New Life for John Brown's Shipyard

More details were published this week on the £250 million plans to transform the derelict John Brown's Shipyard into a new town centre for Clydebank. The aim is to bring the town back to the riverfront, replacing the disused industrial complex which launched some of the world's greatest ships including the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Yacht Britannia and QE2. In acknowledgement of its illustrious history, the development will be named "Queen's Quay". The waterfront regeneration will include retail outlets, offices and 1,300 homes.

Nationalists Edge Forward

The latest opinion poll by NFO/System Three for the Herald newspaper shows that the Scottish National Party have gained on their Labour opponents and now have a 30% share of the sample's first choice vote for the Scottish Parliament, compared to 37% for Labour. But, translated into seats, this would result in a gain and loss of only one seat compared to the 1999 election. The Liberal Democrats have also moved forward, mainly as a result of the proportional representation element of the voting system. If these findings were maintained at the election next May, the LibDems would win 23 seats instead of their present 17. Based on this poll, the number of seats which would be won by the Conservatives would be cut from 19 to 9.

"Squinty Bridge" Approved

The new bridge across the river Clyde between Finnieston and Govan has been nicknamed the "squinty bridge" because it runs at an angle across the river. It will be the first new bridge across the Clyde for over 30 years but the design is under question. First of all, it will need to accommodate a future tram system being planned for the north bank and a proposed high speed ferry service will require a 9 metre (17 feet) clearance instead of the present 5.4 metres. Even dredgers will be unable to travel up-river of the bridge. But changes to the plans will involve additional costs and delays in starting construction. Despite bitter opposition, the City Council voted 17-3 in favour of current plans.

Nuclear Submarine Hits Skye

HMS Trafalgar, one of the Royal Navy's 12 nuclear-powered submarines, met its Waterloo when it ran aground on the island of Skye on Wednesday during a military exercise. The sub usually carries Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. Prior to the accident it had been thought that it would have been used in any attack on Iraq. It was travelling at 14.5 knots (18mph) when it hit a rock, Fladda-chauin, 500 metres off the north-west coast of Skye. The sub surfaced immediately and sailed under its own power back to Faslane on the Gare Loch. The Ministry of Defence said that there was no damage to the pressure hull or the nuclear reactor. It later emerged that the submarine may have been in charge of a trainee commander, though he would have been under the supervision of two qualified officers.

Stalemate on Buchanan Street Development Broken

For many years, development of a prime site at the top of Buchanan Street, opposite the Buchanan Galleries shopping mall, has been blocked because ownership of the buildings has been in dispute. Now, the two leading owners, SCPDL and Lujo Properties Ltd, have produced a joint plan to convert the derelict premises into four floors of retail space to complement the prestigious Buchanan Galleries.

Scotland "Out of Recession"

Scotland's economic growth moved into the black in the second quarter of the year, though its performance remains sluggish and lags that of the rest of the UK. Forecasts for growth of the year are still under 1%. The electronics sector has suffered in recent times with a decrease of 20% this year. The service sector, particularly banking, continues to produce a strong performance. Scotland, with 9% of the population, is currently estimated to be making a contribution to the UK economy below 7.8%.

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

There used to a law which required people to celebrate the uncovering of the plot in 1605 led by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament. While there are now not so many bonfires with the effigy of Guy Fawkes on top, in recent years the number of fireworks being exploded in the weeks (and months) before and after 5 November has been growing. Legislation banning the sale of fireworks to those under the age of 18 has been introduced, but with on-line sales being touted on the basis of "loudest and most annoying" there were calls this week for a crackdown by pedestrians and home-owners to stop the "war zone" atmosphere. School children in particular seem to enjoy the "air bombs" and schools and police have been inundated with complaints. It is estimated that over £7 million had been spent on fireworks in the Scotland on 5 November alone. And of course, since the Millennium has encouraged people to celebrate New Year with fireworks, the ear plugs will be need until January at least.

Strike by Firemen Not Yet Extinguished

A strike by firefighters which was scheduled for this week was called off by the Fire Brigades' Union so that negotiations on a pay increase could continue. But in order to keep the pressure on employers (the Local Authorities) and on the government to find the cash for a significant increase, the Union has set a new date for a strike, 13 November. A 40% pay claim was rejected last month and it took a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister to get the two sides to the negotiating table.

Glasgow Underground Hit by Unofficial Strike

An unofficial wildcat strike by drivers on Glasgow's underground rail service on Wednesday was met by firm action by Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) who immediately sacked the strikers. SPT said that they would recruit and train new drivers while operating a skeleton service using managers and drivers who had not gone on strike. But that was clearly not viable as it would have taken several months to train new staff. So after negotiations with the drivers' trade union, the men were re-instated, allowing the underground to get back to normal.

A Laptop for Every Pupil

Parents in Edinburgh are unlikely to be buying their children a PC this Christmas. Plans being drawn up by Edinburgh District Council will provide for a free wireless digital computer to be provided to every pupil in state schools over the age of eight. The proposals are still dependent on financial and political approval - the cost will be tens of millions of pounds as there are over 40,000 pupils in the 8+ age group. However, the council is examining the possibility of private sector sponsorship. A similar scheme was piloted in the US state of Maine where it is said to have produced marked improvements in achievement and a decline in discipline problems and absenteeism. Of course, the Maine scheme was introduced when it was found that there was a surplus in their education budget.

Christmas Cracker

The Royal Mail has issued its new series of stamps for Christmas - no doubt many readers of this Newsletter will be seeing these on snail-mail over the next couple of months on letters and parcels from the UK. The stamps were designed by Carol Sharp and they feature seasonal flora such as mistletoe, ivy and holly. To encourage people to buy the books of stamps, the first class stamps come in books of 12 with instant game cards - one of which will make a lucky customer richer by £1 million.

Scotland's Last Seminary Under Threat

Leaders of the Catholic Church in Scotland decided this week that the Scotus College in Bearsden, near Glasgow, should continue as a training college for priests. The Scotus College is the last seminary on Scotland and has only 37 students and numbers are falling all the time - there were 136 studying in Scottish seminaries 20 years ago. It is now said to be cheaper to send students to the colleges at Rome in Italy or Salamanca in Spain. But, after some deliberation, the church is now looking at the option of closing the Royal Scots College in Salamanca in Spain. Scotus College is named after the medieval theologian John Duns Scotus - his name led to the word "dunce" as his subtleties were seen as too esoteric for lesser men.

State of the Art Hospital "A Ghost"

A top surgeon has described the former HCI medical centre at Clydebank as a "ghost hospital" because so few patients are being treated there. Grant Fullarton, a consultant, who works at both Glasgow's Gartnavel General Hospital and at HCI says that the HCI facility, which was bought over by the Scottish Executive earlier this year for £37.5 million, is an excellent hospital but is not being used anywhere near its potential. It has some of the finest cancer and cardiac facilities and intensive care units in Scotland. It is now named the National Waiting Times Centre (only a politician could come up with that title) and yet the waiting times for patients continues to rise. It has 500 beds - but only 40 were in use in September. 720 National Health Service patients have had operations there in the last four months - equivalent to 45 a week.

U-Turn on Sunday Flights

Western Isles Council, which consistently opposed Sunday flights to Lewis, has quickly moved to take advantage of the new Loganair flights between Edinburgh and Stornoway by booking seats on Sunday flights for staff so that the Council can save money on overnight subsistence payments. The elected Council, which has many staunch Presbyterians members, says that it "recognises the changed situation" but they will not force any employee to work on a Sunday. The council continues to oppose sea ferries sailing in or out of Stornoway on a Sunday. The same Council operates a ferry on a Sunday on the Sound of Barra. The hotel owner who brought in Sunday papers on the first Sunday flights says that he has been inundated with orders and will be bringing in more to meet the demand.

New Dundee to Manchester Air Service

Eastern Airways started their new service between Dundee Riverside Airport and Manchester this week. The BAe Jetstream 32 aircraft will fly three times each day, allowing Scottish passengers to connect with a host of worldwide flights from the Manchester hub.

Kwik-Fit Founder Retires

Sir Tom Farmer, who started his first car repair business in 1964, has stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Kwik-Fit. The company currently has 2,500 outlets and 11,000 employees. When the company floated in 1975 it was valued at £623,000 and was sold to Ford in 1999 for £1.2 billion. But Ford has recently hived off the company to an investment company for £330,000 and Sir Tom is leaving the company. But it is unlikely that the 62-year-old entrepreneur will "retire" in the conventional sense - he has tried that before. He devotes a lot of time to encouraging other entrepreneurs in Scotland.

Jenners Planning Glasgow Airport Branch

For decades, Jenners, the symbol of Edinburgh's up-market retailers, had only one outlet, in Princes Street. But after 150 years, it ventured a few miles west of the capital to Edinburgh Airport with its first branch. It followed this up in September this year with a larger store at Loch Lomond Shores at Balloch. Now it has emerged that Jenners are planning to establish a 1,200sq ft shop at Glasgow Airport in April next year. Jenners say that its identification with Edinburgh will not hinder its success in the west.

Gleneagles Chef Wins Double Success

Andrew Fairlie, the chef in charge of cooking at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, teed up a double success at the Taste of Scotland 2002 food awards this week. He not only won the award for best newcomer but also the prize for overall excellence. The 38-year-old chef has already won a coveted Michelin star. Kilberry Inn near Tarbert, Argyll, won the award for best bar meal and Haldanes in Edinburgh came out as the top city restaurant. The title of best rural restaurant went to Enterkine House, near Ayr and Abbey Cottage, Dumfries, took the prize for best tea/coffee room. Kilmeny Farm Guest House on the island of Islay was named best for dinner, bed and breakfast. All the winners received bottles of The Macallan whisky, sponsors of the event.

Glasgow's Best Eating Places

The accolade of best restaurant at the Auchentoshan Spirit of Glasgow Awards for 2002 this week went to L'Ariosto in Mitchell Street. The award for casual dining was won by Mother India restaurant in Finnieston. Charan Gill, who developed the Ashoka chain of Indian restaurants was honoured with a lifetime achievement award. Opus, which opened in St Vincent Street six months ago, was voted the "People's Choice" because of what was describes as its unpretentious value.

Bid to Scrap Bridge Tolls

Last year, there was an embarrassing oversight by officials at the Scottish Executive, who "forgot" to bring forward legislation to allow tolls to be collected on the Erskine Bridge over the river Clyde. This was rapidly rectified by emergency legislation but the situation led to calls to permanently remove tolls on Erskine Bridge (and on the bridges over the rivers Forth and Tay and from the mainland to Skye). This week, West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Renfrewshire Councils joined forces to lodge a petition with the Scottish Parliament calling for the 60p toll on the 30-year-old Erskine Bridge across the river Clyde to be scrapped. They claim that the move would create 500 new jobs and penalises businesses and employees who cross the river on a daily basis. Tolls were supposed to have been levied for only 20 years but successive governments have extended the timescale on a five-yearly basis.

Red Deer "Will Destroy Mountain Environment"

A leading ecologist has warned that the number of deer in the Highlands is likely to increase dramatically as result of climate change and a reduction in sheep grazing. Prof Steve Albon from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology says that the only way to control the numbers is to dramatically increase the number culled each year. But landowners are divided on the strategy. One laird has already ordered a cull of over 2,000 deer on her estate but others have rejected the slaughter although Dutch tycoon Paul van Vlissingen who owns an 81,000-acre estate in Ross-shire has suggested the re-introduction of wolves to weed out the older and less healthy animals. Milder winters, earlier arrival of spring and lack of competitors for their habitat, have all helped to increase Scotland's deer population to around 700,000, resulting in over-grazing and harm to the habitat of other wildlife. Around 10% are currently killed each year by professional stalkers.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Gales and floods hit the north of Scotland last weekend resulting in the deaths of two men in separate incidents on cargo vessels in Shetland. Around 10,000 Shetland homes lost their electricity supplies. The ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen was forced to turn back due to gale-force winds while the Aberdeen to Lerwick ferry was forced to shelter from near-hurricane force winds and the 12-hour journey was extended to 42 hours. Two police officers in Tayside had to be rescued by a helicopter through the roof of their patrol car when it was trapped by rising flood water near Marykirk, north of Montrose. Although Aberdeen had a good few hours of sunshine in the middle of the week, the rest of Scotland had a limited amount of sunshine and frequent showers. Temperatures for most of the week were in the range 11/14C (52/57F) but fell at the end of the week to 7/9C (45/48F).

The photo autumn colours shown by this variety of cotoneaster was taken earlier this week - during one of the brief spells of sunshine!

Glasgow Regains Mackintosh Furniture

Four of the best examples of furniture created by Charles Rennie Mackintosh have been bought jointly by the National Trust for Scotland and Glasgow City Council at what was described as a "bargain price" of £1.4 million at an auction in London. The collection includes the "jewel" of the sale, a mahogany writing cabinet which Mackintosh designed for Walter Blackie's Hill House in Helensburgh (pictured here). The jewel-encrusted cabinet, which was bought for £996,700, will now spend four months a year at the National Trust property at Hill House and the rest of the year in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Fearless for Invergordon?

The last steam-driven ship in the Royal Navy, the amphibious operations ship HMS Fearless, is due to be sold soon for scrap. But now a consortium of local businessmen in Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness, are drawing up plans to buy the vessel and turn it into a floating museum, conference centre and visitor attraction. While HMS Fearless does not have quite the same crowd-pulling power as the Royal Yacht Britannia, now moored at Leith, the consortium believe that it would be appropriate to create such an enterprise as Invergordon has a lengthy association with the Royal Navy. A deep harbour was built in 1828 and the Home Fleet was frequently based there. In 1907, 12 battleships, six cruisers and 20 torpedo boats were anchored there. But Invergordon achieved some notoriety in 1931 when the lower ranks in the Atlantic fleet refused to sail after the government made huge cuts in their pay. While the Invergordon Mutiny only lasted a few days, it caused a run on the government's gold reserves. But the pay-cuts were reviewed and reduced.

"Union Jack" to Mark Union of the Crowns

The Scottish National Party expressed anger this week when the First Minister, Jack McConnell, announced that he had asked tourism chiefs to work with ministers to mark the Union of Crowns when King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England, creating the United Kingdom. Two other dates will also be commemorated - the death of William Wallace in August 2005 and the Union of Parliaments in 2007. But the date of the Union of the Crowns, March 24, is in the run-up to the Scottish parliamentary and local council elections. The nationalists will be campaigning for independence at a time when unity will be celebrated.

Lost Painting Turns Up

A painting worth £500,000 and which had been thought to be lost for over a hundred years, has turned up in Edinburgh in the front room of a priest. The painting, "Mass in a Connemara Cabin" is by Aloysius O'Kelly, a leading Irish artist. It has been in the presbytery of St Partick's Church in Edinburgh and, although it was cleaned 12 years ago, nobody recognised its significance. But recently a priest at St Patrick's was researching the artist's name inscribed on the painting via the Internet and was astonished to find it listed as missing for 100 years. The painting has now been authenticated and is to be sent for display at the national Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. But despite its value, the church is adamant that it will not be sold.

This Week in History

• November 10 1871 - Journalist Henry M Stanley found the missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone with the classic "Dr Livingstone, I presume?"
• November 11 1918 - Armistice Day - World War I ends on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
• November 12 - St Machar Day, patron saint of Aberdeen.
• November 12 1094 - King Duncan II died at Battle of Monthechin, Kincardine.
• November 13 1093 - King Malcolm III (Canmore) killed.
• November 13 1715 - Battle of Sheriffmuir in which a force of Jacobites led by John, 6th Earl of Mar, fought an inconclusive battle against a Hanoverian force led by John, 2nd Duke of Argyll.
• November 13 1850 - Novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson born Edinburgh.
• November 13 1977 - Start of firemen's strike which lasted for two months; cover was provided by the army with their out of date "green goddess" fire engines.
• November 14 1770 - James Bruce discovered the source of the Blue Nile in north-west Ethiopia.
• November 14 1910 - Poet Norman MacCaig born Edinburgh.
• November 14 1916 - Author Hector Munro died in action in France. Some of his work was written under the pseudonym "Saki".
• November 15 1873 - Statue to Greyfriar's Bobby, who stayed by his master's grave for 14 years was unveiled, 1873
• November 16 1891 - Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened in the East End Exhibition Buildings, Duke Street, Glasgow.

Magical Fund Raising

J K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter children's books, transformed the Great Hall of Stirling Castle (seen here) into Hogwarts School for a charity Hallowe'en party this week to raise money for sufferers of multiple sclerosis - a disease from which her mother died. It had been hoped that the star-studded guests would raise £100,000 for the charity. But they must have had a spell cast on them as the auction alone raised £225,000. The top-selling item was a golden "snitch" - the winged ball used in the broomstick game quidditch which had been presented to J K Rowling by Warner Bros. It raised £50,000. A walk on part in the next Harry Potter movie was auctioned for £10,000. Ms Rowling, who is expecting her next child in about five months time, hosted the evening with her husband, Dr Neil Murray.

Hogmanay Free For All

Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve in Glasgow will have free access to the festivities in George Square without even having to obtain a free ticket beforehand. Concerns have been expressed that there could be too many people flocking into the central square, but these have been dismissed by Glasgow City Council. This year's events will focus on traditional Scottish music, including ceilidhs and family attractions.

Miniature Magic At Model Railway Exhibition

The Model Railway Exhibition returns to the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre on the weekend of November 16 - 17, with an array of exhibits that promises to delight visitors. As well as an extensive display of intricately created model trains and railways, the exhibition includes cars, boats and dolls' houses. The exhibition also offers the chance to see the cockpit of an original Phantom jet, displayed by the Air Training Corps.

Old High Kirk in Kilmarnock.

This church was built in 1732, which means that they are the oldest complete Church building in Kilmarnock. They were there before Robert Burns was born and John Wilson the printer of the Kilmarnock Edition is buried in their Kirkyard as well as many other people mentioned in Burns' poems. As part of their 270th year Celebrations they are having an art exhibition, craft fair and sale of fine arts on 15th/16th November in the Church off Portland Street Kilmarnock. Contact Maaitchison@aol.com for more details.

Million Pound Sponsorship for Museum

The refurbishment of the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow got a significant boost this week when The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Woolfson Foundation each pledged half-a-million pounds to help in the restoration. The cheque from the Royal Bank is the largest single charity donation ever made by the bank. The Heritage Lottery Fund has already pledged £12.8 million toward the £25 million project and further cash is coming from Glasgow City Council, Historic Scotland and the European Regional Development Fund. The Museum closes next July and many of the exhibits will move to temporary premises in Nitshill.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Celtic 7 Aberdeen 0
Hibernian 1 Hearts 2
Arbroath 1 Ayr United 1
St Johnstone 0 Livingston 1 (CIS Insurance Cup, 3rd Round)
Aberdeen 3 Motherwell 1 (CIS Insurance Cup, 3rd Round)
Dunfermline 0 Rangers 1 (CIS Insurance Cup, 3rd Round)
Celtic 1 Partick Thistle 1 (CIS Insurance Cup, Semi-final - Celtic won 5-4 on penalties)

Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 9 November 2002

Hearts 0 Aberdeen 0
Livingston 3 Partick Thistle 0
Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 1
Dundee United v Celtic and Rangers v Hibernian will take place on Sunday.

Scottish First Division Results - 9 November 2002

Ayr United 0 Queen of the South 1
Falkirk 3 Alloa 0
Ross County 0 Inverness 2
St Johnstone 2 Arbroath 0
St Mirren 1 Clyde 4

League Tables

There is no change at the top of the Premier League with Rangers just ahead with 35 points and Celtic with 34. Hearts are third with 21 points. Motherwell are still trailing at the foot of the SPL with 9 points.
In the First Division, there is no change at the top as Falkirk remain ahead with 30 points, followed by Inverness on 28. Alloa are still fixed at the foot of the First Division with only 8 points.

Scotland 37 Romania 10

After this rugby international, Scotland claimed that they had controlled the game but acknowledged that Romania had been tough opponents. Scotland's tries were scored by Grimes, Paterson, Leslie, Pountney and Moffat. Laney kicked three conversions and two penalties. All of Romania's points were scored by Tofan. The score at half-time was 20-3

Penalty Shoot-Out Farce

When football Cup matches end in a draw, even after extra time, the result is often resolved by a "penalty shoot-out". While this often means that one miss out of five attempts by each side settles the game. But the 1-1 end result of the Celtic v Partick Thistle CIS Cup semi-final required 18 penalties, nine on each side, before Celtic eventually won by 5-4. Neil Lennon, one of the Celtic players to miss, has vowed never to take another penalty again.

Dundee United Appoint Interim Manager

After rejecting an initial offer on Monday from Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson, to continue as interim manager only to the winter break in January, Paul Hegarty has now been appointed interim manager until the end of the season. Hegarty was said to have been unhappy that he had not been offered the job after manager Alex Smith had been sacked on 7 October. Hegarty's current contract as assistant manager at Dundee United expired at the end of the season.

Hibernian Debts Soar to £11.7 Million

It's been a bad week for Edinburgh-based Hibernian Football Club. First, they lost 1-2 in the local derby against Hearts after being in the lead. Then the club had to announce that they have fallen further into debt after losing £2.8 million last season. That brings their total debt to almost £11.7 million. The sale of players after the end of the season will have reduced that debt by £2 million but will do nothing to reduce further losses. The club is trying to stem a drop in attendances (down 14% on last season). Chairman Ken Lewadowski blames the televising of live matches on terrestrial channels are to blame.

Aberdeen Losses Mount Too

Despite a well-publicised economy drive, Aberdeen Football Club lost £2.4 million last season, bringing their debts to around £7 million. Overpaid and underachieving players were sold and even manager Ebbe Skovdhal volunteered to have his salary reduced by a third (to £225,000). But at least all the efforts have reduced the loss of £3.22 million made in the 200/2001 season.