UK's Christmas Stamps - From Dumfries

The special issue of Christmas stamps which went on sale this week from the Royal Mail were designed by artist Andy Goldsworthy, who has captured his impressions of winter in the hills of Dumfriesshire where he has lived for the past 20 years. Goldsworthy has gained an international reputation for his popular work with sales of hundreds of thousands of books containing his illustrations of nature. His documentary film on beaches and river beds won the prestigious Golden Gate Prize in this year's Golden Gate Grand Prize at this year's San Francisco international film festival. It is one of the few films backed by Scottish Screen to actually make a profit! And this year Goldsworthy was commissioned to design a memorial garden for the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. But he is nevertheless not highly regarded by art critics and he is not well known to the general public, particularly in Scotland. So he is wryly amused that 480 million of his stamps, representing a spiral of ice curling round a tree or a star made of icicles at Scaur Water in Nithsdale, will wing their way around the UK and around the world.

First Minister Leading the Way in Europe

Jack McConnell, the Scottish First Minister, has taken over the presidency of the organisation which represents the network of devolved nations and regions within the European Union which have legislative powers. He says that the group "must continue to champion the regional role in shaping and applying EU law, particularly in areas such as the environment and justice. Decisions that are made in the right place are much more likely to be the right decisions. And just as Scotland is stronger and richer within a devolved UK, then we will all be stronger and richer within a European Union that recognises the role of devolved nations and regions." He was speaking at a conference in Salzburg at the annual meeting of "RegLeg," the network of the European Union's regions with legislative powers. Scotland will hold the Presidency of the group for one year, culminating in a conference in Edinburgh in 2004.

Blind Fury Over Concrete Views

They are supposed to be sorting out Scotland's problems but the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) can still find time to squabble over who gets what room in the new parliament building being created for them (at a current estimated cost of £401 million). Although the main elements of all their rooms will be identical, some of them have only a narrow window seat (the architect thought of them as monks cells - in which the MSPs could contemplate and find inspiration). There has already been discussion about whether those with broader seating requirements should get the wider benches. Now there is concern being expressed about the fact that some of the rooms on the ground floor will now face a concrete blast wall - a feature added after 9/11. However, the concrete is going to have attractive patterns and there will be a garden between the wall and the offices. But even those with open outlooks will only get a view of nearby buildings, as the side of the building which faces onto Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park has no windows. Maybe the late Enrico Miralles, the main architect, thought that this magnificent view would be too distracting for hard working MSPs?

Positive Signs on Scottish Economy

The latest survey of purchasing managers published by the Royal Bank of Scotland shows that private sector economic growth is "accelerating to its sharpest since June 2000, with the improvement supported by impressive gains in both the services and manufacturing sectors." The index of new business is up by 5% compared to August and the bank's chief economist claims that 2004 will see a solid year of growth. He says that optimism in the Scottish business community is on an upward path and the economic situation is getting stronger by the day. The improvement is thought to be due to an upturn in the recovery of the world economy which is leading to an inflow of orders. Within the UK, Scotland has a greater involvement in exporting goods and services and benefits from improvements in world trade.

Call for Second Clyde Tunnel

When the tunnel under the river Clyde between Whiteinch and Linthouse opened in 1964, it was expected to carry 9,000 vehicles a day, relieving pressure on the bridges in the centre of Glasgow. Since then, the volume of traffic in the twin tunnels has grown to over 60,000 vehicles a day. The iron-clad tunnels , just over 29 feet in diameter, are constantly under repair, which can often mean traffic reduced to a single lane in each direction (as seen in the illustration). With no sign of the increase in traffic volumes slowing down, there are now calls for consideration to be given to another set of tunnels to avoid eventual gridlock. The major Glasgow Harbour project further up river is likely to generate even more traffic on the already overloaded infrastructure.

Presidential Medal for Freedom for George Robertson

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, the outgoing secretary general of NATO, is believed to be the first Scot to receive the US Presidential Medal for Freedom. He attended the ceremony at the White House in Washington this week and received the honour from President George Bush in appreciation of his work, particularly in backing intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 11 September, he became the first secretary general to trigger the mutual defence article in the NATO constitution, announcing that the attack on the US was an attack on all NATO countries. No doubt the President will not refer to his younger days as George Robertson, when he spent some of his time protesting at the presence of US nuclear submarines in Scotland.

Alex Salmond Returning to Scottish Parliament?

The former leader of the Scottish National Party has announced that he intends to try to return to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh after serving as a Member of Parliament in London. Alex Salmond, says that he went to Westminster to lead his newly-elected colleagues there, but the Scottish Parliament is his "political home." He was careful to take nothing for granted, however, and will seek re-election as a Member of the UK Parliament in the contest expected to be around 2005. He will then "put his name forward" as a list candidate for the Scottish parliamentary elections in 2007.

Influenza Outbreak Hits Scotland

Hospitals in Scotland are beginning to struggle to cope with the outbreak of the new Fujian strain of the influenza virus. The worst affected areas are in the Borders and Dumfries where rates of absence in secondary schools are running at 20%. Hospitals have begun to cancel elective surgery due to a shortage of beds. Older people in the area are not so badly affected as many of them may be getting some protection from vaccination - even though this year's flu jabs did not include the specific Fujian strain.

New Hospital Runs Out of Cots

The £180 million flagship Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (ERI) has had to send expectant mothers 75 miles to Dundee because it did not have enough cots for the number of babies being born at the new facility. The state-of-the-art hospital earned praise from the Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whose son was born there a few weeks ago. But some mothers are not so pleased. The hospital management were unperturbed about the anxiety caused to mothers-to-be and their families, saying that such movement of patients happens from time to time - with women from outside of the hospital's catchment area sometimes coming to the ERI.

Whisky Wars Reach House of Parliament

The move by drinks giant Diageo to transform their Cardhu brand single malt into a "pure" malt, using a mixture of five Speyside distilleries, was raised in the House of Commons this week. Prime Minister Tony Blair was asked if he was aware of the "risk of undermining the standing of the malt whisky industry" by the change. He replied that "I am not an expert on how whisky is designated as opposed to drunk." The Prime Minister also commented that he was not sure if it was a matter for government, adding "At least I sincerely hope that it's not a matter for government." Diageo have defend their decision saying that rival distilleries should welcome the innovation instead of sniping at it and claiming that it will have a detrimental impact on the industry. The company is introducing its "pure malt" in Spain, France, Portugal and Greece after a runaway success with the brand. Other single malts such as Lagavulin and Dalwhinnie have also reached the ceiling of supply, but the company says that they have no plans to go down the same road as Cardhu.

Gleneagles for G8 Summit?

It is looking increasingly likely that Gleneagles could be the venue for the G8 global economic summit in 2005. But that event attracts thousands of anti-capitalist protestors and it has already been estimated that policing such an event at Gleneagles would require 9,000 police officers - nearly two-thirds of the entire Scottish police force. 25,000 police and military personnel were involved by the French and Swiss authorities at the meeting at Evian last June. While there are perhaps not so many banks and MacDonald fast food outlets to be vandalised in the Perthshire countryside, gleeful anti-capitalist activists were predicting that "not much of the golf course would be left" after they had finished with them. No final decision has been taken by the UK Prime Minister who is to host the event - but he will know that having a golf course nearby is likely to be an attraction to President Bush - if the protestors can be kept at bay.

UK Supreme Court Plans Illegal?

Plans by the UK government to create a supreme court to replace the House of Lords were branded "illegal" by the powerful Faculty of Advocates, representing 465 of Scotland's most experienced lawyers. They have declared that the new, final court of appeal is unconstitutional as it would breach the 1707 Act of Union. Although the Act of Union has been broken on quite a number of issues, it still protects the independence of the Scottish judicial system and states clearly that no Scottish case can be heard in an English court. The Faculty of Advocates warns that the constitutional significance cannot be overstated. They claim that any attempt to create a supreme court would be contrary to the constitution and any action affecting Scotland would be unlawful. Cases heard in the House of Lords are currently decided by Scottish legal law lords.

Clydesdale Bank Starved of Investment

The Chief Executive of National Australia Bank Europe has admitted that they have failed to invest in their Clydesdale Bank subsidiary or give it enough support generally. The comments from John Stewart came as NAB Europe, (which comprises Clydesdale, Yorkshire Bank and National Irish Bank) reported that underlying pre-tax profits in the year to 30 September rose by just 0.4%. The European results are not broken down by bank but analysts suggest that Clydesdale profits have declined again, despite staff numbers being reduced by another 148 to 2,881. But NAB Europe claims that support for the subsidiaries is coming through now. Clydesdale Bank's remaining customer base will be glad to hear it.

Perth Gambles on Cut-Price Car Parking

Edinburgh may be moving towards implementing charging for vehicles entering the capital, but Perth and Kinross Council is heading in the opposite direction. Councilors have pushed through revised car parking charges in Perth which will see costs cut by 50% in time for the Christmas shopping rush. The council believes that it will recoup the loss on parking charges by attracting more visitors to the city. Commuters will also be encouraged to move from parking in the centre of Perth all day to the South Inch instead.The centre of Perth normally has 120,000 visitors a week but that rises to 200,000 in the period before Christmas.

Scottish Memorials to the Queen Mother

A campaign was launched this week to raise a £1 million to create two memorials to celebrate the life of the late Queen Mother. One would be located in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and the other at Glamis Castle, where she spent much of her childhood. It is thought that it would be fitting to create a rose garden in view of the Queen Mother's great interest in horticulture. Although she was born in the south of England, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne and her wealthy aristocratic family claimed a direct descent from Robert the Bruce. The family's ancestral seat was (and is) Glamis Castle in Angus. The Queen Mother was always adamant that she was first and foremost a Scot.

Nothing to Grouse About

Despite dire predictions that it was the bird most likely to become extinct, it looks as though the decline of the Highland capercaillie, a large woodland form of grouse, has been arrested. There have been large numbers of conservation initiatives and predator control measures with the cooperation of around 30 landowners, all aiming to help the survival of this impressive bird. The capercaillie is the largest wood grouse in the world, with males weighing about 4kg (nearly 9 pounds). A census by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is now underway to establish precise numbers but biologists and field researchers are confident that the results will show an improvement in the situation. The last study, in 1998, revealed a 51% decline in the capercaillie population and it was this which triggered the conservation efforts. The species died out in the 1750s but was reintroduced in the 1830s. In the 1970s there were as many as 20,000 capercaillies, but in 1998 only 1,073 birds were recorded. An RSPB spokesman said "We are not out of the woods yet, but we are certainly optimistic."

Property Prices Rise in Paradise

House prices in the remote village of Plockton in Wester Ross have been rocketing so fast in recent years that locals can no longer afford to buy a home there. Station House in the village, with three bedrooms and views across Loch Carron, was recently sold for £310,000 - which was £115,000 more than the advertised asking price. The former station master who bought the house and sold it eight years ago for £85,000 is understandably astonished. Plockton, which was the location many years ago for the TV series "Hamish Macbeth" (which set actor Robert Carlyle on his meteoric rise to fame), has a lot of charm and character, but it is remote. Many of the new residents only use Plockton as a holiday home, though one new arrival commutes to work by helicopter. Of the 150 houses in the village, 51 are holiday homes and the primary school roll has dropped from 80 to 40 in the last ten years. Designated an Outstanding Conservation Area and perched on the coast, the possibility of more houses being built appears to be slim. Grazing rights owned by local crofters also means that not a blade of grass can be developed without their agreement.
The illustration of Plockton and Loch Carron is courtesy of Vivien Devlin.

Laughing at Scottish Rugby Exit

The Scottish rugby team's progress in the Rugby World Cup may have ended with tears, after the defeat by Australia last Saturday. But at least the Scottish team flew out of Australia on Sunday with a smile. Shortly before the aircraft taking the team back to Scotland took off, the pilot offered commiserations on their World Cup exit. He should have stopped there, but instead he went on to wish England all the best in their semi-final against France. The response was a spontaneous whistling of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, from the Scots.

Flood of Interest at Ocean Terminal

Edinburgh's flagship waterfront shopping complex in Leith was attracting only 80,000 shoppers a week at the start of 2003. But after the arrival of a string of new tenants to fill many of the empty units, numbers have risen to 130,000 a week. The centre's management are now predicting that they will become the capital's busiest shopping centre next year. The staging of the MTV Europe awards on Ocean Terminal's doorstep also boosted attention on the complex. The £120 million shopping centre opened in a blaze of publicity in October 2001, amid fears that it would be a white elephant as only 50% of the units were occupied. It is now 80% full. The Gyle shopping centre, which opened ten years ago on the periphery of Edinburgh, now has 200,000 shoppers a week and Fort Kinnaird at Newcraighall has 230,000 visitors a week.

It's Not Rocket Science

The final stages of a contest being organised by the Ministry of Defence, between two competing suppliers of surface-to-air missiles, may have to be cancelled - because the date clashes with the mating season of the local sheep. The Ministry of Defence had not realised that there are flocks of sheep near the test-firing range on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. The final evaluation of the effectiveness of the products of the two companies bidding for the multi-million pound contract to supply the next generation of surface-to-air missiles, were scheduled to be run in November 2005. But local crofters say that firing the missiles would disturb the rams during their breeding season. If an alternative date cannot be found, the tests will have to be called off.

Balmoral Has First Woman Chief

Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel has appointed the first female general manager in its 101-year history. Debbie Taylor is currently in charge of the St David's hotel and spa in Cardiff, which is also owned by the Balmoral's parent company, Rocco Forte Hotels. The Balmoral (then known as the North British Hotel) opened on October 15, 1902. The building was opposed by city heritage groups at the time who said that it was too large for its location. The clock on the top of the building is traditionally kept two minutes fast to ensure that tardy travellers hurry up and catch their train at the adjacent Waverley Station.

European Union Accepts Kilts Not "Womenswear"

One of the more irritating aspects of the European Union is its vast array of rules and regulations and form filling. The bureaucrats in Brussels are forever trying to control and measure everything, so there was a swagger in some kilts this week when Scottish firms won a battle with the Eurostat organisation. The Brussels-based statisticians climbed down and accepted that they would have to amend a form to allow kilts to be classified as menswear. The EU mandarins had told manufacturers of Scotland's national dress that kilts should be counted as "womenswear" on one of their returns. Kiltmakers were warned that they could face a hefty fine if they did not fill in the forms "correctly". But after the Scottish Executive intervened, the forms are to be amended to allow the kilt to be classified as menswear.

Royal Mail Licked by Remote Island

The island of Sanda, off the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre in Argyll, is celebrating a David and Goliath victory over the Royal Mail. The owners of the island - which measures just over a mile at its widest point - have managed to persuade the Royal Mail to reinstate a postal service. The charter under which the postal service operates, requires the organisation to deliver mail to Great Britain and its islands, which often involves a boat being paid for to get the mail to its destination. The Royal Mail had claimed that the island was uninhabited - despite the owners living on the island and opening what must be one of Britain's most inaccessible bars. This has become quite popular with local yachtsmen and a cruise ship, the Hebridean Princess is scheduled to call there regularly next summer. Sanda may well start issuing its own postage stamps again - the last issue commemorated the first moon landing and has become a collectors' item.

Weather in Scotland This Week

While assuring consumers that current supplies are "adequate", Scottish Water are growing increasingly concerned about the lack of rainfall which is affecting the level of reservoirs in some parts of the country. The west of Scotland had only a third of its normal rainfall in October, a time of year when reservoirs are expected to start refilling after the summer. This has been one of the driest spells of weather in Scotland for 75 years. Temperatures for most of this week hovered around 11/12C (52/54F) and once again there was little rain. The exception was a heavy downpour of over half an inch of rain on Friday in Glasgow as the west of Scotland was hit by strong winds and a low pressure weather front.

At this time of year there are not many plants coming into bloom in Scotland but Viburnum is a delightful exception. There are quite a lot of blooms on these shrubs this year. The picture above is of a Viburnum Bodnantense was taken earlier this month in Greenbank Garden in East Renfrewshire.

Dalai Lama Pilgrimage to Dunfermline

The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, is to visit Dunfermline Abbey next year, to gain an insight into one of Scotland's important religious and historical sites. He is reported to be keen to see ancient places of pilgrimages and he will tour the ruins in Fife which are closely associated with St Margaret (wife of King Malcolm III) and contain the graves of some of Scotland's early kings - Robert the Bruce is buried in the Abbey. St Margaret introduced the English language into the court in place of the Gaelic spoken by her husband. She set the agenda for the church in Scotland and, as a result, the Roman church made inroads into the Celtic Church in the north of the country. She is buried in Dunfermline Abbey and was canonised by the Pope in 1251.

Male Bastion Breached After 400 Years

The 14 original craft incorporations which make up the Trades House of Glasgow originally created the organisation in 1605 to protect and develop the various trades which operated in the city such as hammermen (metalworkers), tailors, cordiners (leather goods), maltmen, weavers, bakers etc. Of course, in those days, the weavers, brewers, ship builders and other employers were all male and the Trades House did not have any female participants. As the crafts represented by the organisation declined, it turned to more general charitable work and becoming a member was more a symbol of high standing in the community rather than being an expert in the trade - brain surgeons are now likely to be members of the Incorporation of Barbers! But some of the traditions die hard and it has taken nearly 400 years for the Trades House to offer membership to a woman. But this week two ladies accepted the symbolic weaving shuttles which signified their membership of the weaving trade. Now that the Trades House has moved into the 21st century, the Princess Royal has agreed to become an honorary member. She will become a member of the Incorporation of Hammermen.

Concern Over Clock Tower

Campaigners have voiced concern about the future of a Glasgow landmark - the 120-year-old clock tower of what used to be the Blind Asylum in Castle Street. The Gothic building, the only one in the city with six clock faces, is crumbling and neglected. The building used to be part of the Royal Infirmary but now stands on its own, with a motorway on one side and Castle Street on the other, not far from Glasgow Cathedral. North Glasgow NHS Trust, which currently owns the building, says that they are in negotiations to sell the building and expect to conclude a deal in March 2004. They are tight-lipped about the possible future owner.

This Week in History

• November 16 1891 - Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened in the East End Exhibition Buildings, Duke Street, Glasgow.
• November 17 1292 - John Balliol acceded to Scottish throne.
• November 17 1855 - David Livingstone reached Victoria Falls in Africa.
• November 17 1858 - Robert Owen, Welsh-Scottish industrialist and social reformer, founder of New Lanark community, died.
• November 19 1600 - King Charles I born.
• November 19 1960 - "National Service" which required all fit young men to train in the armed forces, was brought to an end.
• November 21 1218 - A Bull of Pope Honorius III affirmed the independence of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
• November 21 1673 - King James VII married Mary of Modena.
• November 21 1835 - Poet James Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, died in Ettrick.
• November 21 1918 - German battle fleet surrendered to the allies at Scapa Flow in Orkney.
• November 22 1942 - Actor Tom Conti born.
• November 22 2001 - Jack McConnell elected First Minister of Scotland, succeeding Henry McLeish who had resigned.

Edinburgh's New Year Celebrations

One of the most exciting events at this year's Hogmanay in Edinburgh is the biggest ever rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne', a song by Robert Burns that is traditionally sung by Scots (and many others) at midnight on 31 December to welcome in the New Year. At three minutes past midnight, following the Seven Hills Fireworks display, all 100,000 revellers at the Royal Bank Street Party and The Concert in The Gardens will be encouraged to join hands and cross arms in the traditional way and sing the song together. BBC Network and other international television stations will be broadcasting this live, helping make this ritual a world event and a key feature of the festival programme for many years to come. The other elements of the main events in the programme will now have a strong cultural connection with another country - one that already has an affinity with Scotland. This year, Edinburgh will be joining hands with India, with singers, dancers and street theatre companies, Indo-Celtic drummers and even Indian Head Masseurs in Holyrood Park! The "Night Afore International," will see George Street in the city's New Town transformed into a massive Indian themed party. Bollywood meets Holyrood in a spectacular of music, dance and street theatre from India, Scotland, England, Spain and France.

Shetland Chiller

A psychological thriller, being released this week, was filmed on Shetland, the first mainstream movie to be made there in 70 years. "Devil's Gate" - a Gothic story of dark, family intrigue - needed a suitably bleak, remote location and the edge of the main island of Shetland with its sea inlets was found to be ideal for capturing a feeling of remoteness and isolation. The film stars Scottish actress Laura Fraser, who has already appeared in Hollywood films such as "A Knight's tale" and "Vanilla Sky." The film was originally going to be made in Australia and the producers had to turn down a grant from the Australian lottery when they decided to film it in Shetland. An application for funding was turned down by Scottish Screen - which described Shetland as "one of the most inhospitable parts of the UK". Scottish Screen later explained that this was a reference to weather and logistics and not the local people! Despite it's reputation, the crew of Devil's gate turned up on Shetland with wind, rain and snow machines - much to the amusement of the islanders!

Degas Following Monet

Following the record-breaking exhibition of a selection of the works of the Impressionist painter Monet, at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Academy is mounting a display of the artist Edgar Degas next month. There are hopes that "Degas and the Italians in Paris" could be even more popular than Monet, which attracted nearly 160,000 visitors. The last time the gallery mounted a Degas exhibition was in 1979 and that was one of their best attended on record. The new exhibition includes about 90 works. Degas' father's family was part Italian and the exhibition will concentrate on this aspect of his life and work. Works of other Italian artists and sculptors are also included in the display in the newly refurbished gallery.

Disney Deal for Jimmy Boyle

Sculptor and author Jimmy Boyle has sold the rights to his latest, unpublished novel to American movie giant Disney in a deal worth £2.1 million. Boyle, who first developed his artistic skills while in a special unit in Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow, no longer lives in Scotland and splits his time between France and Morocco. He has bought a palatial villa in Marrakesh, Morocco, and plans to move there permanently in January. He says that he will use his multi-million pound paycheck to help illiterate youngsters in a remote area of Morocco to read and write. His latest novel targets the world of art, exposing it as elitist and pretentious.

250,000 Pantomime Fans

Seats for this year's pantomimes over the Christmas and New Year season in Glasgow are being snapped up by followers of the classic format of a children's story, music, humour, a principal boy (always played by a girl) and a Panto dame (played by a man). The King's Theatre has already sold 65,000 tickets for "Sleeping Beauty" starring Elaine C Smith and Gerard Kelly. The Pavilion is selling tickets like hot cakes for "Pinocchio" - 50,000 tickets have been sold, 50% up on this time last year. The Citizens Theatre is hoping for another sell-out of its performances of "Cinderella." Although pantomimes are being staged across Scotland, Glasgow has always had a love affair with them - in the 1940s, the Princess Theatre in the city used to run its panto until July.

Sunday and Midweek Football Results

Aberdeen 0 Hearts 1
Kilmarnock 2 Rangers 3
Falkirk 3 Raith Rovers 2
Clyde 2 St Mirren 0
Inverness 3 Ross county 3

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results

As a result of Scotland playing in the Euro 2004 qualifying match on Saturday, there were no Premier League games this weekend.

Scottish First Division Results

Queen of the South v Ayr and Brechin v St Johnstone will be played on Sunday.

BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 Results - 15 November 2003

Ayr 22 Melrose 18
Boroughmuir 53 Aberdeen 18
Currie 14 Watsonians 32
Glasgow Hawks 56 Heriot's 13
Peebles 16 Stirling County 42

League Tables

Rangers' narrow defeat of Kilmarnock last Sunday put them back to 5 points behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premier League. Hearts are 6 points behind Rangers and Motherwell a further 5 points behind Hearts. At the foot of the SPL, Partick have only 2 points, Aberdeen have 7, with Dundee United three points ahead of them.
Falkirk have moved into the top of the First Division, though that may be temporary as Queen of the South are one point behind with Sunday's game still to play. St Johnstone, in third place, also have a game in hand.
In the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1, Glasgow Hawks remain out in front with 46 points, followed by Boroughmuir (42 points) and Aberdeen (41 points).

Scotland Improve Chances of Euro 2004 Qualification

Only extreme optimists expected Scotland to have a chance of going through in the play-offs against Holland to qualify for the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal. Fortunately, the players and manager were optimists and Scotland defeated Holland 1-0 at Hampden on Saturday, much to the delight of the capacity crowd at Hampden Park in Glasgow. A beautifully constructed goal after 20 minutes, which was taken by James McFadden, has given the team a chance of going through. Scotland had to fight valiantly to defend their slender lead in the second half, with goal-line clearances and shots from the frustrated Dutch crashing off the woodwork. Holland have a number of big names in their team but the fact that, like Scotland, they are in the playoffs, is put down to their inability to always work as a team. The second leg of the play-off takes place in Holland next Wednesday. There are likely to be more Scottish optimists that day than in the run-up to today's match.

Scotland Third-Rate in World Cup

Even if Scotland manage to qualify for Euro 2004, their performance in international football in recent years, particularly failure to qualify for the World Cup since 1998, has resulted in them dropping to the third group of seeds in the UEFA rankings. So when the draw for the next World Cup takes place in a few weeks time, Scotland will be in a group where two other teams are predicted to qualify. This will make it even more difficult for Scotland - the kind of situation in which Wales has toiled for decades.

Larsson Nominated for European Player of the Year

Celtic's leading goal scorer, Henrik Larsson, is the only Scottish-based player included in the list of 50 footballers nominated for the title of European Player of the Year. He was also on the short list in 2001, the year he won the Golden Boot as the top league scorer in Europe.

World Class Golf Course Plan Approved

Developers have been given approval to transform a derelict mine in West Lothian into two world class golf courses. The aim is to create facilities which could see the Ryder Cup being staged there. The courses are part of a masterplan to transform the former Polkemmet colliery near Whitburn, mid-way between Edinburgh and Glasgow and not far from the motorway linking Scotland's two largest cities. Edinburgh airport is only 15 minutes away. The local council has given outline planning permission for the development for what could be the UK's largest land reclamation project. It will also include a business park and storage and distribution facilities.

Aberdeen Football Club "Advertised for Sale"

A jokester posted an advert for Aberdeen Football Club on the Internet auction site ebay this week - with a starting bid of £1. Poking fun at the chairman and his cost-cutting measures, the advert goes on to claim that the sale includes a toaster (removed three years ago by the club from the players' lounge to save money). Club representatives said they saw the funny side of the auction and that the chairman had always said that he would sell the club "at the right price." But the highest bid at first was a measly £686 - not much for a club which won the European Cup Winners' Cup (in 1983). Later in the week the "auction" bids rose to £10 million. But as ebay take a 5-10% cut of every sale, the Aberdeen fan who had placed the advert hurriedly withdrew the "sale".

Manager in Hot Water Over Female Referee

Football club managers are renowned for their dim view of referees - especially when they make decisions which are against their team. But Peter Hetherington, the Third Division Albion Rovers coach has got himself into deep hot water after his team were defeated 1-0 by Montrose. During the match a number of decisions by the female assistant referee on the touchline went against his team. After the game, Hetherington launched into an attack and is quoted as saying "She should be at home making the tea or the dinner for her man, who comes in after he has been to the football. This is a professional man's game. I believe she shouldn't be here..." The assistant referee involved has laughed it off but the Scottish Football Association is looking into the matter. They say that such attacks do nobody any good and that the female assistant referee is there on merit.