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."

Features:  Scots Language  |  Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs  |  Notable Dates in History
Rebel Ceilidh Song Book  |  Sing A Sang At Least  | Tartan Day, April 6th, USA & Canada


Compiled by Jim Lynch
[Issue 94 -  22nd March 2002]

I know St Patrick’s Day is past; it is 17th March, which was last Sunday, but I was too taken up with Julius Caesar and the Ides of March last week. From what one can gather in odd snippets from the correspondence columns the day seems to have been celebrated in Dublin, naturally, London, New York, San Francisco and Tallinn! I have no doubt that it was also celebrated in Praia da Rocha in the Algarve, where I was on holiday last year; I say this with some degree of certainty as the place was fairly hoaching with Irish pubs, as seems to be the case in Tallinn, courtesy of the ubiquitous Iain Lawson, who last week was commenting from the corrupt Labour hegemony of Renfrew. (These SNP guys get around.)

The point of the comment is that the Irish celebrate their history and their culture in a very public and exuberant fashion, while we even consider if it is proper to fly the Saltire on days other than St Andrew’s Day! Perhaps they are just proud to be free and independent.

St Patrick was born in Scotland, but lest we seem to be claiming him as one of our own, he was the son of Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britain (the island, not the state) so we assume that makes him Italian? (Or just a Roman Christian?) He was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he was a slave for about six years until he escaped; he became a priest and dreamt that the people of Ireland were calling him back. He was a bishop before he returned to Ireland, and he converted the country to Christianity; according to some reports, he spent 40 years in Ireland, but as he is said to have landed there on 25th Mar 433 and he died on 17th March 461, we are not entirely sure which calendar the Irish were using at that time.

Anyway, belated good wishes to the Irish for St Patrick’s Day, and we look forward to celebrating St Andrew’s Day in similar fashion when we are also free and independent.

ALEXANDER III CEREMONY

Ian said that the tragic and very sudden death of Alexander III at the age of 45 robbed Scotland of a king who had brought peace and prosperity to his country; in his 37 years on the throne (he was inaugurated as king at a ceremony in Scone when he was eight), Scotland made peace with her neighbours and did so without compromising her all-important independence.

Having won the war against Norway Alexander wanted to win the peace and he gave his daughter in marriage to his former sparring partner’s son; this act strengthened Scotland’s position among the kingdoms and principalities bordering the North Sea. He was undoubtedly a shrewd politician; wed as a boy to the English princess, Margaret, Alexander managed to maintain cordial relations with England, while ensuring that Scotland’s position as an independent nation was kept intact.

He did this in part by strengthening his links with European neighbours, thus enabling him to bypass England and deal directly with his European allies- an early Independence in Europe strategy? What a good idea! The English monarchy was always suspicious of Scotland’s links with Europe- presumably thinking we might get ideas above and beyond our station - as even in the 13th century, some folks in London thought we were too small, too poor and too stupid to speak for ourselves.

Ian concluded by pointing out that today, Independent status in the European Union is the norm, and what we must aspire to in Scotland; we have a strong economic and political case to argue, but we have a history too which can be a rich source of inspiration and motivation in our campaign for the restoration of Scottish Independence in Europe.

The supporting speaker was James Halliday, historian and author (and a former Chairman of the Scottish National Party), who said that Alexander III consolidated Scotland as a nation, he was the right king at the right time, and without his work Scotland could well have ceased to be an independent nation 700 years ago.

A Saltire wreath was laid by Mrs Lily Hudghton in memory of Alexander III and "The Golden Age" of Scottish history, and a lament played by Piper Robert Todd. The event was chaired by Peter D Wright, organiser of the event since 1981 - 21 years for him!

AND ELSEWHERE IN THE KINGDOM

The procurator fiscal in Dundee is conducting the inquiries into Henry McLeish’s allowances; this would not normally have been within its remit, but in the circumstances it was felt prudent to take the matter outside Fife. At the same time, the Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC, will not make the decision to proceed against Mr McLeish or not; as Mr Boyd was appointed by Mr McLeish, this is also a wise move. Audit Scotland is looking at the books, as well as Fife Police.

It is worth noting that when Mr McLeish was First Minister and still a Westminster MP, he was paid more than Tony Blair; his total wage was made up as follows: MP’s salary £49,822, one-third of an MSP’s salary (£42,491) £14,163, and his First Minister’s salary £68,156 - a grand (aye) total of £132,141; after he gave up Westminster he would be on a mere trifling £110,647. Now that he is no longer First Minister he has £42,491 as MSP, and £34,000 as pension for being First Minister, the latter sum for the rest of his life; his wife, as a senior social worker, reputedly earned £60000. To put these sums into perspective, a nurse earns £20,860, a journalist £29,498 and a train driver (English version) £27,339.

One other strange little item that has emerged is that in May 1996, the Annual General Meeting of the Third Age Charity was attended by Fife Council Community Services Manager, Mrs Bridget McConnell, wife of our current First Minister. (She is now employed as Head of Recreation and Leisure in Glasgow, on a reputed salary of £85,000) The odds against the meeting of a very minor charity being attended by two women who were destined to be Scotland’s First Ladies must be astronomical.

And last week, the President of COSLA (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities), Pat Watters, said that proportional representation in itself would not improve the standard of public services; reminds me of the old joke "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage", to which the response is "No, guv, but they help, they help".

It was perfectly proper for Mrs McConnell to be at that meeting in her professional capacity, and no impropriety is implied, but the remarkable thing about it is that it is not remarkable.

IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THEN TO RECEIVE

Bernie Ecclestone was the first, or the most public, as he gave £1 million to the Labour Party and then asked for Formula One racing to be exempted from the ban on tobacco advertising; he got his wish, but the public rumpus was such that Labour gave him his money back! Shrewd guy. Then along came the Hindujas, shelling out £1 million for the Faith Zone at the Millennium Dome (Not to the Labour Party) and a passport popped out for one of them, despite the misgivings of the security services, who knew they were being indicted for bribery. This was the scandal that toppled Peter Mandelson for the second time; the first time he borrowed £385,000 from Geoffrey Robinson, a ministerial colleague his department was investigating, but did not tell anyone, including the Britannia Building Society from whom he borrowed even more money! (Rule Britannia, Cool Britannia, Fool Britannia.)

However, I am more interested in two Labour donors in particular; the first is Philip Christopher Ondaatje, a former Tory supporter (no change there, then) who gave the Labour Party £2 million in January 2001, and then £100,000 in May 2001, and Lakshmi Mittal, who gave £125,000 in May 2001, and was then supported by the Blessed Tony to buy the Romanian Steel Industry; Mr Mittal gave a lot more to the American campaign to put a tariff on British steel being exported to America, thus putting British workers on the dole, but they were Welsh anyway so that doesn’t count. Mr Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Canada; he is a banker and financier, and a member of the Chester Yacht Club of Nova Scotia and the Mid Ocean Golf Club in Bermuda. He is the brother of the author, Micael Ondaatje, who wrote "The English Patient" (No, I haven’t read the book or seen the film.)

Mr Mittal’s stake in Ispat International is worth about £260 million; Ispat is a holding company based in the Netherlands and it owns a number of steel producing companies in America, Mexico, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, and until it went bankrupt without paying the bill, Ireland. It made $647 million gross profit in 1998, but still has not paid the Irish bill. Mr Mittal owns a £6 million house in Bishop’s Avenue in London, but is not a British citizen.

The point about these two is that neither of them are British, and don’t pay any British taxes, yet they can give money to the Labour Party; Sir Sean Connery, who is Scottish, and does pay British taxes for any work he does here, is barred from giving money to the Scottish National Party. One rule for Labour, and they also have the cheek to taunt the SNP about Sir Sean Connery living abroad! They should also look at one of the Labour Party’s other heroes, Sir Richard Branson; the financial press is full of stories this week about how Sir Richard is going to move his empire "on-shore" now that there are tax changes in the offing. Until now, his Virgin business empire has been based in the Virgin Islands, a tax haven; one rule also for the rich, the rest of us just have to pay our taxes. Wonder if he’s thought of a way of avoiding death as well?

MISSING THE TRAIN

There is a highly inconvenient and damaging rail strike going on at present, so I was not at all surprised to open my newspaper and see a large picture of the Transport Minister, Wendy Alexander, on a bus in Aberdeen, introducing a new park and ride service to beat congestion. There was no story accompanying the picture (6 inches deep - 5 columns across), but in my mind’s eye I could see the bubble over her head "So this is what a bus looks like from the inside!"

According to the latest news, Wee Wendy’s boss, Jack McConnell, has now taken the rail dispute into his hands, so it is possible that we might see some action; certainly the opposition has been wiring into the Executive about the strike, only to be told that it was a dispute between the workforce and the management of a company, and they had to settle it between themselves without outside interference, so what has changed? Well, another 11 days have been picked for strike action, and these will be 24 hour strikes, from midday to midday, thus snarling up two working days ! The days have been specified, and one of them will be the day of the European Cup Final at Hampden Park, Glasgow, so tourists coming for the Cup Final cannot come by train; to add insult to injury, the strike days were picked by the Aslef committee - in London! It now transpires that the dispute could have been settled weeks ago, but for the interference of Stephen Byers, the English Transport Minister; he pressurised National Express not to pay the drivers, because then the English train drivers would want more money. Think about it; the dispute is mainly because the Scottish drivers are demanding parity with English drivers, so if the Scottish drivers get the same then the English drivers will want more! The Aslef union man here, and Scotrail have been left to face the flak; it also makes a nonsense of the Scottish Executive not getting involved when the problem is that the English Executive exacerbated the problem.

Anyway, we hope that this will be the catalyst to get the dispute settled and the trains moving again; we can see no difference in driving trains north or south of the Border - the rails are the same - but there are also productivity issues involved. The drivers have lost public sympathy, because while their fight is with the management it is the passengers who suffer; Wendy Alexander has avoided the issue, because she is too busy buzzing about, and being photographed doing it. She is the direct antithesis of Jack McConnell’s mantra about doing less - but doing it better, but then again, Jack loaded her up to keep her out of mischief, so he cannot complain.

The drive to somehow stop car drivers driving took another turn last month; Professor David Begg, special adviser to the Blessed Tony, came up with a scheme for road charging using satellites. Residents of Edinburgh are living with Professor Begg’s previous experiment in traffic control, which was called traffic calming; it might calm traffic, but infuriates drivers - and residents, who now see previously quiet streets becoming race tracks as drivers dodge humps on the main throughways. There are now so many potholes in the streets that we think the city councillors have shares in Kwik Fit. Professor Begg now sees every car fitted with a wee black box, sending a signal to a satellite, which will then beam back to a computer somewhere "Vehicle Registration Number ------- travelling on Glasgow Road, Edinburgh - 6.34 miles at 3.57p per mile - send a bill to Name and Address supplied!" Apart from the fact that the technology will not be available for about 10 years, the cost and complexity of the scheme will be enormous, and just wait until you hear the civil liberties on the Big Brother aspect of that; there is also the fact that it will not work.

Also doing his bit to reduce congestion on the roads in London is the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine ; between 1st April (when else?) and 16th January, he spent £50,175 of our money on taxis. He probably has an official car as well.

Another odd point; when I worked I had a company car, and was taxed on this. By the look of things, taxes on company cars are going to be increased by a punitive amount, so how are ministerial cars assessed? They are provided as necessary for the particular job, and because they have chauffeurs they do not have the same problem parking, so surely that is a taxable benefit? Incidentally have you noticed the way that the press always refer to them? They call them the "Ministerial Mondeos", presumably because they like alliteration ; in fact they are not Mondeos at all, all the ones I have seen are Vauxhall Omegas.

Omega is the last word in the Greek alphabet - and you know how politicians love the last word!

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

One of the strangest episodes this year was the apparent collapse of the Taleban (or Taliban in some newspapers) and the melting away of resistance in Afghanistan; strange indeed, for a country that humbled the British Empire in the 19th century and the Russian Empire in the 20th.

All is now becoming clearer, as the Taleban, and al-Qaeda only temporarily melted away, and are now dug in across the mountains, prepared to fight to the last man, or to slip away and regroup again and again; guerrilla warfare will be the order of the day for some time to come. Although US Special Forces claim to have killed at least 500 in the recent campaigns, there are very few bodies being produced as evidence; more bodies may be in caves obliterated by the bombing, but it seems more likely that they slipped away, as attempts to surround the areas were unsuccessful.

Now British troops are being called in, mainly 45 Royal Marine Commando from Arbroath, who have not been sent on a combat mission since the Falklands 20 years ago. The Commandos are tough, very highly trained, and specialise in mountain and arctic warfare, which is what they will find in Afghanistan; we wish them well, and they have our whole hearted support. We know they are trained as highly as possible, and their morale is very high, but when in training using live ammunition, the objective is to fire as near to troops as possible, without hitting them; in Afghanistan, they will be facing fighters who have nothing to lose, and who will be trying to kill as many of them as they can, a situation that no amount of training can adequately prepare them for.

This week we have also seen former servicemen suing the Government for being exposed to mental anguish caused by military action, in the Falklands, in Bosnia, the Gulf War and in Northern Ireland, claiming they were unprepared for the consequences; servicemen nowadays are all volunteers, and well paid, and I do not remember any of my contemporaries with similar problems back on the Fifties. Of course, I was only in Kenya being shot at, but the 1st Battalion The Black Watch (RHR) had gone straight there from Korea, and we were after all, only National Servicemen. Maybe we were expendable.

And meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Ministry of Defence has been ordered to cut its budget, a bit parsimonious, just as we are being told that the Government is going to commit more troops perhaps to a war against Iraq ! They must think that they are operating under the Private Finance Initiative, cutting costs, but by the look of things there will not be enough privates, or finance, so we’ll need a Government initiative.

EURO ROUTE TO INDEPENDENCE

From what we can gather, the British relatives do not believe that justice has been done, but the American relatives do; this is rather a simplistic judgment, but certainly the impression I have received. What is also clear, and will not go away, is the very strong feeling that a lot of the story has not surfaced in the Court, including warnings received which meant that some people cancelled their flights, and a lingering suspicion that the CIA knew more than emerged. Our friend and colleague, David Rollo, has written a little book on the subject "Lockerbie - A Bum Rap", and this highlights the many anomalies, inconsistencies and serious questions on the whole murky affair. There are now calls for a Public Inquiry, and while we believe that the right man is in prison, tried and convicted in a model of Scottish justice, we also believe that there should be more than Mr al-Megrahi in jail.

As to his accommodation; it is known as Gaddaffi’s Cafe, and is two rooms with a toilet and shower, televison and tea and coffee making facilities, so it would seem not much of a punishment. A Scottish prisoner on remand in Barlinnie, charged with even a fairly minor offence, would be in a communal cell, and would have to go through the "slopping out" routine, which is an affront to humanity, irrespective of what the European Court of Human Rights would say, while the mass murderer leads a pampered existence, and is given his prayer mat and halal meat. There are times I feel very prejudiced.

THE FLAG IN THE DIRT

FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES

Not loyalty on my part, just financial laziness, but the effect is just the same.

The Treasury is refusing to even tell them what the targets are; you couldn’t make this up.

The woman fronting the £1 million Vote Yes Campaign for the Glasgow Housing Stock Transfer, Mrs Kathleen Glasgow, appeared with Ministers last week, saying that the £4 billion scheme was "the only way forward."

She will not be taking advantage of the offer after all; she has just bought her council house.

The picture accompanying a report in the Scotsman on John Menzies, the newspaper distributors, was of a John Menzies retail shop.

John Menzies sold its retail chain to WH Smith in 1998.

The Royal Mail is publishing a set of stamps this year to celebrate England qualifying for the World Cup; they will be on sale all over Britain.

Our prowess in the World Cup has only made the stamp scene once; Billy Bremner in 1989 - in Grenada.

Some things are just too banal; a 102 year old woman is taking her campaign to Downing Street after she has been told she is to be evicted from a retirement home because it is bankrupt. She has already sold her house to pay for care and has nothing left.

David Atkins, head of Rage, an organisation aimed at keeping care homes open said "A lot of 102 year olds will find that they are having their place of safety and security removed from under them."

Concern is being expressed at the proposal that a number of call centres are going to relocate to India to cut costs.

Well. we’ve heard from the cowboys, so now it’s the turn of the Indians.

It would bring tears to a glass eye.

The SNP’s campaign "Talking Independence" has received a very lukewarm response from Alf Young in the Herald (Glasgow) and Peter McMahon in the Scotsman.

When we remember that Alf Young was the Research Officer for the Labour Party in Scotland, and Peter McMahon was the special adviser to the last First Minister, Henry McLeish, it puts their "impartial" comments into perspective.

SYNOPSIS

SNP PROMOTES "EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES" AS LAND BILL PRINCIPLES AGREED

The Scottish Parliament today agreed to the general principles of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill by 92 votes to 16 with no abstentions. Earlier in Parliament SNP shadow justice minister Roseanna Cunningham insisted the Bill was about the redistribution of land and argued it did not, in fact, go far enough in achieving that aim. She criticised the Tories for comparing the land reform legislation to the seizure of white-owned farms by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe. She said: "The Tories' position is absolutely ridiculous, supporting as it does local land owning monopolies. There are criticisms that can be made about this Bill but be absolutely clear, the SNP will vote for it and it will go through." Ms Cunningham said Scotland had one of the highest concentrations of land ownership in Europe, with two-thirds of the land being owned by 1,252 people, or 0.025% of the population. She went on to argue most rural dwellers were behind the proposals to shake up land ownership and extend the right-to-buy. But she added: "I have made no secret of my view that this Bill simply does not go far enough to make the changes needed. It says nothing about empowering communities short of outright purchase. And it's important to recognise that not all communities will want to buy and the right to register a right-to-buy will have a minimal impact. Only 1.5% of Highland land transferred last year would have been affected by he provisions of this Bill." She argued more forms of compulsory right-to-buy should be introduced and criticised Mr Finnie for a "failure of nerve". "Unlike the minister, I do want to see a significant transfer of land in Scotland and taking this Bill further would be the way to achieve that," she added.

JOHN SWINNEY SETS OUT INDEPENDENCE Q&A

The SNP today launched an exhaustive list of questions and answers on independence in the hope of overcoming the "scaremongering" arguments of their opponents. The glossy booklet, in essence a 70-question catechism on the merits and practicalities of independence, is intended to answer any conceivable questions that potential voters might have. The questions include taxation, what would happen to bank accounts held in England, how independence negotiations would be conducted, pensions - and the issue of whether passports would be needed to get into England. Launching the 40-page document today in Edinburgh, SNP leader John Swinney said: "It is the most comprehensive set of questions and answers ever published by the SNP, and details the impact of real, everyday issues that independence will bring. People want to know what will happen to their pensions, their mortgages, their jobs, their hospitals and their schools come independence. This will lay the scaremongering of our opponents to rest and slay the myths about independence." Copies of the document, "Talking Independence," will be sent to every party member. The document will also be made available to anyone who asks for one said the party. The author of the document, Dr Alasdair Allan, wrote in an introduction: "I have been asked many varied questions on the doorstep about Scottish independence. These have ranged from the cautious 'What will I pay in tax?' to the almost incredible 'Will I be able to visit relatives in England?' and 'Will we get still EastEnders'?" He went on: "If some of the questions strike us as odd, then we should remember that these have often stemmed from a wider debate about independence, which sections of Scotland's media have been known to conduct in hysterical or apocalyptic terms."

PETERHEAD PRISON FACES CLOSURE

Peterhead Prison looks set to be recommended for closure following a review of Scotland's jail network. The long-awaited results of the study could also lead to the creation of at least two new privately-run prisons north of the border. Jack McConnell is this week expected to signal his intention to commission privately-funded and managed prisons in his biggest and most controversial policy gamble since becoming First Minister. The country's prison network has been under scrutiny for years as the Scottish Executive tries to modernise the system and match supply to needs. The outcome - which is due to be disclosed on Thursday - will be hugely controversial. It is believed that Peterhead Prison, a key employer in the north-east town, and the Low Moss jail near Bishopbriggs could both be closed. Peterhead is home to an internationally respected unit for the treatment of sex offenders. Banff and Buchan's SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson has already warned that any closure plan would be bitterly contested. He said: "There is no evidence that private prisons are better than the best in the Scottish Prison Service, and the best is very good indeed." He said there was no evidence of a fall in reoffending at Kilmarnock Prison, where he claimed violence was on the increase. And he called on the Scottish Executive to retain the prison service as the provider of choice.

JOB FEARS AT FLAGSHIP PFI HOSPITAL

A secret report has exposed an alarming 100 million pound funding gap at Scotland's largest privately-financed NHS hospital. The research shows an extra 24 million pounds will be needed every year over the next four years for the flagship Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to break even. Critics of the controversial private finance initiative fear that will mean devastating cuts in the number of doctors, nurses and beds at the newly-opened hospital. Taxpayers will pay back more than 1 billion pounds over 30 years for the hospital, which was built by the private firms for just 184 million. Nicola Sturgeon, SNP shadow health minister said: "I can't see how any trust can cope with deficits on this scale without front-line cuts. This is just another example of a PFI putting profit before patient care and highlights the madness of the policy." Ms Sturgeon said she was staggered to learn that LUHT went ahead with a PFI that they cannot afford. She added: "It's astonishing that this Government is so ideologically committed to private finance, despite the fact that repayments are crippling trusts."

SCOTTISH LABOUR FACES 1 MILLION POUND ELECTION BILL

Scottish Labour will have to raise at least 1 million pounds to pay for next year's Holyrood elections, after the UK party refused to hand over any cash. Labour's national leadership - which is saddled with debts estimated at 10 million pounds - has ruled out the idea of helping the party north of the Border, in a confidential party report seen by Scotland on Sunday. Scottish Labour will now have to finance the entire 2003 campaign out of its own budget, relying heavily on membership fees, donations and special fund-raising events. An increase in subscriptions is being considered to help pay off debts. Last month SNP MP Alex Salmond urged the government to halve the limits on political party spending at election time and ration out billboard space on the same lines as party political broadcasts in a new crackdown on sleaze. "It is the financing of political activity that lies at the heart of a range of sleaze allegations against the current Labour administration," he said today. Mr Salmond believes a crackdown on election financing and spending in needed to rid politics of allegations of cash-for-favours abuses.

ANDREW WILSON ASKS, WHERE DID BRITAIN's WEALTH GO?

Where do you think the United Kingdom sits in the league table of the world's wealthiest countries, asks SNP MSP Andrew Wilson. Writing in the Sunday Mail, the Central Scotland member reveals that the UK is a mediocre 19th in wealth created per head. "The truth is that the UK is relatively poorer than Italy, Germany, France, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and a host of others," he said. "To change this, the Scottish Parliament needs the powers to place Scotland at a competitive advantage so that our people can create the wealth we all need to close the gap with the rest of the UK and the world." Meanwhile the SNP's business case for Independence, launched earlier this week, has come in for praise in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper. The paper says the presentation is all the more notable for the fact that no other political party in Scotland has come close to presenting its economic analysis and approach with "such depth and clarity".

REVIEW GROUP STICKS WITH NATO POLICY

The SNP looks set to continue its long-standing policy of an independent Scotland pulling out of Nato, it emerged this evening. A party policy review group is recommending the party to stay with its existing stance of negotiating a withdrawal from Nato. Nato membership was one of several debates scrapped in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the issue was sent to a review group on defence, international and security policy headed by SNP deputy leader Roseanna Cunningham. The review group's recommendations, which now go to the party's national assembly, re-iterate the SNP's longstanding opposition to nuclear weapons as "a fundamental and unshakeable" commitment. That would mean no manufacture, storage or location of nuclear weapons by the UK in Scotland, and a "negotiated withdrawal" of the Royal Navy's Trident submarines from their base on the Clyde. Nuclear-armed vessels would be banned from Scotland's land, sea or airspace and the recommendations say: "This would be non-negotiatable." On the specific question of Nato, the review group says an independent Scotland would inherit existing treaty obligations, including Nato membership. "The SNP is opposed to an independent Scotland remaining a member of Nato while it continues to be a nuclear weapons-based alliance," say the recommendations. "We recognise that the international environment is changing in the aftermath of the Cold War and that Nato is itself facing the challenge of responding to new threats. We acknowledge that it will be necessary to negotiate the terms and timescale of Scotland's withdrawal consistent with the international situation at the time." Ms Cunningham said the review group had reiterated the SNP view that collective security was best served through non-nuclear co-operation within the EU. "Our proposals will make international co-operation the keystone of our international policy, through the EU's common foreign and security policy, Nato's partnership for peace programme, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN." She said: "These proposals have come after a mature examination of the major trends in international security. They place us in the mainstream of European thought and will now go before the party's policymaking bodies for debate."

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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)

In 1941 the merchant ship Politician bound for America, carrying 20,000 cases of whisky, foundered off the Island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides. Some 5,000 cases of the whisky was 'liberated' by the islanders and the incident provided the basis of the humorous novel 'Whisky Galore' by Sir Compton Mackenzie ( a founder member of the National Party of Scotland in 1928 ).

At the time Mackenzie was resident in Barra and was well acquainted with the Politician incident. The book was first published in 1947 and Compton Mackenzie dedicated it to ' all my dear friends in Barra in grateful memory of much kindness and much laughter through many happy years.' The book's popularity was enhanced when in 1948 an Ealing comedy film of 'Whisky Galore' was made in Barra with the author himself playing a cameo role, In America the film was released under the title 'Tight Little Island.'

 

Mackenzie set the story on the ficticious Islands of Great and Little Todday which, owing to war-time restrictions , ran out of whisky! The foundering of the Politician, disguised as the 'Cabinet Minister', with her cargo of whisky solves the 'dry' problem and allows the reiteach for the love interest in the story to go ahead.

 

In the Western Isles a reiteach, or formal betrothal, was a complicated affair which usually took place after it was tacitly known that a young couple were contemplating marriage. There was a gathering of friends at the bride-to-be's home, one of whom had been appointed to ask her father on the bridegroom-to-be's behalf. After much talk, and with the subject on hand never directly referred to, it would ultimately fall to the father to agree to the match and then the party could begin. A sit down meal, provided by the mother and other relations - broth, chicken and potatoes - which would be attended, miraculously, by musicians as well as the best maids and bestman-to-be, although everyone was expected to pretend that it was all a great surprise. Then the ceilidh could go on for hours. Our recipe for this week - Scottish Chicken and Apple - would grace any such occasion and it has the added bonus "o haen a drappie o The Cratur!"

 

Scottish Chicken and Apple

 

Ingredients: 1 chicken breast ( skinlesss ) per person; 1 eating apple, peeled, cored and sliced, per person; 1 tbsp whisky per person; cream

 

Into a large enough frying pan to fit the chicken put a knob of butter per apple and saute the apple slices until golden brown on both sides. Cook enough to fill the pan and continue until all sauted. Put aside until later.

Saute the chicken both sides, then add water, enough to come halfway up the chicken. A sprinkle of salt and half a teaspoon of Swiss Veg bouillon or veg stock for each two chicken breasts. Simmer with a lid on the pan until tender. Lift the chicken onto a serving plate. To the remaining stock in the pan add cream, about a small carton for two people. Stir and simmer to reduce slightly. Put the whisky into the stock and cream, replace chicken and apple and simmer. The chicken and apple will absorb some of the sauce, simmer only for about 1-2 minutes. Serve and pour the remaining sauce over. Delicious!!

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

DATES IN HISTORY

22 March 578
Death of St Finian ( in Welsh Gwynnen ) of Molville in Ulster, evangelist in South-West Scotland with dedications at Kilwinning and Kirkgunzeon.

 

24 March 1603
King James VI of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England to begin reign as James I of England on death of Queen Elizabeth. The news was brought from England by Sir Robert Carey who reached Hollyrood on the 26th March.

 

25 March 1810
The Commercial Bank of Scotland was officially founded in Edinburgh by John Pitcairn, Lord Cockburn and others. It was established by a deed of partnership on a joint-stock basis; the first bank not established by public authority to assume national designation.

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