The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.
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Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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The "Magazine" section includes songs/poems of Scotland, Scottish humour and brief descriptions of Scottish Culture items added recently to the Rampant Scotland Website - with a link to the page where you can find the full feature, if you find the subject of interest to you.
Having travelled by train on many summer holidays from Glasgow to the seaside resort of Carnoustie, on the esat coast of Scotland, I can sympathise with Andrew Lang about the frustrations of "Waitin on the Glesca Train". Waitin' on the Glesca Train When the holidays come roun,
Chorus
It's attendit wi expense;
Chorus There's a frien o mine, Mackay,
Chorus I was ettlin at Kinross,
Chorus But the ploy has merit whiles,
Chorus There's occasions when I think
Chorus Meaning of unusual words:
Air Scotland |
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
The Edinburgh-based Royal Bank of Scotland, which is now the 6th-largest bank in the world, this week unveiled profits of £3.3 billion in the six months to end June, an increase of 17% on the same period last year. The bank has been expanding steadily in the US and expects to make 30% of its profits from its American subsidiary by the end of next year. But the massive profits failed to impress the stock market and the share price fell 3% on the day. Sir Fred Goodwin, the bank's chief executive, is predicting that a major US bank is likely to make a takeover bid for a large European bank in the near future. But his comments came as the bank made another acquisition in the US - Atlanta-based credit processor Lynk, at a cost of £288 million.
The first batch of staff have relocated to the new £431 million building at Holyrood, across the road from the Queen's official residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. As 375 employees moved in this week, however, construction cranes were still in place and armies of workers were still swarming over the building in hard hats. Only parts of the building have been given an occupation certificate and it will be the end of September before all the staff (nearly 1,000) are scheduled to move in. Until then, staff will be trying to work between the old and the new buildings - a Royal Mile apart. George Reid, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, who moved in to his new office this week, described the move as "Scotland’s biggest flit". Bearing in mind the major moves by Scotland's financial services companies in the capital over the years, he was perhaps exaggerating for effect. But then, he is a politician. The first session of parliament in the new building is scheduled to start on September 7.
The Braehead Regional Shopping Centre on the banks of the river Clyde near Renfrew has been highly successful ever since it opened in September 1999. In 2003 it had almost 20 million customers passing through its doors. Since 1999, there have been a number of further developments around it, but nothing like the huge plans unveiled this week. Called "Renfrew Riverside" and covering 185 acres of brownfield land beside the existing Braehead centre, it includes up to 750,000 sq. ft. of office space in four business parks, some 900 residential units and a riverside park. And the Xscape development (pictured here) will provide Scotland's first indoor snowslope, cinema, bowling, restaurants and cafés and speciality retail space. It is hoped that Xscape will open for business in February 2006. It is predicted that the whole Riverside Renfrew project will create 8,000 jobs by the time it is fully completed in ten years time. Braehead was originally pushed through by Glasgow City Council, despite objections from Renfrew and Paisley where there were fears that it would adversely affect trade there. Then Renfrew Council successfully lobbied for the city boundary to be amended so that the whole area - and the huge tax take involved - would pass to Renfrew.
Lat year, in Inverurie, Paisley and Bishopbriggs, a government-backed "Stepchange" initiative was launched to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home and take to public transport, walking or cycling. People were approached on an individual basis, either at home or at the workplace, and offered support in changing the way they travel - including journey plans for households and families, highlighting the alternative transport options available to them and local services and community guides. Now the residents of Aberdeen, Milngavie, Bearsden and East Kilbride are the latest to be targeted as the scheme is gradually rolled out throughout Scotland. So as motorists sit fuming at traffic lights on their way to work, their blood pressure may go up a few more notches as someone tries to persuade them that they should be sitting in a train or a bus (or on a cycle) instead. The ilustration shows the public transport in Princes Street, Edinburgh (free of private cars....)
When the new grouse shooting season starts on the "Glorious Twelfth" of August, there will be little to cheer about amongst gamekeepers who have worked hard to nurture their birds only to find that numbers have plummeted. The Game Conservancy Trust, which monitors numbers on 25 locations on the Scottish moors, say that each breeding pair has produced only an average of one chick this year - a drop from 1.6 last year and well below the level of 1.5 chicks needed to ensure the species maintains its population (and allow the shooting fraternity to kill enough birds to make their sport profitable). The grouse have been suffering from a range of problems ranging from insects coming into season too early to feed the chicks because of global warming to disease and poorer weather than last year.
A multi-million pound project to create a 5-star hotel at Glasgow airport has been approved by Renfrewshire Council planners. It would create a seven-storey building with a pedestrian bridge allowing guests to walk straight from the terminal into the hotel. The hotel will have two restaurants and a swimming pool as well as conference facilities.
The Royal Maternity Hospital in Rottenrow in the centre of Glasgow has a special place in the hearts of many Glaswegians - a lot of whom were born there. But with the increasing centralisation of medical services and with the building in which it was housed 140 years old, the hospital was closed down a few years ago and the old building demolished. Initially, there was talk of Strathclyde University, who own the site, creating a magnificent new building. In the end they have done the opposite - they have created a new Rottenrow Gardens, with terracing and plants, which have won a commendation in the Scottish Design Awards 2004.. The old maternity hospital is not forgotten, either, with important elements of the former maternity hospital, such as the Rottenrow portico and North Portland Street arch kept in place and incorporated into the overall design. The gardens are already extremely popular with students and staff, representing the hub in a network of routes linking the campus. But perhaps the most striking feature in the garden is a giant nappy pin (or diaper, if you live in some parts of the world). This 'Monument to Maternity' is a seven-metre high stainless steel sculpture designed by Scottish artist George Wyllie. It captures George's quirky sense of humour (that looks like a baby bird on top, with its mouth open, waiting to be fed) and will obviously be recognised as commemorating Glasgow's famous maternity hospital. Importantly for Strathclyde University, the sculpture also celebrates the importance of good design and engineering, for which the University is well known.
Soaring insurance premiums are putting additional pressure on the traditional Highland Games which take place at venues across Scotland during the summer months. Some of the games have been in existence for well over 100 years and in some small communities they are the cultural highlight of the year. But mandatory insurance costs have risen in some cases by 700% in ten years - much of the increase in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. Since 2001, public liability insurance has rocketed by 30/40% each year and the increases are likely to continue to escalate.
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens has banned the sale of peanuts in the visitor centre shop in a bid to reduce the menace of grey squirrels. The garden managers are said to be "fed up" with the havoc caused to the plants by the "nasty rodents". The grey squirrel was introduced from America over 100 years ago and has largely pushed out the UK's red squirrels. There are now three million grey squirrels in the UK and only 160,000 of the red variety - with 75% of these living in Scotland.
Fast food giant McDonalds is testing out a new breakfast menu featuring porridge, muffins, cereals, yoghurt and premium coffee. But Scots who want to try it out will have to travel to the south of England as the new menu is only available in Bristol, Bath and Swindon. The dish of porridge is based on the Oatso Simple product and is being tested in 22 McDonald restaurants. So far, the porridge is proving to be the second-most-popular dish on the early morning menu.
Temperatures rose this week with maximum temperatures in Glasgow rising nearly every day this week to the low 70s fahrenheit and to 77F last Sunday. Skye also reached 77F last weekend as did Kinloss on the Moray Firth on Tuesday. The BBC online forecast is predicting that Glasgow will reach 27C (80F) on Sunday. Although there were 17/18 hours of sunshine over last Saturday and Sunday in the west, the warmer weather has not brought a great deal of sunshine. Instead there has been a lot of high cloud and in the east coast a haar (a mist which comes in from the North Sea) has made things look a bit grey. On Wednesday, there were heavy showers and Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway there were 61.7mm (2.4 inches) of rain in 24 hours. On Thursday night, thunder and lightning, accompanied by torrential rain hit parts of Lanarkshire. Two houses were struck by lightning and flash floods affected homes and businesses in the area, especially in Whifflet on the outskirts of Coatbridge.
Planning permission was granted this week by Perth and Kinross Council to transform 19th century Taymouth Castle, and its 450 acre estate near Kenmore, into Scotland's first six-star hotel. Costs are estimated at £50 million and Toronto-based Four Seasons hotels are in line to take over the development. Plans include the creation of a new wing with 73 suites and construction of holiday lodges on the banks of the river Tay. Historic Scotland have lodged an objection to the extent of the plans and the proposals will now have to go to the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh for final consideration.
The Playfair Project was formally completed this week by the opening of the Weston Link which joins the National Gallery of Scotland with the Royal Scottish Academy on the Mound in Edinburgh. The Scottish Executive provided £10 million funding towards the £29 million costs of the Playfair Project. Unlike the Scottish Parliament building in another part of the capital, the art gallery project came in on budget and on time. The exhibition which marks the opening of the Playfair project is "The Age of Titian", centering on the painting "Venus Anadyoneme" (Venus Rising from the Sea) which was bought for the National Gallery of Scotland last year.
Billed as the "fastest-growing multi-cultural festival in the heart of Scotland" a band of enthusiasts has brought back the Kilsyth International Carnival. It takes place on Sunday, August 15th, at Colzium Estate near Kilsyth, from 12 to 7pm. The highlight will once again be the grand parade through the park at 3pm, led by the world-beating Kilsyth Thistle band. With three big Samba schools taking part and some fantastic costumes on display, the Latin, African and Celtic rhythms will provide plenty of reason to get up and dance in this idyllic woodland setting. Drums in the Glen is a new major drumming and percussion competition and there are arts and crafts, Kilsyth Starlets cheerleaders, Irish dancers - and the exotic Bollywood Dance Company with an exciting demonstration of authentic bellydancing! And best of all, entry to this extravaganza is free! For more details see the website at 
Thanks to their 3-0 win over SPL new boys Inverness, Livingston find themselves at the top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference. Aberdeen defended well to hold Rangers to a goalless draw at Pittodrie, with Croatia international striker Dado Prso just missing with two headers early in the game.
Even though Celtic won only three out of four matches in the ChampionsWorld series in North America, they regard the tour as highly successful because it has put a lot of money in the bank. Playing to huge crowds, Celtic came second only to Manchester United in total attendance. Negotiations are well advanced for Celtic to return to a similar visit next summer. It is likely that the event will be transformed into a semi-competitive tournament, rather than just a series of glamour matches.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club have been told by their bankers (Halifax Bank of Scotland) that their current lending facility will not be renewed at the end of the month unless the club sells its Tynecastle ground at Gorgie in Edinburgh to reduce its £18 million-lus debt mountain. Without a renewed banking facility, the club would close. The move seems to be a pre-emptive strike to ensure that supporters don't block the sale. The Save our Hearts supporters campaign has been trying to keep the club at its present home for sentimental reasons.
Attendance at horse racing in Scotland is thriving and the five courses increased the numbers through the turnstiles by 20% in the first six months of this year, out-performing their English counterparts. Over 170,000 people attended 52 meetings at Ayr, Hamilton Park, Kelso, Musselburgh and Perth. A milder winter, resulting in fewer abandoned meetings, and moving two fixtures from England, meant that there were more meetings in January to June 2004 than in the same period in 2003. Over the next two years, there are plans to invest over £13 million in improving facilities at Scottish racecourses. Much of the finance will be spent at Ayr, where there are plans to transform the venue into a leading leisure and tourist attraction.