England's Private Hospitals to Aid Scotland

The length of time that patients have to wait before they are able to get an appointment to see a specialist in hospital reached the front pages again this week with the latest statistics published by the Scottish Executive. The Health Minister of course claimed that targets were being met, but in reality they showed the usual mixed picture with heart, cancer and stroke patients seeing an improvement, on average. But "median" waiting times are the longest since the early 1990s. With billions of pounds of extra funding of taxpayers money being poured into the National Health Service (NHS), the figures appear to show that improvements in England and Wales are not being matched by the health service in Scotland. Some people have argued that one reason for this is that NHS patients can be referred to private health firms down south for diagnosis and treatment but, for ideological reasons, the Scottish Executive has made little use of sending patients to private hospitals at NHS expense. Of course, the minuscule private health sector in Scotland could not cope with a large influx of patients but in a new development, so the Scottish Health Ministers is now having talks with English private health firms to see if they can help. With cash registers ringing, they are bound to be able to step in.

Last Post for Historic Scottish Regiments
As men of the Black Watch stormed key strongholds in Iraq's "Triangle of Death," military sources were being quoted as saying that the Army Board had decided that in order to make financial savings demanded by government ministers, single-battalion regiments could not continue. As a result, despite strenuous campaigns to save them, the Black Watch and the other five Scottish infantry regiments will be merged into one "super-regiment" - probably called the Royal Scottish Regiment. In recent weeks, Prime Minister Tony Blair had appeared to endorse a compromise proposal that would have allowed the Scots units to keep their regimental status. But according to the Army Board that would not have achieved the required level of savings. A final decision is expected in the next few weeks - by which time the Black Watch soldiers may be on their way home from Iraq, as promised by the Prime Minister.

But Will the Trains Run on Time?
The transfer of greater rail powers to Scottish Ministers came a step closer with the introduction of the UK Railways Bill at Westminster this week. The proposed legislation will transfer full responsibility for specifying track and infrastructure improvements, as well as all of First ScotRail's services from the UK Strategic Rail Authority. It is claimed that this will create a simpler, more direct relationship with the rail industry in Scotland and will allow the Scottish Executive to put passengers' needs at the heart of future investment. So in future when the trains don't arrive on time the guard will be able to say "We apologise for the late arrival of your train. This was due to the government."

Rise in Road Deaths
Statistics published this week by the Transport Minister Nicol Stephen show that the number of people killed on Scotland's roads rose by 9% last year, to 331. This was still the fourth lowest figure in the last 50 years and the number of people seriously injured fell by 9% to 2,940 - the lowest figure since records began in 1950. The number of accidents which led to someone being injured in any way fell by 3% to 13,884, the lowest figure since 1966. There was a 10% drop in the number of child casualties, but a slight rise in the number of youngsters who were killed or seriously injured. In the last ten years the number of cars on Scotland's roads has risen by 25% to almost 2.4 million.

Drivers Ignore Ban on Mobile Phones
Lat year, it was made an offence to use a mobile phone in a car unless the phone had "hands free" operation. Tests had shown that drivers using a mobile phone become distracted and are involved in six times more accidents than ordinary drivers. It is claimed that using a mobile is almost as bad as driving over the alcohol limit. But a recent survey by the Royal Automobile Club has found that since the ban was introduced, the number of people saying that they used their phones behind the wheel has increased considerably to 40%. The government is already moving to toughen penalties for getting caught. Currently, motorists are fined £30 but new legislation will double that penalty and - more crucially - will add three penalty points to a driver's licence, making it equivalent to a speeding conviction.

Edinburgh - Land of Mountains and Cold People?
Research by a leading international branding consultancy has revealed that for many people living in Madrid, London, Tokyo and New York, the image of Edinburgh seems to be of fog, mountains, golf, deep-fried Mars Bars and bad food. For many Japanese, Edinburgh didn't appear on the radar at all, and for those who knew of the city, it produced ideas of bagpipes, tartan, Nessie and, unbelievably, cricket and polo - the latter perhaps due to the Duke of Edinburgh? On a more positive note, Sean Connery's connection with Edinburgh seems to be well known and Londoners, though believing that people in Scotland's capital are cold, the city itself was associated with festivals, Hogmanay, stone buildings and being so small you can walk everywhere. Of course, those who live in Edinburgh were able to come up with a long list of favourable attributes which will be used to sell the Edinburgh "brand" to potential foreign and UK tourists. Phrases such as Athens of the North, beautiful, majestic, inspiring, dramatic were put forward by locals and the people described themselves as authentic, intelligent, conservative, traditional, reserved and not "in your face" (the latter no doubt in contrast with Glasgow). The respondents in the city also felt Edinburgh still had a heavy sense of being middle-class and having an "old boy network" while weaknesses included traffic congestion, the price of property, the weather and the standard of service in hotels and restaurants.

Search for Coastline Energy Sites
The Scottish Executive has commissioned a comprehensive analysis of Scotland's entire 6,000 miles of coastline to help investors identify potential offshore sites for wave and tidal power developments. The work and analysis is due to begin in spring 2005 and is expected to take more than 12 months to complete. The Executive hope to make Scotland a world leader in marine energy while at the same time meeting targets for renewable energy generation. Assembling facts on the potential of Scotland's coastline is a first step. The government point out that the length of the coastline of Argyll and Bute alone is greater than that of France.

Wrapping Up Christmas
Working on the fact that Glasgow is such a popular city for shoppers, Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley Tourist Board have come up with a list of special yuletide gifts which are hard to obtain outside of the trendy shops found in the city. The list ties in with the city's "Scotland with Style" campaign and its reputation for art and design. Surveys suggest that 40% of tourists come to Glasgow because of its range of retail outlets. Many are small independent stores, not just the usual range of High Street multiples. The Tourist Board's Christmas shopping list ranges from an expensive designer mini-kilt to costume jewellery and kids' hats. Then there's a frosted glass heart-shaped pendant from the "Glasgow Collection" and a trendy leather cuff (worn like a bracelet) from Kindom in Buchanan Street, one of Glasgow's whackier accessory stores. The Tourist Information Centre in George Square is itself selling Laura Grant designer kids' hats, gloves and scarves.

Kiddiesville Kicks Off
As part of the Scottish Executive's "One Scotland, Many Cultures" campaign, the Kiddiesville FC website was launched this week. It is based on a children's football team, with cartoon characters from a range of backgrounds and abilities and stories about each member of the team, games, guidance for adults, music, and competitions. Children using the website are encouraged to accept and value different cultures and religions, think ability - not disability, respect others and play fair. The football theme ties in with the "Show Racism the Red Card" campaign which aims to stamp out racial intolerance amongst football supporters.

Historic Clyde Name Revived
Scott Lithgow used to be one of the many shipbuilders on the river Clyde but, like nearly all of its contemporaries, it no longer exists. But the name has been revived by Scott Lithgow Shiprepairers based at the Inchgreen dock in Port Glasgow. The facility is owned by a Merseyside company Northwestern Shiprepairers and the dock has already completed a number of successful refit projects. It has now reached the point where a new separate company, using the Scott Lithgow name, has been launched to carry out specialist ship repair, ship conversion and military refits. The original Scott Lithgow company was established in 1970 when shipbuilding was nationalised, but ceased trading in 1993. It was formed out of Scott's of Greenock, (established in 1711), and Lithgow's of Port Glasgow, (dating back to 1874). During its history. Lithgow's became the largest privately-owned shipyard in the world.

All Lit Up for Christmas
The Christmas lights were switched on in Edinburgh's Princes Street this week as the now traditional German Christmas market opened with 25 stalls. Also on show were the customary Norwegian Christmas tree, the Ferris wheel and the carousel. The winter wonderland skating rink was launched for this season by synchronised skating teams from Inverness. The great Christmas switch-on also took place in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and other Scottish towns.

TV Screens for Taxis
Glasgow City Council has approved a pioneering scheme which will see flat screen TVs in the city's black cabs, so that passengers will be able to see short films (and adverts of course) while they travel. They will show constantly updated news, weather and events - but without distracting the driver. The first 30 installations will be operational from next March but that figure will rise to 350 out of Glasgow's 1428 black cabs over the following three months.

Rainbow End for Bonar Bridge?
When the residents of Bonar Bridge were asked what colour they would like to see the bridge spanning the Kyle of Sutherland when it was repainted, they were shown computer mock-ups of the bridge in various shades displayed in the local library. It's not known whether the version showing the colours of the rainbow was included as a serious option or as a joke or was a computer graphics designer showing off, but that is what the overwhelming majority of the residents have chosen. There are 189 votes for the rainbow bridge (seen here) and blue is in a poor second place with 48 votes. Those in favour of the rainbow colours say it would breathe new life into the area and would help to attract visitors. Currently the bridge is a drab grey and is due to be repainted in 2006 or 2007. Using muti-colours would add to the cost, so no promises are being made at this stage by the Sutherland roads department.

Wine from Highlands Predicted
It is hard on a chilly, grey November day to envisage growing enough grapes in Scotland to support a wine-making industry, but a professor of geology is predicting that as a result of global warming, south-facing slopes in the Southern Uplands, the southern edge of the Grampians and the Great Glen could all be producing large quantities of grapes by the end of the century. With the higher temperatures being forecast, "Côte d'Ecosse" wines could be grown on soils which are similar to the vine-growing regions of South Africa. Of course, the down-side of this will be that growing barley for Scotland's traditional whisky will be less than ideal and grain may have to be sourced from places like Iceland and Norway. Scientists are forecasting that Scotland's temperatures will rise by three degrees celsius by 2100. During a warm phase of climate during Roman times, vines were grown in southern England as far north as the rivers Humber and Severn.

Hammer Blow for Highland Games
Tests of strength at Highland Games involving throwing heavy weights originated from contests involving farm implements. There are a variety of hammers and weights, but the continuation of the traditional events is now under threat from an unexpected source - metrication. Track events were forced to adopt metres instead of yards decades ago, but the 60 Highland Games societies linked to the Scottish Games Association have continued to use heavy weights of 16lb, 22lb, 28lb and 56lb. However, sourcing hammers made in imperial measures is becoming increasingly difficult because Britain adopted metric weights many years ago.

300,000 Scots Seek Sun for Christmas
Scottish airports are predicting that record numbers of Scots are going to leave the gloom of local winter weather and fly to the sunshine over Christmas. The numbers are likely to exceed 300,000 in the week before Christmas day. Budget airlines are fuelling the wishes of sun-seekers and Spain is the most popular destination. Alicante in mainland Spain and Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands are the top destinations.

Robin Saved From Firing Squad
A robin which had become trapped in a supermarket in Hawick in the Scottish Borders caused chaos there for three days. It evaded all efforts by staff to catch it and in the meantime caused disruption - not least because it was still doing all the things that come naturally to a robin. Eventually, the supermarket owners applied for a licence to shoot the robin - but the government department involved refused. The Scottish Executive had previously been criticised for handing out too many licences to kill invading birds and had drawn up a list of alternative methods for dealing with them without causing harm - they can often be lured outside with a recording of another bird or can be netted quite easily. However, the cheeky robin in Hawick became exhausted before these methods were tried. It landed on the floor where a member of staff picked it up and took it to freedom. It immediately flew away, much to the delight of staff and customers.

Weather in Scotland This Week
Maximum daytime temperatures across Scotland bounced from 3/4C (37/39F) last Sunday to an above average 12/13C (54/55F) on Monday. Much of the rest of the week remained unseasonably mild for the time of year although cloud cover on most days meant that the sun was hard to find. From Monday to Thursday, only five minutes of sun was recorded in Glasgow and other locations did not fare much better. Friday proved to be the only weekday with any appreciable amounts of sun and by Saturday the rain clouds were back in command. The outlook over the next few days, however, is forecast to be much brighter.

This week's illustrations of current flora and fauna in Scotland are all of birds seen this week at Hogganfield Loch in Glasgow. There area large number of resident swans there which seem to co-exist reasonably happily, despite the competition for food. The first illustration below is of Whooper Swans with their yellow bills; these are winter visitors to Scotland. In the same picture is a Mallard duck, a frequent sight in many Scottish inland stretches of water. Next is a Goosander drake, a type which breeds in Scotland. Finally, there is a Goldeneye drake with its distinctive white spot on its head; these are frequent winter visitors to Scotland.

Victorian Landmark Sold

When the Victorian architect William Leiper had a number of his proposals for the design of a carpet factory in the east end of Glasgow rejected by the city council, he came up with the idea of making it look like the Doge's Palace in Venice - it is not clear whether he was being serious but the council approved. So in 1892 his extravagant edifice of polychromatic brick - orange, yellow, blue, with turrets and arches and circular windows became a reality as the Templeton Carpet Factory. Over the years, additions have been made - some, such the one made in the 1930s, as colourful as the original. It is no longer a carpet factory but has become a business centre instead. Last year, the planning authorities rejected a plan to build a skyscraper at the corner of the listed building as part of a redevelopment - critics described the proposal as "architectural vandalism". Now the building has been sold to developers Old Mill Studios whose architects agree that it is one of Glasgow's most iconic and important historic buildings. They say that their plans will ensure that it retains its cultural significance. Inside, they will create 143 residential flats, a specialist micro-brewery, a visitor centre and part of the business centre will be retained.

Five Glasgow Buildings Proposed for "Listed" Status
Glasgow City Council is proposing that another five buildings in the city should be considered by Historic Scotland for "Listed Building" status. This provides a measure of protection against inappropriate redevelopment or alteration. The buildings are Notre Dame Primary School, the former Dowanside House and the former Notre Dame training college and its chapel and practising school. Other properties are Anniesland Mansions in Great Western Road which was built in 1900s and the former home of the Kinning Park Co-operative Society in Coburg Street, in the Gorbals district.

A South African "Mole"?
As Scotland prepared to take on South Africa at Murrayfield on Saturday, genealogical research revealed that former Scottish internationalist (turned sports pundit) John Beattie has close links with South Africa - his maternal great-grandmother actually hailed from the land of the Springbok. His mother's grandmother was called Maria Nelson and she was born in South Africa. Along with his great-grandfather they set up home in Scotland in the 19th century - and the rest, as they say, is history. But John has been quick to reassure people that despite his newly-discovered ancestry his loyalty still lies firmly with Scotland and that he will not be acting as a South African mole. John was presented with his framed family tree earlier this week by the deputy registrar general at the General Register Office for Scotland, who work with the "ScotlandsPeople" web site to provide world-wide access to almost 40 million genealogical records including old parish records going back as far as 1553, together with records of the 1891 and 1901 census in Scotland. Also available are the statutory registers of births for Scotland, 1855-1903, the statutory registers of deaths for Scotland, 1855-1953 and the statutory registers of marriages for Scotland, 1855-1928. See also www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

Next Week in History

• November 29 1489 - Margaret, Queen of Scotland, born.
• November 29 1599 - Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons granted its charter by King James VI.
• November 29 1681- Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, granted its charter by King Charles II.
• November 30 - St Andrew's Day - patron saint of Scotland.
• November 30 1292 - John Balliol ("Toom Tabard" or "Turncoat") crowned.
• November 30 1872 - World's first international football (soccer) match, Scotland V England at West of Scotland Cricket Ground. Result was 0-0.
• November 30 1923 - John Maclean, political activist, Marxist, appointed Bolshevik consul for Scotland by Lenin, died.
• November 30 1944 - HMS Vanguard, Britain's biggest and last battleship, was launched at Clydebank.
• November 30 1996 - Stone of Destiny, stolen from Scone by King Edward I of England in 1296, returned to Scotland and installed in Edinburgh Castle.
• December 2 1848 - Mary Slessor, missionary, born.
• December 3 1894 - Robert Louis Stevenson died in Samoa.
• December 4 1214 - King William I (Lion) died at Stirling and was succeeded by his son Alexander II.
• December 4 1423 - Treaty of London, releasing James I from his 18 years captivity in England.
• December 4 1795 - Essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle, best known for his "French Revolution" born in Ecclefechan.
• December 4 1937 - Cartoon character Desperate Dan first appeared in the "Dandy" comic.

Nelson Theme for Tattoo
The victory of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 will be a feature of the programme for next year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo performed as usual on the esplanade (forecourt) of Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Marines will be joined by military personnel from Russia, Norway and the USA. The Russian Cossack State Song and Dance Ensemble will be among more than 1,000 performers in the 56th year of the event. It is always a sell-out for its three week run and this year 211,000 tickets were sold in record time. As usual, the 200-strong Massed Pipes and Drums will start the proceedings. Tickets for next year's Tattoo go on sale next week.

Government Backing for National Theatre HQ in Easterhouse
Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson has spoken out in support of siting the new HQ for the Scottish National Theatre in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow after opposition politicians had criticised the selection - and additional finance required. It will cost an extra £150,000 to revamp the proposed site in a deprived area of the city. But the minister said the location was "symbolic of our ambition to put culture at the very heart of every community." The HQ will be in a development which will have an auditorium, studios for rehearsal, photography and multi-media.

New Visual Arts Festival for Glasgow
The first full-scale annual visual arts festival in Scotland will take place next spring, from April 21 to May 2. It's title - the Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Visual Art - is not exactly snappy, but it is to be known simply as "Gi". The organisers claim that it is not being set up as a rival to any event in Edinburgh, where 30 galleries ran a marketing campaign for their work which was described as a "trial run" for a larger visual arts festival in August. The Glasgow event is to be based at the Tramway venue in the city's south side.

Mid-Week Football Results

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Dundee United 1
Barcelona 1 Celtic 1 (Champions League Group stage)
Rangers 3 Grazer AK (Austria) 0 (UEFA Cup Group stage)
Basel (Switzerland) 1 Heart of Midlothian 2 (UEFA Cup Group stage)

Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 27 November 2004

Aberdeen 1 Dundee United 0
Hibernian 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1
Kilmarnock 1 Livingston 3
Motherwell 2 Dunfermline 1
Dundee play Celtic and Rangers play Hearts on Sunday.

Scottish First Division Results - 27 November 2004

Falkirk 2 Ross County 2
Hamilton 1 Airdrie United 3
Raith Rovers 0 Partick Thistle 0
St Johnstone 3 Clyde 0
St Mirren 2 Queen of the South 2

League Tables
Celtic remain one point ahead of Rangers at the top of the SPL with Aberdeen in third place, 5 points behind Rangers, but having played one additional game. Hibernian are fourth, 4 points behind Aberdeen. Dundee have fallen to the foot of the SPL but only on goal average - they have the same number of points as Livingston and Dundee United but have played one game less.

In the First Division, all three teams at the top of this league last weekend stumbled this Saturday. However, Falkirk remain on top, 6 points ahead of St Mirren and Clyde have the same number of points but are third due to goal average. Raith Rovers languish 7 points behind Hamilton at the foot of the First Division. There have been no Rugby Division 1 games due to the Scotland international against South Africa.

Scotland 10 South Africa 45
South Africa rested a number of top players for the international against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday and the Scots went into the match with their tails up after a gutsy performance against Australia. But a catalogue of mistakes by Scotland demoralised the team. Australia scored a try after 7 minutes, following weak tackles from the defence and the Springboks never looked back after that. They were 15-0 up before Scotland got on the score sheet with a penalty. The Springboks immediately responded with a drop goal from 45 metres out. South Africa were leading 32-10 at half-time, and any hope of a Scotland fight-back disappeared as they failed to score in the second half, with the final scoreline 10-45.

Vital Point for Celtic
After being defeated 3-1 by Barcelona at Parkhead in their group stage match in the European Champions League, Celtic flew off to Spain this week knowing that hopes of achieving even a consolation place in the UEFA Cup were hanging on a thread. Barcelona opened the scoring after 25 minutes but Hartson scored for Celtic just before half-time and that was enough to give them a point for the draw. The result meant that they rose above Shakhtar Donetz into third place in Group F. The final match of this mini-league is on 7 December when Celtic play AC Milan in Glasgow and Shakhtar Donetz are at home to Barcelona.

Rangers Cruise to Top
Rangers had an emphatic win at home against Grazer AK of Austria in the second of their UEFA Cup group matches, finishing 3-0 up with second-half goals by Nacho Novo, Shota Arveladze and Hamed Namouchi. Rangers are now at the top of their Group with maximum points after scoring 8 goals and conceding none in their two matches.

Hearts Still Beating After Dramatic Win in Europe
Heart of Midlothian kept their hopes of staying in the UEFA Cup competition alive with a stunning 2-1 win over Basel (Switzerland). Hearts had gone ahead after half-an-hour with a goal from Dennis Wyness only to lose their lead in the second half. Then Robbie Neilson snatched a famous victory in the dying minutes of the game. It was the first time that Neilson had scored for the Edinburgh club. That result puts Hearts in third position in Group A of the UEFA Cup.

Aberdeen Cut Their Losses
The days of removing the toaster from the players' dressing room to save electricity may be over, but Aberdeen Football Club are still having to keep a tight rein on their expenditure. On the pitch, last season was one of the worst in recent years with the club finishing second from the foot of the Scottish Premier League. Financially, however, the bottom line improved, and the club's annual results, which were published this week, showed losses being reduced from £2.39 million in the previous year to £1.699 million. Turnover was up slightly, but that had more to do with the centenary celebrations in 2003 than attendance at matches - which fell as a result of the poor performances. That situation will have been reversed with the turnround achieved by the new manager Jimmy Calderwood. The income from Caledonian Thistle having to play their home matches at Pittodrie will also be helping the Aberdeen finances this season.

Return to Inverness for Caley Thistle?
Having had to play all their "home" matches at Aberdeen because of the Scottish Premier League rules, Inverness Caledonian Thistle (and their supporters, who have to make a 200 mile round trip to home matches) have been told by the SPL board that there is a good chance of them being allowed to play at their upgraded ground in Inverness for the last third of the season - if they can prove that their ground meets the SPL criteria by January 28. The club still does not have undersoil heating installed but believe that the work can be finished in time. Despite its northerly location, Inverness have only had to postpone two games in the last seven years, but must still comply with all the rules. This week Inverness completed the signing of Craig Brewster from Dunfermline as player-manager. The previous Inverness manager John Robertson apparently recommended Brewster to the club's board when he left to take up the head coach job at Hearts.

Scotland Competing in New Zealand Sevens Tournament
For the first time, Scotland will be represented at the International Rugby Board (IRB) sevens tournament which takes place in Wellington next February. Scotland are said to be looking to gain international sevens experience before the World Cup sevens tournament in Hong Kong in March. Other countries confirmed for the Wellington tournament include Fiji, England, South Africa, Australia, France, Kenya, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, Argentina, Japan, the United States and Canada. The illustration shows the Melrose Rugby Ground in the Scottish Borders, home of the famous "Melrose Sevens" competition.

Scotland Win ICC Intercontinental Cup
So maybe we should all stop supporting football and rugby and make cricket our national passion instead... While the ICC Intercontinental Cup may not involve the major cricketing nations (it's regarded as the second league), at least Scotland swept aside the opposition and won the trophy - beating Canada in the final. Scotland restricted the Canadians to 110 runs in the first innings and then declared on 287 for eight. But Canada were all out in their second innings for 93 runs in 29.5 overs, meaning that Scotland won by an innings and 84 runs. Gavin Hamilton, the Durham star and former England Test all-rounder, scored 115 for Scotland while Dougie Lockhart, with 64, and Ryan Watson, on 56, were well to the fore in what captain Craig White described as "a team vicory."