New Parliament Building Costs Set to Rise Again

Officially, the estimated cost of creating the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh has remained static for the last five months - the price remains at £401.1 million. But the project managers have warned that it is almost certain to rise next month as efforts are made to complete the building "this summer". Contingency funds are being used up and delays have meant even more overtime for construction workers to keep the project on schedule. The Fraser enquiry into why the project ran out of control as costs spiraled and the timetable slipped, will resume shortly.
The picture here shows a sculpture in front of the Dynamic Earth visitor centre with the new parliament building emerging from the scaffolding behind.

34 Glasgow Schools to Close

The final blueprint for a shake-up of primary and nursery schools in Glasgow has been approved by the City Council. It will mean the closure of 22 primary schools, 10 nurseries and two special needs schools, affecting over 4,000 pupils. Nine new primary schools will be built and the project will cost £50 million. 30 years ago, Glasgow had 220,000 primary school pupils and 212 schools for them. With falling birth rates and an exodus to peripheral areas beyond the city boundary, there are now only 41,000 pupils in 197 primary schools. One school in Castlemilk has a total roll of just 55 and next year there will be no new pupils in primary one.

Scottish School Exams Set in England?

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which represents local government across Scotland, has warned that pupils could face sitting exams set and marked in England as the costs of exams in Scotland set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority increase dramatically. Charges will grow by 35% over the next two years as the government subsidy for SQA is reduced. The SQA had to make major improvements to its systems two years ago after a disastrous performance with late results and thousands of results being overturned on appeal. The SQA has been told that it must become self-financing and further major increases may be likely. If so, they will become more expensive than in England and Wales and the local authorities say they will not be "blackmailed" by SQA.

Let There Be Lights

Following complaints from traders in Edinburgh's Royal Mile, which runs from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the City Council is looking at plans to create a spectacular display of festive lights on the historic thoroughfare as part of this year's winter festival. Consideration is being given to lighting up flagship buildings as well as having a Christmas decoration scheme. Main shopping areas such as Princes Street and George Street (pictured here) in the centre of Edinburgh have had festive lights for many years but the Old Town of Edinburgh, which has mainly small traders rather than large multiples, has been described as a festive "blackout" area in the past. Lights for Princes Street cost £300,000 and the bill to decorate the Royal Mile could be even higher.

New Budget Airline

A new low-cost airline is planning to fly from Scotland to 20 destinations across the UK, starting in July. Hop is headed by Tony Camacho, the former chief executive of budget airline Buzz (now part of Ryanair). The company claims that transport links from Scotland are "rubbish" and they are looking at using air terminals at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen and possibly even Dundee, one of Scotland's least used airports. The airline is going to avoid routes to London (where competition is already fierce) and is looking at destinations in other parts of England and Wales. These days, budget airlines now not only offer faster travel than by rail but also much lower fares.

£1 for Romantic Flights

Leap year is traditionally the time when women can propose marriage to men, particularly on 29 February. To celebrate that date this year, Icelandair are offering the first 29 couples to make a booking at 11am on Wednesday, February 4 on the airline's website, return tickets for £1 (plus taxes) to fly from Glasgow to Reykjavik, capital of Iceland.

Transport Guru Calls for Road Tolls

Professor David Begg used to be responsible for transport policy in Edinburgh - which probably has the biggest transport problems in Scotland. Now he is the chairman of a UK government commission for integrated transport. This week, he suggested that the M8, the main road link between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland's two largest cities, should be widened from the present two lanes to three. But he says drivers should be charged for using it, despite them already paying the highest road taxes and petrol prices (due to government tax) in Europe. He says that another free lane would be clogged in five or six years' time and tolls would be the only way to sustain an improvement in journey times. But while the link would undoubtedly get busier, a third lane would still help to reduce journey times at all non-peak times. With currently only two lanes, overtaking trucks and slower vehicles can cause tail-backs, which would be alleviated with a third lane.

Farm Incomes at Seven-year High

After a number of bleak years, Scotland's farmers are having their best trading year since 1996. Recovery from rock-bottom prices, good weather, high yields and a favourable exchange rate (subsidies are calculated in Euros which have been rising in value) have all conspired to produce the improved results. Even so, income from farming is forecast to be only an average of £17,000 this year, up from £7,328 the year before. That does not include non-farming activities such as tourism and diversification.

End of an Era as Rikki Fulton Dies

Comedian and actor Rikki Fulton died this week aged 79 after a number of years battling with Alzheimer's disease. He may be best remembered for his double act on stage with the late Jack Milroy but his popular and long-running TV series "Scotch and Wry" produced another famous character, the lugubrious Rev I M Jolly. This became a much-loved part of Hogmanay TV for many years. After war-time service, Rikki Fulton became an actor and writer both for the theatre and TV. As an actor, Rikki appeared not only in the theatre but also in films such as Local Hero and Gorky Park. Comedian Tony Roper, who co-operated with Rikki Fulton in producing two books based on the Rev I M Jolly character, said: "He was one of those comic actors who actually didn't need a funny joke. What he did was he created the comedy before your eyes." Veteran comedian Johnny Beattie said the death was a "sad loss" and that "He was a comic genius. Hogmanay TV has never been the same." In 1993, Rikki received a lifetime achievement award from Bafta Scotland.

Highland Cathedral for Rugby International

The Scottish Rugby Union plans to try out the new words to the tune "Highland Cathedral" as a national anthem at the Scotland v France international at Murrayfield in March. It was the SRU which started to use "Flower of Scotland" as an anthem many years ago. It is now considered by many to be a melancholy dirge with inappropriate words. Various attempts have been made to come up with an alternative. The tune to "Highland Cathedral" was written by two German musicians in 1982 and has become increasingly popular. But the SRU plan to play it alongside "Flower of Scotland" with the words for both songs in the match programme and then gauge the feedback.

Burns Festival Moves Date

Peter Irvine, the organiser of the Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh which had to be cancelled because of bad weather, has decided that the "Burns An' A' That" festival which he organises in Ayrshire will be held this year from May 29 to June 6. That's three weeks later than in previous years and he is making the change to get a chance of better weather - though the vagaries of the Scottish weather make any predictions uncertain that the move will have a beneficial effect. During this year's festival Scottish Opera will be performing in the open-air for the first time since their concert in 1999 marking the opening of the Scottish Parliament. The Burns festival will feature over 100 events throughout Ayrshire - a full programme will be published in April. Last year it attracted audiences totalling 50,000 and featured performances by Deacon Blue and Lloyd Cole. The aim of the festival is to make Burns' poetry appeal to a contemporary audience.

Rock Dust Pays Off

For a number of years, a Perthshire couple have been pioneering the use of rock dust to remineralise the soil and grow massive carrots, parsnips and other vegetables. After years of scepticism, they have now won financial backing of nearly £100,000 from the Scottish Executive to support the first UK field trials of rock dust added to soil. Cameron and Moira Thomson have struggled to convince the authorities that the spectacular results on their organic smallholding are due to a sprinkling of crushed rock. They claim that it replaces minerals which have been removed by intensive farming. Over the years, scientists from around the world have visited the six acres near Pitlochry to learn about the experimental research. Now the Scottish Executive are catching them up.

Clan Chief Recognised After 18-year Battle

Three judges have ruled that Ranald MacDonald, a 73-year-old acupuncturist from Edinburgh, has established his pedigree as the heir to the title of Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDonald of Keppoch, a title which has lain dormant for 156 years. Mr MacDonald first raised a petition seeking recognition in 1986 but it was rejected by the Lord Lyon who deals with all mattes of heraldry and the right to bear a coat of arms in Scotland. But the case was taken to the Court of Session who have eventually granted the name of the chief of the MacDonalds of Keppoch "on present information". The 21st holder of the title died in 1848 and Mr MacDonald based his claim through a male line of descent from the 14th chief, who died in 1669.

"World's Worst Poet"

Walter McCorrisken used to proudly proclaim himself the "world's worst poet" although in 1994 his book "A Wee Dribble of Dross" (subtitled "Memoirs of a semi-skilled poet") topped the bestsellers chart for a number of weeks. But the Renfrewshire rhymer died this week at the age of 75. He gave up working as an aircraft shunter at Glasgow airport so that he could write full time and he got a gracious letter of thanks from the Queen when he sent her a copy of his poems. That was an improvement on the better-known William McGonagal,l who was sent away from the gates of Balmoral Castle by Queen Victoria. An example of McCorrisken's work is:

Bonnie Bare-legged Bessie:

She wore a tartan tammy,
And a tartan skirt brand new,
And because she sat too near the fire
Her legs were tartan too.

Glasgow Sheds Title of Fattest City in Britain

For the last two years the men's magazine "Men's Fitness" has placed Glasgow at the top of a survey which tried to measure the fitness of its citizens compared with other UK locations. The survey gave points for an estimate of calory intake, how much fat the average person eats, the opportunities for getting fit such as gyms and open spaces, the number of fast food outlets and the number of bars per head of the population. Drinking habits and heart disease were also taken into the calculation as were healthy habits such as eating fruit. In the survey this year, Glasgow has dropped from "top" place to sixth from the foot in a league of 22 UK cities and towns. While the methodology may be suspect, the city is certainly putting a lot of effort into improving the eating habits and levels of activity of its citizens. The city council's "Glasgow Club" offers members facilities at 17 health and fitness venues across the city and 20,000 people have joined in the last three years, making it the biggest fitness club in Scotland.

Collie Dog With His Own TV

A couple from Auchterarder in Perthshire have been made barking mad by their TV-crazy collie which wore out the buttons on their television set by channel-hopping with its nose. And he sat in front of the TV, obstructing his owner's view of the screen. And if it wasn't switched on, the dog would lick the screen to indicate he wanted it to operate. So for Christmas they bought Arnie a set of his own in another room so that he can watch football whenever it's on the box. The dog barks loudly whenever it hears the signature tunes of Scotsport and Champions League Football and he likes indoor bowling. But the couch potato collie goes to sleep when Antiques Roadshow or the cookery programme Ready, Steady Cook appear.

Mussel Farms Muscling In

In the remote areas of north-west Scotland, fish farming has become an important industry in a part of the country where employment opportunities are not great. But the semi-industrial aspects of the large cages used to house the fish in sea lochs can detract from the scenic beauty of the area and the even more important tourism industry. So an application to create a mussel farm the size of two football pitches in Loch Melfort have got locals up in arms. The area has been designated as one where "development of fish farms will only be acceptable in exceptional circumstances." The beaches are home to numerous birds and the mudflats feature in international guides to bird-watching. It is accepted that mussels do not pollute their environment in the same way as salmon farms, but the sites would still need to be serviced and one of the areas is near a yacht haven.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Forecasters had been warning about the arrival of freezing weather and blizzards driven by Arctic winds a week in advance and they eventually reached Scotland on Wednesday. The worst affected areas were in the east and the north. A number of flights from Scottish airports were closed and 100,000 school children got at least one day's holiday as their schools were shut. Visitors to the Up Helly Aa celebrations in Shetland were unable to get back to the mainland as air and ferry services were cancelled. Problems on the roads and at airports continued into Thursday. But although parts of the country had a foot of snow, with deeper drifts created by the gale-force winds, much of the central lowlands had only a light covering of snow which disappeared within a day or so. The snow returned to the hills of the Scottish Borders on Saturday and a number of sports fixtures were cancelled. But forecasters are predicting a return of milder weather early next week, with temperatures rising to 12C (54F).

The illustrations here show the snow at Kilmardinny Loch near Glasgow. Part of the loch was frozen as can be seen in the picture below with swans swimming on the remaining open water.

Burke and Hare Legacy Lives On

In the 19th century, William Burke and William Hare, the Edinburgh grave robbers and murderers were brought to justice. They had been supplying corpses for anatomy lessons at the local medical school and turned to murder to provide them - 16 people were suffocated to induce death without leaving obvious traces. Hare turned King's Evidence on the promise of prosecution against him being dropped and Burke was convicted and publicly hanged. His body was later dissected in a public demonstration. As a result of their crimes, an Anatomy Act was passed which banned the use of bodies for training purposes. This legislation has been updated over the years but it makes it difficult for training in modern surgical techniques. So this week the Health Minister has launched proposals to modernise the laws relating to the use of bodies offered for anatomical research. There will still be strict regulation but there will be more flexibility to allow training in surgical procedures.

Life Begins in Stonehaven

Experts at the National Museums of Scotland and Yale University have announced that a fossil found near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire is the remains of the oldest creature ever to live on land. The one centimetre long millipede is thought to be 428-million-years-old and is the earliest evidence of a creature living on dry land, rather than in the sea. The fossil is believed to be some 20 million years older than what had previously been thought of as the oldest breathing animal. The find was made by a bus-conductor who is also a keen amateur fossil hunter, Mike Newman. His role in the discovery has been marked by naming it Pneumodesmus newmani. Scotland has some of the best paleozoic, pre-triassic, pre-dinosaur, sites in the world and it is claimed that there are more of these sites in Scotland than the whole of the US and Russia put together.

Next Week in History

• February 1 1919 - Tanks and army patrol the streets of Glasgow after "Bloody Friday" when 20,000 strikers gathered in George Square.
• February 1 1918 - Author Muriel Spark born.
• February 2 - Feast and legal Quarter Day of Candlemass.
• February 2 1645 - Battle of Inverlochy, one of the Duke of Montrose's victories over the Covenanters, killing 1,300.
• February 2 1987 - Novelist Alistair Maclean died. His books "The Guns of Navarone", "Ice Station Zebra" and "Where Eagles Dare" were made into films.
• February 4 1685 - King Charles II died and James VII crowned.
• February 4 1716 - Prince James Francis Stuart, the Old Pretender, left Scotland after a stay of only three weeks, effectively bringing the first Jacobite Uprising to an end.
• February 4 1818 - Honours of Scotland put on display in Edinburgh Castle after being rediscovered by Sir Walter Scott.
• February 4 1953 - Rationing of chocolate and sweets finally ended. It had to be re-introduced in 1949 after a short spell due to excessive demand.
• February 5 1723 - John Witherspoon, clergyman, writer, President of Princeton University 1768-94, signatory to American Declaration of Independence 1776, born in Gifford, East Lothian.
• February 5 1846 - John Boyd Dunlop, who patented the first practical pneumatic tyre, born Ayrshire.
• February 5 1881 - Writer and historian Thomas Carlyle died in London.
• February 6 1605 - The Trades House of Glasgow was founded to represent the interests of the craftsmen of the city.
• February 6 1665 - Queen Anne, last of the Stuart monarchs, born.
• February 6 1685 - King Charles II, the "merry monarch" died. His last words to his brother James were "Don't let poor Nellie starve" - a reference to his favourite mistress, Nell Gwynne.
• February 6 1918 - Representation of the people Act received Royal assent, granting votes to women over the age of 30.
• February 6 1952 - King George VI dies and Queen Elizabeth II becomes monarch.
• February 7 1592 - Earl of Moray murdered at Donibristle.
• February 7 1603 - Battle at Glenfruin when the MacGregors slaughtered a number of Colquhouns - the origins of the banning of the MacGregor name.

Glasgow International Comedy Festival

The programme for this year's Glasgow International Comedy Festival was launched this week. It will run from Wednesday March 17th until Saturday 3rd April and builds on last year's event. There will be over 150 performances at more than 20 venues across the city show-casing a star-studded line-up of international artists, including Dylan Moran, Tommy Tiernan, Al Murray, Jerry Sadowitz, Fred MacAulay and whole host of others. Johnny Vegas, whose massively popular sell-out shows symbolised the success of last year's festival, is also returning. The festival has something for all ages, including Dora Bryan recounting her experiences from over sixty years in showbiz in John Ryan's popular children's show "Kids Are Best." There's even a show without a specific venue when you join a comedy pub-crawl through the Merchant City, featuring a different comedian at every stop. It's certainly not all stand-up comedy as the 7:84 company's performs "Reasons To Be Cheerful" at The Tron and there's even room for Shakespeare, with Strathclyde Theatre Group's "Twelfth Night" and there is a season of comedy films at the Glasgow Film Theatre, including Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian", Laurel and Hardy classics and the much-loved classic "Whisky Galore!"
The illustration shows comedian Fred MacAuley enjoying the Comedy Festival Programme accompanied by Alec, the laughing thistle.

Scottish Ballet U-Turn Over Tramway

The controversial plan by Scottish Ballet to create a new HQ at the Tramway Theatre in Glasgow (which threatened the visual arts resource there) has been formally withdrawn by the company. The about-turn came on the eve of a meeting of the Scottish Arts Council at which the £3.5 bid for capital funding for the project was to have been debated. No specific reason was given but the company's chief executive says that they are determined to find a solution for its long-term need for a new home.

Stars at the SECC

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre continues to attract top international performers and in March there is a galaxy of star pop acts. The Queen of Motown, disco and pop, Diana Ross (pictured here), will visit the SECC on Sunday 14 March 2004. This is her first tour in six years. The popular band Travis have announced that they'll be returning to their hometown to perform at Glasgow s SECC, on Thursday 11 March and Friday 12, 2004. Last time round they sold out four nights in a row so tickets are likely to be in short supply.

Stirling Castle Quilters

Quilters from Stirling and Clackmannanshire are presenting an exhibition of miniature quilts, full scale wall hangings and even a quilted children's book at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum from 31 January to 28 March 2004. Some have been inspired by Celtic design, stained glass and the art of Bridget Riley, Klimt and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Others have used traditional American block quilt designs using motifs such as pineapple pieces and folded shirts.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Dundee 2 Dundee United 1

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 31 January 2004

Celtic 5 Kilmarnock 1
Dundee United 1 Dunfermline 0
Hibernian 1 Dundee 1
Livingston v Hearts postponed due to waterlogged pitch
Motherwell v Aberdeen postponed due to waterlogged pitch
Partick Thistle v Rangers is scheduled for Sunday.

Scottish First Division Results - 31 January 2004

Ayr United 1 Brechin City 2
Falkirk v St Johnstone postponed due to waterlogged pitch
Inverness 1 St Mirren 1
Queen of the South v Clyde postponed due to waterlogged pitch
Raith Rovers v Ross County postponed due to waterlogged pitch

BT Scotland Rugby Division 1 Results - 31 January 2004

Stirling County 19 Boroughmuir 33
Watsonians 9 Ayr 21
All the other matches were postponed due to waterlogged or frozen pitches

League Tables - 31 January 2004

Celtic's lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier Division will remain the same if, as expected, Rangers win against Partick Thistle on Sunday. Hearts remain in third position, 14 points behind Rangers. Partick Thistle are still at the foot of the SPL, 10 points behind Aberdeen.

The First Division positions are being disrupted by Saturday's postponed matches but Inverness are at the top with 43 points from 22 games, followed by Clyde with the same number of points (but a poorer goal difference) but a game in hand. Brechin City are at the foot of the First Division but are only one point behind Ayr United.

In the BT Scotland Rugby Division 1, Glasgow Hawks are 16 points ahead of Boroughmuir although the latter has two games in hand. Peebles are now 7 points behind Glasgow Hutchesons' at the foot of the table and the Glasgow club has played one fewer game.

Tartan Army Told Not to Travel

The Scotland football team are scheduled to play the former Russian republic of Moldova in October in their World Cup qualifying match. But because the stadium in the capital Chisnau does not meet UEFA and FIFA standards, the match will be played in the tiny break-away state of Transnistria. But the country is under Communist rule and although it has its own flag, currency and border controls, it is not recognised by the UK. Visitors are not allowed to take photographs anywhere in the country. The situation in the country is so volatile that the president of Moldova was refused permission to travel to see his countrymen play Holland there last year. British nationals are advised not to travel there, but as many as 3,000 Scotland supporters are likely to ignore that warning.

Going Dutch

Ranger's star Ronald de Boer is being joined at the club by his twin brother Frank who has canceled his contract with Turkish club Galatasaray. Frank de Boer has signed for the Ibrox club until at least the end of this season. He had a torrid tome in Turkey after moving there from Barcelona. He hopes that by teaming up with his brother at Rangers that he will be selected for the Dutch team in Euro 2004 in Portugal. He is already Holland's most capped player after 106 appearances but is no longer an automatic choice for the national team. While the 33-year-old may well add to the Rangers strength on a free transfer and modest weekly wage, the signing of such an aging player shows the depth of the financial difficulties of even major Scottish clubs. Gone are the heady - and profligate - days of paying large transfer fees and players being enticed by ever larger pay-packets.

Celtic Extend Varga's Contract

Last Saturday Slovakian Stanislav Varga made his 30th appearance for Celtic since joining them from Sunderland. That triggered a clause in his contract extending his stay at Parkhead by another season. The player has impressed manager Martin O'Neil who says that an even longer contract may be considered.

Takeover Bid for Hearts?

Edinburgh millionaire businessman Robert McGrail, who has failed in two earlier attempts to take control of Heart of Midlothian Football Club says that he is "deadly serious" in his aim to buy out Chris Robinson, the club's chief executive. He has asked Robinson to "name his price" for his shareholding. Earlier attempts had failed because of a failure to agree a price for the shares. Like many of the club's fans, McGrail is keen to see Hearts stay at Tynecastle, rather than move to an alternative stadium such as Murrayfield.

Inverness Caledonian Consider Groundshare

They may not win promotion this season to the Scottish Premier Division, but Inverness Caledonian Thistle have admitted that they are considering a groundshare arrangement with either Aberdeen or St Johnstone if they manage to clinch the First Division title. The club currently could not meet the requirement for a stadium with a seating capacity of 10,000, but had been seeking approval for a temporary seating arrangement to boost the present capacity of 2,280. That remains the club's intention but alternative back-up plans are being considered.

Sporting Win for Aberdeen

The football (soccer) club in Aberdeen may have been struggling in recent years, but 16-year-olds in the area are set to benefit from a £1 million injection from the National Lottery into sports and outdoor activities. The grants announced this week will help ensure that school children in Aberdeen will get an opportunity to take part in sport and outdoor activity in fun and innovative ways, while developing their natural talents and abilities. They will have the chance to take part in out of school hours sport and activities including dance, skateboarding, ten pin bowling as well as golf, football, tennis and athletics.

Bannockburn Kicked Into Touch

The chairman of the Scottish Rugby Union may have said at one time that he would look at "all the options" in reviewing the future of the game in Scotland. But he has been getting somewhat irritated by a leak to the press that he was to look at a site near Bannockburn as a location for a new national rugby stadium. The idea for the "1314 Stadium" near the site of Scotland's most famous victory over an English invading army, would have had a resonance with nationalists. But David Mackay says that he is only paying a visit because he is duty bound to look at all possibilities. He knew about the brown field site back in November and the importance he attaches to it is seen in the passage of time since then. The new chairman says he looked at the possibility of selling Murrayfield and moving to another site when he took up the post, but the figures do not add up.