New Executive Ministers Appointed

There was media speculation that First Minister Jack McConnell was going to cut the size of his new Executive team from 20 to 16 ministers to demonstrate his commitment to cutting costs. In the end, the total number fell to 18 but the number attending the meetings of the inner cabinet rose from 10 to 11 - an annual saving of £60,000. The Liberal Democrat coalition partners also managed to convince McConnell that they should be allocated 25% of the Executive posts. The LibDem leader, Jim Wallace, moved from justice minister to enterprise while Cathy Jamieson, his trusted Labour deputy takes on the justice ministry - and implementing the manifesto commitments to bringing in new legislation to cut youth crime. Malcolm Chisholm continues as health minister and Ross Finnie as rural development minister. Peter Peacock has ruffled a few feathers by his rapid rise to education minister, after joining the Labour party only months before the elections for the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The full list on ministers can be found at the Scottish Executive's Press Release.

So Near and Yet So Far

Celtic Football Club's dreams of winning the UEFA Cup final in Seville were dashed on Wednesday, but they nevertheless did themselves and their supporters proud with a brave performance, coming back twice from a goal down to 2-2 after the regulation 90 minutes. In extra time, however, Portuguese side Porto scored the winning goal. It as estimated that 50,000 Celtic fans had made the journey to Spain to support their team, many without tickets for the match. They just wanted to soak up the atmosphere and watch the match on giant TV screens in Seville. An estimated 500 million viewers across the globe watched the exciting, gripping contest. Scottish airports were kept busy this week as charter aircraft ferried fans to and from Spain. Some fans came from far afield to support their team, including some from Australia and USA. With accommodation at a premium, many fans just slept wherever they could. Daytime temperatures were over 90F and somehow the local bars managed to keep the beer flowing until the last supporters had left. Celtic may have lost the match but they won a great deal of respect and their supporters won Scotland a lot of friends. Now the players must pick themselves up and play a vital Scottish Premier League game on Sunday which will decide the championship for 2003.

Threat to Two City Hospitals

Two of Glasgow's best loved hospitals are again under threat of closure in a shakeup of maternity services in the city. The Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital at Yorkhill and the neighbouring Sick Children's Hospital could be closed and relocated. Falling birth rates and cuts in doctors' working hours means that Glasgow cannot sustain all three of its maternity units. When closure was threatened four years ago it provoked fury and the plan was shelved. A new maternity unit at the Royal Infirmary opened last year to replace the building at Rottenrow.

Facelift for Hollow Mountain

The hydro-electric power station at Ben Cruachan in Argyll was opened in 1965. In order to avoid spoiling the environment, much of the construction was built under the surface of the mountain. It was a flagship project in its day, uses night-time surplus energy to pump water back up the mountain which towers over mid-Lorne, to a reservoir at the base of Cruachan corrie. The power station can then create 100MW within 30 seconds at peak times as the water flows back down through the turbines. Now, as part of the drive to increase the amount of power generated from renewable sources, the power station is to get a £18.5 million upgrade which will lift peak power by another 20%.

High-Rise University Towers Approved

A controversial high rise medical centre for Glasgow University has been given planning permission by Glasgow City Council. The £29 million project will create a centre of excellence for biomedical and cardiovascular research. But hundreds of nearby residents have objected to the construction and its chimney-like towers which will carry ducts from laboratory fume cupboards.

Kirk Eases Baptism Rules

Children being baptised in the Church of Scotland no longer need to have one of the parents as full members of the church. Instead, grandparents and other relatives can bring the children forward. The church says this is in response to changing family structures but the move also recognises the decline in church membership and the consequent decline in baptisms. In 1961, the church had 50,387 baptisms out of 101,169 births in Scotland (49.8%); in 2001 there were 9,170 baptisms out of 57,527 births (15.9%).

Playing the Tartan Card

A new credit card has been launched in the USA designed to appeal to those with a Scottish heritage. It is printed in tartan, carries a lion rampant and the logo "Proud American Scot". Every time the user pays for items with this affinity card, which comes in a variety of tartans (with the agreement of the clan chiefs), a small amount is donated to Scottish scholarship funding and heritage centres. The cards have been endorsed by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and there are plans to launch a similar card in Scotland.

Scots Keep the Tills Ringing

The Scottish Retail Consortium has reported that high street sales in Scotland in April were 9.9% higher than the same month in 2002. The increase was much higher than the UK as a whole. But the performance was distorted by Easter falling in April rather than March, as in 2002. Taking that into account, the rise was only 6.5% (0.3% in the UK overall). However, that is well up on the Scottish monthly average over the last twelve months of 2.9%.

Confectionery Company Chews Over Buyout

McCowan's, makers of such delights as Highland toffee, Irn Bru chews, Lanky Larry bars and fizzy Wham bars, has been in foreign ownership for most of the last 40 years. But now the company, which was founded in 1924 by Andrew McCowan, is to return to Scottish hands following a £3 million takeover. The brand is a household name in Scotland and the new management aims to increase sales at home and abroad. But to succeed, the company will have to convince parents to buy these sugary treats when these are portrayed as a health hazard.

The More You Spend, The Bigger the Divi

Long before supermarkets generally introduced so-called "loyalty cards", the Scottish Co-op paid an annual "dividend" to customers based on the total amount of groceries purchased. The mutual organisation's marketing phrase was "The More You Spend, The Bigger the Divi" and their system became part of Scottish folklore for over 100 years. It was a sad loss to many customers when they stopped the payout in 1982 as the organisation struggled to meet the competition from larger supermarkets. However, responding to other companies with their loyalty discount cards, the Co-op reintroduced their dividend, but using electronically swiped cards instead of manually recording the customer number. This week, the company announced that the 400,000 card holders would be receiving a 3% dividend for every pound spent.

Desert Campaign for Irn Bru

Scotland's "other national drink" is often regarded as a cure for hangovers. While teetotal Arabs may not require these properties, the Glasgow company producing the orange fizzy drink named Irn Bru hope that they can tempt taste buds in the Arabian Peninsula. The company already exports to the United Arab Emirates - and has been selling the soft drink in Russia for eight years. There are now five factories in Russia producing the drink, made famous by its advertising for being "made from girders".

Bird Back From the Brink

One of Scotland's rarest birds, which was on the verge of extinction, appears to have made a remarkable comeback. The corncrake nearly died out in the early 1990s but, thanks to efforts by farmers and conservationists, a survey last year found nearly 700 adult male birds (making the characteristic "crex crex" call which gives the bird its name). This was the highest number since 1978. The corncrake was once common across Britain, but they are now mainly confined to the Hebrides, Orkney and the extreme north and west of Scotland. Payments have been made to farmers with corncrakes on their land to manage their hay and silage in a way which looks after the birds.

Aberdeen Celebrates Norway's National Day

The history and culture of Norway was brought to life in a colourful celebration of their national day last Saturday. There is a community of Norwegians in Aberdeen working in the oil industry and they raised their national flag in the grounds of Kippie Lodge in the outskirts of Aberdeen, sang their national anthem and wore colourful Scandinavian costumes. Norway's national day celebrates the creation of their constitution in 1814.

£1,800 to Cull a Hedgehog

The attempt by Scottish Natural Heritage to cut back the hedgehog population on North Uist has so far cost £90,000 of taxpayers' money and has resulted in just 50 hedgehogs being killed - a cost of £1,800 each. Over a third of the hedgehogs caught were handed in by islanders wanting rid of animals they regard as pests. SNH now claim that there were fewer hedgehogs on the island than originally thought. Rescuers who tried to save the animals and relocate them on the mainland, managed to capture 140 - at a cost below that of the SNH efforts. The hedgehogs have been blamed for eating the eggs of important wading bird populations in the Western Isles.

Fury at Sauchiehall Street Facelift

Retailers in one of Glasgow's most popular shopping streets are furious that the City Council are ripping up the street yet again for another "facelift". Traders say that they have had someone digging up Sauchiehall Street every summer for the last five years. The current work, to instal additional street lighting, will take six weeks. A mult-million pound renovation scheme, which saw long stretches of the pedestrianised Sauchiehall Street being ripped up and new paving laid, was supposedly completed only 18 months ago. That exercise took many months to complete but the Council say that the funding was not available at that time to pay for the new lighting scheme.

Weather in Scotland in April

As we shiver this month in below average temperatures and frequent weather fronts bring pulses of rain across the country, it is nice to be reminded of the record-breaking weather we had in April. The Meteorological Office has published the statistics for that month and they show that temperatures reached a maximum of 26.9C (80.4F) in Lochcarron on 17 April. Overall, various parts of Scotland were from 1.5 to 4.0 degrees above average for the month, with the north-west faring best. In Stornoway, it was easily the warmest April since records began in 1874, thanks in part to over 200 hours of sunshine in the month. Sunshine was also well above average in most parts, and many areas had below average rainfall, again with the west seeing the least amount of rain.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Once again, it was Aberdeen which fared best for both sunshine and temperature this week with over 40 hours of sunshine from Sunday to Friday and the thermometer in the range 15/19C (59/66F). In the west, the frequent Atlantic weather fronts with cloudy skies and frequent showers kept the temperature in Glasgow down to 12/14C (54/57F) apart from Thursday when they rose to 17C (63F). Glasgow also had ½" of rain on Friday to add to the precipitation earlier in the week.

This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland were taken at Crarae Garden in Argyll. They show a branch of pink flowers of Magnolia "Caephays Surprise" and the translucent blue of a Mecanopsis, a member of the poppy family.

Fife Village Plans Link With Pacific Island

Twinning between towns and cities to increase cultural links and trade is a frequent ploy of local councils - and often means that local dignitaries have to fly to the twin town to cement the relationship. But there was some surprise when the little Fife village of Lower Largo announced that it was planning to twin with a remote Pacific island owned by Chile. The reason is not increased trade but the fictional hero Robinson Crusoe. Although there are other claimants, it is widely accepted that Daniel Defoe's book about the castaway was based on Alexander Selkirk, a 17th century explorer and native of Lower Largo who was marooned on Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernandez group of islands. The local council in the Pacific island, which is heavily dependent on tourism, has agreed to the twinning arrangement with the Fife village. Lower Largo community council plan to have an official ceremony next year, the 300th anniversary of Selkirk's landing on the island. The novel Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719. A statue portraying the castaway has been erected in Lower Largo in a niche on the side of a house built on the site of the cottage where Selkirk was born.

Flora MacDonald's Finer Things of Life

Excavations at the birthplace of Flora MacDonald, on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, have shown that while the poverty-stricken farmers lived in windowless "black" houses with earth floors and a hole in the ceiling to let out the smoke from the open fires, the Highlanders mimicked some aspects of English culture. The researchers have found fancy English and Chinese export pottery, which was used for ostentatious display in the latter part of the 18th century. The finds corroborate observations made by the writer Samuel Johnson who visited Flora MacDonald during a visit to Skye.

Positive Thinking Fails to Sell Castle

A millionaire motivational guru, who has been trying to sell his A-listed, 16th century Bardowie Castle near Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, has failed to find a buyer over the last year. The offer price was for more than £1.2 million. The power of positive thinking has failed to attract a buyer at that price and the selling agents have now cut the price to a snip at "offers over £950,000". The owner, Jack Black, decided to sell his home after he was refused permission to run a software company, owned by his wife, from within the castle walls. The building, overlooking Bardowie Loch, was once owned by relatives of Rob Roy MacGregor and was originally built in 1566, with additions made in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Lost Poetic Works Found in New Zealand

Rare original manuscripts, by James Hogg, the early 19th century poet from the Scottish Borders, have been uncovered at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand. The poet, who is also known as the Ettrick Shepherd, is regarded as being of similar stature to Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns. He was offered a knighthood in 1832 but turned it down. The manuscripts show the manner in which Hogg went about creating his "Jacobite Relics of Scotland", a song collection compiled by the poet. They show that Hogg collected more songs than appeared in final publication as he carefully selected which ones to include. The documents were uncovered by Dr Gillian Hughes of Stirling University while on a research project in New Zealand.

Fun Day at Pictavia

The battle cries of Picts and Northumbrian invaders were heard again at Dunnichen in Angus last weekend. But unlike the battle there in 685AD, there was no blood shed as this was a re-enactment staged by the Pictavia visitor centre in Brechin. Children enjoyed having their faces painted as Pictish warriors and learned how to draw the intricate Pictish knotwork. The Battle of Dunnichen took place on May 20 685AD. If the invading Anglians from Northumbria had not been defeated, it is argued that the Picts would have been overwhelmed - and Scotland might have never become a nation.

This Week in History

• May 25 1726 - First circulating library opened in Edinburgh.
• May 25 1713 - John Stuart, Earl of Bute, Britain's first Scottish Prime Minister, born.
• May 25 1967 - Celtic Football Club won European Cup.
• May 27 1936 - Maiden voyage of liner Queen Mary.
• May 28 1503 - Papal Bull signed by Pope Alexander VI confirming the marriage of King James IV and Margaret Tudor and the "Treaty of Everlasting Peace" between Scotland and England.
• May 28 1841 - Seven church ministers of the Presbytery of Strathbogie were removed from their posts by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for obeying civil rather than ecclesiastical law.
• May 29 1630 - King Charles II born.
• May 29 1660 - King Charles II returned to England. Royal Oak Day.
• May 29 1687 - Order of the Thistle founded by King James VII.
• May 30 1291 - Claimants to the Scottish throne met King Edward I of England at Norham on Tweed to resolve succession.
• May 30 1546 - David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, assassinated.
• May 30 1847 - Death of Thomas Chalmers, first Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland.
• May 31 1366 - King Robert II married Annabel Drummond.
• May 31 1727 - The Royal Bank of Scotland was formed from a company of debenture holders.
• May 31 1962 - Gaumont cinema in Edinburgh destroyed by fire.

Science Centre Wins Funding

This week Scotland received three out of nine "ReDiscover" grants allocated by the Millennium Commission, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation to assist in redeveloping science centres. The Glasgow Science Centre will receive £360,000 to fund a new climate change theatre which will show weather patterns from space and information about the state of the river Clyde as it flows past the facility. The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow received £225,000, for a new display about the scientist Lord Kelvin, and the Seabird Centre at North Berwick was allocated £120,000 for a satellite video link to the remote island of St Kilda which will allow pictures from the bird sanctuary there to be displayed at the centre.

Scottish Opera Under Fire

The latest production by Scottish Opera has been severely criticised in the press. The music critic of the Herald newspaper said that the director had not only subverted, but completely inverted Mozart's intentions in the "Magic Flute". Many readers have agreed, describing it as a "car crash" version of the popular opera and another saying it was like a "variety performance" and that a better pantomime can be seen each December at the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr.

South Australian Pipe Band Fights to Attend Tattoo

The Pipes and Drums of the Adelaide University Regiment were formed in 1950 and since that time have become something of an icon to South Australians. They take part in all the major parades and functions alongside the world renowned South Australia Police Band. They played at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1992, and received an invitation to perform there again this year. As an Army Reserve training unit they needed the permission of the Army to attend - and after a year's delay in coming to a decision, permission is being denied. But if the army does not relent, the members say they will raise the funds to go to Edinburgh themselves. The illustration shows the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle where the Military Tattoo is held.

Royal Variety Show for Edinburgh

The 75th annual Royal Variety Performance is to be held in Edinburgh's Festival Theatre in November. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be seated with the audience in the dress circle as the theatre does not have a royal box. The annual show, in aid of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, is screened to a worldwide audience. It normally takes place in London but a few years ago was staged in Birmingham.

Young Adam Makes a Splash at Cannes

A feature film, set largely in Glasgow and starring Ewan McGregor, has been acclaimed at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week. "Young Adam" received a standing ovation from a packed auditorium of film critics and a review in Screen Daily called the movie "powerful and disturbing" and said that McGregor's performance was "his most vivid and compact performance since Trainspotting". The industry "bible" Variety described it as "Rich and stylish...resonant and beautifully modulated". The film was the second feature film directed by David McKenzie.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Hearts 0 Rangers 2
Celtic 2 Porto 3 (UEFA Cup final)

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 24 May 2003

Dundee United 0 Aberdeen 2
Hibernian 2 Partick Thistle 3
Motherwell 6 Livingston 2
Hearts v Dundee, Kilmarnock v Celtic and Rangers v Dunfermline, the final league matches of the season, are all being played on Sunday

League Tables

The two goals scored by Rangers last Sunday were just enough to allow the Ibrox side to slip into the lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers and Celtic have the same number of points and goal difference. But Rangers had scored one goal more (and lost one more) than rivals Celtic. But all that will be academic on Sunday, when both teams play their final games - and (probably) decide the SPL Championship. Rangers v Dunfermline and Celtic v Kilmarnock are being televised simultaneously in Scotland. If Rangers and Celtic should end up with the same points, goal difference and goals scored, there will be a play-off game.

UEFA Cup Final

See the second story in the Current Affairs section of this Newsletter for this item.

Falkirk Win the League But Lose Promotion

The Scottish Premier League clubs met - at last - on Friday to decide whether First Division Champions Falkirk shouldn be promoted to the SPL (and Motherwell relegated). Falkirk have a new stadium being built which they claim will meet the SPL standards, but it will not be ready in time for the 2003 season. The club had proposed a ground-sharing arrangement in the interim with Airdrie United, but failed to get sufficient support from the present SPL clubs. The SPL say that other clubs, who have spent money to ensure their stadia reached the required standard, would have been furious if Falkirk had been promoted.

Aberdeen Consider New Stadium Sites

Controversial plans by Aberdeen FC to build a new stadium at Kingswells, which the club has been pursuing for some time, despite objections from fans, now seem to be on the back burner as new locations are being considered by the club. There is media speculation that the top of the club's list is a site which is only 500 metres from the existing ground. A plot of land owned by the city council, containing the old Linksfield Academy is now emerging - especially as this may mean that local authority funding might be available if the club can develop a joint sports centre and stadium with the council.

9,243 Women Run 10k

Although slightly below the pre-race estimates, Britain's biggest-ever women-only 10 kilometre run still produced 9,243 "winners" who completed the course in Glasgow, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charities. The winner, for the fourth successive year, was Lornah Kiplagat from Kenya. Kenyans and Russians, including finalists at the last European and Olympic Games, filled the first eight places.

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

The second stage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is being held at Fort William from 31 May to 1 June on Scotland's first World Cup Mountain Bike Cross Country track, 'The Witch's Trail' which was officially opened only a few weeks ago by the British Mountain Bike Cross Country Team at Nevis Range ski area. The world's elite riders will race the track in the World Cup, the most exciting and extreme competition in the mountain biking calendar. Last year's UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Fort William featured the first ever Downhill and 4-Cross World Cup competitions in the UK, bringing high-speed, spectacular mountain biking to the slopes of the Nevis Range ski area. On 31 May and 1 June 2003 they will be joined by the Olympic discipline of Cross Country, the lung-busting 2.5hr endurance event that will take place on 'The Witch's Trail'. Up to 500 of the world's top riders from more than 25 nations are taking part. Over 10,000 spectators from all over the UK and further afield are expected to witness the exciting, adrenaline fuelled competition as it unfolds below the spectacular backdrop of Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain.

Ayr Racecourse Sold

A consortium of Ayrshire businessmen has bought the Ayr Racecourse which was put up for sale in February. The consortium paid £9.3 million and has promised to invest in new facilities at the course. They will continue to host the Scottish Grand National and Gold Cup and plan to create a new restaurant and other hospitality facilities as part of a three-year programme. The consortium beat off bids from 40 other groups who were keen to take over Scotland's only Grade One horse racing course. Meanwhile, over on the east coast, Musselburgh Racecourse has reported a leap in profits of over 100% in the last year. The course is a limited subsidiary company of East Lothian Council and a £5 million, seven-year investment plan has been formulated which will add a nine-hole golf course and a lengthened racetrack.

Claymores Snuff Out Rhein Fire

In torrential rain, which resulted in a number of handling mistakes, the Scottish Claymores kept their World Bowl aspirations just alive by decisively beating Rhein Fire by 33-0. This was the first time in their history that the German-based team had not scored in a game in the European NFL competition. The Claymores, with three wins out of seven games, have to win all their remaining games to win a place at the World Bowl.