Edinburgh - Scotland's Least Scottish City?

Analysis of the 2001 census shows that Edinburgh, with 22.2% of its residents coming from outside of Scotland, is the "least Scottish" city in the country. 12.1% of the 448,624 population come from England, as many young Scots head south to higher-paid employment opportunities. Some of the English residents in Edinburgh are students, but there are also many older professionals drawn by the city's financial sector and universities. The former steel town of Corby in Northamptonshire had the highest Scots-born population in England of 18.9% - many Scots moved there as the steel industry in Scotland declined.

Building Land Prices Rocket 150%

A review of land prices by the Scottish Executive has shown that, on average, the cost of building land has soared by 150% since 1995. This has helped to drive up the cost of housing as developers are having to pay an average of £1.37 million per hectare (about 2.5 acres) compared with £540,000 nine years ago. Of course, there are tremendous regional variations, with Glasgow prices rising a staggering 472% compared to "just" 160% in Edinburgh, 40% in Aberdeen - and only 1% in Dundee. The rises are due to a shortage of land available with planning permission to build new houses, as demand for housing continues to grow. Even so, Scotland built 4.6 new homes per 1000 of population in 2000, up from 3.6 in 1985, while the UK average dipped from 3.7 to 3.0.

"Unofficial" Church Service for Parliament Opening

The minister of Canongate Kirk (pictured here), whose parish includes the new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh, is to hold a church service to mark the opening of the new legislature. But it will be an unofficial event, after it was decided that there would be no religious ceremony at the official opening by the Queen on 9 October. The nearby Catholic church of St Partick's in Cowgate and Old St Paul's Episcopal Church and representatives of other faiths will also be involved in the service. The minister hopes that Members of the Scottish Parliament will turn up at the church. The official opening will take place on the following day, with a ceremony at Parliament Hall, the meeting place of the pre-1707 Scottish parliament, followed by a parade down the Royal Mile to a formal ceremony in the new building.

Green Light for Whisky Stamps

The government Treasury plan to introduce a tax stamp on bottles of whisky has been given the go-ahead, despite strong opposition from the industry. The Scottish Affairs committee had produced a highly critical report on the plan, saying it was a "19th century solution to a 21st century problem" and that the scheme had major flaws - not least, the extra cost to the whisky industry to add the strip stamps across the top of every bottle. However, the government has rejected the report, saying that the stamps were the best way to tackle a growing problem of tax evasion on spirits. Stamps will be added to bottles from 2006 and detailed discussions are being held to try to ensure that the scheme is introduced in the least damaging way. It is thought possible that the Treasury would agree to the stamps on the labels of the bottles, rather than as strips of paper stuck across the top. This would reduce significantly the cost to distillers and bottlers.

Opposition to Phone Masts Delays 3G Services

Mobile communications company Orange is planning an autumn launch of its third-generation (3G) devices which will allow high-speed internet access, video clips and other developments. But coverage will not be as widespread as the company had hoped, mainly because of opposition to putting up the mobile phone transmission masts. Planning approval is needed for these and local councils have been resisting the 10,000 extra structures needed across the UK. Local residents usually oppose the masts on health and aesthetic concerns. In Scotland, the services will be available initially in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee but Stirling, Perth and Inverness are likely to miss out. Orange spent £5 billion launching 3G and Orange and another four companies paid the government £22.5 billion in 2000 for licences.

You may be wondering why this item is being illustrated by a picture of some Scots pines - but they are not what they seem. They are actually two mobile phone masts, subtly disguised!

Baby Friendly Scottish Maternity Hospitals

A league table produced by the United Nations Children's Fund shows that 48% of Scotland's births take place at maternity units classed as "baby-friendly". This accreditation level was far higher than in England, where only 10% won recognition, while Northern Ireland and Wales reached 34%. But there is always room for improvement - Sweden reached 100% and Norway 77% in the international league table.

Sean Connery to Write Memoirs?

Edinburgh-born actor Sir Sean Connery had always said that he would never write his autobiography. But now it appears that the James Bond legend is ready to tell his life story. Publisher HarperCollins has confirmed that they have signed a six-figure deal for the UK rights to the book. However, it is not expected to be on the bookshops until 2006. A HarperCollins spokesperson said "He has promised that he is going to be very frank about his entire life." Connery fans will be looking forward to the details of his film career and his sometimes stormy relationship with the producers of the Bond movies. The gossip columns will be looking for details of his turbulent marriage to film star Diane Cilento. Connery has always vehemently denied that he beat her up and he will no doubt refute again statements attributed to him about being rough with women.

Photo of Sir Sean Connery at the Tartan Day celebrations in New York by kind permission of Tunes of Glory 2005.

First Daily Glasgow to Prague Flight

Czech Airlines has announced it will fly to from Prague to Glasgow seven times a week from October 30 and could boost that to 10 or 11 flights next summer. But the airline is cutting the service between the Czech Republic and Edinburgh from 13 a week to just 5 - though that number will also increase again next summer. Scots low-cost airline Flyglobespan currently flies to Prague two days a week, but has said that it will increase its frequency to match the competition. However, unlike Czech Airlines, Flyglobespan does not offer connecting flights to other east European cities.

New Aberdeen to Bristol Air Route

It was announced this week that Eastern Airways will begin direct flights from November 1 from Aberdeen to Bristol using small Jetstream 41 aircraft. It is the 21st route to receive assistance from the Scottish Executive's Route Development Fund. Normally this is used to assist in the start-up of new international flights, but it can also be used to encourage new domestic routes.

Harry Potter Author Praised for Making Reading "Cool"

Looking every bit a wizard, dressed in a red cloak with a gold and black hood, J K Rowling - aka the creator of Harry Potter - received an honorary degree at the University of Edinburgh this week. She was congratulated for making reading "cool" during the ceremony but declined to reveal whether Harry will eventually graduate from Hogwarts. Ms Rowling completed a teacher training course at the university's Moray House in 1996 - the year she received an offer of publication of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone.

Station Ticket Barriers Get Passenger Approval

When automated ticket gates were installed at Waverley Station in Edinburgh and Queen Street in Glasgow, to cut down on the number of people trying to avoid paying their fare, there were concerns that they would create queues and confusion. But after some initial teething problems, they have been voted a great success by passengers. Automatic ticket vending machines accepting cash or credit cards were installed at the same time and more staff have been employed in the ticket office. So the new arrangements have speeded up the service for many regular travellers, who find that they no longer have to queue at their destination to have their ticket checked as that is now done by a bank of machines.

Worst Roads in Scotland

The surfaces of over 10,000 miles of Scotland's roads have been scanned by engineers using laser equipment to measure the defects. Most drivers know that lack of investment in road repairs over many years has resulted in many roads with potholes and cracks which test - and sometimes break - car suspensions. But now a scientific measurement shows that the worst roads in the country are in Stirling and Edinburgh, where two-thirds of the roads either require immediate repair or need further investigation. Glasgow, Clackmannan, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire all had a high percentage of unsatisfactory roads. The survey found that the condition of A class roads had improved since the last survey - although engineers noted that low-cost options had been used which might not last. But B and C class roads were a major concern and conditions there had declined. It is now estimated that it will cost £1.5 billion to deal with the maintenance backlog. Laser technology has been used on motorways and trunk roads for some time but has not previously been used on roads which are the responsibility of local authorities - and that's 90% of Scotland's roads.

Kincardine Eastern Link Road Diverts Traffic

Drivers who have endured the road works and long tail-backs as construction workers connected up a new link road to the end of the Kincardine Bridge across the river Forth to Fife and Clackmannan, were delighted when the project was opened this week - five months ahead of schedule. The new road will divert traffic away from the village of Kincardine traffic which is heading eastwards from the bridge. That will be good news for residents - and for motorists who will no longer have to endure a busy roundabout in the village. But the improvement is only a stop-gap, until a second bridge across the river at Kincardine can be built. In the usual way of such developments, a public inquiry into the route of the second bridge has to be held - and that is scheduled for the autumn. The route preferred by the Scottish Executive planners is through the former Kincardine Power Station site and the estimated cost for the new crossing and associated approach roads is £89.5 million. Meanwhile, further down the river, the lane closures over the weekend have been suspended at the Forth Road Bridge over the summer months and the peak tourist season.

Golfers Reject Windfall

It looked like an offer that was too good to refuse. Members of the 9-hole Cambuslang Golf Club were being wooed by a housing developer with £2.5 million (£10,000 for each member) and a replacement 18-hole course two miles away, designed by golfing legend Sandy Lyle. But the club voted to turn down the bid. The house builder expressed surprise at the rejection and suggested that the members were perhaps expecting a higher offer from another company. So far, the club has refused to comment on the sale but is expected to make a statement next week.

Starbucks and Costa Coffee Watch Out!

Glasgow City Council are considering the creation of a large, European-style cafe in a glass pavilion in George Square which would be run by the council. In 1998 the council opted for a red pizza (sorry that should have been piazza) effect when they removed the grass and flower beds and painted the surface red. Perhaps it reminded the left-wing members of the Labour-led council of Red Square in Moscow, but it also allowed the open area to be hired out for events and entertainment. Now the council says the 1998 transformation was "temporary" and are now looking at various options to revitalise the city's main square.

Car Sales in Scotland Buck UK Trend

In June, car sales in Scotland rose by 5.5% to 20,500 vehicles compared to the same month last year . That was in contrast to the overall UK figures where there was a slight fall. It is being predicted that new car sales in Scotland will reach over 200,000 in 2004. The top-selling cars in Scotland are the French-built Renault Megane and Renault Clio, followed by the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa and Vauxhall Astra.

Gardeners Face Imprisonment

The battle against the introduction of alien plant and animal species is likely to hot up as the Scottish Executive plans to add 13 plants to the list of species which have to be controlled - or gardeners, estates and nursery owners could face imprisonment and fines up to £5,000. Currently, it is only illegal to release Japanese knotweed (seen here) and giant hogweed into the wild. But some conservationists say that a complete ban on the sale of some plants, including some rampant varieties of rhododendron, is the only answer to averting a threat to native flora and fauna. For example, Spanish bluebells and their hybrids have colonised one in six of the habitats of the native variety. Knotweed and hogweed are also stifling the growth of native species

Plane Grounded at Glasgow Airport - by Bees

As passengers were about to swarm onto a Loganair flight this week at Glasgow airport, they were beaten to it - by 3,000 bees. The swarm were crowded on the wingtip of the 18-seat DHC Twin Otter and a beekeeper had to be called to capture the "stowaways". Passengers were able to leave on another aircraft, believing that they were on a honey of a trip....

Village to Stay Lost

There were sighs of relief around the world this week when Aberdeenshire Council bowed to public pressure and agreed that the village of Lost should be saved from oblivion and remain - as Lost. The council had got fed up replacing the signpost outside the village as it kept being stolen by visitors who wanted more than just their photo taken beside the roadsign. The sign had to be replaced four times in five years and in desperation the Council bosses decided to change the name to "Lost Farm" in a bid to reduce its popularity. But letters and e-mails have flooded in from around the world after the story appeared in newspapers and magazines. Even the National Geographic magazine covered the saga. Now a new sign - with stronger welding - is to be erected outside Lost so that everyone can find the village again.

Weather in Scotland This Week

A cold northerly airstream meeting warm air from the south resulted in strong winds and torrential rain in the south-esat of England on Wednesday. Norwich in East Anglia had 2" of rain in 24 hours and many trees were blown down. Scotland escaped the worst of the weather but temperatures dipped to 14/14C (57/59F) in Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Thursday. The west, including Glasgow, missed the lower temperatures, with daytime maximum temperatures of around 17/19C (63/66F) all week. But skies remained largely cloudy from Monday to Friday with a number of showers passing over too.

This week's illustrations of current flora and fauna in Scotland shows, on the right, a Rosebay Willowherb. This wild flower grows along the roadside in large clumps and is just coming into flower at this time of year. Below, is first of the Peruvian lily or Alsrtroemeria. It is also known as the lily of the Incas. Although it came originally from South America and sometimes has to be covered up during the winter in Scotland, it is frequently found in Scottish gardens. This one was photographed in the National Trust for Scotland's "Suntrap" Garden near Edinburgh on Thursday.

Next is a Meadow Brown butterfly. This is one of Britain's most abundant butterflies. Regional variations in the spotting patterns on the wings have led to it being studied widely by geneticists.

Finally, there is an illustration of a ballerina-like fuschia. This was seen growing in Malleny Garden, also near Edinburgh.

Costs of Restoring Dunvegan Castle Go Through the Roof

The plan to transfer the Cuillins mountain range on Skye to public ownership is looking doubtful as the estimated cost of refurbishing 800-year-old Dunvegan Castle has risen to £19 million. Clan chief John MacLeod of MacLeod caused outrage when he announced in March 2000 that he was going to sell the Cuillins to raise £10 million to repair the clan castle at Dunvegan and improve visitor facilities. But he failed to get an offer and reluctantly agreed to consider the creation of a charitable trust which would take over responsibility for the mountain range and the castle. But now Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) says that it cannot afford the estimated refurbishment cost of £19 million for Dunvegan, Scotland's oldest continually inhabited home. HIE say that the project needs significant private sector contributions. The castle is in a very poor structural condition and visitor amenities need major upgrading.

Oldest House on Royal Mile for Sale

A flat in Moubray House on the Royal Mile (the thoroughfare between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse) has been put up for sale. Dating back to 1477, author Daniel Defoe (who spied for the English government in Scotland as well as writing Robinson Crusoe) once lived in the house. Over the years, the building has been used as a bookshop, a hotel and in the 18th century became a tavern. The building was restored by the Cockburn Conservation Trust in 1910. During the course of renovation work, a mummified cat was uncovered, which had been concealed within its walls around 1725, 15 years after Defoe had lived there. The flat is on three floors and incorporates a living area with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a hanging gallery over the Royal Mile. There are historic wooden carvings on the walls of the two bedrooms. The property is on the market at offers over £210,000.

National Survey of Burns Memorabilia

The first national survey of items related to Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, has found 36,000 artefacts ranging from writing desks to a frying pan used by the poet. The Distributed National Burns Collections project surveyed public and private collections, with the aim of improving the management of items and access to them. However, the survey also found that nearly half of the important artefacts were being held in sub-standard conditions. The Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the Burns Heritage Centre at Alloway are the two largest holders of Burns memorabilia but many are in private hands.

Honour for Scots Founder of University of Alabama

William Burns Paterson from Tullibody in Clackmannanshire was born in 1850 and educated himself to the stage where he became a teacher. He emigrated to America where he worked on the railroads in Alabama where he began to teach black members of the workforce to read and write. He eventually opened a school which became the Tullibody Academy for Negroes in Greensboro, Alabama. He was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan but persevered, laying the foundations for Alabama State University (where his birthday is still celebrated). He is scarcely remembered in Scotland, but a Stirling University researcher (from Clackmannan, as it happens) was looking into his life story and contacted Alabama University. As a result, Stirling University is setting up a student exchange scheme with Alabama State in his honour. Paterson, with his tremendous zeal for education and equality would have been delighted!

Next Week in History

• July 11 1274 - Robert the Bruce born, probably at Turnberry Castle.
• July 11 1924 - Eric Liddell (later famous as a result of the film "Chariots of Fire") won Olympic 400 metres sprint in Paris.
• July 12 1570 - Earl of Lennox appointed Regent of Scotland.
• July 12 1690 - William III defeated James VII in the Battle of the Boyne, Ireland.
• July 12 1698 - Darien expedition left Leith for Panama.
• July 13 1174 - King William surprised and captured by the English at Alnwick.
• July 13 1249 - King Alexander III crowned at Scone
• July 13 1469 - King James III married Margaret of Denmark.
• July 13 1834 - Botanist and explorer David Douglas died in Hawaii.
• July 14 1798 - United States' Consulate first opened in Edinburgh.
• July 14 1927 - Scottish National War Memorial opened.
• July 15 1889 - National Portrait Gallery for Scotland opened in Edinburgh.
• July 15 1914 - Gavin Maxwell, author of "Ring of Brightwater" born.
• July 16 1309 - James Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, died.
• July 16 1328 - David II, son of Robert I (the Bruce) married Joan, sister of Edward III (he was 4, she was 7).
• July 16 1832 - 31 Shetland boats (known as "sixerns") sank in a storm with the loss of 105 crewmen. The event is still recalled as "The Bad Day".
• July 16 1970 - Commonwealth Games opened in Edinburgh.
• July 17 1652 - Great Fire of Glasgow, destroying nearly one third of the city.
• July 17 1695 - Bank of Scotland, first bank to be established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament, opened.
• July 17 1790 - Adam Smith, author of "Wealth of Nations" died.

Museum of Flight Air Show

The newly arrived supersonic Concorde airliner will be the star attraction at this year's airshow on Saturday at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune, 20 miles east of Edinburgh. Other attractions include a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of a WW2 Lancaster bomber accompanied by a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Also in the air will be a vintage Catalina seaplane and a Russian Sukhoi SU-26 Starduster giving an aerobatic display. And no airshow could be complete without the finale of the thrilling RAF Red Arrows display team - now in its 40th season.

Wet Wet Wet

No, not the weather forecast, but the name of a popular Scottish band which broke the record for the longest spell at No 1 in the charts ten years ago. "Love is All Around" topped the charts for 15 weeks after it was used in the hit film "Four Weddings and Funeral". But the members of the band, who originally met at school in Clydebank, broke up acrimoniously in 1997 and have not played together since. But they have decided to get together again and are scheduled to produce a new album in November and in December embark on a tour of eleven different venues. Wet Wet Wet came onto the music scene in 1987 with a hit single "Wishing I Was Lucky" and went on to sell over 15 million records and achieve over 20 chart hits.

T in the Park Festival

The 134,000 tickets for this year's T in the Park pop festival at Balado, near Kinross sold out in record time and 42% of the tickets are bought by people outside of Scotland. That is good news for local bed and breakfast establishments as many of those attending are not prepared to camp out over the weekend. Some festival-goers will be staying as far away as Glasgow and Edinburgh. A convoy of buses will run from there to Balado in Kinross and many will return on Saturday evening rather than brave the muddy festival campsite.

Still Game for English Audiences

The next series of the Scottish TV comedy "Still Game", with its broad accents and strong language and starring Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan as pensioners Jack and Vic, is to be broadcast to English audiences at the same time as those in Scotland. Even so, the BBC Scotland sitcom will be shown on BBC2 instead of BBC 1 in England. The news comes not long after the stars of the show had described the lack of a wider showing by the BBC as "anti-Scottish". The last series broke all records in Scotland, attracting the highest figure for any programme north of the Border for five years. Audience share regularly reaches 44%.

Not So Happy Third Birthday for Science Centre

Glasgow Science Centre celebrated its third birthday this week and the fact that it had won a number of prestigious awards as well as 1.3 million visitors were highlighted. But financially it has struggled and the latest evidence of that was the recent redundancy of another 18 staff- 20% of its workforce. The redundancies meant that there were no staff to operate the IMAX large screen cinema for a day. And the futuristic 400ft high Glasgow Tower, the only tower in the world where the entire building rotates through 360 degrees, is still not operational. It had to close when a major bearing cracked and as a result it has only been open - and earning revenue - for three months in the last three years. Officials claim that it is to reopen "later this summer". The Science Centre is now the third most visited paid-for attraction in Scotland, behind only Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo.

Scotland Drop in World Football Rankings

The latest FIFA world football rankings show that after Scotland's poor run of international matches, we have dropped four places down the table to 59th place - Oman and Israel are above and below respectively. Greece have jumped 21 places to 14th as a result of winning the Euro 2004 championship. Perhaps Scotland's German manager Berti Vogts will note how Greece has shown what can be done with the right formula. Greece were at 56th place in August 2001 when German Otto Rehhagel took over the team They had not won a match at a World Cup or European Championship before this year and have now won their first major international trophy. England are now 8th in the FIFA rankings (up 5 places) and the USA have moved up two places to 7th. Brazil is still at the top of the international football rankings with France second and Spain third.

Another International "Test" for Scotland

Scotland's international football team never seem to get easy warm-up games arranged for them to boost their confidence. Instead, the Scottish Football Association is hoping it can arrange a "glamour" game against Spain in Valencia in early September. This would be the last match before the Group Five opening game against Slovenia at Hampden on the following Wednesday. Before then, Scotland host Hungary at Hampden on August 18 and the SFA have arranged another friendly with Sweden on November 17.

No Summer Signings for Celtic

After losing star striker Henrik Larsson and fellow-Swede Johan Mjallby at the end of last season, sports writers have been busy predicting who will be signed by manager Martin O'Neill before the next season starts (in roughly a month's time). But so far none of the rumours have been proved right - because the club has made no signings at all this summer. "Down the road" at Ibrox, Rangers manager Alex McLeish has been busy strengthening the side, so far with six new signings. Dundee striker Nacho Novo was the latest deal, transferred for £450,000. He joins defenders Jean Alan Boumsong and Marvin Andrews, mid-fielders Alex Rae and Dragan Mladenovic and striker Dado Prso. According to McLeish, another two players will be signed before the start of the season.

Dundee Sign Larsen and Sutton

Fans of Dundee did a double take this week when the club announced that they had signed a goal-scoring duo of Larsen and Sutton. But this was not Celtic's Henrik Larsson (now enjoying the sunshine at Barcelona) and Chris Sutton but Glenn Atle Larsen and John Sutton, the younger brother of Chris, on loan from Millwall.

Australian Prime Minister Critical of Rangers

John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, has attacked the decision of Rangers Football Club to put their captain up for sale - because he wanted to play for Australia at the start of the new Scottish season. Defender Craig Moore wanted to play for Australia in the Olympics and as a result would miss the Rangers Champions League qualifying match and initial SPL matches. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has also spoken out, saying that playing in the Olympics is an honour for the player but it should also be an honour for the club. But Rangers manager Alex McLeish considered that it showed a lack of commitment by the captain to the Ibrox club - and showed him the door.