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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Current Affairs
Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
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Scots Abroad
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Scotland Now Has A Government
When the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999, the body which governed the country was named "Scottish Executive". It was argued that this would avoid any confusion with the UK-wide government in London. But since then, bodies such as the Welsh Assembly, which has far less powers than the equivalent in Scotland, has a "government". The term "Scottish Executive" is little understood by the "man (or woman) in the street" in Scotland and there have been suggestions in the past about abandoning it. Now, First Minister Alex Salmond has forged ahead and just changed the name to "Scottish Government". Of course, he would like to see that government in sole charge, but in the meantime will have to settle with the name change. But because the term "Scottish Executive" is enshrined in the Scotland act 1998, it will continue to be used in formal legal documents such as legislation and contracts. Opposition parties could find no reason (justified or otherwise) to object, and could only say that it was done unilaterally and without consultation - which was "inconsistent with a professed desire for consensus, conversation, and co-operation."
Programme for Government
This week, First Minister Alex Salmond laid out the government's legislative programme for the year ahead. There are 11 bills in a new document "Principles and Priorities: The Government's Programme for Scotland." They include legislation on public health, abolishing endowment fees for university graduates, flood prevention and a "Creative Scotland" Bill. The government will also support two private Members' Bills being proposed, including one which will create a register of tartans.
Opinion Poll Says 35% of Scots Favour Independence
The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) has often dismissed opinion polls which seek to measure how many Scots support independence from the UK. It is argued that the answer can often be swayed by the nature of the question being asked. So there was some interest in the latest opinion poll - which used the exact question floated in the SNP Executive's consultation on independence. It showed that 50% of respondents 50% disagreed with the proposition that a settlement should be negotiated with the government of the United Kingdom, so that Scotland becomes an independent state. 15% said they didn't know and 35% agreed that a settlement should be negotiated - which is in line with many other opinion polls in recent years. There was more support from the 18 to 24-year-olds, with 52% agreeing with the proposal, but the poll also showed that 63% of professional people were against the idea.
Plans for Regenerating Leith Docks
The largest planning application in Edinburgh's long history was lodged this week, seeking to transform the entire docklands area of the Leith waterfront. The area is owned by Forth Ports and their 30-year project would create 16,000 new homes with nine "urban villages". The first of these would be located beside the existing Ocean Terminal. The aim of the project is to convert 355 acres of the brownfield site into a mixture of residential, community, leisure, retail, business and industrial developments. Parisian-style cafes feature heavily in the plans and there would be a library, schools and possibly a 3,000-seat concert hall. There would be over 100,000 square metres of new office floor space. It is estimated that this could contribute an additional £194 million a year to Edinburgh's economy.
Life Expectancy Increases
The latest figures published by the Registrar General for Scotland show that life expectancy for Scots has increased by two years in the last decade, rising from 72.1 to 74.6 for men and from 77.8 to 79.6 for women. While the figures are still heading in the right direction, Scotland still lags behind all other countries in Western Europe. There are also the usual regional variations - Glasgow males can now expect to live to beyond 70 on average, while those in Shetland have an average life expectancy of 76.6 for men and 81.5 for women.
Policing Faslane Protest Costs Over £5 million
The year-long anti-nuclear protest at Faslane naval base, where the UK's Trident nuclear-armed submarine fleet is stationed, has cost the police service over £5 million and the total is still rising. Protestors have been coming to Faslane since last October, although in reality they have turned up on little more than half of the days so far. But their "civil disobedience" and attempts to enter the base or disrupt access have resulted in nearly 1,000 being arrested - though only a handful have been taken to court. The demonstration is against the UK government's plans to replace the Trident fleet with new systems, costing £10 billion.
Forth Road Bridge Bottleneck Removed
Access to the Forth Road Bridge from the south has always been a nightmare as the main A8000 road has one lane in each direction. At rush hours (and at other times too) traffic moves at a crawl (if it moves at all) as vehicles back up for miles from the roundabout before moving on to the bridge tolls. It is one the worst traffic bottlenecks in Scotland (and there are many other contenders). The road has been unable to cope with the many thousands of vehicles using it each day, so there will be a sigh of relief this week when the road is replaced by a dual carriageway spur from the M9 and M8 motorways. The many commuters who travel from Fife to go to work in Edinburgh will benefit in particular.
Oil Capital's Air Link to Houston
It has taken a lot of negotiation, but Scotland's "oil capital" of Aberdeen will have a direct scheduled air link with Houston in Texas from January. City Star Airlines, which already operates air routes from the Granite City to Norway, is to lease a Boeing 757 200ER jet for the new service, which ends years of speculation about such a direct link.
Calendar's Tenth Anniversary
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Fáilte/Welcome to the tenth Scots Magazine Calendar. It’s hard to believe that over the years around 150,000 people across the world have been enjoying this calendar. It was originally called Scottish Moods, then for the year 2000, it changed to simply The Scots Magazine Calendar and introduced the now familiar "bonus feature" at the bottom of each page. The latest calendar’s extra feature is "How Scotland Measures Up", a light hearted and sometimes surprising collection of facts and figures including our tallest man, hottest day and oldest tree. So, why not gaze at each stunning Scottish scene and conjure warm memories of a beautiful country, whether Scotland is your home, former home, a special connection or you have simply fallen in love with Scotland’s charm. Let this 2008 Scots Magazine calendar remind you of everything that Scotland means to you. The calendar comes in an attractive ready-to-post sleeve, which can be sent anywhere in the world on your behalf. It can even include a personal message from you. See Scots Magazine Calendar.
Scottish Astronomers Help Google
Google Sky, which was launched recently to allow internet users to tour the night sky and see stunning pictures of a wide range of celestial objects, has been created with the help of astronomers at Edinburgh's Royal Observatory. A major aspect of Google Sky is the use of maps and charts overlaid on the night sky and it can then displays a huge array of images collected in Edinburgh since 1976. The photographic plates have been digitised on a special machine at the observatory and amateur astronomers can now navigate stars and nebulae and link them to the deep-space imagery from Edinburgh.
Chief of Clan Scott Dies
The Duke of Buccleuch, one of Scotland's biggest landowners and head of the Scott clan, died this week, after a short illness, aged 83. He had been confined to a wheelchair ever since a riding accident in the early 1970s and worked with various bodies on behalf of disabled people. He also sat in the House of Lords, speaking on rural, disability and constitutional issues. He was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Thistle - the highest honour in Scotland. He was outspoken in his defence of the countryside and could speak with the wide experience of managing the 270,000 acres of Buccleuch Estates in the Scottish Borders. He will be buried in historic Melrose Abbey next week. He is succeed by his eldest son, the Earl of Dalkeith.
Low Cost But "Classy" Scottish Towns
A survey by the Royal Bank of Scotland examines the towns and cities in Scotland which offer an affluent lifestyle at the most affordable price. It has put Perth at the top of their index because it offered big city living but with house prices below the national average. Inverness came second and Livingston came third. More surprisingly, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock were 4th and 5th respectively.
Oor Wullie Sells for £4,400
An original drawing of the cartoon character "Oor Wullie" sitting on his iconic bucket and signed by the artist, Dudley D Watkins, was sold in Edinburgh this week for £4,400. Frenzied bids from around the world pushed the price well above the auctioneer's estimate of £500. The same auction saw a collection of 18 personal letters from comedy legend Stan Laurel to a Scottish housewife, who became his pen pal, sold for £2,900. Walterina Hunter, from Edinburgh, had written a fan letter in 1952 and over ten years they exchanged letters covering everything from the weather to the death of his comedy partner, Oliver Hardy. The letters were written on headed paper from luxury hotels where the comedian was staying while on tour.
Another Oban Folly?
The skyline above the town of Oban in Argyllshire is dominated by a building looking like a replica of the Colosseum in Rome. It is known locally as "McCaig's Tower" but many Scots are more familiar with the term "McCaig's Folly". Now locals are wondering if another "folly" is being built near the town in the form of the enlarged airport that Argyll and Bute Council is creating to provide scheduled flights to the islands of Colonsay and Coll. The £8.5 million (and counting) facility, six miles from Oban, was supposed to have been operational last month. But the project has been delayed and may not start functioning until the early part of next year. Licences for both Oban itself and two revamped council-owned airfields on Colonsay and Coll have not yet been obtained. And so far no airline has come forward to operate the flights. The start of a seaplane service from Glasgow to Oban harbour will also make it more difficult for another operator to think of flights from Oban to the central Scotland belt. Forecasts of a "Hebridean Hub" and flights to Europe direct from Oban seem now to be rather optimistic.
Highland Park Whisky Raises the Roof
Highland Park on Orkney is the most northerly of all Scotland's many distilleries and it produces one of the smoothest and most popular malts. It has two traditional "pagoda" style roofs, sitting high above the kilns to draw smoke up through the barley. This is said to be integral to the production of the distinctive flavour, so when the pagodas began to be the worse for wear, they had to be replaced - at a cost of £500,000. Contractors had to be flown in to Orkney to carry out the intricate work. One pagoda will be completed by the end of this month, while the second is to be replaced next year. One of the original pagodas will be displayed in the visitor centre at the distillery.
Weather Men Honour "Father of Forecasting"
Around 300 weather experts from around the world, gathered in Edinburgh this week, will honour Alexander Buchan "the father of meteorology". The experts are in Scotland's capital for a conference to discuss ways of improving forecasts. But they will also take part in a series of talks and exhibitions on Buchan, marking the 100th anniversary of his death. Buchan created the isobar system of predicting weather which is still used by forecasters today. Originally a school teacher, he devoted his life to studying weather after losing his voice from shouting at pupils. He created some of the first weather maps and helped establish an observatory on Ben Nevis.
Weather in Scotland Last Month
The weather statistics for the previous month which are published by the Meteorological Office remind us of what we have just experienced, weather-wise. The figures this time confirm that it was wet - rainfall was nearly 25% higher than usual - though some areas had over 50% above average. Sunshine across Scotland was 88% of the 1961-1990 average. Temperatures were close to the long-term norm too, with global warming failing to make any impact on August. In fact, this August was the coldest since 1994. The highest temperatures during the month were around 25C (77F), mainly towards the end of the month, but such warmth was rare.
Weather in Scotland This Week
There was more of a touch of summer this week, with maximum temperatures in the second half in particular rising to 20/21C (68/70F, accompanied by a lot of sunshine. The west fared better in the early part of the week, but later it was the east and north of the country that got appreciable amounts of sunshine. The outlook over the next few days is for a continuation of the bright, sunny weather in many parts of Scotland.
The illustration shows a Comma butterfly in the walled garden of Kinross House, Perth and Kinross.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season and its flora and fauna include a Spotted Flycatcher sitting on a favourite fence (see thumbnail here); harbour at Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife; Small Copper butterfly in good condition; fishing vessel "Britannia" now recorded in the National Register of Historic Vessels database; the black markings on the wings of a "Large White" butterfly; Rudbeckia flower shining out like a beacon. See This Week's Colour Supplement.
Aberdeen’s Past On-Line
Aberdeen City Council holds details of more than 3,000 archaeological and historic sites, ranging from 8000 BC to the 1960s. Now these exciting slices of the Granite City’s rich history are being made available online. Initially, 700 records are being made available to surfers, including everything from prehistoric stone circles, through evidence of Aberdeen’s superb medieval archaeology, to monuments of the railway age and of World War II. The records can be accessed by searching for specific locations or by browsing through an index. Log on to Aberdeen’s Past On-Line.
Conservation for Discovery
A project to conserve and restore the research ship "Discovery," the vessel used by Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott, has got underway at Discovery Point in Dundee. The ship has now been dry-docked and the hull will be allowed to dry out before the main work begins. The Heritage Lottery Fund is providing much of the finance and the main contractor will be Mackay Boat Builders of Arbroath, a long-established boat builder. The company is one of only a couple of boatyards left in Scotland with extensive knowledge and skills in building, restoring and maintaining wooden ships. While the work is in progress, the famous and elegant ship will remain open to visitors.
Photograph of Discovery from the air courtesy of the Scotavia> © Web site.
Next Week in Scottish History
Retrofest to Return
More than 15,000 music fans arrived at Culzean Castle Country Park last weekend for a festival that concentrated on pop music from the 1980s, with singers and groups from that era giving the fans a nostalgic look back at yester-year. Many of those attending got into the spirit of that age, dressing up as Wonder Woman, Michael Jackson and even the Ghostbusters, while others sported all the gear, hairstyles and make-up of the decade. The weekend was judged such a success that the organisers immediately announced that Retrofest will return next year as a three-day event. Classical music will be added on a separate day - and you can't get more "Retro" than 200-year-old music...
Glenlivet Smugglers' Trails
Glenlivet Distillery and the Crown Estate have combined to launch three historic walks in Speyside, using trails used to smuggle illicit whisky in days gone by. Each trail is being sign-posted and information leaflets are being provided at the distillery's visitor centre. Of course, many walkers will use the trails just to get closer to the picturesque landscape of wide open spaces and rolling hills. See Glenlivet News.
KT Tunstall Busking Again
Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from St Andrews is now a top recording star, selling over 4 million albums and picking up three BRIT Awards and a Grammy nomination. But the 22-year-old started out with unknown independent bands and as a busker, entertaining cinema queues. Then she burst into the public eye with a TV performance on "Later with Jools Holland" of her own song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". Her new album "Drastic Fantastic" is due for release next week. And she gave it a lot of publicity this week not with a big concert - but by busking on the steps of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall at lunchtime. She is not short of a penny or two these days, so the £270 collected at the unexpected gig will go to charity. She also enjoyed a lot of banter from the Glaswegian crowd and got them to sing "Happy Birthday" for her mum.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland. But the "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.
Beach Celtic Festival, Toronto
The 4rd Annual Beach Celtic Festival will take place on September 15, 2007 at Kew Gardens on Queen St. East. This year's scheduled lineup includes the 48th Highlanders of Toronto, the Toronto Scottish Regiment, Spraoi, Enoch Kent, Highland & Irish Dancers.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Motherwell 0 Heart of Midlothian 2
St Mirren 1 Celtic 5
Dunfermline 0 St Johnstone 0Clydesdale Bank Premierleague Results - 8 September 2007
No matches this weekend due to Scotland international match.
Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Results - 8 September 2007
No matches this weekend due to Scotland international match.
Scottish Rugby Premiership 1 Results - 8 September 2007
Dundee 6 Currie 16
Glasgow Hawks 22 Boroughmuir 24
Heriots 36 Hawick 29
Melrose 40 Edinburgh Academicals 6
Stirling County 18 Ayr 18
Watsonians 40 Glasgow Hutchesons 15Scotland v Lithuania
In the lead-up to the Euro 2008 qualifier match against Lithuania at Hampdeen Park, Glasgow (see graphic), Scotland manager Alex McLeish said that the Scots would be playing attacking football. In the first half of the match, there was only one goal - from a glancing header by Kris Boyd after 31 minutes. In the second half, Lithuania hit back with a penalty after what was described by some commentators as a "dive" by Saulius Mikoliunas. Like a number of the Lithuanian players, his club football is for Heart of Midlothian. But the Scots recovered in the last 15 minutes of the game with goals by McManus (from a pass by Shaun Maloney) and another by McFadden
New Sponsor for Scotland's Rugby Team
The chairman of Rangers Football Club is to sponsor the Scotland rugby squad with nearly £1 million a year for the next three years. Sir David Murray's privately owned company, Murray International, will feature on the national team shirts as part of the deal. Although he is so strongly associated with Rangers and football, Sir David has been a life-long rugby fan. He played the game until a car accident in 1976 in which he lost his legs. He is estimated by the Sunday Times "Rich List" to be the 95th wealthiest person in Britain and the 7th richest Scot.
Plans for Celtic Cup
The football associations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are moving forward with their proposals to have a "Celtic Cup" which could start as early as next year. The international matches involving England and the other countries in the UK were abandoned in 1984 and the English Football Association is not interested in getting involved again. Dates are available from Fifa for such a mini-tournament, but details such as whether it would be a knock-out competition or a league system have yet to be agreed.
Great Scottish Run
Nearly 20,000 people took part in last Sunday's Fresh n’ Lo Great Scottish Run 10K and half marathon road races. Thousands of spectators who were there to cheer on family and friends were entertained in a large Entertainment village. Of course, the organisers were putting on a particularly impressive show as it is less than 70 days before the decision on whether Glasgow or Abuja in Nigeria will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Glasgow's hopes of a successful bid were boosted when the Commonwealth Games committee responsible for reviewing the bids published a glowing assessment of Glasgow's plans - and expressed some concerns about Abuja.
Home Win in Johnnie Walker Golf Championship
Scotland's Marc Warren defeated England's Simon Wakefield in a play-off to win the £233,330 first prize in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles last weekend. The Scot sank an 8-foot putt for a birdie on the last green to force the play-off. Warren was last year's "Rookie of the Year" and this was his second European Tour title. A recent run of poor form, however, meant that he missed six of the last eight cuts, so the win was a pleasant surprise.
UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships at Fort William this week is going from strength to strength and the racing gets better and better, despite the widely varying weather. An estimated 8000 spectators watched Saturday's events unfold as a jubilant Julien Absalon romped home to retain his World Championship title in the Elite Cross Country race - breaking the previous long standing record for the most World Championship titles (3). He completed the gruelling 51.4 km course (six laps) in just over 2 hours and 17 minutes. The Swiss contingent added to their medal collection with Swiss riders Ralph Naef and Florian Vogel taking the silver and bronze medals respectively.