Current Affairs
Cars to be Banned from Edinburgh City Centre
The day when cars are banned from Princes Street, the main shopping area of Edinburgh, is edging closer with media reports that the City Council could bring in the ban next May. Cars were barred from the eastbound side of the street (beside the shops) nine years ago and banning cars from the other side of the street (beside the castle and Princes Street Gardens) has been a long-term aim. Of course, if some of the predictions for what will happen if the city goes ahead with road tolls to enter the capital come to pass, a lot fewer cars drivers will be wanting to travel into the city centre anyway. Buses, taxis and cycles are still to be allowed to move along Princes Street, so the area will not be completely pollution free (especially as elderly diesel buses belch their way along). In Glasgow, the main shopping areas of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyll Street were fully pedestrianised years ago.
Young Scots Fizz
A study by the World Health Organisation claims that Scottish youngsters drink more fizzy drinks than nearly all other countries in the world. Out of 35 countries in the world, Scotland ranked second in the consumption of sugary drinks by young people. And the report says that 44% of 15-year-old boys and 42% of Scottish girls claim to consume at least one alcoholic drink each week.
Protest at Invitation to Chinese Army
The spectacular and ever-popular Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which takes place this year on the esplanade (forecourt) of Edinburgh Castle from 6th - 28th August, will have military bands and performers from five continents. But the invitation to the People's Liberation Army of China to participate has sparked a storm of protest. Human rights campaigners point to the violent suppression of pro-democracy protestors in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the continued occupation of Tibet. There are threats of a protest campaign against the inclusion of the People's Liberation Army in the Tattoo. The organisers say that the invitation was to "hold out the hand of friendship" while also admitting that they "produce a pretty good show." It is also claimed that the performers are musicians and not soldiers and that the Tattoo is not political.
Aberdeenshire Man's £5.4 Billion Tax Bill
None of us like paying income tax and we all believe that the amount we pay from our income is always too much. But when Craig Gallagher from Newmachar, north-west of Aberdeen, opened the envelope from the Inland Revenue last Saturday, he thought that the Chancellor of the Exchequer must be in big trouble. The document claimed that he owed the government £5.5 billion and that £4.1 billion had to be paid by next January. The Inland Revenue also claimed that he owed them £2.7 billion for the last financial year - on "earnings" of only £85 million - which works out at a tax rate of over 300%. Because it was the weekend, Craig could not contact the Inland Revenue officials immediately. When he did so on Monday, he was told "not to worry" and that it was due to a "technical error". But he checked a revised statement very carefully, just in case there are any more "technical errors" - even though it said he now owed the government a mere £2.
Comma Butterfly Makes a Mark
Last year there was some excitement in the world of butterfly conservation when the beautiful Comma butterfly (one of the Fritillary family) was seen in the St Andrews area of Fife. The Comma (so-called because of underwing markings which look like the punctuation mark) has not bred in Scotland for 180 years. There were a number of sightings and it had been hoped that it might start breeding in Scotland again. There are breeding colonies as far north as Northumberland in England. So you can imagine my delight when I spotted a Comma butterfly last week during a visit to Cambo Estate in north Fife. It was sitting on a leaf in the late afternoon sun, and I was able to take some photographs of it. I got in touch with the environmental department of Fife Council and initially they were very interested in the sighting. But later this week, the department said they had received a report suggesting that a batch of Commas had been released last summer by a hobbyist in Kincaple village, further along the Fife coast. Comma's are capable of over-wintering. All the sightings seemed to be of older butterflies and all the reports of the butterfly were in the general area of release. Of course, there is always the chance that the survivors may breed in the area and become established, but that is probably a long shot.
34 Aberdeens
Fred Bull from Deeside in Aberdeenshire has recently travelled over 90,000 miles around various parts of the world - all to visit and find out about the 34 other places named Aberdeen. He visited 28 of them in just 16 weeks and has now written a book about his travels to Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Aberdeen...you get the picture. He has also produced a video on all those Aberdeens and a DVD is to follow. He was unable to visit Aberdeen in Sierra Leone because of the civil war there, but reached Aberdeen in such diverse locations as South Africa, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Guyana, Australia. Antigua, Canada and of course 18 Aberdeens in various parts of the United States. And there is even a suburb of Manchester in England named Aberdeen. Aberdeen Round the World is being published by Scottish Cultural Press in Aberdeen (the one in Scotland) on June 22.
Local Taxes Rise by Nearly 50% in Seven Years
Figures published this week by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities show that local council taxation has risen by 48.7% since 1996. That's an average of 2.7% a year on top of inflation and despite the local councils receiving record sums via central government taxation. The Scottish Executive are expected to announce later this month a long-awaited review of council finance. This is currently based on the value of people's houses. It takes no account of ability to pay - or the number of wage earners in a house But the review could lead to still higher bills for many. The figures also show that the local authorities only manage to collect 91.3% of the £1.75 billion of the taxes owed each year. When central government funding is added in, Local Authority spending in Scotland reached £15.5 billion in 2002-03, an increase of 11.2% on the previous year. The biggest expenditure is on education with social work coming second.
G8 Summit for Gleneagles
In the week that the Gleneagles Hotel marked its 80th birthday, it was confirmed that the next G8 summit, to be hosted by the UK, will be held at the Perthshire resort. Built by the old Caledonian Railway Company, the hotel has its own railway station. These days, guests are more likely to arrive by road - or by helicopter. Bob Hope once remarked that if Gleneagles had enjoyed Californian weather he would have moved there. Having the summit at Gleneagles is likely to be a mixed blessing for the local people as a heavy security presence to protect the world leaders is likely to make life difficult for residents in surrounding areas.
Tayside Reservoirs at Record Low Levels
Reservoirs which supply 300,000 people across Tayside, including Dundee, are only 50% full, their lowest level on record for this time of the year. It was the dry and warm weather of 2003 which led to this situation. Last October the region had an all-time low of 6mm of rain, instead of the average of 103.7mm. Since then, the reservoirs have not recovered and Scottish Water is asking customers to cut down on wastage and to save water. Otherwise, the spectre of sanctions such as a ban on the use of hosepipes will start to become a reality.
Scotland Resists UK Independence
In the European Elections last week, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) caused a major upset in England and Wales, winning 15.6% of the vote and 12 seats in the European Parliament - where their aim will be to wreck proceedings, obstruct and delay legislation and "expose" the negative aspects of the European Union. UKIP pushed the Liberal Democrats into fourth place nationally, after doubling its share of the vote. In Scotland, on the other hand, although they increased their share of the vote from four years ago, UKIP did not have a major impact. It is being suggested that the UK Independence Party struggles in Scotland because of the "UK" in its title. All the other major and most minor parties north of the border have "Scottish" in their names.
In Scotland, the established parties held off the challenge from their smaller rivals and elected two Labour, two Scottish National Party and two Conservative members, while the the Liberal Democrats won one seat. Labour won 26.4% of the vote (2.3% less than in the last Euro elections). The Scottish National Party, which had aimed to increase its share of the vote to 30%, fell back instead to 19.7% (7.5% less than last time). The Conservatives lost 2%, moving back to 17.8% while the Liberal Democrats (who had encouraged the electorate to express their views against the Iraq war by voting for them), rose 3.3% to 13.1%. The Scottish Green Party increased its share by 1% to 6.8%, but that was not enough to win a seat under the proportional voting system used for Euro elections. The UK Independence Party increased their share of the vote by 5.4% to reach 6.7%, while the Scottish Socialist Party, were up 1.2% to 5.2%.
£100 Million School Building Plan Approved
Councillors in East Dunbartonshire voted to approve a £100 million school building programme which will see Bishopbriggs High School and Thomas Muir High merging to create a new 1200-pupil joint campus. And Bearsden Academy (pictured here) will be replaced by a new building at the site of the former St Andrews College in the suburb on the periphery of Glasgow. A new building for Douglas Academy in Milngavie will be constructed on the existing site. Parents in Renfrewshire, however, were celebrating their victory in blocking council plans there to merge Gryffe High and Linwood High into a new 1450 capacity "super school" on greenbelt land in Houston.
Police Quackdown in Glasgow
Two police officers had to be called in to control the rush-hour traffic in busy Cowcaddens Road in Glasgow on Tuesday as it ground to halt as a duck shepherded her ducklings after they fell out of a nest on the roof of a nearby bar. The police quackdown led to the officers having to decide "waddle we do?" before stopping the traffic and guiding the duck and her eight offspring across the road to some bushes. The police officers said they were used to escorting unsavoury characters out of Glasgow public bars but their latest experience may lead them to being promoted - to the Flying Squad...
"Don't Call Me Auntie" Says New Naval Commander
Commodore Carolyn Stait, the Royal Navy's second female to be promoted to that rank, took charge of the naval base at Faslane on the Gare Loch this week. She is now responsible for eight nuclear submarines, including four Trident nuclear missile vessels. She commands the biggest workforce and budget in the UK armed services with 6,000 personnel. Commodore Stait says she will offer a sympathetic ear to her new staff - so long as they don't call her "Auntie". Aged 47, Commodore Stait is tipped to rise still further in the Royal Navy and could become its first female rear-admiral.
Historical Affairs
Paisley Abbey Refurbishment Complete
It has taken 15 years and cost £2.4 million, but the refurbishment of Paisley Abbey has now been completed. There have been major improvements to the stained glass windows and stonework has been restored. The completion was marked last weekend with a four-day flower festival which had flower arrangers from across Scotland flocking to see the displays. The ornate carving of the wood and stone in the Abbey were an excellent back-drop for the floral art. For more on Paisley Abbey, see Places to Visit - Paisley Abbey.
Does Arrowhead Pinpoint Battle Site?
Archaeologists have found a 700-year-old armour piercing arrowhead at Bannockburn which they say may pinpoint the site of the battle of Bannockburn on June 24, 1314. During the battle, King Robert the Bruce defeated an army of King Edward II of England, ensuring the continuation of Scotland as a separate kingdom. The precise site of the battle has been the subject of intense debate, especially in recent years. Now the National Trust for Scotland has found the arrowhead - the cruise missile of its day - during excavation work near the Bannockburn visitor centre. It is the first-ever find of a weapon from the area (a broken stirrup was found last year). The arrowhead was not used for hunting but was used to penetrate heavy armour. It is unclear whether it is an arrow from an English or Scottish weapon although the small size suggests that it is Scottish, as they used shorter and less powerful arrows than their opponents. Many of the English archers actually came from Wales but they were driven from the field of battle by the Scottish cavalry.
Entertainment
Royal Scottish National Orchestra Promenade Season
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra ScottishPower Proms season for 2004 runs from 10 to 12 June at the Usher Hall Edinburgh, and 16 to 26 June at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (pictured above). The season began at the Caird Hall in Dundee from 26-29 May and Aberdeen from 3 to 5 June. This is a series of popular classics that will appeal to a wide and varied audience. Every night is a highlight, but book early for ‘An Evening with Bond James Bond’ , conducted by Carl Davis. The season begins with a Russian Night followed by Symphonie Fantastique, West End Gala, Kids’ Concert, American Night, Classical Gala Night, Sinatra Song Book and the unmissable Last Night of the Proms. For more details, see www.rsno.org.uk.
Scottish Opera "Rescue" Package Officially Announced
After weeks of media speculation about how Scottish Opera was going to survive within the budget allocated from public funds, there was a chorus of anger from many when the Scottish Opera board of management finally confirmed the details this week. About 88 staff will be paid off and there will be no major productions by the company between the summer of 2005 and spring 2006, as the company tries to cut costs. Scottish Opera is also in negotiations to sell its Theatre Royal base and lease it back. In return for the cost cutting, the Scottish Executive will give Scottish Opera up to £7 million which will pay for staff redundancies (the entire chorus of 34 will lose their jobs and numbers will fall from 208 to 120) and repay a cash advance made this year of £4.5 million (out of an annual allocation of £7.4 million). This had kept the company solvent as it once again spent more than its budget. While many in the arts world consider that the government should be allocating more taxpayers money to support such cultural activities, there are others who believe that Scottish Opera caters for a small audience of largely affluent members of the public and that other aspects of Scottish culture, which are attended by larger numbers, tend to be neglected.
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