Dream Ticket Contesting Leadership of Scottish National Party

There was astonishment (and not a little dismay from party members) when Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond resigned in July 2000 to head the SNP Members of Parliament in the UK parliament in London. There was equal amazement this week when he announced that he was to stand again in the election for party leader. Nicola Sturgeon, one of the leading contenders in the contest, which arose following the resignation of John Swinney as leader, has agreed to stand down and will instead seek election as deputy. Since Salmond is not a member of the Scottish parliament, she will lead the party in the legislature until the next election in 2007. The combination is seen as a "dream ticket" and although the other candidates will continue to seek election, most commentators are in little doubt that Salmond will be elected the new leader. Only a few weeks ago, he was consistently quoting US General Sherman - "If nominated, I will decline. If drafted, I will defer and, if elected, I will resign.". With his characteristic impish humour, Salmond now says that he got his American generals mixed up and he should have quoted General MacArthur's words on leaving the Philippines - "I will return." He says that streams of letters and e-mails persuaded him to return, not just to launch his candidacy as leader of the party. With characteristic confidence, he says he also aims to become the First Minister of Scotland in 2007.

Photographs courtesy of the Scottish Parliament © Web site.

2.5% Growth Predicted for Scottish Economy

The latest economic report produced by the Bank of Scotland predicts that the Scottish economy will expand by at least 2.5% this year, with growth picking up in the second half of the year as confident consumers and expanding businesses create an improved performance. But growth will slow next year, in response to the higher base rates imposed by the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee. However, increased investment by business may help the Scottish sector to outperform the UK. House price increases are expected to slow down from 23% in the second quarter of 2004 to 18% by the end of the year, according to the Bank of Scotland economists.

Scotland Hits the Jackpot

When the Scottish Parliament reconvened for the first time for nearly 300 years in 1999, the Scottish Executive were allocated £13.9 billion block grant from the total UK expenditure for the following year. As a result of additional government spending plans (and taxation, of course) and the greater proportion of the UK budget allocated to Scotland under the so-called Barnett formula, that figure is set to rise to £24.4 billion by 2007. Adding in the total received by the Scottish Executive in local business rates in Scotland, the total amount available to First Minister Jack McConnell and his colleagues will be just under £30 billion in 2007. The result is that spending in health, for example, is £1,200 per head in England and Wales; in Scotland, that figure is already £1,500 per head. Of course, the reasons for the 1978 Barnett formula are the higher costs of providing services in the more sparsely populate areas where economies of scale are not so readily achievable.

29-Year-Low in Unemployment Claims

In June, the number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell by 800 to 91,800, a 29-year-low of 3.5%, which was 0.3% lower than June last year. The number of people employed in Scotland has also reached 2,411,000, the highest level since records began. UK average earnings increased at an annual rate of 4.3% in the three months to the end of May, which was slightly below the level expected by economists.

Trams in the Park?

The road to an environmentally friendly transport system never runs smoothly - and can run over other environmental issues. That seems to be the case with controversial plans to run part of Edinburgh's planned new tramway (streetcar) system through Inch Park behind the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, in the south of the city. When the scheme is fully developed (it has been in the planning stage since before 1998), commuters will be able to travel from the east of Princes Street to Newcraighall, on the outskirts of the city. But the shortest route goes through the middle of Inch Park and the heritage watchdog, the Cockburn Association, and Liberton Community Council have voiced understandable objections. Supporters of the plan say that tramways are designed to access pedestrian areas - and that can include a park.

Youthful Glasgow

Figures released by the General Register Office show that although generally the number of people over 65 is rising in Scotland, Glasgow is likely to buck that trend and is heading for the youngest profile of all the areas across the country. Currently, only 14% of Glasgow's population is aged 65 or over and over the next ten years that figure is estimated to decrease, to 13%. The trend in Glasgow, which is expected to continue, is for people in their 30s and 40s to move outwith of the city boundary - and remain there. Thus areas near to Scotland's largest city such as Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Lanarkshire, are expected to see an increase in the number of over-65s. Argyll and Bute looks set to experience one of the largest increases in older people, forecast to go up from 18% to 25% over the next decade, while the Western Isles is predicted to rise from 20% to 27% over the same period. Edinburgh's percentage of the population over 65 is just below 15 per cent and this is likely to stay the same. Glasgow is also a city with more single-parent families than anywhere else in Scotland, with over 40% headed by a lone parent.

Queen Mary Calls

The Cunard cruise liner Queen Mary 2 docked in the Firth of Forth near South Queensferry, near the Forth Rail Bridge on Tuesday. This was to allow passengers to take a day trip to Edinburgh, before heading off for a cruise round the fjords of Norway. The QM 2 is the biggest and most expensive cruise liner in the world, as well as being the biggest, the longest, the tallest and the widest passenger ship ever built. Of course, she is also the most expensive. Large crowds headed for the river Forth to have a look at the ship and take photographs (yes, I was one of them!). With such a large ship, it was easy to fill the viewfinder, even with the ship moored a few miles off-shore.

Selfridges Resurrecting Plans for Glasgow Store?

After being enticed to plan a new super-store in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, the up-market department store chain of Selfridges seemed to lose interest after the company was taken over by the Canadian billionaire Galen Weston. But there is renewed optimism that the flagship store might still proceed with around 200,000 sq ft of retail space. No deal has yet been concluded, but property developers are said to be working on a detailed proposal. However, even if the project goes ahead, it is unlikely to be ready for 2007, the original target date.

£350 Million Development for SECC

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (owned by the City of Glasgow Council) has unveiled more details of the planned development at the site on the banks of the river Clyde at Finnieston. The cavernous exhibition building opened in 1985 and the Clyde Auditorium (immediately nicknamed by locals as the "Armadillo" because of its shape) followed beside it in 1997. But much of the area of what was once the Queens Dock, is an open-air car park. Finance for a new multi-storey car park and another 12,500-seat arena will be generated by further developing the site and creating 1,500 new homes and a Las Vegas style casino. This will incorporate a five-star hotel and employ 1200 full-time staff. But that element is dependent on the new gambling laws being framed for the UK allowing such large gambling centres. If the casino goes ahead, the total development cost will rise to £562 million. Building work could start as soon as next year.

Tony Blair's Old School Selling Art Collection

Edinburgh's Fettes College, the fee-paying school once attended by Prime Minister Tony Blair, is to sell a collection of art work by the Scottish colourist Francis Cadell. The paintings were bequeathed to the school in 1961 by a former school doctor. It is hoped that the ten paintings will raise £500,000 to fund a redevelopment plan. Fettes was founded in 1870 by Sir William Fettes, who was twice Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The school building was designed in flamboyant style by the architect David Bryce, combining Scottish Baronial with elements of a French château, creating what has been described as "Edinburgh Loire Gothic". The school was immortalised by author Ian Fleming when he wrote that James Bond had attended Fettes after being expelled from Eton College in England. The Cadell paintings include one of his studio interior at 130 George Street in Edinburgh which could fetch £200,000.

Glasgow River Festival

The four-day Glasgow River Festival this weekend has been deliberately arranged to coincide with the start of the traditional "Glasgow Fair" when the city's industries used to close down for the annual two-week summer break. After most of the Clydeside shipyards closed down, much of the riverbank became derelict. The festival aims to highlight the strides that are being made towards the regeneration of the riverbank. The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Glasgow Science Centre were early signs of the investment being made to breathe life back into the river and the festival is being held on the water in front of these buildings. 75,000 people are expected to crowd those riverbanks to see 100 boats which have sailed up the river, including an old Clyde Puffer steamboat and 50 "Zapcat" racing boats capable of 50mph. These will be competing in the 2004 national Zapcat championships.

Scottish Oil and Gas Industry Booming

An optimistic report from the UK Offshore Operators' Association suggests that dozens of Scottish companies involved in the North Sea oil and gas industry are widening their horizons and taking their expertise to other parts of the world. Attention has focused recently on the major oil finds made by Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy in Indian offshore areas and Aberdeen's Dana Petroleum, which is involved offshore in Mauritania, East Africa in an area which is the equivalent of over 150 exploration blocks in the North Sea. And it's not just in the exploration and production sectors that Scottish companies are doing well. It appears that 31.3% of business done by Scottish service/supply companies is outside of home waters. Income earned overseas by such Scottish companies has grown from £1.1 billion in 1997 to £2.8 billion in 2002, the most recent year for which accurate data is available.

New Air Service to South of England

EUJet, a new low-cost Irish airline, is planning to fly Fokker 100 jets from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Kent International Airport (the former RAF base at Manston), 20 minutes from Dover and the English Channel. The new service is to start in the autumn. In the past, Manston has been suggested as a London's sixth airport (the others are at Heathrow, London City, Luton, Gatwick and Stansted). In addition to being in the "Garden of England", the airport is only two miles from Ramsgate on the coast and 25 minutes from the cathedral town of Canterbury.

£50 Million Development Batted Off Course

A £50 million golf resort development on the banks of Loch Lomond, north of the plush Cameron House Hotel, has been brought to a temporary halt - by 400 pipistrelle bats. They are currently in residence on a farm which was to be bulldozed to make way for the 15th fairway. Pipistrelles are a protected species and nobody is allowed to disturb them. So De Vere, the developers, will have to wait until November when the bats are expected to move to winter quarters. Roosting boxes will then be installed away from the fairway to provide a new home for the bats when they return in the spring. De Vere also developed the championship Belfry golf course in England - no bats were found at that Belfry.

Latest Threat to Scottish Parliament - Skateboarders

The new Scottish Parliament building has been built to withstand a terrorist attack but a new threat has appeared on the horizon which the architects had not foreseen - skateboarders. As the builders put the finishing touches to the landscaping outside the £431million building, there are concerns that the stonework will make an excellent if unintentional skateboard park. The nearby Dynamic Earth visitor attraction, with its sweeping landscaped stonework, is already used by a group of young enthusiasts and the public stone benches at the parliament building are seen as an "attractive" alternative. A number of Scottish towns have developed dedicated skateboard parks to entice youngsters away from public buildings, but Edinburgh does not currently have any such alternative facilities.
The illustration shows sculptures on the frontage of the Dynamic Earth building, looking across to the Scottish parliament building.

Ospreys Fly South

The ospreys which breed in Scotland usually fly south to Africa for the winter but this week five osprey chicks headed south, not under their own power, but in the hold of a passenger aircraft. They were not going as far south as Africa either, but to Spain where they will be part of a project to re-establish the birds in Andalucia. The Scottish birds will join other young ospreys from Finland, Germany and Sweden. They will be released in an area which has a rich source of their favourite food - fish. The Scottish quartet are the first of 20 birds being sent from breeding sites in Scotland over the next four years. Scotland's population grew from one pair who nested at Loch Garten in 1954 and there are now 160 breeding pairs in the UK, mostly in Scotland. The birds were wiped out in 1916 due to persistent persecution.

Gaelic - A Foreign Language

Waterstone's is a large, UK-wide, chain of booksellers with shops in all the main cities selling a wide range of books. But a tourist guide who was looking for a Gaelic dictionary in the Waterstone's bookshop in Aberdeen was puzzled when he couldn't find one. When he asked at the information desk, he was directed not to the Scottish books section, but to the area reserved for foreign language books. He raised the issue with the management who hastily thanked him for the "customer feedback" and said that Gaelic books would be in the Scottish section from now on. To be fair, it may have been an aberration in Aberdeen - a city not known for the number of Gaelic speakers (they prefer the local Doric there). In Glasgow, that hot-bed of Gaelic speakers, a range of Gaelic dictionaries have always been available in the Scottish bookshelves.

Spending a Penny at £100,000 Toilets

Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Moray, has spent over £100,000 creating the most luxurious rest rooms in Scotland at its four-star visitor centre. And it hopes that the upgrade will allow it to be promoted to VisitScotland's five-star rating as a result. Anyone "spending a penny" (an old euphemism from the days when public toilets made a charge of one penny for use of the services) at Glenfiddich will be surrounded by pink granite tiles and surfaces, a fireplace, armchairs (maybe for use if there's a queue?) and stonework going back to the 19th century. The ladies especially will be sitting in the lap of luxury with oak-panelled cubicles and the soap and paper towels will be of a standard normally only seen in six-star hotels. The guides at the visitor attraction have been amused to see wives dragging their husbands into the ladies rest room to see the opulence. Of course, with all that pampering, ladies may be keeping their husbands waiting longer than usual.

Weather in Scotland This Week

At this time last year, Scotland was sizzling in record-breaking temperatures. This year, the weather forecasters say that we are having "average" weather which means that maximum temperatures have hovered around 17/19C (63/66F) although Aberdeen could only manage a maximum of 13C (55F) last Saturday but reached 22C (72F) on Thursday. There have been frequent showers and sunny intervals - in other words, a normal Scottish summer.

This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland shows first of all the deep blue of a Delphinium growing in the garden of the Rufflets Hotel near St Andrews. Below, is a striking Oenethera or Evening Primrose photographed a few days ago in the Botanic Gardens in St Andrews. The colourful Carnation was also in the Rufflets Hotel garden while the final picture of an Inula was photographed in the Dundee Botanic Garden on the same day.

Adam Smith Statue for Royal Mile

Edinburgh City Council are expected to approve a plan to erect a statue to the political economist and philosopher Adam Smith, which would stand in the city's Royal Mile. This would be the first major public recognition of the author of "The Wealth of Nations" and the man who argued the benefits of free trade. The cost of the statue (estimated at around £250,000) is to be raised by the Adam Smith Institute which is to launch a worldwide appeal for funds, though local Scottish businesses and the financial community are likely to be major donors. Sandy Stoddard, the sculptor who created the statue of the philosopher David Hume, which stands outside the Advocate's Library on the Royal Mile, has now been engaged to work on the Adam Smith sculpture as well.

Time Warp Golf Course

The National Trust for Scotland has lodged a planning application to build a nine-hole golf course at its Hill of Tarvit property near Cupar in Fife. The aim is to recreate a course built by the owners of the mansion in 1906 and to allow players to use hickory-shafted clubs and other golf equipment appropriate for the early 20th century. The plans also include an Edwardian putting green as well as a licensed restaurant, coffee house and shops in the original stables belonging to the house. The golf course was ploughed up as part of the war effort in 1939 but there are paintings around the house showing the owners' enthusiasm for golf and a map of the course, dated 1924, was found in the Hill of Tarvit house.

Scots Dumpy

These days, country parks do more than just provide open spaces for walking and admiring the scenery. Many are enthusiastic about conservation of the environment and in some cases they breed rare animals in captivity. The Palacerigg Country Park near Cumbernauld is an excellent example of this and has Scottish Wildcat and Feral (Wild) Goats for visitors to see. Perhaps the one with the oddest names is the chicken "Scots Dumpy". This is said to be one of the oldest breeds in the UK, with documentation going back to before Roman times. The large boat-shaped body is what gives the breed its name, with a long back and a low heavy appearance. The Scots Dumpy is listed as "vulnerable" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust so Palacerigg is playing its part in keeping it in existence.

£24,000 Golf Ball Up to Par

Hopefully, nobody will lose this golf ball in the rough. A rare feather and leather ball dating back to 1790 was auctioned this week for a staggering £24,000. It was bought by a collector from the Spanish golf resort of Valderama and may form part of a public collection of golf memorabilia there. The ball is inscribed with the words: "Presented to Rev. H.M. Lamont by J.W. Inglis C.b, an old student in St Andrews, 18**" (the last two digits are unclear). The ball also carries the words "This ball was made by Wil. Robertson, 1790, Father of Allan the famous golfer". He was one of the early members of St Andrews Golf Club.

Next Week in History

• July 18 1290 - Treaty of Birgham whereby Edward I guaranteed survival of Scotland "separate, apart and free without subjection to the English nation". By the end of the decade he had invaded and subjugated Scotland.
• July 18 1792 - John Paul Jones, naval hero of the American Revolution, died; he was born in Kircudbrightshire in 1747.
• July 18 1872 - Voting by secret ballot was introduced for the first time.
• July 18 1999 - Paul Lawrie won the Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie after a three-way play-off against Jean van de Veldt of France and Justin Leonard of the US.
• July 19 1333 - Battle of Halidon Hill in which Sir Archibald Douglas (guardian of David II) routed by Edward Balliol and Edward III. Scots losses were nearly 600, English losses 14.
• July 19 1896 - Novelist A J Cronin born at Cardross, Dunbartonshire.
• July 20 1332 - Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray and Regent of Scotland, died at Musselburgh. Donald, Earl of Mar, appointed Regent in his place.
• July 20 1651 - Battle of Inverkeithing. Royalist force supporting Charles II failed to halt advance of army of Oliver Cromwell heading for Perth.
• July 20 1705 - Act of the Scottish Parliament establishing herring fishing in and around Scotland.
• July 21 1796 - Robert Burns dies in Dumfries, aged 37.
• July 21 1985 - Scot Sandy Lyle won Open Golf Championship.
• July 22 1298 - The army of the English King Edward I, using longbows for the first time, defeated the Scots led by Sir William Wallace at Battle of Falkirk.
• July 22 1793 - Alexander Mackenzie completed the first overland crossing of North America.
• July 22 1913 - Edinburgh Zoo opened for the first time.
• July 23 1637 - Presbyterian riot in St Giles during which Jenny Geddes shouted "Don't thou say Mass in ma lug" and threw her chair at the pulpit.
• July 23 1745 - Charles Edward Stuart landed on Eriskay at the start of the 1745 campaign.
• July 23 1886 - Birth in Glasgow of Arthur Whitten Brown (late Sir Arthur), companion of Alcock on the first west to east aircraft crossing of the Atlantic.
• July 24 1411 - Battle of Harlaw Hill, one of the bloodiest battles on Scottish soil. Donald, Lord of the Isles and a force of Highlanders met an army from the north-east led by the Earl of Mar. After a long battle, both sides thought they had lost - and the descendants of both sides thought they had won.
• July 24 1567 - Mary Queen of Scots abdicated and the young James VI acceded to Scottish throne. The Earl of Mar was appointed regent.
• July 24 2002 - The Princess Royal formally opened the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first national park.

An Entente Cordiale New Year

On Bastille Day (14th July) the annual French celebration which is the equivalent of the 4th July, it was announced that Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) celebrations are to be given a Gallic flavour. This is to mark the 100th anniversary of the "Entente Cordiale", an agreement between France and Britain which ended centuries of intermittent conflict. Of course, the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France stretches back even further, to 1295. There will be street acts from some of France's celebrated festivals, with live French music and food on offer to the revellers on Princes Street. Lat year, there was an Indian theme with street theatre groups taking over George Street at the Night Afore International party on December 30.

Spider-Man Director's Debt to Glasgow

Sam Raimi, the director of what will be a Spider-Man movie trilogy, claims that it was the support of fans in Glasgow who gave his career as a director the boost he needed to get off the ground. Glasgow audiences were enthusiastic about his film "The Evil Dead" which was shown at a horror movie festival in the city in 1981. On the back of the positive reaction, he got a UK distribution deal and the film took off - along with Raimi's career. He recalls going through Customs at Glasgow airport with material for a demonstration of special effects make-up at the time. An official became alarmed when he opened a suitcase and found two "human heads and a pair of hands". Once explanations had been given, the customs officer saw the funny side of the situation.

ButeLive 2004 Music & Arts Festival

This year’s programme from 16 to 19 July includes concerts, theatre, dance, comedy, blues, folk, soul, rock, pop, puppets, children's events, free pub gigs, Gaelic programme, magic, barn dance and much, much more! Highlights include Terry Neason, the 5-star award winning sensation of the Edinburgh Fringe in her show "Laugh, Cry, Sniff ‘n’ Sigh! " and the Late Night Welcome Party where Heather Macleod will wow everyone with everything from traditional Gaelic ballads to classic jazz and blues, contemporary folk to cutting-edge pop. There is also family fun with Magic Bob’s Family Show and Castle Capers and flamenco-jazz guitar pyrotechnics with Eduardo Niebla. For more information and a full programme of events see www.butelive.co.uk.

Glee in the Park for 60,000 Rock Fans

Tickets for next year's T in the Park festival went on sale as the clean-up operation at Balado near Kinross began early on Monday morning. 60,000 delirious fans had rocked their way over the weekend at Scotland's largest rock festival. Top of the bill at the sell-out concert was The Darkness and other top names included Massive Attack, P J Harvey and The Strokes. Glasgow stars Franz Ferdinand got a great ovation as did Scissor Sister Jake, dressed in a tartan toga with a yellow inula flower pinned to it. Police praised the good behaviour of the fans, with only minor offences taking place. Next year's T in the Park will take place at Balado on July 9 and 10.

Ireland to Offer Scotland New Euro 2012 Bid Partnership

The joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the Euro 2008 Football Championships failed, with one of the major reasons being the inability of Ireland to produce more than one stadium of the required standard. Now the Football Association of Ireland is considering another approach to the Scottish Football Association to mount another bid, this time for Euro 2012. £1.5 million and twelve months of effort went into the last unsuccessful bid which finished fourth amongst those competing, but it is being argued that "valuable experience" was gained. But Ireland can still only guarantee one suitable stadium. It might also be possible for Scotland to attempt a solo bid - though this might clash with the efforts by London to stage the 2012 Olympics. And there is little enthusiasm at the SFA.

Frenchman Wins Scottish Open

Thomas Levet from France produced a storming finish of six-under par 29 in the last nine holes of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond to snatch victory. A record crowd watched as he hit what he described as a "shot in a million" to finish with a birdie on the last green. He not only won the title and a cheque for £366,660 but also an automatic entry into the Open Championship at Troon a few days later. Overnight Levet had been seven strokes behind the leaders but an eight-under-par 63 for a 15-under par aggregate of 269 was enough to win the contest.

Open Championship at Troon

The Ayrshire seaside town of Troon is the venue of this year's Open Golf Championship as all the top players compete for the 133rd title. The home crowd were supportive of Colin Montgomery and the other Scottish golfers participating - but with little expectation that any would be having their names engraved on the famous claret jug trophy. Troon is Montgomery's "home" course and he is the only player in the Championship who is actually a member there. The local knowledge no doubt helped, but after three rounds he was five strokes behind the leader, American Todd Hamilton who had a one-shot lead over Ernie Els of South Africa. But then, golf is a funny game as Scot Paul Lawrie proved in the 128th Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie in 1999 - he came from ten strokes behind to win.

Diego Maradona for Dunfermline?

No, not THE Diego Maradona, the Argentinean footballing legend, but his son, touched down in Scotland this week to spend a few days training with Dunfermline Athletic to see whether the club would be interested in negotiating a deal to join the club. Dunfermline manager Davie Hay says that his famous name will count for nothing and the teenager will have to prove that he is good enough for the club.

Colin McRae Forest Stages GHI Rally

The Colin McRae Forest Stages GHI Rally returns to Perthshire on Saturday 24 July and forms part of the Scottish Rally Championship. With the event returning for its third year, The Car Club celebrating their 50th Anniversary in 2004 and this being the 10th Anniversary of the McRae Stages Rally, it promises to be a bigger and better event than ever before. The Dewar's Ice Rink will be rally HQ for the weekend and it will host a Friday night rally forum where a number of top stars are expected to be amongst the panel line-up. Naturally the man who lends his name to the event, 1995 World Championship Winner Colin McRae, will be out at the weekend, driving the '00' car. The start ramp will be right in the heart of Perth's shopping centre at 10am. Competitors again have a chance of tackling some of British rallying's most famous forests, stages such as Craigvinean, Funab, Drummond Hill and Errochty. For more information, see www.mcraestages.co.uk.