Current Affairs Driest July in 50 Years The Meteorological Office statistics for July show that last month Scotland had its driest July for 50 years. Western Scotland had only 39% of the long-term average rainfall, though other parts of the country had 53/54%. Not that the dry weather produced higher daytime maximum temperatures - at 17.7C (63.8F) it was 0.6C (1.1F) above average. And sun-seekers were disappointed with hours of sun close to the norm of 149 hours. When the dry spell hit Scotland in 1955, there were water shortages and bans on using garden hoses and washing cars. This July, there was a full supply and no major problems anywhere. New Car Sales Fall For the seventh month in a row, new car sales in Scotland fell compared with the same month in the previous year. The Scottish Motor Trade Association statistics show that only 13,192 new cars were purchased in Scotland during July - down 1.4% from 13,377 a year ago. The Renault Megane (illustrated here) is once again the top-selling car in Scotland with the Renault Clio second and Ford Focus in third place. Renault has jumped ahead of Ford as the best-selling car make in Scotland - accounting for 12.99% of the market. Not Long To 2007 Details of a major travelling exhibition and more cash for events to boost plans for Highland 2007, the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture, were announced this week. Fonn's Duthchas - Land and Heritage - is an exhibition organised jointly with National Museums of Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland. The exhibition will use language, music, poetry and art to provide a unique insight into the Highlands and the people who live here. Highland 2007 aims to promote the Highlands as a great place to live and to visit by showcasing the unique and special nature of Highland culture past, present and future. It will incorporate a range of international, regional and community events, as well as capital projects and cultural activities specifically for young people. The government has committed £9.5 million towards the costs of three major building projects as part of Highland 2007. They are a £5 million redevelopment of the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, £3.75 million to support a new visitor centre at Culloden and £750,000 towards the Gaelic College on Skye - Sabhal Mor Ostaig. Whisky Production Soars It will be good news to whisky drinkers around the world that the latest government statistics show that output of the "water of life" reached a new record in June, rising above the previous peak achieved in February 2003. There was an increase of 7.3% in production between May and June this year. Drivers Rate Scotland's Roads Most Scenic A survey of 1,700 UK motorists by the Direct Line insurance company shows that nearly 25% of all drivers rated Scotland as the most picturesque part of Britain for driving holidays, ahead of other scenic areas such as the Lake District which got 16% of the vote and Wales with 11%. Of course, the quieter roads in Scotland may have contributed to the views of those surveyed. The A817 from Loch Lomond to Garelochead was voted the most leisurely drive in Scotland in the survey, while the road from Invergary to Skye was also highly rated. The A817, which rolls through Glen Fruin in Argyll (seen here), was built only 15 years ago to provide a good road to the Faslane naval base. Glasgow Going for Gold The Scottish Executive announced this week that it is giving both its moral and financial backing to a bid by Glasgow to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games. If successful, the games will provide an excellent showcase and provide a lasting legacy of sports facilities plus regeneration of the east end of the city as well as investment in new transport links. It will cost more than £200 million to stage the event and Scotland will be competing against cities in Canada, South Africa and Nigeria. Glasgow has staged a number of major sporting events in recent years, including the European Champions League Final, the Special Olympics and the Commonwealth Boxing Championships. Facilities already exist in Glasgow at Hampden Park, the Scottish Exhibition and Concert Centre, Kelvingrove Park, Kelvin Hall, Strathclyde Park, Glasgow Green and other projects are already in the pipeline. But a new Commonwealth Village would need to be built at Dalmarnock and Sighthill. And it is possible that some events could be staged in Edinburgh, including swimming at a revamped Commonwealth Pool and a proposed new velodrome for cycling. Kicking the Pylons Into Touch International rugby star Kenny Logan joined a march at the National Wallace Monument near Stirling this week which was part of the campaign protesting about the planned 137-mile giant electricity pylons from Beauly in Inverness-shire to Denny in Stirlingshire. It will carry power from wind farms in the north of Scotland to the national grid and the major users of electricity in the central lowlands. The route is through some of Scotland's most scenic countryside, including the Cairngorms National Park. Although there are electricity pylons already criss-crossing much of Scotland, some of these new ones will be over 200 feet high. In addition to ploughing through scenic areas, the pylons would come within a few hundred yards of the Wallace Monument - and would match its height. Protest groups are calling for a public enquiry into the £320 million scheme. European Workers Lured to Scotland The Scottish Executive's "Fresh Talent" policy of attracting eastern European workers to Scotland, to help to stem the country's declining population, seems to be producing some results - at last. The number of citizens from the ten new European Union members registering to work in Scotland almost doubled in the second quarter of this year. Over 4,400 of them registered for work in Scotland. Initially, statistics showed that Scotland was attracting less than its proportionate share of such skilled immigrants. In the second quarter, Scotland attracted 10.3% of the 52,750 workers who came to Britain from the new European Union member states, which is above the Scottish proportion of the UK population. However, since enlargement, that percentage is only 6.5% of the total. Most of those coming here obtain employment in catering or hospitality industries. Historical Affairs Wallace Commemoration Events Although historians have poured scorn on the Hollywood movie "Braveheart" it undoubtedly resulted in a resurgence in interest in the Scottish hero William Wallace. He fought for Scotland's independence from English rule (not for the Scottish throne) over 700 years ago. Although Wallace fought only two major battles (Stirling Bridge and Falkirk) and lost the second one, and others at the time (notably Sir Andrew Murray in the north of Scotland) made a major contribution, their campaign did lead to Robert the Bruce declaring himself King of Scotland, six months after Wallace was cruelly put to death on August 23, 1305. The 700th anniversary of this event is being marked mainly by commemorations organised by private individuals and societies - the Scottish Executive, with its support for the policy of Scotland as part of the UK, has kept its distance. This week, after a march from Scotland to London, a symbolic coffin carried by David Ross and members of the Society of William Wallace, took part in a funeral service in St Bartholomew’s Church, London. The coffin was then brought back to Scotland where it is lying in state for a few days in the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. Visitors will be able to add appropriate tokens to the coffin which in time will become a time capsule for posterity. The statue to Wallace shown here is in the centre of Stirling. Old Aberdeen A new exhibition opened this week looking at different aspects of the history of Old Aberdeen, which was an independent burgh from the late 15th-century until 1891, when it was incorporated into the City of Aberdeen. Among the items on display is the chain of office of Hugh McLean of Coll, who was one of the Provosts of Old Aberdeen in the 1780s, as well as a number of historic beggars' badges. These allowed the holder to beg in Aberdeen in the 17th-century. All other beggars were chased away. The exhibition on Old Aberdeen is being held in the Tolbooth Museum, Castle Street, until September 11. The Tolbooth, built between 1616 and 1629, is one of the oldest buildings in Aberdeen and one of the best preserved 17th-century Scottish gaols, complete with atmospheric prison cells. Entertainment Piping Hot in Glasgow Although there had been heavy overnight rain, the sun shone on the World Pipe Band Championship at Glasgow Green on Saturday. Over 5,000 pipers and drummers from all over ther globe were taking part, including the United States, Canada, New Zealand, France, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, Oman and Japan. The top 24 grade one bands in the world were all competing and in total there were 232 bands taking part, with more than 50 of them from overseas. Other attractions on the day included Highland Dancing Competitions, Drum Major contests, the European Championship of Highland Games and a traditional craft fair. House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead were judged to be the 2005 World Pipe Band Champions, with Field-Marshal Montgomery (from Ulster) in second place and Simon Fraser University (Canada) in third place. The full results can be found at Piper and Drummer. New Screen Academy Appropriately enough, the creation of a new Scottish Screen Academy has been unveiled during the Edinburgh Film Festival. It will not only train new filmmakers, with courses leading to a Master degree in advanced film practice, but will also provide continuous professional development courses for those who are already established in the industry. Seven screen academies are being set up across the UK and the unit in Scotland is being progressed by Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art. The aim is to create good movies made by Scots, starring Scots and filmed in Scotland. Loch Lomond Food and Drink Festival The inaugural The Loch Lomond Food and Drink Festival runs from Friday 2 September until Sunday 11 September It is aimed at providing an opportunity to discover the range of fine food and drink that is available all over the region and to introduce visitors to the beauty of the National Park. It includes a real ale festival, a farmers' market, whisky tastings from the Auchentoshan and Glengoyne distilleries, cooking challenges, including a wilderness cooking course - and a teddy bears' picnic. The 9-day event is based at Loch Lomond Shores visitor centre but events are scheduled also at other locations around the lovely loch. It is hoped that it will become an annual festival.

September 2005

Current Affairs Postal Service Fails to Deliver When people stick a first class stamp on a letter and post it in a designated pillar box by around 5pm, 93% are supposed to be delivered by the Royal Mail service the following morning. Indeed, Aberdeen and Dumfries postal districts manage to achieve 95.9% success on that target, the best in Scotland. On the other hand, in Edinburgh the success rate is only 91.9% - the second worst performance in the whole of Scotland. For understandable reasons, the only areas which have a worse record are the islands of the Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney. The 93% is supposed to be a minimum target level and too many areas are failing to achieve it - and postal rates keep going up, of course. Best Scottish Book? Thousands of people have been casting their vote for their book selection from a list of 100 since it was launched on World Book Day in March. The results were announced this week and top of the poll was "Sunset Song" by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, the story of Aberdeenshire heroine Chris Guthrie who showed everyone what "smeddum" meant. The book was first published in 1932 as the first in the "Scots Quair" trilogy. Although there was strong competition from such books as "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark (which came 9th) and "Lanark" by Alasdair Gray (which came 4th), it was "The Game of Kings" a historical epic by Dorothy Dunnett which came 2nd and "Trainspotting" by Irvine Welsh which came in at 3rd place. Perhaps surprisingly, James Hogg's "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner" came in at 10th. If you are wondering what "smeddum" means, it's spirit, mettle, energy, drive, vigorous common sense and resourcefulness. Scottish Gas Prices Jump 14% Customers of Scottish Gas will be paying 14.2% more for their supplies from next week after the company announced that "spiralling oil prices are having an unprecedented impact on the cost of gas." Last year, Scottish Gas prices rose by 12.4%. Pensioners receive, at best, cost of living increases on their income of around 2.5% these days, so they will be hard hit. Customers who signed up to Scottish Gas' price protection plan, which caps energy prices until April 2007 will be smiling, however, at least until that date. VisitScotland Focus on Mackintosh Architect, artist and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who created such masterpieces as the Glasgow School of Art and the Scotland Street School at the end of the 19th and the early part of the 20th century, has long been used by his home city in their tourism campaigns. Now VisitScotland, the Scotland-wide tourist agency, has made him the main focus of its European Cities Campaign in France, Sweden, Germany and Holland - all locations served by low-cost airline services to Scotland. The campaign was launched this week at the House for an Art Lover (pictured here) in Bellahouston Park (which was designed by Mackintosh but was not built until near the end of the 20th century). Glasgow was recently voted as the best UK city after London to visit by the readers of the travel "bible" Conde Nast Traveller. "Freezing Winter" Warning Weather forecasters sometimes have difficulty in predicting the weather a few hours or days ahead, so a warning from the meteorological Office to expect heavy snowfalls in December and January may not cause too many people to look out their winter woollies or the package holiday catalogues. But energy companies are being exhorted to take the forecast seriously and take action to prevent power blackouts. So far, their main response has been to jack up the prices of gas and electricity, which may reduce demand a little. The other reaction has been for bookmakers to slash the odds for a white Christmas - odds are now 6-1 for a snowfall in Glasgow on 25 December. Historical Affairs Coconuts and Kings at Doune Castle Around 500 fans of the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" turned up at Doune Castle last Sunday in an event hosted by Historic Scotland. The ancient history of the castle (it was established at the end of the 14th century by Robert Stuart, the first Duke of Albany and younger son of King Robert II) was all but forgotten as the more recent "history" of being the backdrop for the Monty Python film of 31 years ago was the focus of attention. Many of the fans turned up disguised as characters in the film (Historic Scotland was offering a prize for the best costume, after all). 1,200 coconut shells were flown in from Florida so that those participating could "clip clop" with the knights of the round table. The original coconut shells used as sound effects in the film are said to be kept at the ticket desk to the castle and are demonstrated to visitors on a regular basis! Lottery Funding for Alloway Auld Kirk The ruined church at Alloway in Ayrshire, which was attended by Scotland's national poet Robert Burns and featured so prominently in his epic ghost story "Tam o' Shanter" is now to get £136,000 of emergency repairs thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund announced this week. The kirkyard was where Tam came across the witches' party and was then chased on his mare Meg across Alloway brig (bridge), though at the cost of his horse's tail. The church can be traced back to 1516 but may have been a religious site long before that date. 8th and 12th century crosses have been uncovered by archaeological digs over the years on adjacent land. The present churchyard contains the grave of Robert Burns' father and other residents of the area who were significant in the life of the poet. Entertainment Record Ticket Sales for Festivals As the Edinburgh Fringe Festival came to a close, the organisers announced that it had been a resounding success, with ticket sales up by 7% on last year, reaching 1,335,000, equating to a value of £11.6 million. Estimates for the Edinburgh International Festival, which is now in full cry, suggest that their ticket sales are up by 13% on this time last year and the Film Festival recorded an increase of 12%. The remarkable growth of the Edinburgh International Book Festival continued this year with audience figures up by 10% on last year, with 50% of its events sold out. Curtain Up on Theatre Revamp The Edwardian His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen has been closed for the last 18 months while it was undergoing a major £7.8 million revamp. There is a new restaurant and an adjoining outdoor terrace overlooking Union Terrace Gardens. A new stage-size rehearsal room has been created and a corporate hospitality area. The auditorium has also been improved, but care has been taken to maintain the period look of the decor. The refurbished theatre is being officially opened by the Duke of Wessex next Thursday.

October 2005

Current Affairs Government Dictates St Andrews Day Holiday Vote In the vote this week in the Scottish Parliament on whether or not St Andrews Day should be declared as a national holiday, the Scottish Executive clearly put pressure on its supporters to steer the legislation into the long grass. It was eventually resolved to refer the matter back to the committee which had put the idea forward in the first place. Some of these committee members had clearly supported the idea at an earlier stage, but obeyed party lines in voting for the subject to be referred back to themselves. A vote in favour of the bill would not have enforced a holiday (bank holidays are negotiated by trade unions, staff and employers) but would have encouraged them to do so. Scottish Fishing Industry "Stable" Despite the measures which have been taken to prevent over-fishing in the North Sea, official figures published this week seem to show that the fishing industry has remained stable. When the measures such as restricting the number of days boats can put to sea were first brought forward, industry leaders said it would sound the death knell of fishing in Scotland. But the number of vessels still sailing last year reduced by a net figure of one - 2,394 compared to 2,395 in 2003. And the number of those employed in the fish-catching sector in Scotland remained at around 5,375. The value of fish landed at Scottish ports increased by 7% to £300 million in 2004. As for conservation, that seems to have had little impact with landings increased by 9% to 427,000 tonnes, although the type of fish caught has changed to a degree. 71% of the total volume of sea fish landed into the UK in 2004 was at a Scottish port. Glasgow Tower Closed - Again Scotland's tallest free-standing structure (at 416 feet) and the world's only tower that rotates 360 degrees along its entire length, was supposed to epitomise all that was best about Scottish engineering and vision. But the £10 million Glasgow Tower has suffered from a catalogue of technical problems ever since it opened (behind schedule). In the last four years it has been closed for more days than it has been open. In January this year, ten people were trapped in the lift for several hours and had to be rescued by firefighters cutting through from the internal staircase. It took five months to repair the lift after that. The views over Glasgow from the top when visitors actually get there are well worth the entrance fee, but the troubled tower closed yet again this week and staff cannot say when it will open again. The tower is located beside the river Clyde and the Glasgow Science Centre. Even without the additional draw of the tower, the Science Centre has become the third most popular paid-for attraction in Scotland, behind only Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo. Take a Tip from the Scots Far from being tight-fisted, Scots have come out of a survey by First Direct Bank as the most generous tippers in restaurants, bars, taxis and hairdressers. It is estimated that they give away £256 million each year - though not necessarily for good service. Often they add a tip out of habit or to avoid being thought of as being mean or cheap. Indeed, Scots are less likely than anywhere else in the UK to complain about bad service. And it appears that Scottish women are more generous than men. And the least generous area in the UK? The north and midlands of England. "Aberdeen City and Shire, A Brighter Outlook" These days, any city, town or area that wants to sell itself, has to have an expensively created "brand" and an advertising slogan to go with it - and the north-east of Scotland has come up with "Aberdeen City and Shire, A Brighter Outlook" at a cost of £150,000. It doesn't exactly slip easily off the tongue but and there have been some scathing reactions from some Aberdonians. "Dundee, City of Discovery" was an early entrant in the branding of Scottish cities. Glasgow has gone through a number of metamorphoses - starting in 1983 with the much loved and successful "Glasgow's Miles Better" (which could be read as "Glasgow Smiles Better"), followed by the instantly forgettable "Glasgow Forrit" and then the recent "Glasgow: Scotland with Style". And Scotland's capital is sold these days as "Edinburgh: Inspiring Capital" after an £800,000 expenditure. Then, of course, there is Prestwick Airport's much derided "Pure Dead Brilliant" - a catch-phrase more resonant of Glaswegian culture than one 30 miles from that city. So maybe the folk in the north-east should be thankful that the consultants didn't come up with something worse! "Dragonlady" Charms Australians When Helen Liddell, the former Secretary of State for Scotland was involved in local and UK politics in the 1980s and 1990s, her combative and abrasive style earned her nicknames such as "Stalin's Mother" and "Dragonlady". But there are media reports in Scotland that her plain-speaking, no-nonsense approach has won her a lot of admirers now that she is High Commissioner of Australia. She has been described in the press there as "refreshingly ribald" and "a delight". The warmth is apparently reciprocated and she is settling down in Australia, refurbishing the official residence - at her own expense. She is also enjoying no longer having to suffer at the hands of the British media and says her former career was like "catching bullets in my teeth." Her term as High Commissioner lasts for four years. Exhibition of Scottish Books in Washington DC A Scottish Writing Exhibition is to take place at the Modern Language Association convention in Washington DC, from 27-30 December 2005. Most exhibitions show books from one publisher, but this one will be showing books from 21 publishers, 17 of which are Scottish, and all are dedicated to Scottish writing. It will give visitors to the exhibition a sample of what fantastic books are being written in Scotland today as well as world classics like Barbour's Bruce and Blind Harry's Wallace - as well as everything in between, such as books on the Scottish Enlightenment and Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song. There will be books in English, Scots and Gaelic, poetry and fiction, children's books, music, history and literary analysis. The aim is to encourage and support university lecturers to teach Scottish Studies using Scottish books. For more information, see www.scottishwriting.org.uk. Aberdeen to Host Leonardo da Vinci Drawings Aberdeen Art Gallery is to host an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci drawings next summer, as part of the 80th birthday celebrations of the Queen. Ten of the Royal Collection's finest drawings by the Renaissance master are travelling to museums and galleries across the United Kingdom next year, including the Aberdeen Art Gallery from 14 June - 28 August 2006. The Royal Collection contains the world's most important group of the artist's drawings. These particular works are preserved in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and are among the greatest treasures of the Collection. Through drawing Leonardo attempted to record and understand the world around him. He maintained that an image transmitted knowledge more accurately and concisely than any words (yet many of his drawings are extensively annotated). Historical Affairs Rosslyn's Musical Code Cracked? Scottish composer Stuart Mitchell claims that he has cracked the mysterious codes carved into the 213 cubes in the ceiling of Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, south of Edinburgh. The cubes are said to contain the music for 13 medieval players when the chapel was built 500 years ago. He says the key to unraveling the mystery was carving at the foot of 12 pillars inside the chapel which formed a cadence - three chords at the end of a piece of music - of which there were only three types in the 15th century. Mitchell says that the music sounds like a simple nursery rhyme and that William Sinclair who built the chapel may have been a wonderful architect and designer of stone carvings, but he was not much of a musician! He says the pillars each show a musician playing a medieval instrument and his next task is to work out which ones are represented. Rosslyn Chapel is currently being used by the makers of the film based on the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code". John Knox Nearly Left Scotland Newly uncovered letter show that religious reformer John Knox, whose legacy led to the strict and joyless Scottish variety of Protestantism, nearly left the country behind to go to Ireland after calling the country of his birth "unthankful and miserable." The letters cover his last five years in Scotland before his death and they also show that he was passing information to the government in Dublin about Irish political intrigue. The documents were found by two historians from Edinburgh and Glasgow universities. Knox was tempted to go to Ireland six years before his death as he was pessimistic about the future of Protestantism in Scotland. However, he decided to try to complete the task - and was ultimately successful. Entertainment Aquarium Plan for Loch Lomondshores Approved West Dunbartonshire Council this week approved a plan to create an aquarium, with otters as its main attraction, at Drumkinnon Tower visitor attraction at Loch Lomondshores. The proposal had been opposed by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority and animal rights campaigners. It is argued that the otters will be used for entertainment purposes only and would serve no educational purpose. The short-clawed otters being displayed are not a native species and the park authority regarded them as "deeply inauthentic" in a display that is supposed to teach the public about the park and its wildlife. Gulf War Veteran for Museum A Tornado F3 aircraft, which was based for a time at Leuchars in Fife and saw service as part of the first deployment to the first Gulf War in December 1990, has been donated by the Royal Air Force to the Museum of Flight at East Fortune in East Lothian. The two-seat supersonic fighter first entered service with the RAF in 1986 and could fly at speeds up to 1,480mph (2,333 kilometres per hour) at 40,000 feet. Until recently, it flew as one of the aircraft operated by 43 and 111 squadrons at Leuchars. Earlier this year the Museum of Flight took delivery of a supersonic Concorde, after the type had been withdrawn from service by British Airways and Air France. Swiss Drum Roll for Tattoo Two years ago the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland caused a sensation when their unique act was revealed at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This was their first event outside of Switzerland and catapulted the group into a drum roll of prestigious performances including a Royal Variety Performance and tours to Canada, the USA, Australia and Norway. Now the drum corps (who are Swiss businessmen who have perfected their performances of military marches and other drum music in their spare time) have agreed to return to the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle next year. Their odd name is claimed to be an example of "eccentric Swiss humour".

November 2005

Current Affairs Scots Win Nearly a Billion Pounds The National Lottery was launched 11 years ago and since then more than £17 billion has been raised for "good causes" across the UK. While that in itself is a good by-product of the funds spent every week by the public in lottery tickets, the main aim of most individuals is to win several million pounds by guessing the winning numbers. Since 1984, Scots have won nearly a billion pounds in prize money and a good number of those have been made millionaires. According to figures published this week, there have been 41 winners in Glasgow alone who have won a million pounds or more. Scotland has had several big winners, including a bus driver in Loanhead near Edinburgh who won a jackpot of £8.5 million. He lived on what has been christened "Scotland's luckiest street" after four families there won large sums over the years. Scottish Power's Electrifying Profits Energy company Scottish Power increased its profits by 45% to £273 million in the six months to September 30. The company is currently rumoured to be a take-over target of German utility firm E.ON which declared an "interest" in September. The company supplies energy to 5.2 million customers in the UK. Shares in the company have risen over the last six months from £4.25 to £5.78. Royal Regiment of Scotland Starts Recruitment Drive Although campaigners are still fighting to stop the plans, the Royal Regiment of Scotland is set to be formed in five month's time by merging such historic regiments as the Black Watch, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Kings Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Highland Fusiliers and the Royal Scots. Already, the Ministry of Defence has launched a multi-million recruitment campaign to attract recruits to the new regiment. While the conflict in Iraq may have more to do with it than the projected merger, enlistment to the Scottish regiments in the last year has declined substantially. Free Podcast Guide to Edinburgh VisitScotland has created a free "insiders' guide" with information on Edinburgh's history, culture and historical landmarks which can be downloaded onto MP3 players with the appropriate software or simply played on your PC . While it is aimed at the younger generation who have adopted the ubiquitous iPod to play music, it can be a useful verbal introduction on a PC to Scotland's capital city. It is claimed that VisitScotland is the first tourist agency in the UK to produce a Podcast. See VisitScotland's Podcasts. Note that some of the files are quite large - around 6 to 8 megabytes. £25 Million Regeneration Plan for Dunoon The seaside town of Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde used to be a popular destination for Glasgow residents, who sailed there for their annual holidays and at weekends. As low-cost travel to Mediterranean sunshine took off, so places like Dunoon declined in popularity. Looking a bit run-down now also contributes further to its lack of visitors. Now Argyll and Bute Council are to make an application to the Lottery Fund's "Living Landmark" initiative, with a view to regenerating the once thriving resort with a £25 million upgrade to facilities. The 105-year-old pier, for example, could do with a revamp and the Queen's Hall arts venue needs to be replaced. The aim would be to give a boost to tourism in the town and the Cowal peninsula in general. New Mobile Banking Service A few months ago, the Clydesdale Bank announced that it was to close 60 branches across Scotland - many of them in small, rural communities where the Glasgow-based financial services company is the "last bank in town." Since then, the Royal Bank of Scotland's advertising has trumpeted that it is not closing any branches - and that customers can telephone their own branch instead if being dealt with by an anonymous "Customer Services Desk". Now the Royal Bank is going a stage further. It is extending its mobile banking service in the north-east of Scotland - where Clydesdale are in the process of closing 18 outlets. The new service will be based at Inverurie and will service some 20 rural communities from January next year, including locations where Clydesdale bank is closing down. The mobile unit is operated from a Ford Transit van, which has the bank's coat of arms on it. Royal Bank already has fourteen other mobile units operating in remote areas, serving more than 300 rural communities. Last Post for Tam the Gun The tradition of firing a gun at 1pm from the battlements of Edinburgh Castle goes back to the days when it gave sailing ships in Leith an accurate time check before accurate chronometers and satellite navigation came along. For the last twenty-six years the fame of the ceremony has been considerably enhanced by the legendary theatrical performances of District Gunner, Staff Sergeant Tom Mackay, MBE (better known as "Tam the Gun"). Sadly, Tam passed away this week, after becoming ill with cancer earlier this year. Tam toured the country talking enthusiastically about his job - raising money for charity in the process. He wrote a humorous (and informative) book entitled " What Time Does the One O'Clock Gun Fire?". Although these days the gun fired at 1pm is a modern field gun, he was seen on national TV last New Year's Eve "firing" the cannon Mons Meg at midnight on the castle ramparts. He is reckoned to be one of the most photographed individual in Scotland, as thousands of photos of him firing the gun are taken by tourists every year. Tam's spirit will live on in the castle - not just in the memories of thousands who were impressed by his performances, but in the form of a "Tam's Dram" whisky. Retail Sales "Treading Water" Research published by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) shows that October's like-for-like sales grew by 1.7%, up from 1.6% in September. Total sales (which includes new outlets) grew by 4%, a marginal increase in from 3.8% in September. But the three-month averaged figure is below 4% for the first time since 2003 and the like-for-like growth is at its lowest since November 2000. Food and drink sales were strong while clothing and footwear sales continued to slow. Retailers are reported to be lowering prices to keep sales volume up, but that will impact on their bottom line. Scotland's Police Don't Need Guns The most senior police officer in Scotland issued a statement this week aimed at heading off any discussion of providing firearms to the police as a matter of course. In the wake of terrorist attacks in recent years, the public has certainly become more aware of armed police in special circumstances, such as at airports. And there are specially trained armed police officers who attend incidents when they are needed. But generally police have only a (large) wooden truncheon and a knife-proof vest with which to defend themselves - plus training in unarmed combat. Over the years, although there has been an increase in England and Wales in the number of crimes recorded by the police in which guns were reported to have been used (up from below 14,000 in 1995 to over 24,000 in recent years), the number of such incidents fell in Scotland from under 1,800 to around 1,000 over the same period. And the number of deaths caused by firearms in Scotland is 0.1 per 100,000 of the population. That compares with 0.3 in Australia, 0.5 in Canada, 0.8 in Italy - and 4.4 in the US. St Andrews Week The Fife town which takes its name from the patron saint of Scotland, has been running a festival in his honour for the last ten years. It features a host of events and activities including concerts of traditional and classical music; exhibitions of arts and crafts; The Scott’s Porage Oats Food and Drink Fair, incorporating the "Golden Spurtle Award" for the best bowl of porridge in Fife; dance; drama; and the spectacular Kite Festival at the world famous west sands. For more information, see www.standrewsweek.co.uk/. The illustration is of a statue of St Andrew in the Botanic Gardens, St Andrews. Historical Affairs Preserving Inchcolm's More Recent History The island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth has religious connections that go back to the days of the shadowy figure of St Colm, who may have been on the island around the same time as St Columba in the west. There are ruins of a 12th century abbey and the remains of what may be a 9th century hermit's cell, all under the care of Historic Scotland. The abbey was built after King Alexander I was given shelter on the island during a storm. Many visitors sail on the sometimes choppy water on the "Maid of the Forth" from the pier under the Forth Rail Bridge at South Queensferry or Newhaven to explore the island's history and wildlife. But the island was also an important part of Scotland's defences in the two World wars, helping to deal with German warships, submarines and the Luftwaffe. There are surviving gun emplacements but campaigners say that these are being left to crumble and that Historic Scotland should do more to preserve them. There are also complaints that there is not enough information about the features on the island. However, Historic Scotland can rightly claim that they have produced one of their excellent, full-colour, low-cost booklets about Inchcolm. The agency also claimed that they were carrying out "ongoing" conservation work. World Heritage Status for Arbroath Abbey? A campaign has been launched to have Arbroath abbey included in the UNESCO list of "World Heritage" sites. In addition to being an ancient abbey, it was the site at which the Declaration of Arbroath (sometimes called the Declaration of Independence) was launched by the country's nobles in 1320. After the defeat of King Edward II at Bannockburn, the English monarch had continued a propaganda war against Scotland and persuaded the Pope in Rome to excommunicate all the people of Scotland. The Declaration was the response of the Scots. It is one of the great icons of Scotland and is in the form of a letter (in Latin) to the Pope from eight earls and 31 barons asking him in rousing terms to acknowledge Scotland as an independent nation and to reject the claims of the English king. The Declaration was ahead of its time, as it sets out that the king (previously regarded as appointed by God) could be driven out if he did not uphold the freedom of the country. It later became a model for the American Declaration of Independence. Scotland currently has four World Heritage sites - St Kilda, Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, New Lanark and neolithic remains on Orkney. Poet's Statue Finally Gets Plaque A statue to the poet Robert Fergusson was commissioned to stand outside the Canongate Church in 2002. When it appeared, with its representation of the poet striding down the Royal Mile, there was no plaque to explain who he was - an influential writer who influenced Robert Burns but died a pauper at the age of 24 in 1774. A tatty paper notice was fixed to the railings nearby, but then a dispute arose over who was responsible for the official plaque. At last, the problem has been resolved and a stone inscription appeared this week. But after that long wait, the words, carved in stone for all to see, has a spelling mistake. It says that the poet was born in "Cannongate" rather than "Canongate", in 1750. Entertainment Culture Carries Torch for Commonwealth Games A special cultural programme is being planned to run in parallel with Scotland's bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Cultural bodies spanning music, dance, theatres and galleries have been asked to come up with ideas demonstrating support for the bid to bring the world's second largest sporting event to Glasgow. Scotland boasts world class museums, galleries, theatres and an abundance of creative talent. It is argued that it is important that this excellent reputation is harnessed to boost Scotland's Commonwealth Games bid to make it a celebration of the cultural identity of the country. 6 Cities Festival A top designer has been engaged by the Scottish Executive to lead a major festival of design in Scotland's 6 cities in 2007. The 6 Cities Festival aims to showcase and encourage native talent and promote Scottish achievement in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. The festival will set out to improve international perceptions of Scotland as a place which has a vibrant, forward looking design sector and help promote Scotland as a confident, modern country. Those Variety Days The Scottish Music Hall and Variety Theatre Society is presenting an exhibition at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow which will highlight the glory days of variety theatre in Scotland. On show will be memorabilia from the "Five Past Eight Show" and Francie and Josie as well as stars such as Jimmy Logan, Johnny Beattie and Stanley Baxter (seen here).

December 2005

Current Affairs Deteriorating Architectural Gem Saved? The former main Post Office building in Glasgow's main square has been lying empty for the last ten years. The magnificent building is 124 years old and has become semi-derelict. Conservationists have become increasingly concerned that unless it was redeveloped it would deteriorate badly. Glasgow City Council has tried to apply pressure on the owners - nightclub proprietor and property developer Stefan King - to make progress either with his own plans (a hotel and then an office development have both been mooted) or to sell the property. The council even threatened a compulsory purchase order as the vacant building in the city's principal civic square has been an eyesore for many years. Now AWG property has bought the building for around £11 million. They are understood to be proposing conversion to modern offices, retaining the external shell. MacAmazon Launched The Scottish Publishers' Association has launched a new Website which will make it easier for people around the world to buy books by Scottish writers. Their new online bookshop contains 15,000 books, as well as a wealth of Scottish literary and cultural information to assist the most ardent bibliophile, historian and genealogist. It will be the largest source in the world for anyone wanting to find out about and buy fiction and non-fiction books from and about Scotland. Unique features of the site include the ability to search by settings and author location, a news and events diary. It has a wealth of information such as author biographies, reviews, a writer in residence, and an adult literacy section - all combined with bookselling. There are plans to also introduce new features such as audio links to writers reading their own works, short films, dedicated space for interest groups in other art forms such as films, writing courses and advice, and a section for writers and new writing. To access the site, see www.booksfromscotland.com. The £431 Million BMX and Skateboard Park The controversial Scottish Parliament building, which cost £431 million, has won architectural awards but is not without its critics. But one group of young people in Edinburgh think that it's cool. They have found that the curved walls and landscape gardens make an excellent play park for their BMX bikes and skateboards. The walls beside the visitor entrance have become heavily marked with rubber from bike tyres and the grass and garden area has become churned up with the deep tread of their bikes. Theoretically, there is a ban on skateboarding and cycling in the landscaped area, but despite the security required by the building, the police are not always on hand to stop it. Some Rail Fares to Rise Nearly 10% A lot of rail fares in Scotland, including those on commuter routes, are regulated by the Scottish Executive. Increases by First ScotRail have been restricted to raising these by 3.9% from January next year. That's still 1% above the rate of inflation, but is in line with franchise commitment and Scottish Executive and Strategic Rail Authority's guidelines. However, other fares, such as off-peak cheap day-returns and longer distance routes are at the discretion of the rail company. First ScotRail has announced that some of these fares will go up by nearly 10% - the cheap day-return between Edinburgh and Stirling will rise 9.7% and the off-peak fare between Edinburgh and Bathgate will go up 9.5%. The cheap day return between Edinburgh and Glasgow will also rise, by 8.5%. While that may sound a lot, it is actually only from £8.20 to £8.90 for a journey covering some 45 miles. There were lots of criticism of the new fares, but First ScotRail point out that they have been hit by 20/30% increases in fuel costs. And the Edinburgh to Glasgow cheap day-returns have increased by 11% since 1997 - less than half the inflation rate over the period. Jordanhill Campus to Close Strathclyde University has confirmed that it is planning to close its teacher-training college at Jordanhill in the west-end of Glasgow by 2010 and centralise the department in a new building in its sprawling city-centre campus instead. Jordanhill is also the location of music, sports sciences and social work courses. Consideration had been given to refurbishing the ageing buildings, which were established in 1921. It is likely that the site will eventually be sold for house building - though local residents are likely to fight for at least the retention of the 15 acres of open spaces and playing fields. Tilting Trains Up To Speed When Richard Branson's VirginTrains "pendolinos" were introduced on the service from London to Glasgow, the tilting trains were supposed to be able to travel at 125mph from September 2002. But delays and financial constraints on the upgrade to the tracks has caused the giant £8 billion West Coast modernisation project to miss a number of target completion dates. But the trains have been given the go-ahead to operate at full speed from next week. That will mean that the London-Glasgow journey times will come down from five hours to four and a half hours. Network Rail, the company responsible for the infrastructure, is now working on further improvements on the line, to increase capacity and reduce journey times further by 2008. Landowners are Wheelie Bin Laden Scottish Borders Council has calculated that its refuse collection vehicles and staff travel an extra 12,000 miles a year to collect the rubbish put out by the landed gentry, lairds and lords in their area. For years, ordinary householders have had to haul their "wheelie bins" to the street so that their rubbish can be collected. Recently, we have been encouraged to lug large boxes of waste paper, glass, tin cans and plastic to the pavement as well, in order to save the planet. Meantime, it appears that the refuse lorries have been driving along the sometimes long carriageways from the main road to stately homes. But a council official accompanied the vehicles and was astonished to find how long it took to go up and down the driveways. So from next April, the bins will have to be left beside the sometimes impressive gateways of the private estates - saving the council taxpayers (it is estimated) £17,000 a year. Aircraft Carrier Deal Creates Thousands of Jobs The rivers Clyde and Forth both benefitted this week after it was confirmed that a large part of the £2.9 billion order for two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy would be built at the BAe shipyard at Govan on the Clyde and then assembled at Rosyth in Fife, on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Construction is expected to start in 2008 and will involve 20 million man hours - equivalent to around 20,000 jobs. The order secures the future of the yards for a number of years. In due course, Rosyth is expected to be involved in the future maintenance of the two warships. The two carriers will displace 65,000 tonnes and will be over 900 feet long. The individual sections to be built on the Clyde will be bigger than the type 45 destroyers which the yard has been producing in recent years. Biggest Highland Fling for 20 Years In global terms, the earthquake that shook the area around Fort William on the west coast of Scotland last Saturday night hardly registered in seismographs. But at 3.0 on the Richter scale, it was enough to alarm residents and rattle a few doors and windows. Police got a spate of phone calls from worried householders and the British Geological Survey seismologists confirmed that it was the biggest earthquake to hit the Highlands for 20 years. Apparently the north-west of Scotland is an active region for earthquakes as it sits on the Great Glen fault, which runs for 300 miles from the island of Colonsay in the south to Shetland in the far north. Quickie Divorces Just Got Quicker This week, the Scottish Parliament passed the bill which makes divorces in Scotland easier and quicker. The Family Law Bill will cut the time needed for an uncontested divorce from two years to one year and for a contested divorce from five years to two. The bill also gives new parental rights to unmarried fathers who jointly register the child's birth and introduces legal safeguards for cohabiting couples. Advocates for the reduced time required for a divorce argued that where reconciliation is out of the question, the transition should be as painless as possible, particularly where children are involved. But many others, including the Roman Catholic Church, warned that the new law was attacking the family. Aberdeen's Lord Provost Boldly Goes.... John Reynolds, the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, has a number of other honorary titles, including lord lieutenant of Aberdeen, lord high admiral of the Northern Seas and vice-admiral of the Coast of Great Britain and Ireland. But now he has boldly gone where no civic leader has gone before - he has been appointed honorary admiral of the local Star Trek Club. The provost revealed that he was a closet "trekkie" earlier this year, when he started a campaign to have a memorial erected in Aberdeen to the Star Trek engineer "Scotty". When actor James Doohan who played the part died in July this year, there was an unseemly scramble by a number of Scottish locations to be named as the birthplace of the fictional character. Elgin and Linlithgow vied with Aberdeen, each quoting verbal and written "evidence". In an episode called "Wolf in the Fold", Scotty recalled that he had been an "old Aberdeen pub crawler." Aberdeen is still steadily working towards recognising this - though maybe the contenders will just have to wait until "Scotty" is born (in 2222). Love It or Hate It A poll published this week showed that the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh was amongst the top ten most hated structures in the UK and should be pulled down. 10,000 people surveyed by TV's Channel 4 ranked it the 8th worst on the list. Then, a few days later, the same building was voted into the top ten best-loved buildings in Britain by 2,000 people, again coming 8th and the only one in Scotland. These opposing views probably reflect the population at large, where some dislike the architecture intensely, while others admire it. Historical Affairs Dunkeld Cathedral Recovers Priceless Artefacts In May this year, thieves broke into Dunkeld Cathedral in Perthshire and stole a number of irreplaceable church artefacts from the Chapter House Museum. Items included a beadle's bell dated 1693 and communion flagons inscribed "Dunkeld 1745". The robbers must have used something like a pick-axe to break into the display case as it was made from toughened glass. There were fears that the historic items would never be seen again. However, following an anonymous tip-off this week, most of the hoard was found buried in a nearby field. The only damage appeared to be a slight dent on a pewter jug. Dunkeld has been the site of a church since 750AD when Culdee missionaries built the first monastery on the banks of the river Tay. The present cathedral was built between 1260 and 1501. Reverend Walker for New York's Tartan Week The painting of "The Reverend Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch" is one of twenty works being flown from the National Galleries of Scotland to New York for Tartan Week next April. The iconic image is certainly well identified with Edinburgh and Scotland, but the inclusion of this work has raised a few eyebrows. Earlier this year, doubt was cast on who had actually painted it. It had always been attributed to Sir Henry Raeburn, who was a portrait painter in Edinburgh in the early 19th century. But in response to claims that it was by a French artist, the Scottish National Gallery altered the label accompanying the picture to read "Recent research has suggested that the picture was actually painted....by Henri-Pierre Danloux". Many experts, however, are not convinced about the claims, and insist that it was indeed by Raeburn. New Yorkers will be able to judge for themselves next April. Entertainment Return of "No Mean City" When the novel "No Mean City" was published in 1935, the brutal portrayal of life in the slums of Glasgow's Gorbals meant that some local libraries refused to stock it. The book also reinforced the picture of Glasgow as a place of gangland violence with the central character wielding a cut-throat razor. Now a stage version of the book is to be performed in the Citizen's Theatre - which is located in present-day Gorbals. The play was last seen in Glasgow in the 1980s, performed by the 7:84 Theatre Company. "No Mean City" will be part of the Citizen's new season which will also include readings of a play about Benny Lynch, a World Flyweight Champion Boxer who came from the Gorbals. There is also a new play based on the testimonies and memories of members of the immigrant Irish community in the area, entitled From Hibernia to Hutchesontown. Edinburgh Castle to Rock Again The Capital is about to rock again after the resolution of safety concerns which saw the big-name concerts on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle axed. The loss of the concerts were described as a bitter blow to Edinburgh's economy, but now organisers are again looking to engage world-class performers for the outdoor performances in 2006. Previous stars who have performed at Castle concerts include Rod Stewart, Elton John, Tom Jones and singing group Texas. A new queuing system is to be introduced, traffic allowed onto the esplanade will be minimised and new dressing room facilities are being created. Glasgow Mackintosh Festival 2006 The official launch of this new festival was made this week at the replica of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's home, at the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow. The festival is to run throughout the year, with a focus of programme highlights in September. It will showcase the unique riches of Glasgow’s extraordinary Mackintosh heritage, with an ambitious and wide-ranging series of events including exhibitions at Mackintosh venues, educational workshops, on-line resources, publications and a programme of activities celebrating Mackintosh and his contemporaries. Venues include the Glasgow School of Art (pictured here), Scotland Street School, the Mackintosh Church at Queen’s Cross and House for an Art Lover. One of the high spots will be the newly reopened Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (Summer 2006) incorporating a new gallery ‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style’ celebrating the life and work of one of the city’s most famous sons. It is claimed that the festival has the potential to bring an additional 150,000 visitors into the city.

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