Mallaig will free up the Lord of the Isles ferry for other routes. The changes will mean that Islay will have a weekly total of sailings increased from 37 to 54, a welcome boost for the local economy.
The Scottish Youth Hostels used to cater for young people and backpackers but these days the people using the low-cost facilities are from all age ranges and are just as likely to arrive at the door by motor car as cycles or on foot. But costs are still kept at a minimum and to celebrate International Year of Mountains and recent Hostel
refurbishments, Scottish Youth Hostels are offering overnight accommodation for only £5 per person on Friday 4th and Sat 5th October 2002 at the Youth Hostels at Braemar, Crianlarich, Glen Nevis, Glencoe, Killin, Loch Lochy, Torridon, Ullapool. They'll also throw in free membership worth £6! All of these Hostels offer access to some superb walking and climbing. Inverness Youth Hostel and Islesburgh House, Lerwick in the Shetland Islands now enjoy the distinction of being Scotland's only five star hostels accredited by VisitScotland's Quality Inspection Scheme for hostels. The two locations came out as the best of the 126 Hostels inspected and graded. See also 
Bakers in the Borders town of Selkirk (illustrated here) want to have their local bannocks (a cake made with dough, fruit, butter, sugar and yeast which is allowed to ferment before being hand-moulded and baked) registered under European legislation so that nobody else can make them with the name "Selkirk Bannock" - just like French Champagne, or Arbroath Smokies for that matter. The bakers say that they are concerned that inferior bannocks are being made in other parts of the country and passed off as the local product. Scottish Enterprise Borders say that the proposal is at an early stage but they "want to make sure that other areas keep their hands off our bannocks." The first bannock is said to have been made by a Robbie Douglas who opened his shop in Selkirk in 1859. When Queen Victoria visited Sir Walter Scott's granddaughter at Abbotsford she is said to have refused all else with her tea save a slice of the cake - ensuring that the bannock's reputation was enshrined for the future. See the 
Experts at Scottish Natural Heritage are facing a dilemma about the future of hedgehogs on the Western Isles of North and South Uist and Benbecula. In 1974, a gardener introduced four hedgehogs as a way of keeping down the slugs in his garden. There were no natural predators - and a plentiful supply of bird's eggs from Europe's most important population of breeding wading birds including dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, snipe, lapwing and oystercatchers. So the hedgehog population has soared to an estimated 5,000 adults - and the bird population has plummeted. Some months ago, there were suggestions that there should be a major cull of hedgehogs but that led to an outcry that an organisation set up to protect Scotland's natural heritage should be involved in killing an entire population of "Mrs Tiggywinkle" - a popular animal as a result of children's stories. Now the organisation has been told that an alternative strategy of moving the animals to the mainland would result in up to half of them dying within six weeks of being moved and many more perishing later. 
The Meteorological Office has published the weather statistics for Scotland for the month of August. They shows that, after the above average rainfall from May to July, August produced a lot of dry days, punctuated with occasional periods of rain. The west and north were the driest areas, with the extreme northwest and Western Isles registering only 50% of the usual amount of rain for the month. The west also had slightly above hours of sunshine with only Caithness and Orkney recording 80% of the usual average. Temperatures across the country were mainly above the seasonal levels, with parts of central Scotland and the Grampians two degrees Centigrade above the norm. The highest temperature in August was recorded in Dalmally in Argyll which reached 28C (82.4F) on the first day of the month; Charterhall in the Tweed valley reached 27C (80.6F) on 17 August. Dundrennan on the Solway coast registered the most rainfall in one day when it recorded 35mm (1.4 inches) on 2 August.
The Union of the Crowns in 1603 was a momentous occasion, bringing to an end hundreds of years of intermittent war between Scotland and England. On March 24 1603, King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England on the death of Queen Elizabeth I. But 400 years later, the Scottish Parliament and the present monarch have no plans to mark the occasion. But the local authorities and tourism agencies in the Scottish Borders and the North of England have announced that they will be working together to jointly celebrate the event. There will be a re-enactment of James VI crossing the River Tweed on his way to London where he was subsequently crowned king of both nations. There are also plans for a visitor centre at Flodden Field, the site of Scotland's bloodiest defeat by the English in 1513 when King James IV was king. But the Scottish National Party are displeased at these activities, particularly as there are the elections for the Scottish Parliament taking place in May 2003. They have suggested that if the celebrations were to be "overtly political" and pointing up the benefits of the Union, it could be regarded as flouting electoral law. Some SNP members say that it was a "forced marriage" and that an amicable divorce should now be negotiated. However, independent members of the Scottish Borders Council argue that it would be churlish to overlook history, whether we like it or not, and that the Union of the Crowns completely changed the Borders way of life - and often death.
A Fife sculptor has been commissioned to create a memorial to the poet Robert Fergusson to stand outside the Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. Fergusson was an influential writer who influenced Robert Burns but died a pauper at the age of 24 in 1774. Burns, at his own expense, erected a stone to Fergusson in the Canongate Kirk (illustrated here) inscribed with the words:
The Daleks are coming to the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling. The most popular opponents of "Dr Who" TV sci-fi series which was so popular with children (and adults too), are appearing in a special exhibition being run at the Gallery until 10 November. The exhibition was put together by a group of Dr Who "trainee time lords" with an interest in everything to do with the time traveller. Among the exhibits will be 4 full size Daleks, a Davros, K9, the Tardis and the Tardis control panel. There will also be a large collection of related toys, games, magazines, comics and costumes, all of which will fit into a building which is a lot bigger inside than it seems on the outside. The exhibition is a celebration of collecting and illustrates the importance of collectors as keepers of recent history, whether their collections are for pleasure or investment. See also 
A team of health and safety experts from Glasgow City Council has severely criticised conditions at Glasgow Zoo at Calderpark. They say that animal enclosures are in urgent need of repair and that due to the long-term lack of finance the organisation has only been able to send one member of staff on a zoo management training course - which they failed to pass. Even so, the inspectors reported that animal welfare was "very satisfactory"; it's the safety of the human visitors the inspectors were concerned about. The Zoo is expecting to obtain cash from a multi-million pound land deal with a developer but the finance will not be available until next year. Campaigners are urging the City Council to reinstate an annual £132,000 grant which was withdrawn two years ago.
UEFA officials toured Scotland and Ireland this week to discuss the joint bid by the two countries to host the finals of the Euro 2008 Championships. The Irish government managed to paper over the cracks of their internal problems in coming up with a second stadium and opposition to Aberdeen's plans to build a new facility at Kingswells on the outskirts of the city were swept to one side. The officials were diplomatically positive at the end of their tour, pointing out that bids from other countries also involved the construction of new stadia. They commented that Scotland was unique in having so many large venues in a small area. The European football governing body will decide in December which of the bids to accept.
Henrik Larsson scored a hat-trick in a one-sided match in the UEFA Cup 1st round, 1st leg at Parkhead. In so doing, he equalled Ally McCoist's record of 21 goals in European competition. Larsson was substituted after 60 minutes to give him a rest but manager Martin O'Neill apologised afterwards as he was not aware of the record at the time. Still, there should be more European games for Larsson - including the second leg of this tie. Five other Celtic players scored in this match and Suduva got a consolation goal in the 90th minute.
It was 1972 when Rangers won the European Cup Winners Cup but since then the Ibrox club has often struggled to make their mark in European competitions. In their last five European games Rangers have scored just one goal in open play. Being beaten 2-0 by an unknown Czech side Viktoria Zizkov this week continued that pattern, with the first goal scored after only six minutes and Barry Ferguson's tame attempt at a penalty being saved by the keeper later in the game. Manager Alex McLeish was unhappy with a Rangers side which managed only two shots at their opponent's goal. Football commentators reckoned that the Prague side were workmanlike and competent in front of one of the smallest crowds to watch Rangers in European competition - 3,427, around half of whom were Rangers fans, there to support their team.
The UEFA Cup qualifying match against German club Hertha Berlin was the club's 100th in Europe over the last 35 years. Aberdeen famously won the European Cup-Winners Cup in 1983 when Alex Ferguson was manager and the club went on to win the European Super Cup the following year. In this UEFA Cup, Round 1, First Leg tie against Hertha Berlin on Tuesday, Aberdeen did not manage to score a valuable "away" goal but managed a creditable 0-0 draw and can hope to do better on the return leg at home in Aberdeen. However, Hertha were without some of their key players for the match this week and will be tough opponents to beat.
When Rangers played Sturm Graz in the group stages of the UEFA Cup in 2000-2001, they ran out 5-0 winners. Livingston, playing their first match in European football were only 1-0 down at half time against Sturm Graz and might have been hopeful of a positive result at that stage. But the Austrian side turned on the pace in the second half and only two late goals salvaged some pride for Livingston who finished 5-2 down.
The latest rankings published by the international football governing body FIFA show that Scotland is now at a record low of 63rd, behind Zimbabwe and Angola. In July 2000, Scotland was placed 21st which may have flattered the international team. But by 2001 they were 48th and the worst series of results ever achieved by a Scotland side has pushed them down further. There is little consolation in knowing that Wales and Northern Ireland are even lower than Scotland in the FIFA rankings. Of course, Scotland are well used to disappointment on the football field - remember Ally McLeod (pictured here) in Argentina in 1978?
