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Compiled by Jim Lynch
[Issue 106 -
14th June 2002]
We now have the booklet on the
Battle of Bannockburn and
its significance in Scotland's history on the site.
WHAT A BALLYHOO!
 The
press think they are having a field day over the regional selection
processes of the SNP, and even had the First Minister criticising John
Swinney over the party’s selection
system; the Labour Party’s selection system rejected Dennis Canavan, Susan
Deacon, Ian Davidson MP for Glasgow Pollok (quite acceptable to be a
Westminster MP but not a Member of the Scottish Parliament), and the same
for Michael Connarty MP. Susan Deacon appealed against the decision, won her
appeal, the only one to do so, and became the Minister for Health, until
Jack McConnell became First Minister; as Ms Deacon had been a McLeish
supporter, she then got the Kirkcaldy heist. Messrs Davidson and Connarty
were duly re-elected to Westminster, and Canavan became an independent MSP.
Like the voting system for the Scottish Parliament, this process was
masterminded by the Scottish Labour Party’s General Secretary, Jack
McConnell, before he departed to take up a lucrative post in a company
created specifically for him by Beattie Media. (See Flag in the Wind, Issue
77, 23 Nov 2001 - "Rattling Skeletons").
I digress, as is my wont, but
I never like to pass the First Minister without having a belt at him. It is
very human, very natural, and very political, that anyone wishing to be
elected to any office has to spend time working at it and being nice to
people whose votes they are after. In my days as a failed politician, I
spent countless hours talking to people, attending all sorts of functions,
and in general trying to make myself agreeable. (Not very successfully, I
admit.) Also, when attending meetings, I would canvass support beforehand,
try and ensure that anyone of a like mind would be in attendance so that I
could depend on their votes, and in general do my best to win the day. None
of this was seen as odd, and it was not and it is not; while my motives were
that I was doing all this towards an Independent Scotland, personal egotism
comes into it as well, and it would be naive and dishonest to pretend
otherwise (a knave and a fool at the same time!)
So just now, the SNP is seen
as being in some difficulty as each individual strives to ensure a better
place on the list for election, and unlike in my day, when you just hoped to
fight a constituency and save your deposit, there is a salary and an expense
account to go with that place. It could be that some good people will be
lost because they have not secured their bases, and it could be that some
bad people will also lose; we do have some very good ones and I would hate
to see them out, but they have to learn to work with the system. I also
think that flaws are being found in the SNP way of selecting candidates, but
this again is new, and the only way to see if a thing works is to try it;
even wonderful state of the art motor cars have flaws which don’t show up
until they start running on the roads, so voting systems are no different in
that respect.
And one final point; the SNP
is carrying out its selection process now, 10 months before the elections.
The other parties will all have to go through the same machinations, and
negative headlines, when ours have been forgotten about; John Swinney’s no’
daft.
CRACKS IN THE DAM -
DAMN CRACKS
 It
was only last week that we were writing about the "revolt" by West
Dunbartonshire and Falkirk over the PFI issue, when lo and behold this week
the Accounts Commission for Scotland took a sledgehammer to the cracks in
the PFI argument.
Their report said that
although PFI had led to better project management , sounder financial
control and the transfer of risk to the private sector, it was more
expensive than public finance, was chosen using subjective, and often
implausible calculations, and could lead to education cuts in the long term.
According to figures in the report, taxpayers are paying up to £18.7 million
per year more than public finance on schools projects alone; if we were
looking at all public services then the figure is £80 million.
Preceding this report, the
National Audit Office, in England, published its report last week; its
deputy controller and auditor general, Jeremy Colman, said that much of the
financial analysis done on PFI projects against public sector comparators
ranged from "spurious" through "pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo" to "utter
rubbish." (Strange how you can warm to someone called Jeremy - and even -
Colman!). Alf Young, writing in the Herald echoed what I have been saying
for years "It never seemed credible that private contractors, unable to
borrow at rates available to the government, but anxious to achieve rates of
return on their investments in double digits, could do such jobs cheaper."
Two years ago, Andrew Smith,
Treasury Minister (now Pensions Minister, and the man who coined the phrase
"Our air is not for sale."- definitely a one-off - because they sold it)
said that privately financed projects were producing 17% savings compared to
public sector projects. The figure came from a report by Arthur Andersen’s
consulting arm, and as PFI only got really going in mid-90s, they were
obviously based on flawed optimism; the name of Arthur Andersen, post Enron,
is now seen as synonomous with fat fees for telling the customer what he
wants to hear.
On another tack, Labour have
been punting private jails mercilessly, and talking up how they will save
the taxpayer £700 million by building 3 private jails; based on evidence
given to the Justice 2 Committee of the Scottish Parliament, the interest
rate for the private consortium that built and operates Kilmarnock Prison is
8.2% . In evidence given to the Justice 1 Committee, it was stated that
government backed finance would be 5%; the Justice 2 Committee also
established that Kilmarnock Prison cost £32 million (500 prisoners) and the
new wing at Polmont Young Offenders Institution (263 prisoners) cost £17
million. Projecting these figures, the SNP has established that the cost of
3 new private prisons would work out at £519 million and the same prisons
using public money would be £375 million, a saving of £144 million.
Incidentally, the figures for the "saving" of £700 million were worked out
by Pricewaterhousecoopers consulting arm, and it just so happens that the
auditors for Premier Prisons (subsidiary of the American Wackenhut
Corporation) are - would you believe- Pricewaterhousecoopers auditing arm.
There is an awful lot of money to be made by consultants in the PFI game.
The SNP has an answer to the
PFI mess, and that is a Scottish Trust for Public Investment, a not for
profit body; originally designed as one body to operate for Scotland as a
whole, the principles could be applied at local level, with each of
Scotland’s councils having their own version. Funding sources would be bond
issue, the European Investment Bank and commercial loans at low interest
rates; the Trusts would be self financing, and would operate outside the
public sector. They would spread risks across capital projects, and would be
neutral on whether services were provided by the public or private sector -
value for money being the key issue. The Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, is
said to be interested in this idea for the prisons, as he is between a rock
and a hard place (he is getting a hard time from his party, who think they
hate PFI, but he has to do McConnell’s bidding, as he likes his ministerial
Omega) but as this is an idea put forward by the SNP it is anathema in
Labour circles; Mr McConnell’s "good ideas" from other parties seems to be
limited to clearing dog’s dirt from the streets. In other words, like a lot
of Labour’s statements, it’s a load of .......!
HOW DO YOU RUN A
RAILROAD?
 The
answer to that question might be "A lot better than at present", but not in
the eyes of the Scottish Executive; ScotRail, in giving evidence to the
Scottish Parliament’s transport
committee, have suggested that the Parliament could take over responsibility
for the railway infrastructure, because if it does not then much of the
money to be invested in the rail network will go to south east England.
This is not a new idea, as
the subject was mooted when Railtrack went into receivership in October last
year, and in fact the talk then was that all of Scotland’s railway companies
could be combined, trains, stations, tracks and signalling, in effect we
would have had not British Rail (Scotland) but Scottish Rail. The idea was
scorned last year - how surprising- even if it was backed by the Association
of Train Operating Companies and Glasgow City Council, and at the time Sir
Alastair Morton, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority thought that
Scotland should have control of all of these things; against the idea was
George Foulkes, then deputy secretary of state for Scotland (no capitals for
him) and David McLetchie, who said that the rails did not stop at the border
- if he ever went into mainland Europe he might find that rails don’t stop
at borders there either. Of course, Europe is anathema to the Tories,
especially as they were the ones who took Britain in.
Anyway, to this "good idea"
which came from the people trying to run the system, and not from another
political party, the executive response was as follows "The integration of
rail networks across the UK ensures consistent safety standards and brings
benefits to Scotland. Disintegration would not be in the interests of
Scotland’s travelling public, and would require changes to Westminster
legislation and is outwith the Scottish executive’s powers." The case being
put was that more money would be spent on the rail network in Scotland and
we would see railway lines to both Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports; better
tracks and better trains and other facilities would be in the interest of
Scotland’s travellers who are also very much "never rans" when south east
England is concerned. While railtracks do not stop at the border, neither do
roads, and as a railroad is a road with rails we see no material difference.
The main point is that this
is a matter reserved to Westminster, and that the Labour/lackey
administration do not want to fight with their bosses; as it is, there is
not a Transport Minister for Scotland. The portfolio was dumped on Wendy
Alexander to shut her mouth, and it has been transferred to Iain Gray; he
might think differently to Jack McConnell, and of course the English
Transport Minister is a Scotsman, and an Edinburgh MP, who might put the
interests of his constituents first. No, that’s not a runner. Maybe we could
write to Lord Birt; he was charged by the Blessed Tony with "blue sky"
thinking about trains, which has always seemed a bit bizarre, except that he
occupies an office in Virgin’s Head Office in London, and may not even know
where Scotland is.
Whichever way you look at it,
Scottish travellers would definitely benefit from the rail network in
Scotland being run for Scotland, by Scotland; to quote from "The Heart of
Midlothian" "I ken, when we had a king, and a chancellor, and parliament-men
o’ oor ain, we could aye peeble them wi’ stanes when they werena guid bairns
- but naebody’s nails can reach the length o’ Lunnon." (Kist O Fairlies -
last week.)
WHO PAYS THE PIPER?
 Despite
the threat of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, Britain is still
prepared to sell them both arms; the increasingly farcical actions of the
British Cabinet where they agree to arms sales then send Jack Straw to
implore both countries not to use them would be funny if the situation was
not so serious.
What is it about the arms
trade that makes it so vital? It cannot be the fact that the Labour Party
has part of its pension fund invested with BAE, because that is only a paltry
£100,000 (paltry as Labour recently took out a £5.5 million mortgage to move
their offices to a new building). Maybe there are a lot of jobs dependant on
the arms industry, but I don’t think that applies in Scotland; we used to
have an explosives factory in Bishopton until the government decided to
import the gunpowder from South Africa, or is there a much more mundane
reason?
An investigation into a
frozen bank account in Jersey was stymied last month and it is believed that
the British Government put pressure on the Jersey authorities to drop the
case; the bank account contained payments from BAE Systems amounting to
several millions into two trusts, the Havana and Yaheeb Trusts. The trusts
were traced to the Foreign Secretary of Qatar, and the money is believed to
be bribes paid to him by BAE for a very large arms deal for Qatar. Where
that one is now, we do not know, but there is more to come on the tale.
Consider also other names prominent in the headlines over the past year; how
about the Hinduja brothers? Srichand Hinduja was given a British passport at
the instigation of Peter Mandelson (who denies intervening in the affair)
after Hinduja agreed to pay £1 million into the Millennium Dome (he wanted
free tickets in return and when he got them VAT was incurred and this cost
the taxpayer a fortune but that is another story.) Anyway, even the Tories
would not deal with him, but Mandelson knew better (incidentally, Mike
O’Brien who said that Mandelson phoned him, which Mandelson denied, has now
been given a promotion) and Srichard Hinduja got his passport in jig time.
There was an enquiry headed
by Sir Anthony Hammond, which cleared Mandelson, although no one spoke to
Srichard Hinduja; he was in India, but could not come to Britain to appear
before the enquiry because the Indian authorities had taken away his
passport, as he was facing corruption charges. The thread that might run
through all of this is that the Hindujas are being charged with taking
massive bribes from the Swedish company Bofors, for an arms contract to
supply artillery to the Indian Army, and now we have BAE, whom we know gives
bribes to other people, being allowed to sell Hawk fighters to India. How
curious.
TALKING INDEPENDENCE
As stated, we continue this week with Section 7 of the
booklet, the issues of taxation, currency, embassies and the Employment and
Social Security departments; all of these are issues which our political
opponents like to sneer at.
Now everyone knows that Ireland is a much smaller country
than Scotland and does not have anything like our natural resources, so how
come their economy is roaring ahead? Could it be that it is because they no
longer have Westminster to look after them? Yes, they are also going well in
the World Cup, and we are not there.
Since the Scottish Parliament came into being, the
Republic of Ireland have had a Consul General in Edinburgh.
How an independent country will
be governed
How will Independence affect the taxation system?
The Scottish Parliament will take responsibility for
raising and spending all taxes in Scotland.
A Treasury, or Ministry of Finance, will be
established by the Parliament. The SNP is committed to ensuring a smooth
transition when the Scottish Parliament takes responsibility for Scotland’s
taxes, whether that be before or at Independence. Existing tax rates will
remain in force unless and until changed by the Scottish Parliament.
Existing facilities in Scotland for tax assessment and collection will be
used. Officials based in Scotland are already responsible for extensive tax
administration (for instance the Inland Revenue’s Centre 1 in East Kilbride,
as well as other bases including those in Cumbernauld, Edinburgh, and
Aberdeen). These functions will continue once these offices come under
Scottish control. Liability for income tax will be decided on the basis of
residency, and business taxation based on location.
What will Scotland's currency be?
If the Prime Minister’s hints are to be believed, a Euro
referendum is not far away, and the Euro may well already be a reality in
Scotland at the time of Independence. If not, however, Scotland has three
options – entering the Euro, setting up her own currency, or remaining
within Sterling.
The SNP is favourable to entry into the Euro, subject to
the approval of the public in a referendum, and assuming that economic
conditions and entrance requirements at the time are favourable to
Scotland's interests. In advance of entry into the Euro, the SNP favours
pegging the Scottish Pound at parity with Sterling.
A report of the respected brokers Saloman Smith Barney in
1998 found that Scotland would comfortably meet the Euro convergence
criteria including the issues of debt, inflation and interest rates. Indeed,
it said that Scotland would meet these criteria more comfortably than would
the UK.
Prof Andrew Hughes Hallett, who was called upon to help
set the entry rates of the eleven countries presently in the Euro-zone,
said, "I see no reason why Scotland is
unfit for the single currency", and
has concluded that:
"Scotland has
an economy which is as robust as any in the European area. In fact, it is
probably more robust and integrated than most.…It is not obvious that in a
21 st century of European free trade and global markets, Scotland requires a
political union with England in order to take advantage of a single trading
market."
(Scotland on Sunday,
7-3-99)
Will there be extra costs
in setting up embassies?
Scottish taxpayers have already paid their share of the
considerable - and sometimes extravagant - expenditure on UK embassies.
After Independence, we will be able
to use this Foreign Affairs budget on our own representation abroad. The
SNP, looking to the example of most other small countries, does not seek to
imitate the imperial pretensions of the UK Foreign Office, which owns over
£1.1 billion worth of land, offices and residences around the world.
Instead we would use our financial share of these UK
assets to establish a smaller number of embassies, sharing some of our
facilities with those of other EU states in some countries. We believe that
Scotland will represent its culture and industry around the world far more
effectively for itself in this way, rather than by being misrepresented and
underrepresented by the UK.
The SNP believes that the Scottish Parliament, even
before Independence is declared, should set up "commercial embassies" to
promote Scottish industry and exports around the world, and would see these
developing into full-scale diplomatic presences. It is interesting that,
after initially ridiculing this SNP policy, the Labour-Liberal Executive in
Edinburgh now seems prepared to adopt it.
How will Employment and Social Security Departments be
established?
Again, Scottish taxpayers already pay the cost of
employment and social security offices, and many of the structures and staff
already exist within Scotland to run these services independently.
For example, we already have over 50 local
employment offices and a network of benefits agency offices, presently under
UK Government control.
What we will not need to pay for after Independence is
the high London office and labour costs associated with the Government
departments and bureaucracies presently behind these agencies. Far from
there being economies of scale in the UK system, there is much to suggest
that the DSS and its agencies – not least the Child Support Agency – have
been lumbering, bureaucratic, and distant from the needs of Scottish people.
They could be run much more effectively by an independent government.
Next week, we conclude Section 7 with comments on the
BBC, a misnomer if ever there was one, (the late Oliver Brown always
referred to it as the Anglosaxaphone) the railways and defence; in all of
these matters, Scotland is more than inadequately served by our masters in
London.
FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES
 Interesting to
read Alf Young’s comments in the Herald on Abbey National’s financial
results, which are going to be a lot lower than they forecast a few weeks
back; following on its exposure to Enron last year, a lot more bad
investments have been made. According to the bank’s own words this has led
to "a decison to take a more conservative and anticipatory approach to
provisioning in 2002."
They’ve obviously been punting the customers money so hard, and badly, they
should be renamed the Grand Abbey National.
The Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith seems to think he has
uncovered one of the great truths of life; he has been told that the pound
is more popular with the British than any political party!
Now, given a choice between a pound or a
politician..............
Press speculation is again focussed on "Will Brown
succeed Blair", and in Scotland on "Swinney v Salmond"; both issues are just
to help sell more newspapers, but also indicate that theses parties have
talented individuals eager to lead them.
Not much of a queue at the Tory or Liberal starting
gates, is there?
 Much
concern has been expressed, mainly by the SNP, at the proposal for the Queen
to visit Scotland in March next year to celebrate the 400th anniversary of
the "Union of the Crowns"; it is felt that her endorsement of the status quo
would be a powerful campaigning argument for the Unionists parties.
Pooh-poohing this, one Unionist said "The event occurred in March; we can
hardly celebrate the event later in the year."
The Queen acceded to the throne on 6 Feb 1952, and
her coronation was on 2 Jun 1953; it was perfectly acceptable to celebrate
the 50th anniversary on 2 June 2002, either 4 months late or 1 year early.
Unionists obviously work to a different calendar.
S YNOPSIS
A selection of items from the SNP Daily News over the
past week:
LABOUR IN TALKS TO PRIVATISE HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROL
Wed 12 Jun 02
 Media
reports today highlighted that the Scottish Executive is in secret talks to
privatise air traffic control in the Highlands and Islands. SNP Shadow
Transport Minister Kenny MacAskill MSP said previous privatisation projects
have been totally discredited and the last thing that the airports in the
Highlands and Islands need is further privatisation. Mr MacAskill said some
matters are so important that they should remain in state control and that
air traffic control is certainly one of them. He continued saying, "The
privatisation of NATS has not been the success that was predicted by the
Government. There has been a wide range of serious problems from computer
glitches to all system shut down and passengers have paid the price of this
failure. The last thing airports in the Highlands and Islands need is the
privatisation of air traffic control which will only lead to the grounding
of aviation in the skies of the north."
KENNY GIBSON IN MOVE TO IMPROVE HOME SAFETY
Wed 12 Jun 02
 SNP
MSP Kenny Gibson today lodged his Home Safety Officers Private Members Bill,
which proposes that local authorities provide dedicated home safety officers
as a statutory duty, in order to reduce the fatalities and injuries caused
each year through home accidents. Speaking on his initiative Mr Gibson said
that home accidents inflicted terrible misery on thousands of families in
Scotland, with recent statistics highlighting that there are 300 deaths,
19,000 injuries requiring hospital admission and 365,000 people receiving
medical attention each year. Commenting Mr Gibson said, "This causes obvious
pain, suffering, and heartache to the families involved and in addition the
financial cost to society is £1 million for each fatality and £9,436 for
each hospital admission. The main aim of my Private Members Bill is to make
it a statutory duty for local authorities to provide Home Safety Officers.
These Officers can play a vital role in raising awareness of the dangers
present in the home and through this reducing accidents and ultimately
saving lives."
INDUSTRY WELCOMES FIRST EVER HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE
ON MUSIC
Wed 12 Jun 02
 Organisations
from across the music industry have welcomed today's first ever House of
Commons debate on the music industry. Organised by Pete Wishart MP, the
debate aimed to raise Government awareness of key issues facing a broad
cross section of the industry. Today's debate provided a platform for MPs to
discuss ways in which the Government and Parliament can work with the
industry to build upon its strengths and ensure the UK remains a global
music leader. Commenting on the debate, Pete Wishart said he wanted to
highlight the success of the industry which employs some 122,000 people
full-time throughout the UK. "I also intend to challenge the Government to
do more to protect the interests of musicians, artists and creators by
developing a more secure digital environment, as well as providing increased
choice for consumers, particularly for live performance." Frances Lowe,
Director General of British Music Rights welcomed the debate, "We are
delighted that this debate is taking place as it provides a further
opportunity for us to brief MPs on the key challenges facing the music
industry, in addition to providing an unprecedented platform for MPs
themselves to highlight their interest in the issues. This increased
dialogue contributes to raising awareness of the value of music and to
identifying where legislative change can deliver solutions to some of the
challenges."
CRAWFORD WELCOMES INNOVATIVE USE OF SOLAR POWER TO
HELP OTTERS
Wed 12 Jun 02
 Bruce Crawford
MSP officially opened the new otter enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo today and
welcomed the Zoo's innovative use of solar power to heat water at their new
otter enclosure. The Shadow Minister for the Environment said, "Whilst I'm
no otter expert, I do recognise the importance of taking a sustainable
approach to power generation. This new installation by Solar Energy Systems
of Dunfermline improves the quality of life for the otters at Edinburgh Zoo
and will, I believe, help them to breed better. "Solar power is a good,
viable option. It has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while
creating economic benefits and employment. It's time the Executive looked
creatively at sustainable power development in Scotland." Mr Crawford said
Edinburgh Zoo should be congratulated on taking an innovative approach to
improve conditions for their animals using solar power and that the SNP was
keen to see other developments of this kind all over Scotland. "Despite our
climate, the SNP believes that there is a huge potential for small scale
solar power generation in Scotland, whether that be for water heating or
warm air systems. We have seen here today that when people have the will to
go "green" then sustainable solutions can be found."
SNP PUBLISH POLL RESEARCH ON IMMIGRANTS
Wed 12 Jun 02
 SNP
Westminster Home Affairs Spokesperson, Annabelle Ewing MP, today published
opinion poll research on attitudes towards incomers in Scotland. The key
findings of the research commissioned by the SNP from System Three show:
-
80% of Scots reject racist attitudes, and believe that
all people in Scotland should have equal rights and fair treatment,
regardless of colour, creed, or country of origin.
-
By a majority of two-to-one (42% to 21%), Scots believe
that incomers make a positive contribution to Scottish society.
-
By an even greater margin (of 52% to 21%) Scots oppose
the deportation of incomers living in Scotland.
Commenting on these findings, Ms Ewing said they
overturned previous flawed research, and indicated that the vast majority of
Scots, across all sections of society, reject racist attitudes. "Scotland
clearly has a racist problem, which it would be foolish to deny. But what
this poll shows is that those politicians and newspapers who are jumping
onto a racist bandwagon - for example over asylum seekers - are travelling
in the wrong direction, and do not represent Scotland. Mainstream Scottish
opinion is tolerant and positive towards incomers, and that is of immense
value in isolating and combating racism in our society."
ROBERTSON HIGHLIGHTS "LIDDELL MISTAKE" ON EUROPEAN
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE REPORT
Wed 12 Jun 02
 SNP
Westminster Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Angus Robertson MP has accused
Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell of a "dereliction of duty" by not standing
up for Scotland following a report published by the House of Commons
European Scrutiny Committee. A key conclusion of this Labour-majority
Committee, which Mr Robertson is a member of, is, 'It is a matter of concern
that not all information about EU discussions relevant to the devolved
administrations and legislatures has been forwarded to them by UK
departments. Correspondence between two Departments and this Committee has
confirmed that important documentation regarding Council of Ministers
meetings was not being sent to the devolved administrations and
legislatures'. However during Scottish Questions Mrs Liddell mistakenly said
the provision of information from Westminster to the Scottish Executive was,
"A matter for the Scottish Executive, who are involved in all relevant
discussions". Mr Robertson said her statement showed, "A complete lack of
knowledge and understanding about how important EU information is being kept
from the Scottish Parliament. It is Westminster that is withholding crucial
documentation from Scottish departments, and in Westminster where the
problem needs to be solved. Helen Liddell is guilty of a dereliction of duty
by not standing up for Scotland over this issue. Her answer today shows once
again that she is London's representative in Scotland - and illustrates the
need for Scotland to have a direct voice in Europe as an independent member
state."
ROBISON LAUNCHES SAFE FIREWORKS CAMPAIGN
Tue 11, Jun 02
 Shona
Robison MSP was today joined by SSPCA Animal Wardens and their dogs at the
launch of the SNP's Safe Fireworks campaign. Ms Robison who will lead a
parliamentary debate on the issue on Wednesday is seeking to have
regulations governing the sale of fireworks tightened up in Scotland.
Speaking at the launch the Shadow Deputy Minister for Health and Community
Care said, "We need a licensing scheme that gives local authorities greater
powers to license both the premises where fireworks are sold from, and the
vendor. At the moment the vendor simply needs to register their premise at a
cost of £12 per annum and councils are unable to refuse a certificate.
Children are able to access fireworks throughout the year and are causing
chaos the length and breadth of Scotland." Ms Robison added, "Its not only
animals that are frightened by fireworks, we must take into account the
effects on vulnerable people too and there has been a marked increase in the
problems caused by the irresponsible use of fireworks in Scotland. Urgent
steps must be taken to resolve this." Voicing support for the campaign SSPCA
Parliamentary Officer, Libby Anderson said, "Firework problems affect all
animals, not just cats and dogs. Last year, over 8,000 animals were treated
by vets for firework related injuries. We know that certain species of
wildlife feed at night and any disruption could threaten their survival.
Fireworks are supposed to be fun but there is no reason for any animal to
suffer or die because they are misused."
SWINNEY AND MacASKILL LAUNCH FAIR FARES CAMPAIGN IN
INVERNESS
Mon 10 Jun 02
 SNP
Leader, John Swinney MSP, and Shadow Transport Minister, Kenny MacAskill
MSP, joined forces in Inverness today to launch the Party's nationwide 'Fair
Fares' campaign which aims to bring down the cost of airfares from Scotland
and to increase accessibility to other destinations. Mr Swinney said,
"Internally our airfares are too high, externally our links are too few and
this situation is being compounded by the high surcharges Scots have to pay
every year for their summer holidays. The north, in particular, has suffered
from a Lib/Lab double whammy, high landing charges and low support for
services." Speaking from Inverness, the SNP Leader continued, "The Scottish
Executive are the owners of the airport and are in charge of transport
policy yet they have done nothing to break the logjam over landing charges
at Inverness and to encourage low cost carriers into Inverness. They must
act for the interests of the Highlands & Islands and the interests of
Scotland. Inverness airport can only take off and internal services become
affordable and accessible when we have an Executive that takes charge of
aviation policy rather than abdicates responsibility." Kenny MacAskill MSP
remarked, "The SNP will be taking our campaign the length and breadth of
Scotland. We will be speaking to people wherever we go to ask for support
for 'fair fares'. Landing charges must be brought down, the cost of flights
must be brought down, and more low cost operators must be encouraged to put
on more flights to more destinations."
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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)
The discovery of a 6g gold nugget in a river in the Dumfriesshire Lowther
Hills by prospector George Paterson last week is a reminder of Scotland's
long association with gold and silver. Although vast quantities have never
been discovered in Scotland there was sufficient quantity for an Act of
the Scottish Parliament, The Three Estates, meeting in Perth in 1424, to
make all gold and silver mines Crown property. This was the first
Parliament presided over by James 1, King of Scots, on his release from
long years captivity in England. Incidently, in the second week of the
World Cup, it should be noted that this Parliament also banned the playing
of Football.
In the 15th/16th centuries mining in the hills around Wanlockhead gave a
fairly high yield of gold, indeed in 1502, Lowther Hill's gold was used to
make the Scottish Crown (now on display in Edinburgh Castle). More
recently gold panned in this area was used to make the mace for the
reconvened Scottish Parliament.
The discovery of the 6g nugget, worth over £500, will not set off a
'gold-rush' but will certainly encourage the many people who pan the
Wanlockhead area as a hobby to keep trying! Scotland has in the past
'enjoyed' gold-rushes, although we certainly cannot match those of
Australia, California and The Klondyke. The most famous in Scotland was
the Victorian gold-rush to the Strath of Kildonan, Sutherland, in 1868
which was all over by 1869. But at least gold was found in Kildonan unlike
the Fife gold- rush of 1857. It was known as the 'Fool's Gold' rush with
hundreds of tents being set up in the Fife Lomond Hills before prospectors
were convinced that they were only digging up iron pyrites!
We cannot promise you gold but this week's recipe is 'GOLDEN'. Golden
Syrup Pudding is a gold-rated, culinary delight.
Golden Syrup Pudding
Ingredients : 5 oz ( 150 g ) self-raising flour; 4 oz ( 125 g ) butter or
margarine; 4 oz ( 125 g ) castor sugar; 2 eggs; 1/4 teasp vanilla essence;
3 tbsp golden syrup
Grease a 2 pint pudding bowl. Put the syrup in the bottom of it. Mix the
flour, butter and sugar together. Add beaten eggs and vanilla essence.
Pour into bowl . Cover with greaseproof paper or foil and tie with string.
Steam in a saucepan of boiling water for one and a half hours. Turn out
and serve piping hot with cream. Serves 4-6.
See our
Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs in our Features section
DATES IN
HISTORY
18 June 1746
Flora MacDonald met Prince Charles Edward Stewart in Skye and persuaded
him to don women's clothes as part of an escape plan.
19 June 1306
Robert I, King of Scots, defeated by an English army under the Earl of
Pembroke at Methven in Perthshire. The King fled with a small band of
followers into the Western Highlands.
20 June 1969
The discovery of high-grade crude oil deposits in the North Sea was
announced; ten years after the first natural gas was found.
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
COME A' YE FISHER LASSIES
Ewan MacColl
Come a' ye fisher lassies, it's
come awa' wi' me,
Fae Cairnbulg and Gamrie and fae
Inverallochie,
Fae Buckie and fae Aberdeen and a'
the country roon,
We're awa' tae gut the herrin',
we're awa' tae Yarmouth toon.
Rise up in the morning wi' your
bundles in your hand,
Be at the station early or you'll
surely hae to stand,
Tak' plenty to eat and a kettle
for your tea,
Or you'll mebbe die of hunger on
the way to Yarmouth quay.
The journey it's a lang ane and it
tak's a day or twa,
And when you reach your lodgin's
sure it's soond asleep you fa',
But ye rise at five wi' the sleep
still in your e'e,
You're awa' tae find the gutting
yards along frae Yarmouth quay.
It's early in the morning and it's
late into the nicht,
Your hands a' cut and chappit and
they look an unco' sicht,
And you greet like a wean when you
put them in the bree,
And you wish you were a thoosand
mile awa' frae Yarmouth quay.
There's coopers there and curers
there and buyers, canny chiels,
And lassies at the pickling and
others at the creels,
And you'll wish the fish had been
a' left in the sea
By the time you finish guttin'
herrin' on the Yarmouth quay.
We've gutted fish in Lerwick and
in Stornoway and Shields,
Warked along the Humber 'mongst
the barrels and the creels;
Whitby, Grimsby, we've traivelled
up and doon,
But the place to see the herrin'
is the quay at Yarmouth toon.
Footnote : This song was featured in 'Singing The Fishing', one of the
famous radio-ballad series ( 1957-1964 ), made for the BBC by Ewan MacColl,
Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker. Based on the east coast herring fishing
communities 'Singing The Fishing' was first broadcast on the BBC Home
Service on 16 August 1960. In October 1960 it won the Prix d'Italia ( the
prestigious 'Academy Award' of the day for the radio medium ) and was
eventually transmitted in 86 countries. The eight radio-ballads were
released on CD by Topic ( c1999 ).
See the
SING A SANG AT LEAST in our
features section
A KIST O
FERLIES
A Keek at the Guid Scots
Tung
By Peter & Marilyn Wright
(Note: All words underlined in
this section are RealAudio links)
better: healed;
recovered from illness
cairn: heap of
stones; monument
foggie; old,
out-of-date person
owrance:
supremacy
pinkie: little
finger
stourie: dusty;
stormy
Ae scabbit sheep wull
smit a hale hirsel: Scots version of - It only takes one
rotten apple to spoil the barrell
King Robert I :
But na - we'll nae dae that.
There comes tae mind
Anither seemin error that turned oot
The best that culd be dune. A year tae them
Is still a year tae us. An mair nor that
We ken their destination maist exact.
An we culd choose the grund tae meet them on.
I wonder - culd I dae it. Queer it was
At Louden Hill an Pass o Brander baith
That feelin o a sudden gift inside me
That I culd plan a battle. Stirling Castle
The park, the Forth - the Craig - the Bannock Burn
Or ower by Falkirk tae avenge Sir Wallace?
Eneuch - we stop aa ither plans - an Ned
Forgie my anger. Noo we maun recruit
Fae aa o Scotland. Muster I the spring
At falkirk I the Torwood, there tae drill
An train as hard's we can. Nae raids frae noo
We mauma risk tae lose a single man.
Ned's challenge will set England aa astir
Tae rally sic a force as ne'er before
An culd that force be beat - ay - culd it be
Twad be disaster for them finally.
frae 'The
Hert o Scotland' - Robert S Silver. This extract from a play
about Robert I, King of Scots, sets the scene in 1313 for the coming
Battle of Bannockburn ( 1314 ). Robert I gives his response to the
news that his brother, Edward, has agreed with the English commander
of Stirling Castle that unless he is relieved in a year's time by an
English army he will surrender the castle to the Scots. The booklet
published by the Scots Independent to commemorate the 650th
anniversary of the
Battle of Bannockburn, edited by the poet Sydney Goodsir Smith, is
now available on The Flag.
Complete Poem
Slaister
by J K Annand
See Scots Language in
our Features Section
for other poems, stories, songs, sayings and words in the Scots language
THE MONTHLY PRIZE
CROSSWORD
Each month the Scots Independent Newspaper
offers a prize crossword and we're now offering this online in the Flag in the Wind as
well. Should you complete the crossword by the deadline you can fax it over to
the SI and the first correct one opened on the closing date will win a £10.00 book token.
SI Prize Crossword No.
30 JUNE 2002
[Click here to bring up the crosswords]
AND
AS WE CONTINUE...
If you read our first issue of The Flag in the Wind you will know that
this is a weekly Internet commentary on the Scottish political scene; if you desire
further erudition click on Archives.
SOME OF OUR FEATURE
SECTIONS....
About Us
Our mission is to fight for an Independent Scotland and to promote its history,
heritage and culture. Learn all about us here.
Events
A running event guide to what's on in Scotland.
The Scots Language
A great introduction to the Scots Language, produced by Peter and Marilyn Wright,
and added to each week both in text and RealAudio. Enjoy listening to words, poems and
stories told in a real Scots accent!
The Rebels Ceilidh Songbook
An excellent introduction to traditional songs from Scotland.
Sing A Sang At Least
Our collection of Scottish songs. A new song is added to the collection each week.
Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs
Enjoy our collections of recipes and our comments on them.
The Prize
Crossword
Each month the newspaper edition produces the Prize Crossword and you can now try it for
yourself with this online edition. We carry previous copies here as well.
Notable
Dates in History
Each week we add three new notable dates in history building this into an historic
timeline for Scottish history.
Features
Lots more stories, recipes, historical articles and even whole books are added here on a
regular basis.
The Oliver Brown Award
An annual award given to an outstanding Scot(s) each year. Also included picture
galleries from the annual lunch.
THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY
The Scots Independent Newspaper is independent of the Scottish
National Party, but we support the Party in its drive for Independence; while space
precludes us commenting on all the issues raised by the 35 MSPs, 5 MPS and 2 MEPs, also
the Party Office Bearers, we have provided a link to the SNP Website.
THE FLAG IN THE WIND
The above was the title of a book written in the early Fifties by John
MacDonald MacCormick, one of the founder members of the Scottish National Party in 1934.
The sub-title was "The Story of the National Movement in Scotland". His comment
in the book said "It is perhaps in the symbols which men use that their deepest
sentiments are most readily expressed. Flags as well as straws show which way the wind is
blowing". A fuller account appears under
Features.
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FLAG IN THE WIND
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WE WOULD WELCOME YOUR
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