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.Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive> and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here>.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
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In the First Division, St Johnstone were unable to fully capitalise in leaders Gretna losing on Saturday and only edged one point closer, reducing the gap to 9 points - but the Perth club has played two games fewer than Gretna at this stage. Airdrie are bringing up the rear in the first Division, 2 points behind Queen of the South and 3 points adrift from Ross County.
In the Second Division, Greenock are out in front by 7 points from Stirling Albion, while Forfar trail 9 points behind Stranraer at the other end of the table.
While Berwick Rangers are only 3 points ahead of Queen's Park at the top of the table, Berwick have two games in hand. East Stirling gained another valuable point at the foot of the table but are only 2 points ahead of Elgin. East Stirling have played two less games than Elgin, though with their uncertain performance, it will be hard to translate that advantage into points.
Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Scottish Banking Profits Soar to £15 Billion
There is even more resistance than usual these days by bank customers to what is seen as exorbitant bank charges. So when the major banks announced significant increases in profits this week, a lot of attention was paid to them. And the banks in response tried to present aspects of their figures which put them in a more favourable light. Two of the UK's largest banks are based in Scotland, a testament to the success of the financial services industry in Edinburgh. Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) was first to publish their results and pre-tax profits rose from £4.81 billion in 2005 to £5.71 billion in 2006 - an increase of 18.7%. The bank followed up its annual results with a special bonus of £240 to shareholders - emphasising that as a large percentage of customers were also shareholders, they too would benefit from this windfall. And staff profit sharing would mean 17,300 personnel in Scotland would be smiling all the way to the bank with a bonus of £3,468 to every worker (amounting to £60 million in total) as well as free shares worth another £4,046. Shareholders and staff will get their extra cash later this month. The Royal Bank of Scotland, the second-largest banking group in the UK, was quick to pint out that over 40% of its £9.2 billion profit in 2006 came from outside the UK and that much of the profit growth of 16% had come from its investment and corporate banking divisions. And of course the hard working staff who achieved these results will also get profit sharing bonus. So all that makes the bank charges paid by personal customers acceptable, doesn't it?
Rail Crash in Cumbria
One passenger was killed and eight seriously injured when an express train from London to Glasgow came off the rails in Cumbria last Friday while travelling at 95mph. A preliminary report suggests that the crash was caused by a faulty set of points. The chief executive of Network Rail says the organisation is "devastated" and has offered an "unreserved apology". Because of the remote location, it has so far taken a week to construct a temporary road to the crash site to allow cranes in to lift the carriages from the embankment where they came to rest. It was only due to the modern, robust construction of the high speed "Pendelino" carriages that the number killed or injured was not much higher. Few of the windows in the carriages shattered and indeed it is being claimed that some of the rolling stock may be repaired and eventually put back into service. With the west coast main line closed, the rail service operated by GNER on the east coast has increased the number of its trains between Edinburgh and London and buses were taking passengers between Preston and Carlisle to bypass the crash site.
The illustration above shows a train of the type involved in the crash.
Universities Call for Funding Increase
Universities Scotland, the organisation that represents university principals, this week called for public funding to rise by 15% above inflation by 2010-11. They argue that this is needed to keep Scotland's seats of learning competitive in the face of rising costs and the student top-up fees paid to equivalent bodies in England and Wales. If they achieve that figure (and there will be the usual hard bargaining with the Scottish Executive before a final figure is established) that would bring total public funding of Scotland's universities to £1.28 billion a year. The university principals also want to see the first expansion in student numbers for a decade, with an extra 4,000 graduates by 2010-11 and an additional 4,000 postgraduates. Budgetary pressures on Scotland's higher education sector have resulted in Dundee University announcing job cuts of 100 staff while Strathclyde University is set to reduce their numbers by 250.
Driving and Mobile Phones Don't Mix
Research shows that people using mobile phones while driving are four times more likely to have an accident and are as dangerous as those driving while over the alcohol limit. So in December 2003 legislation came into force which penalised those caught risking their own and other people's lives. In 2005, it was estimated that 13 deaths and 400 injuries were due to drivers not concentrating on the road by using mobile phones - the number of knocks and dents to cars involved in accidents for the same reason is not insignificant either. But the legal penalties (a £30 fine) were totally insufficient to persuade many drivers to either install a "hands free" device or to pull over and stop when they received a call. So now the government has increased the penalties to the same level as those convicted of exceeding the speed limit - three penalty points on the licence and a £60 fine. The maximum fine for a bus, truck or van driver has been raised to £2,500. A few weeks ago, a Glasgow evening newspaper named and shamed drivers using their mobile phones while motoring in the city by publishing photographs and car registration numbers. In the days following the new legislation, hundreds of motorists were caught by police - including one driver who already had 9 penalty points on his licence for speeding and now faces being banned from driving.
Staff Shortage Headache for Scottish Business
It is a sign of the comparative health of the Scottish economy that one of the major headaches for businesses is the shortage of skilled staff. The latest Bank of Scotland Labour Market Report continues to highlight that strong demand in recruitment. That in turn is producing rises in salaries and wages. The number of people looking for work was slightly down in December, the last month for which there are official figures. The job market would be even tighter if there had not been an influx of workers from Eastern Europe, particularly those countries who have recently joined the European Union.
Dirtiest Streets in Scotland
Much to the surprise of those who view with distress the amount of litter in the streets of Glasgow, a report this week from Audit Scotland has ranked Edinburgh at the foot of a national cleanliness league table of the 32 council areas across the country. They are so concerned about the problem in the Capital that they are insisting that Edinburgh City Council should put refuse collection out to tender, not just because it performs badly, but because it is the most expensive in the country. The report noted that there was "a marked gap between satisfaction with Edinburgh as a place to live (92%) and satisfaction with the way the council runs the area (53%)". The council acknowledges that it concentrates its efforts at cleaning the tourist areas - and neglects other parts of the city. The most highly rated council in Scotland for cleanliness of its streets was Moray.
English Not a First Language
10,000 school pupils in Scottish schools don't have English as their first or primary language. Instead, they speak 137 different languages at home, including Punjabi, Urdu, Cantonese, Polish and Arabic. Of course, although the number seems quite large, that is out of a total of 702,737 pupils in 2,757 state schools last September, at the start of the new academic year. Those numbers were down from the previous year when there were 713,240 pupils in 2769 schools. The Educational Institute of Scotland has warned that the increase in pupils who are not fluent in English has not been matched by a rise in language support services.
Go-Slow For Glasgow?
Like most large cities, traffic in the centre of Glasgow gets clogged up from time to time. But the city council has announced a proposal for all vehicles to be restricted to a maximum of 20mph. A number of "Twenty's Plenty" signs have been erected in suburban areas in many parts of Scotland, but this would be the first time that an entire city or town centre in Scotland had a blanket speed restriction of 20mph. It is argued that over the last ten years the number of people working in the centre of Glasgow has risen by 40% and there are over a million visitors a year - plus all those who come in to do their shopping (though many of the main shopping streets are now pedestrian only anyway). The city's largest taxi firm commented that it was hard to travel at over 20mph much of the time anyway. Others questioned whether motorists travelling on roads away from the main shopping area, especially at night, needed to travel at a maximum of 20mph.
New Highland Showground
The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), based at their showground at Ingliston on the edge of Edinburgh, expressed horror a year or two back when it was suggested that they would have to move from their site in order to allow the airport next door to expand and build a second runway to cope with the projected passenger growth. They vowed to fight the plans, arguing that they had been at the location for 50 years and were an important part of the local economy. But it then emerged that an alternative site was available - a few hundred yards away, across the A8 road that runs past the showground. Now a detailed feasibility study has been completed with an estimated cost for "Norton Park" of around £275 million, much of which may be paid for by the airport authority as part of its billion pound expansion plans. The new venue includes a new 10,000 seat indoor arena suitable for major pop concerts and other events. With the prospect of a spanking new showground with enhanced facilities, understandably the RHASS is now no longer resisting the move.
Seeing Red Over Double Yellow Lines
The staff who enforce the parking regulations in Edinburgh have a well-earned, fearsome reputation. But they have been excelling even their "high standards" by chasing taxis dropping off passengers outside the up-market Harvey Nichols store in St Andrew Square. And delivery drivers are being stopped from dropping off items. Double yellow lines (which mean that no vehicle can stop) were introduced in front of the store last year to allow buses to go through the square more quickly, after the introduction of new "traffic management" regulations. The problem is reminiscent of a long-running battle with the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street. Staff there claimed that parking attendants were deliberately targeting their guests. That dispute was eventually settled when the local authority agreed to allow hotel visitors special dispensation. Perhaps the same is need for Harvey Nichols?
RSPB Gives Wind Farm the Bird
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) recently failed to convince Western Isles Council about the dangers to wildlife of a massive windfarm with 181 wind turbines, each 140 metres (460 feet) high, on Barvas Moor on the Isle of Lewis. Now the wildlife protection charity is opposing plans for a windfarm on the Isle of Skye. While this one has only 18 tall turbines, it is close to the fragile nesting areas of golden eagles. RSPB considers that the developer's environmental impact assessment is not satisfactory. It has warned Highland Council that siting a windfarm in Edinbane on the north of the island would contravene the EU's Habitats Directive. This seeks to protect parts of the country where rare species are found.
Top Award for Old Course Hotel
The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews was named Scottish Hotel of the Year at a glittering awards ceremony last weekend. Golf fans from all over the world stay there and its high standards, luxury spa and international clientele all contributed to it gaining the top accolade. Other hotels which picked up awards included, Inverlochy Castle (luxury hotel of the year - for the second year in a row), East Haugh House in Pitlochry (top Country Sports hotel) and Knockinaam Lodge, Dumfries and Galloway (Scottish Romantic Hotel of the Year).
An Unholy Row
Most people know that "twin" implies "two" - except when it comes to "twinning" cities, where the number can be anything the city politicians want to make it. Glasgow is perhaps a prime example of this - to date it has formal twinning arrangements with seven locations abroad - Havana in Cuba, Marseille in France, Lahore in Pakistan, Dalian in China, Nuremberg in Germany, Rostov in Russia and Turin in Italy. The motivating factor (say the councillors who jet off to reinforce the links) is that it helps trade and cultural exchanges. Now senior members of Glasgow City Council want to add an eighth city - Bethlehem. The city is run by the Palestinian authorities and there is more than a suspicion that the suggestion is motivated by politics rather than trade or culture.
Going Up in the World
The proposal to convert the 165 feet high cantilever crane at Finnieston on the banks of the river Clyde into a restaurant has gained the cautious support of the city council planners and even the heritage watchdog Historic Scotland, despite it being listed as a category "A" building. The hammer head crane was built in 1932 and was at that time the largest in Europe. It was capable of lifting 175 tons and was often used to transport railway engines made in the city onto ships at the dockside.
Images of New Highland Town
The first illustrations have been released of the proposed new town planned at Tornagrain on the A96 corridor between Inverness and Nairn. The developers are proposing some impressive architecture and a pedestrian friendly town plan, with a mix of housing design, new schools and community facilities. There will also be job opportunities on the doorstep as a result of an adjacent business park. That A96 main road would be transformed into a tree-lined boulevard, while heavy and through traffic would be diverted onto a new bypass to the north. Although the planners assert that there has been extensive consultation on the proposals, there are claims that the process is being rushed and there has been insufficient time to consider the new information. But the new town developer, Moray Estates, says that a formal planning application will not be submitted until next year at the earliest.
Moon Gazing
As in many other parts of the world, there was a total eclipse of the moon visible (weather permitting) on Saturday, 3 March, with totality at around 10.45pm, lasting until about midnight. It was the first such eclipse visible in Scotland since January 2001. Unlike some earlier celestial events, there were clear skies over much of Scotland during the eclipse, so there were plenty opportunities for amateur and professional astronomers to get a good view. The photo shown here was taken in my back garden at around 10.30pm, just before the moon was totally eclipsed as the earth passed between it and the sun.
End of the Line for Phone Boxes?
The explosion of mobile phones has had a lot of unintended consequences - and one of them has been the major decline in the use of the ubiquitous red telephone box which used to dot all our towns and countryside. Telephone giant BT still operates all these public call boxes. The company has pointed out that the ten most underutilised phone booths are all in Scotland, with only three calls being made from them in the last year. These were not in remote Highland locations either, but in places like Penicuik (just ten miles from Edinburgh) and two in Auchterarder in Perthshire. There are 1,200 phone boxes in Scotland which take in less than £100 a year in call charges - which doesn't even cover the annual maintenance costs of around £1,600.
Money Grows on Trees
The Regional Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife has called for more to be done to protect the famous trees and woodlands in Perthshire - which markets the area as the "Big Tree Country". It is home to 22 of the trees listed as the 100 Heritage Trees of Scotland and they play an important role in Perthshire's lucrative tourism industry. Trees which attract attention include the world's highest hedge (made of beech trees) at Meiklour and the oldest tree in Europe, (the yew at Fortingall). The widest conifer in Britain is at Cluny House Gardens, Perthshire. It is 11 metres in girth and over 130 years old. The tallest Sitka spruce in Britain grows at Strathearn. It is 61 metres (200 feet) tall. And the tallest Japanese larch in Britain is in Diana's Grove at Blair Castle. A Douglas Pine at Scone Palace was the first to be grown from a seed brought back from North America by David Douglas, who once worked on the estate.
Weather in Scotland This Week
Even though there are many signs of spring around the country, temperatures were cooler than in the earlier weeks of February. That was due in part to a number of clear skies at night and to more northerly winds this week. Edinburgh and Glasgow had daytime maximum temperatures on Thursday and Friday (the first days of March) only reached around 7/8C (45/46F) and Aberdeen was even chillier. Rain has been largely in the form of showers, punctuated by a number of brighter, sunny intervals. The outlook for the next few days is for the weather to remain changeable and temperatures only edging up slightly.
The daffodils shown here were photographed in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, earlier this week.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season are all from Glasgow and include the Mitchell Library; Greek Thomson Church for the United Presbyterians; Duke of Wellington statue in Royal Exchange Square; a clock with running legs, outside the Buchanan Bus Station (see thumbnail here); Gallery of Modern Art, Radisson SAS Hotel. This Week's Colour Supplement.
See
Aberdeen's Shipbuilding History On-Line
A new Web site has been launched which is dedicated to telling the histories of nearly 3,000 vessels that were built in the shipyards of Aberdeen. The project is being taken forward by the Aberdeen Maritime Museum, aided by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and funding from the Hilda Duthie Bequest - a fitting tribute to the local shipbuilding family of Duthies. The web site gives basic information and history of the vessels, as well as details of related objects which are held by the Maritime Museum, including any photos, drawings and artefacts. There is already a lot of information on the site, but it will take until August 2008 to complete the catalogue. See also www.aberdeenships.com.
Dial M for Macbeth
Visitors to the town of Forres in the north-east of Scotland will soon be able to use their mobile phones to call up "Macbeth" and learn the truth about the 11th century Scottish monarch who was so maligned by William Shakespeare. Although it is estimated that about half of the English-speaking population around the world has read the play, few know that the action takes place in Moray and that Shakespeare's spin on the story bore little resemblance to the reality of Macbeth's life. Plans are at an early stage but it is being suggested that tourists standing at the 20 feet high Pictish Sueno's Stone in Forres (Britain's largest carved Pictish monument ) would use their mobile phones to learn about Macbeth and his links with the area by phoning an actor who would play the part of the monarch. Sueno's stone predates Macbeth by a few hundred years, but local legend suggests that the stone imprisons the souls of the witches portrayed in the iconic play. And the myth says that if the stone ever breaks, the three sisters will escape - with disastrous consequences. Even Shakespeare never dreamed up that one...
Next Week in Scottish History
Record Ticket Sales for T in the Park
35,000 tickets for this year's T in the Park pop festival at Balado near Kinross were snapped up within 70 minutes when they went on sale within days of the end of last year's event. That was before the artists performing in July this year had been announced. This week, another 40,000 passes for the three-day spectacular went on sale on-line and at a few selected outlets. Within 40 minutes, they had all been purchased. For those who missed out, there is a faint hope as the organisers announced that another 5,000 tickets would be made available. And, although efforts are being made to prevent ticket touting, they are also being sold on eBay - though a weekend pass, with a face value of £120, is being offered at prices approaching £500.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Rare Visit by Professional Orchestra in Shetland
Living in Shetland, the most northern islands of Scotland, has a number of advantages, but it does mean that live entertainment tends to be home-grown as it is so expensive for professional companies to travel there. So the visit by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in June is the first by a professional orchestra in 15 years. As well as giving performances, the players also will work with community groups and pupils on a number of projects. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has toured venues throughout the Highlands and Islands every summer since 1979.
Local Violinist Performing at Reopening of Town Hall
Local Ayrshire lass Nicola Benedetti is now an internationally acclaimed violinist, but who better to perform at a concert to mark the reopening of Ayr Town Hall after its £1 million refurbishment? She will be performing solo and for no fee in the building on Saturday, June 9, with funds raised from ticket sales going to the Ayrshire Hospice. South Ayrshire Council are also delighted that the concert will give publicity to the completion of the makeover and that the hall is available in the future for concerts and functions.
Photograph courtesy of the Scottish Parliament> © Web site.
Golden Age of Chaplin in Perth
Fans of silent movies in Perth are in for a real treat with a triple bill of short Chaplin films this weekend, accompanied by live music performed by the London Sinfonietta. The performances in Perth Concert Hall is part of a UK tour by the orchestra, with contemporary music with a host of instruments aiming to inject new humour into the classic films.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland but occasionally items from overseas are covered. The new "Scots Abroad" section, invites folk to write in about Scottish-related events in their part of the world. It allows publicity for them and an appreciation by others of just how much Scottish culture is perpetuated in every corner of the globe.
Clan Currie Reunion - Isle of Bute - August 2007
The Clan Currie Society has organised a clan reunion this year to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Bute Highland Games. Their event runs from Thursday 16 August to Sunday 19th August, 2007. The Curries usually meet every five years. Their last gathering was in 2001 (at the Blairgowrie Scottish Games in Perthshire) but in view of the strong links with Bute it was decided to wait another year - and share in the fun and excitement of the 60th anniversary games. There are records of Curries on Bute (an island in the Firth of Clyde) as far back as the early 15th century. For additional information on Clan Currie's Bute homecoming, visit www.clancurrie.com.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Rangers 2 Falkirk 1
Dundee United 0 Hibernian 0
St Mirren 0 Motherwell 0
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Celtic 2 (Scottish Cup, Quarter Final)
Motherwell 1 St Johnstone 2 (Scottish Cup, Quarter Final)Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 3 March 2007
Celtic 2 Dunfermline 1
Falkirk 1 Aberdeen 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Dundee United 0
St Mirren 0 Kilmarnock2
Hibernian v Rangers will be played on Sunday and Motherwell v Hearts on Monday.Scottish Football League First Division Results - 3 March 2007
Gretna 0 Queen of the South 3
Hamilton 3 Airdrie United 0
Livingston 1 Dundee 3
Partick Thistle 0 Clyde4
Ross County 1 St Johnstone 1
Queen of South v St Johnstone is scheduled for Tuesday.Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 3 March 2007
Cowdenbeath 1 Raith Rovers 5
Forfar 3 Brechin City 2
Greenock Morton 2 Peterhead 1
Stirling Albion 4 Alloa 0
Stranraer 0 Ayr United 3
Cowdenbeath v Stirling is scheduled for Tuesday.Scottish Football League Third Division Results - 3 March 2007
Dumbarton 1 Berwick Rangers 2
East Fife 3 Elgin 1
Montrose 0 Arbroath 1
Queens Park 5 Albion Rovers 0
Stenhousemuir 1 East Stirling1
East Stirling v Stenhousemuir is scheduled for Tuesday.League Tables
Celtic are within touching distance of the SPL title. If Rangers lose against Hibernian on Sunday, Celtic would have the opportunity to clinch the title by defeating Rangers next Sunday. It all sounds improbable, but who would have thought at the start of the season that the Parkhead side would be 22 points ahead with nine games to play? Despite their good run in the Scottish Cup, Dunfermline sit uncomfortably at the foot of the SPL table, 9 points behind St Mirren.
Scottish Cup
Celtic left it late in their Quarter-Final clash against Inverness Caledonian Thistle last Sunday. The home side scored after 18 minutes and kept Celtic at bay until the 89th minute when a goal by Steven Pressley made it look as though the game would go to extra time. Then Kenny Miller fired in the winner during injury time. In the match between Motherwell and St Johnstone on Wednesday, the First Division side proved to be more lively than their SPL opponents and scored in both halves of the match. Motherwell did manage a goal late on, making it a nail-biting finish, but the Perth club won through. They now face Celtic in the semi-final, while Hibernian play Dunfermline.
Italy Lead Scotland - Again
After the embarrassing win by Italy over Scotland last Saturday in the 6 Nations rugby tournament (the first time the Italian international rugby squad had won a match away from home), the Italians are rubbing salt into the wound by overtaking Scotland in the latest IRB World Rankings. Scotland dropped from 8th to 10th place, while Italy moved up to 9th place, thanks to that astounding victory over the Scots at Murrayfield.
Jamie Murray Wins Again
We have got so used to hearing about Andy Murray, the UK's top tennis player, that it comes as a surprise to read about the tennis success of his older brother Jamie. Two years older than brother Andy, Jamie Murray won the SAP Open doubles title at San Jose with Eric Butorac two weeks ago. The pair have now achieved back-to-back ATP Tour titles by winning the doubles title at the Memphis International last Sunday. The win propelled the Scot up nine places in the doubles world ranking to 44th. Meanwhile, brother Andy failed to beat Andy Rodick in the semi-finals of the Memphis singles.