The Flag in the Wind
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CAMPAIGNING FOR SCOTLAND
(Owned, Edited and Printed in Scotland since November 1926)
"Promoting all that is best in Scottish Nationalism and all that is best in Scotland."
Compiled by Peter D. Wright
[Issue 66 - 7th September 2001]

WELL EARNED BREAK

Regular compiler Jim Lynch is taking a well-earned break in a sunnier clime and has entrusted The Flag update to this humble scribe in the run-up to the SNP Annual National Conference in Dundee.  He fully intends to be back, completely refreshed and ready to go, in plenty time to ensure that proper coverage of the Conference is given in The Flag.  Thank Goodness, as I couldn’t work out how I was going to man the SI Conference Stall and cover Conference debates at the same time!  It will be a case of Welcome Back Jim.

CONGRATULATIONS

Sport doesn’t often intrude in normal Flag coverage but as Scotland stuttered to a 0-0 home draw with Croatia in a World Cup Qualifying game, England, on the same day, also on World Cup duty, demolished Germany 5-1 away from home.  A great result, which the English team fully deserved.  But let us hope that unlike a victory they had over Germany in 1966 they don’t go on about it for the next thirty odd years!  Incidentally the first team to defeat England after their World Cup victory was Scotland, inspired by the late, great Jim Baxter.  A memory, indeed, to savour.

  POLL SHOWS SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT

The latest System Three Opinion Poll shows a slight improvement for the SNP, in the run-up to its Dundee Conference later this month, in voting intentions for Holyrood.  The main losers since last month’s poll are the LibDems, who dropped four points in first-vote intentions and two points in second-vote intentions.

Scottish Parliament Voting Intentions

The Labour Party continues to hold the high ground with a five-point jump in first-vote support for Holyrood and three points in the second-vote.  The Conservatives, in the midst of a messy leadership election, recorded 11% in both votes, a one point drop in their Holyrood second -vote support.  The SNP remained steady at 28% in first-vote intentions but leapt four points in the second-vote to 32%.  The increase in the second-vote would see a gain of four seats for the SNP bringing the total representation to 39 MSPs.  A successful Conference in Dundee could see an improvement in the October System Three Poll but only time will tell.  There is, as The Flag keeps warning, a big difference between opinion polls and real votes.  Although the latest poll shows a drop in LibDem support, they were still able to win a recent council by-election in Dundee.

For Westminster, the poll also showed an increase in projected Labour Party support, up five points to 49%, with the SNP remaining at last months figure of 21%, as did the Conservatives stuck on 13%, with the losers being the LibDems dropping three points to 12%.

The late John McAteer, when National Organiser of the SNP, said that the Party’s greatest asset was body-heat – the activity provided by a large membership.  In the run-up to the 2003 Holyrood election the Party could do with some of that body-heat to win over our fellow Scots to the need for Independence.

POLITICAL ROUND-UP

If an ordinary citizen collected £14,000 every day to which they weren’t entitled – jail would soon be beckoning!  That is exactly what the Scottish Executive has done since July when it neglected to renew Tolling Orders enabling tolls on the Erskine Bridge to be collected.  An embarrassed Transport Minister, Labour’s Sarah Boyack, had to stop collection of the toll until the appropriate order is passed through the Scottish Parliament.

This stushie has raised once again the whole issue of tolls and calls that they should be abolished.  In the wake of the Erskine Bridge incompetence, SNP MSP Irene McGugan – a long time campaigner against the tolls on the Skye Bridge – has highlighted the fact that the Toll Order for the Skye Bridge was never laid before Parliament.  Irene told The Flag:

            “As a long time campaigner against the tolls on the Skye Bridge, I find it extremely interesting that the Transport Minister, Sarah Boyack, has actually admitted that a failure to renew the Tolling Order on the Erskine Bridge has resulted in tolls being collected illegally since July.

            “It has been proved that the Toll Order for the Skye Bridge was never laid before Parliament and no valid signed agreement exists to allow the Skye Bridge Company to collect tolls.  I therefore look forward to the Minister admitting that a mistake has been made there too and that tolls have been collected illegally on the Skye Bridge for the past two years.  In the meantime however I will be continuing the fight to have the tolls abolished on the Skye Bridge.”

Scotland has always been a haven for asylum seekers – an early example was St Margaret, wife of Malcolm Canmore, a refugee from England following the Norman Conquest in 1066.  At least three of the Scots Independent’s Volunteers have Irish ancestry.  Dougan, Lynch and Moonie, are nane the waur o‘t.  Any so called civilised society should be judged by how it treats asylum seekers and in this, the State of the United Kingdom, has proved totally incompetent and indeed uncaring.  Asylum is not a devolved matter but the decision to open Dungavel Detention Centre to house asylum seekers brought a prompt response from SNP Shadow Justice Minister Roseanna Cunningham MSP.  She immediately suggested that Scotland’s Justice Minister should be responsible for the way that asylum seekers are treated in Scotland.  Roseanna Cunningham said:

            “Prisons are a devolved responsibility and while Dungavel may be termed a detention centre, a prison by any other name is still a prison.  I have serious concerns about the very concept of the use to which Dungavel is now to be put but if people are to be incarcerated in Scotland – for whatever reason – then it absolutely must be under the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

            “Scotland is already showing a cross-party consensus towards dealing with refugees and asylum seekers in a different way to south of the border so it makes sense for the Scottish Government to be responsible for Dungavel and for it to be subject to inspection by Scotland’s Inspector of Prisons.

            “I am extremely concerned that no-one from either the Scottish Government or the Home Office was available today to speak on the issue.  That does not bode well for the future given the serious questions that will undoubtedly need to be asked and the scrutiny that must be applied.

            “I want to know, for instance, from where in the UK are the asylum seekers who end up in Dungavel to be transferred?  And what categories of asylum seeker does the Government intend to lock up inside Dungavel – I understand that there is to be family accommodation.  Is that really how we want to see children treated?

            “The Home Office policy thus far has been a singular failure.  Scotland’s Justice Minister should be responsible for the way in which asylum seekers are treated in Scotland.”

Shadow Deputy Social Justice Minister Linda Fabiani MSP added:

            “Those people who are to be held in the Detention Centre have not been convicted of any crime in this country and we have a moral obligation to ensure that the living conditions in Dungavel do not carry the stigma of imprisonment and are conducive to family life.

            “Westminster’s misguided policy over this issue does not remove Scotland’s obligation to be certain that local services are adequate in terms of social work, education and health and that the local authority has the personnel and financial resources that they need for this task.”

Flags, banners and symbols are very important in the life of a Nation and Scotland is no exception.  SNP MSP Bruce Crawford, in common with many Scots, proudly used the Saltire, the battle flag of Scotland, on his car registration plate.  Without vigorous SNP protests this would have become an illegal act on Saturday past.  A change in UK regulations meant that special plates, which have “SCO”, the Saltire logo and European Union flag on them would be banned from 1^st September.  But the protest won the day. On that date the Daily Discord proudly took the credit for a change in Westminster thinking on the subject that Scots would be allowed to keep their own registration plates.  Governor General of Scotland, Scottish Secretary of State, Helen Liddell, claimed that she backed the Daily Discord campaign and said that it was a victory for commonsense.  Indeed it is, but this was the same Helen Liddell MP, as SNP MSP Kenny MacAskill pointed out, who voted for the banning of “SCO” plates in the London Commons in April!

Both the Daily Discord and Helen Liddell conveniently forgot that the SNP had been to the fore since the 1^st September ban was first promoted.  This pressure built up last week and led to yet another New Labour climb-down, not only in Scotland but also in Wales.

But beware – the issue is not yet closed, at the moment only fudged, as there will be an eight week consultation period, commencing in October, with a decision made by the turn of the year on what Scots can display on their car registration plates.  Let us hope that commonsense does prevail and that the Saltire, as on “The Flag in the Wind” continues to fly on Scottish cars!  But remember the peelie-wallie Scottish Executive hadn’t the smeddom to fly the Saltire on their Leith office block (see last weeks Flag) so don’t let up on the fight for separate Scottish car registration plates.

MANN FILM SHOOTS AHEAD

There is general agreement in Scotland that a blossoming film industry would be a boon for our economy but, to date, there have been many plans, much discussion but little practical progress.  Compare that position with the Isle of Man where, with full fiscal independence, the Government acted decisively in attracting filmmakers.  This week for example the Manx Government is completing negotiations with David Parfitt, producer of the Oscar winning ‘Shakespeare in Love’ for his new project, an adaptation of Dodie Smith’s ‘I Capture the Castle’ which will cost £6 million, to be filmed on Mann.

In 1995, the Manx Government began by setting aside £1 million for three films and from that humble beginning Mann is now in the position that it can pick and choose the films to be made on the island.  This is thanks to a unique scheme, which attracts two or three applications every week from film producers.  The scheme is simple – a money back offer.  Filmmakers who agree to shoot 50 per cent of their production on the island receive 25 per cent of their budget in return.  The island’s local economy benefits at all levels, from hotels to taxi firms and the scheme raises the island’s profile with potential tourists.  Added to that, for risking its 25 per cent, the Isle of Man receives a minimum of 15 per cent of box-office profits, money that the Manx Government has successfully ploughed back into the economy.

There is now a map that refers to the 34 films made on Mann, to date, as well as film tours.  The Isle of Mann might be only 33 miles in length by 12 miles wide but so varied is the island’s geographical make-up that films have managed to imitate everywhere from the Caribbean to Cornwall with Ireland featuring in two of the most successful films ‘The Brylcream Boys’ and ‘Waking Ned’.  ‘Waking Ned’, in which the late Scottish actor Ian Bannon gave an outstanding performance, did particularly well at the box-office.  A Manx cat even appeared as an ‘extra’ in ‘Waking Ned’ much to the surprise of its owner when she attended the premier on the island!

Scotland has all or more to offer, than Mann, but what we lack is a combination of the will and the financial independence to turn words into action.

Footnote: The last film to be made on Mann, until the present revival, was ‘I See a Dark Stranger’, with Trevor Howard and Deborah Kerr, filmed in 1945.

MEP FOR ‘SCOTLANDSHIRE’

Scots have been well used to well-meaning English folk seeing Scotland as a ‘region’, a northern ‘shire’ or ‘county’ of England, instead of a Nation in its own right.  This suspicion was proved once again this week in an item of mail received by SNP MEP Ian Hudghton.  In his mailbag nestled a request to check over and update his entry in ‘The Directory of English Regional Government’ sent to him by Watford-based Carlton Publishing and Printing, in the deep South of England.

Ian told The Flag from his Strasbourg office:–

“I have always thought I represented a country called Scotland – now I find that I am an elected representative of Scotlandshire or some other English county or region!  Needless to say, I have written post haste to Carlton Publishing and await their abject apologies with interest”.

The Flags advice to Ian is – don’t hold your breath!

ICELAND ‘COD WARS’ REPORT TO DTI

As reported in last weeks Flag, SNP Moray MP Angus Robertson visited Iceland seeking information to support compensation claims of Scottish fishermen involved in the 1970s ‘Cod Wars’.  This week he released the report of his visit that he is sending to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Westminster Government have at last conceded to grant compensation for loss of earnings after the agreement that was reached between the UK and Iceland at the time, but Scottish fishermen must prove that they were fishing in Icelandic waters then.  Angus Robertson met the Icelandic Fisheries Minister, Arni Mathiesen, their Director of Coastguard, and also visited the Icelandic National Library in order to research information – such as old logbooks – to support the fishermen’s case.  He is now urging the DTI to use the available information to help resolve the compensation claims. 

Speaking to The Flag, Angus Robertson said

            “Every possible avenue must be explored to support the Scottish fishermen’s compensation claims, including information held by the Icelandic authorities.  Yet they have not received any detailed requests for assistance from either the UK Government or the UK Embassy in Reykjavik. 

            “I am urging the DTI to liase with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to establish a procedure involving the Icelandic agencies.  Even if the information can only help a small number of cases, it is important that all of the available evidence is gathered, particularly when so many people are having their claims rejected.

            “I will be monitoring progress on the compensation cases, and tabling a series of Parliamentary Questions when Westminster returns after the recess next month.”

THEY SAID IT FOR US

Don’t Steal – The Government Hates Competition

-sign seen in Methil, Fife, shop window

We should stop thinking of older people as problems and acknowledge that most of them have solved more problems than we’ve had hot dinners.

-Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh

By removing 24-hour children’s service from PRI you are creating a postcode lottery in Tayside.

- Perth Royal Infirmary campaigner Kate Gillanders

I hope this is not the first step towards renaming us the McDonald party.

-John Edmonds, Trade Union Leader, commenting on report that the Labour Party Conference is to be sponsored by fast food chain McDonalds

I am delighted they have changed their minds.  The Government has obviously been taken aback by the strength of public feeling in Scotland on the issue.  The rules were threatening to make Scots feel they were breaking the law simply because they were Scottish.  There are no road safety reasons at all to stop Scots having their own symbol.

-Neil Greig, of the AA, commenting on New Labour’s U-turn on Scottish car registration plates

SYNOPSIS

A selection of items from the SNP Daily News over the last week.

John Swinney planning "Independence" push for 2003 vote.

SNP leader John Swinney has indicated that the SNP will adopt a more proactive role in engaging Scotland in a debate about building a better, independent Scotland. Speaking on BBC Reporting Scotland this evening, Mr Swinney spelt out his strategy for the run up to the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections. The SNP leader is currently concluding reviews of policy, election strategy and headquarters organisation, which will see the party equip itself now for the 2003 vote. Mr Swinney said: "We will make Independence the mainstream political objective of everyone in Scotland by demonstrating how the SNP can create the best country in which to live."

Mr Swinney said the SNP had to "raise its game" and focus now on the Holyrood election in 2003. "We must identify with the core values of the Scottish people and inspire trust in our ability to pool Scotland's collective resources, strength and purpose to improve our society," he explained. Mr Swinney wants the SNP to adopt a disciplined strategy which drives home the message that the full powers of Independence are vital to create the best country in which to live, and to deliver real change in public services. The party intends to use issues like the Executive's failure to introduce a ban on tobacco advertising to back up the strategy. "We will show how the SNP would use the current powers of the Scottish Parliament in a smarter way to give the Scottish people confidence in the party's ability to govern."

Survey shows manufacturing fall

Scotland's manufacturing output experienced its sharpest fall in two and a half years over the last month, according to an economic survey published today. The Bank of Scotland survey indicated further growth in the economy overall during August, with the service sector growing faster than in July, but it also showed manufacturing output had fallen for the fifth successive month. The SNP accused the UK Government of causing "enormous damage" to Scotland's economy. The party's Westminster group leader and economy spokesperson, Alex Salmond said: "Scottish manufacturing is already in recession and this report shows that the fall in output has accelerated to the sharpest decline for two-and-a-half years. New Labour's London-based economic policies are doing enormous damage to the Scottish economy, with the overvalued pound, in particular, destroying jobs and output. Overall, the Scottish economy is growing at a miserable rate of barely over 1% - a little over a third of the UK level, and well behind the growth rates achieved by a host of small, independent nations across Europe." The Banff and Buchan MP added: "Scotland has the potential to be a highly successful and prosperous nation, but we need the full powers of Independence in order to harness that potential. Devolution leaves the key levers of economic power in Westminster's hands - Scotland needs financial independence so that we can develop an economic strategy that is tailored for Scottish conditions and opportunities."

MSP wants quango chiefs vetted by Holyrood committees

A private members Bill which would allow parliamentary committees to vet the appointment of quango chiefs was launched today. Alex Neil, the SNP regional MSP for Central Scotland, said his Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) (Scotland) Bill would make the country's public bodies more accountable. Mr Neil said that since quangos are responsible for spending 8 billion pounds of the Executive's annual budget of 20 billion pounds, MSPs should have more say on who runs them. Under his proposals, every new convener or chairman nominated for one of the 114 quangos covered by the Bill would have to be interviewed by the relevant parliament committee, which would have the power to either approve or veto the appointment. Speaking as he launched the Bill in Edinburgh today, Mr Neil said the 100,000 pound cost of implementing the new legislation would be "a small price to pay for greater democracy". He added: "This Bill would introduce more transparency and openness and make those running our quangos much more accountable to the Parliament and, through the Parliament, to the Scottish people." Mr Neil said that on average, 38 chairmen or conveners are appointed to Scotland's quangos every year, with a further 286 appointments to fill other posts. A similar system is already in place at the US Senate and Mr Neil said he was confident the hearings process would not over-burden the Scottish Parliament committees. In June, the Executive announced a shake-up of Scotland's quangos as well as the appointment of a Scottish Commissioner on Public Appointments. But Mr Neil said his Bill would offer even more accountability and said he hoped that the Executive would give it their backing and enable it to pass smoothly through the Parliament.

McLeish unveils legislative plans, SNP propose smarter use of powers 

A total of 18 Bills will be brought forward in the Scottish Executive's legislative programme for the year, First Minister Henry McLeish told MSPs today. The programme will include plans for a Freedom of Information Bill, moves on the proposed land reform and freedom of access legislation, and moves towards free personal care for the elderly. And the programme already includes a hasty addition - legislation to rectify the administrative blunder which has led to motorists crossing the Erskine Bridge without having to pay tolls. Mr Swinney mocked the legislative programme, saying more could have been done to improve the lives of people in Scotland. He claimed the Executive had been forced into bringing in proposals for free personal care and called for the Parliament to take on more powers to ensure it did not go "cap in hand" to Westminster. "This government has not brought forward proposals for free personal care with a sense of urgency or enthusiasm," he told MSPs. "They have been forced to bring those proposals to Parliament kicking and screaming. We must have the ability to deliver properly and that means the Scottish Parliament must be able to take on the full financial and social security responsibilities to ensure that we deliver the best deal for our pensioners." He claimed the Executive had failed to tackle poverty among Scotland's children and pensioners, longer hospital waiting lists and times, and the rise in violent crimes. He added: "There are more things that we can do with the powers of this Parliament to create a more effective and better Scotland. But if we want to create the best country in which people can live we have to have the normal powers of a normal independent Parliament." Mr Swinney pointed out that there was no reference to the implementation of proportional representation for local government. And he called on the First Minister to give a guarantee that PR would be introduced in time for the next council elections in May, 2003. SNP shadow justice minister Roseanna Cunningham asked why Mr McLeish's speech contained no reference to the asylum seekers issue and called for more action to address current tensions in the Sighthill area of Glasgow.  Meanwhile, Fiona Hyslop, shadow parliament minister, said the SNP would show that devolution could be used better than by the present government. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, she said: "I want us to use devolution better and that is why the SNP is arguing for a ban on tobacco advertising and PR for local government. But if people want Scotland to have real powers to tackle child poverty, to link pensions with earnings, to abolish the voucher system for refugees, and to stop more nuclear powers stations being built in Scotland, we need full powers and Independence."

Don't let the truth be latest NKS casualty, Margo argues 

So what's wrong with public service workers alerting their possible patients and paymasters, you, to the real difficulties in providing a first-class service? Writing in today's Evening News, SNP MSP Margo MacDonald gives her view on the health minister's attack on NHS staff. No wonder, she says, nurses are passing judgement on her comments by leaving in droves and a Labour-supporting union like Unison is continuing to warn that New Labour's policies are bringing the NHS to its knees. "In fact, let's shout the truth about the NHS from the rooftops and embarrass any health minister who'd rather not hear it," the SNP MSP argues.

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SCOTTISH FOOD, TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
(if you have any suggestions on what you'd like us to include email peter@scotsindependent.org)

There has been a long tradition in Scotland of family firms being bought over and eventually either being closed down or run as branch factories. Many firms which once were household names have simply disappeared. But one family company which has resisted all take over approaches and remained firmly Scottish based is Baxters of Fochabers. Indeed the company has turned down so many take over bids that it could be heading for an entry in the "Guinness Book of Records". They are considering creating a new category to include Baxters record number of refusals - 191 since 1946. Baxters, famous makers of soups, sauces, pickles and preserves, are proud of their Fochaber roots and loyal to their workforce. The firm was started in 1868, when George Baxter, one of 50 gardeners at Gordon Castle in the village of Fochabers, set up business with a £100 loan from his family. From the original grocers shop, set up by George Baxter, the company now employs some 800 workers and uses local vegetable and fruit growers and has turned down offers from multi-nationals such as Unilever, Heinz and McCain. As well as becoming a Scottish success story, Baxters is also a popular tourist attraction with some 230,000 making the trip to its visitor centre on the banks of the River Spey each year. Long may Baxters uphold their position as a leading independent Scottish company. Their motto speaks for itself - "be different, be better" - and this has led them to winning a world-wide reputation for excellence. Ena Baxter, wife of company president Gordon Baxter, did much to enhance the reputation of the company and especially its soup brand. So like Ena Baxter you can make and enjoy the delights of Cock-a-Leekie soup.

 

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

 

Ingredients: 2 1/2 - 3 lb boiling fowl; 6 pt water; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; Bay leaf, sprig of thyme and some parsley stalks; salt and pepper; 1 1/4 lb leeks, finely chopped; 2 oz long grain rice. Garnish with chopped parley.

 

Put the fowl into a large deep pot and add water. Bring slowly to the boil then skim and reduce to a gentle simmer. Now add the herbs ( tied together ), salt and pepper, onions, and the white part of the leeks. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Half-an-hour before the end of cooking add the rice. Remove the bird and leave to cool slightly. Add the green of the leek and cook for another 10 minutes. When the bird is cool enough, remove some of the flesh and chop up roughly. Return to the soup and heat through. Check seasoning, remove herbs and serve garnished with parsley.

See our Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs in our Features section

DATES IN HISTORY

7 September 1950
An area, the size of a football pitch, collapsed into the working at Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery, Ayrshire, trapping 129 miners 720 ft underground. In a huge rescue operation via old workings at Bank Colliery, 116 men were saved, but 13 died, as well as one rescue worker.

 

9 September 1513
Battle of Flodden took place near Branxton, in Northumberland, in which James IV, King of Scots, was killed, with the flower of Scotland, by English troops  under Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey.

 

10 September 1771
Birth of Mungo Park at Foulshiels in the Yarrow Valley, surgeon and explorer in West Africa.

See Dates in History in our Features Section

SING A SANG AT LEAST
(compiled by Peter D Wright)

"That I for poor auld Scotland's sake
Some useful plan or book could make
Or sing a sang at least ........"

- Robert Burns

SI Prize Crossword No. 21 SEPTEMBER  2001
[Click here to bring up the crosswords]