CAMPAIGNING FOR SCOTLAND
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Compiled by Jim Lynch
[Issue 108 -
28th June 2002]
OLIVER BROWN AWARD
A record number of guests
attended this year’s Scots Independent annual lunch in the Terraces Hotel,
Stirling on 15th June 2002. Voted the happiest event in the Nationalist
calendar, it was slightly less sparkling this year by the unavoidable
absence of Oliver Brown’s daughter, Una, and her husband.
Recently retired SNP
Organisation Director Allison Hunter proposed the traditional toast to the
paper. Marginally less sycophantic than previous toasts, she began by
recording her own days of being taught by Oliver Brown in Glasgow’s
Pollokshields School, and sneaking in to hear him debating at public
meetings in the Kingston Hall.
Allison Hunter waxing lyrical as she toasts the paper
Allison noted that the Scots
Independent had been owned, edited and printed in Scotland since 1926, and
she hailed it as a significant achievement by a group of Nationalists who
have worked away over the years, through good times and bad, freely giving
of their time and expertise to promote the cause of Scottish Independence;
she waxed enthusiastic about the "electronic version of the paper", The Flag
in the Wind, highlighting its progenitors, Jim Lynch and Alastair McIntyre.
She said that it was only when preparing these thoughts that she realised
that she had not valued the SI enough, especially in its role of lifeline
for independence minded Scots at home and abroad.
Flag in the Wind webmaster
Alastair McIntyre and Flag Editor, Jim Lynch
Our genial editor, Kenneth
Fee then outlined where the paper and the world were at in his usual
scintillating and witty fashion, and made the presentation of the Oliver
Award to Kenneth Roy, whom he said had blossomed from an ambitious Scottish
journalist and broadcaster into a publishing entrepreneur of growing
significance on the national scene, recently founding the Institute of
Contemporary Scotland, which was already breathing life again into the
Scottish debating arena.
Kenneth Roy being presented with the Oliver
Award by editor Kenneth Fee
In response, Kenneth Roy
expressed his pleasure and appreciation at being the 20th member of a
distinguished roll, albeit not featuring too many journalists. He talked of
his younger days, learning the honourable trade at the Falkirk Mail, the
Greenock Telegraph and the Glasgow Herald, and said that while he was
disappointed at being rejected by Border televison, in the end he was happy
that his career lay in "the entrancing world of newspaper journalism - the
printed word seemed to me to possess a dignity and permanence that transient
images on a screen would never match."
He said that in the 60s even
the tabloids were of decent values, whereas today they had fallen to a new
brutality, subject to the filtering influence of advisers and spin doctors,
and the broadsheets were very little better. "Today’s Herald is a larger
product in every way," he said "There are so many pages in an average
edition that the available talent is spread painfully thin, meaningless
supplements, the profligate use of photographs, never ending sport. The
Herald is no worse than some, but it has not been immune from the
revolution."
"Yet," he concluded "the
opportunities for print journalism in Scotland are more alluring than at any
time since the Treaty of Union. Whatever else the Parliament is doing, it is
making Edinburgh a more interesting city and Scotland a nation worth
reporting. If the Parliament succeeds, it may lead to independence. If it
flops, it may still lead to independence....but it will certainly be a
newsworthy chaos!"
The proceedings were presided
over by our Chairman, Peter D Wright, in his customary commanding form, and
he completed the event by making a presentation to the Party President Dr
Winnie Ewing, soon to be bowing out of (parliamentary) politics.
Chairman Peter Wright with his young wife
Marilyn | Party President Dr Winnie Ewing MSP with her
presentation from the SI.
Tom and Norma Preston extracting money for the paper from unsuspecting guest
Mrs Morag MacCormick.
It was a better than ever SI
lunch occasion.
A STATELY PLEASURE DOME
 A
week or two back we commented that the Millennium Dome, which cost the
taxpayer / businesses / lottery a mere £748 million was finally being
disposed of, and that Lord Falconer said they were happy to be getting value
for money; they gave it away for nothing.
The name of the game was
apparently that, as the developers sold off the houses built on the land,
the taxpayers would recoup money from the profits; there are two snags to
that proposal. The first is that the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is
rightly demanding that a reasonable amount of "affordable" housing be built
on the site, not an unreasonable demand in the current state of the housing
market in London, and the second is that the developers will receive all
profits up to a "minimum threshold"; now everyone is being very coy about
what a "minimum threshold" really is, but a good maxim when dealing with
property developers is that after shaking hands with one of them, count your
fingers.
Other little skeletons that
have emerged so far : British Gas’s property arm, Lattice is entitled to
7.5% of the land’s market value under a five year deal it struck with the
government when it handed over the land on the Greenwich peninsula in 1997,
cost to the taxpayer another trifling £40 million. Over and above that,
there has been an undertaking to build a new bridge, costing £200 million,
to help complete the regeneration of the area; the government say the new
bridge will be the responsibility of the London Assembly, and the London
Assembly says that it does not have the money, and that the bridge will only
be built if the government funds it. Guess where that one will end up?
The developers taking over
the Dome are called Meridian Delta consortium (MDL) and the leader of this
consortium is an American billionaire called Philip Anschutz; the US
financial authorities have launched a major investigation into Anschutz’s
main American business, Qwest Communications. The company, a telecoms giant
has had billions wiped off its value and has been dogged by allegations of
accounting irregularities. Its European subsidiary is bust, and the US
Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe as to whether Qwest
directors used improper accounting practices to boost profits falsely and
inflate the company’s share price while they made millions by selling their
own shares. Mr Anschuz himself is being personally sued by a group of former
and current employees who were left with nothing after the company’s share
price collapsed. He also gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
Republican Party.
A spokeswoman for the
Government said the deal done with the consortium was the best value for
taxpayers, and that "due diligence" had been carried out in examining the
consortium’s financial background. I feel an Enron coming on.
AND A STATELY
HOSPITAL TOO
 It
had been rumoured, hinted at, denied, but finally over the last couple of
weeks, Health Care International’s hospital in Clydebank has been bought by
the NHS.
The deal was done for a
bargain £37.5 million, but if you look at it another way, a hospital that
cost £180 million just 8 years ago (£40 million from the taxpayer) and was
trumpeted as a flagship project by the Tories, has been another financial
disaster, just like the Dome in the previous article. Some of the papers
have panned Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP who correctly pointed out that since
Labour came to power they had cut more than 800 hospital beds, and were now
boasting how good they were to acquire another 500 beds for a mere £37.5
million. I am sure that somewhere, and I can’t quite remember where, there
are the details of the beds cut, say Highland 100, Grampian 200, Tayside
200, etc., so how the acquisition of a new hospital with 500 beds on
Clydeside will solve that problem I am not sure.
Personally, I am not opposed
to the deal, but I think that we should just have taken the place, as it has
already cost us £40 million, and let’s face it, £40 million 8 years ago
would be a lot more today. At the same time as they are talking up the
Clydeside experience, their lackeys on Fife Health Board, under the
chairmanship of Esther Roberton (who makes £1000 per week from quangos) are
downgrading the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, a state of the art
hospital, opened in 1992 by the Princess Royal (whoever she might be) and
described at the time as the best hospital in Europe. Services are to be
centred at the Victoria in Kirkcaldy, a much older hospital, and the plan
prompted a petition opposing the changes signed by 40,000 people;
effectively they were mothballing high-dependency and and coronary care
beds, and turning the hospital into a day-case hospital. No wonder we cannot
always figure out Labour logic, but that is probably an oxymoron.
Of course, HCI will still
continue to treat all the private patients who would have gone to them under
the old owners, so while in theory the NHS is supposed to gain 500 beds,
that will not necessarily be the case. I am sure that this will give rise to
"headline" beds, and "underlying" beds, in the same way as they treat
inflation, and in the same way they have been treating waiting lists. This
week the Auditor General produced a report that showed that a quarter of
patients, 25000 in total, were on deferred lists, but they could not
establish any good reason for the lists’ existence! In fact, while over
1,500,000 were on waiting lists at March 2002, only 148,239 have a
guarantee, while the remaining 1,362,540 patients do not have one. To put
this into context, out of a population of 5 million (approx), 1.5 million
are needing treatment; that is 30%. No wonder we have problems!
I wondered where the £37.5
million would come from, but figures produced today tell me; last year the
Executive underspent the budget by £643.4 million! It must be improving as
it was £750 million the previous year, and they tell us that we cannot
afford free school meals for children because that would cost £140 million a
year! Are they keeping the money for a rainy day, or are they just
incompetent; silly question - it never rains in Labour/lackey land.
FROM HCI TO PFI
 Despite
all the evidence to the contrary, the Executive are continuing to support
the Private Finance Initiative (PFI); they castigated it while in
opposition, and called it "Profits For Infinity", and stuffing the pockets
of the Tories fat cat friends.
Now they are in power, they
have far, far outstripped the Tories in stuffing the fat cats pockets; the
latest is the new round of PFI investment in schools as the Executive has
agreed to. Over £1 billion is to be spent, and based on conservative figures
(small c, of course) Michael Russell of the SNP has calculated that this
will cost the taxpayer an extra £862.5 million over the course of the
contracts. The argument is that the money can be available and spent very
quickly, and will not be subject to the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement,
so will not be included in Government statistics, all of course to help us
to adopt the euro. It is of course, Hire Purchase, the never-never, as it
used to be known, with the additional drawback that under Hire Purchase at
the end of the day the goods became yours.
We are bombarded by concerns
that individual debt levels are rising; and that the average person in the
United Kingdom owes 120% of annual earnings. This is grave cause for
concern, because borrowing that amount of money is bad, bad, bad! And yet,
here we have the Executive stipulating that we must borrow until it hurts,
and believe you me, hurt it will. The only difference is that it will not
hurt my generation, but my grandchildren will be left to pick up the tab,
and no doubt bless us for that legacy, but your present day politician will
be dead and buried when the chickens come home to roost.
However, perhaps we are
unduly hard on the Executive; they do not have the power to turn down the
PFI deals, as they have to fall in with instructions from Westminster, and
we cannot expect them to be radical, reforming and revolutionary, for these
days are past; as Peter Mandelson said just the other week "We are all
Thatcherites now."
ATHELSTANEFORD
 I
received today the June Issue of the Athelstaneford Saltire, the Newsletter
of the
Scottish Flag Trust; a new sign has been erected in the village giving
directions to the Flag Heritage Centre. Athelstaneford is a bit of the
beaten track, and while many visited the Saltire Memorial, they missed the
Heritage Centre. The website reference is
St.Andrew@scran.ac.uk for
more information.
TALKING INDEPENDENCE
This week we are on to Scotland in Europe, source of a
lot of angst in the SNP in the past, but when we consider how much more
angst it creates south of the Border, perhaps something is going for it.
Scotland in Europe and the world
Will we be allowed to stay in the European Union?
Scotland is already in the European Union and this will
remain the case after Independence.
Article 34 of the 1978 Convention on Succession of States
in respect of Treaties says: "Any treaty in force at the date of
succession of states [i.e. Independence] in respect of the entire territory
of the predecessor state continues in force in respect of each successor
state so formed."
An example worth noting is that of Greenland. When
Greenland gained more autonomy from Denmark in 1979, it had to negotiate to
be allowed out of the EU. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty has already
conferred on Scots the status of European citizens and the EU will have no
more reason to reject an independent Scotland than to reject the independent
remainder of the UK.
Emile Noêl, former Secretary General of the European
Commission, has said: "Scottish Independence would create two new member
states out of one. They would have equal status with each other and the
other 11 states. The remainder of the United Kingdom would not be in a more
powerful position than Scotland."
Eamonn Gallagher, Former Director General of the European
Commission and European Community Ambassador to the United Nations backed
this view:
"In my view, there could be no sustainable legal or political objection
to separate Scottish membership of the European Community."
In short, Scotland's membership of the EU will continue
on Independence.
What if a European member state wanted to block
Scotland’s EU membership?
As has been said above, this is not possible. Even in the
hypothetical circumstances of an attempt to do this, unanimity of all Member
States, including Scotland, would be required to block Scottish
membership.
At any rate, with Scotland possessing three-quarters of
the EU's oil reserves, it is very difficult to see why the EU would even
want to block Scottish membership. Even Labour’s former Foreign Secretary,
Robin Cook, an arch-opponent of Independence, admitted to European business
representatives that: "Europe is not going to throw Scotland out. It
welcomes all comers and Scotland would be a member." (The Herald
28-7-00)
How will Scotland get a better deal out of the EU with
Independence?
To get listened to in Europe, you have to be a member
state. To be a member state you have to be independent.
Under devolution, Europe regards Scotland only as a
region of the UK. Scottish Parliament ministers attend meetings of the EU
Council of Ministers only by the invitation of Westminster ministers, and
have to agree their policy position with London before they can say
anything. They are not able to speak up for the Scottish interest. With
Independence, Scottish Ministers will be free to represent Scotland's needs
and priorities in Europe by right. On the basis of the Nice Treaty
provisions, if these are implemented, an independent Scotland would have
seven votes in the Council of Ministers. At present Scotland has none.
An independent Scotland would have thirteen MEPs, instead
of our present eight (which, under the UK, may well soon be cut to six).
Scotland, for the first time, would be able to nominate a European
Commissioner and take her turn at the six-month presidency of the EU.
Thousands of jobs in Scotland depend on exports to the
European Union. In defending Scotland’s interests, an independent government
will be able to give priority to areas which are currently neglected by
British representatives in the EU, not least the Scottish Fishing industry.
Thirteen countries are currently applying to join the EU,
including Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Latvia and Slovenia. These six
countries are all smaller than Scotland, yet all of them will, in time, have
a seat at Europe’s top table. It’s time Scotland did too.
Won't Independence mean losing the influence in Europe
which comes from being part of the UK?
That question assumes that the UK presently uses its
influence to help Scotland. Most Scottish fishermen, and many others, would
tell a different story. Only with Independence will Scottish elected
representatives go to Europe to speak up for Scottish priorities. We must
compare the influence of a small EU state, which can be considerable, with
Scotland’s present complete lack of any direct representation in the key
European institutions.
Anti-Independence commentators have pointed to the 29
votes which the UK will have on the Council of Ministers after the Nice
Treaty, compared to seven for a country the size of Scotland. Which in fact
would mean that, under the Nice Treaty, an independent England and Scotland,
combining together on those issues on which they wished to co-operate, would
enjoy a greater number of votes than they would as the United Kingdom.
Next week we will be on to the sovereignty issue in the
European Union.
FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES
 The
Tory leader in the Scottish Parliament believes that all dealing with the
European Union should be done by Westminster, not Scotland; now there’s a
surprise! Speaking at a meeting of Conservatives from the EU gathered in
Edinburgh, Mr McLetchie said "Political realities suggest the Labour
government at a UK level would not be too happy to allow a Consevative or an
SNP first minister here in Scotland to speak on its behalf."
As the latest System Three Opinion Poll showed that they can expect 9 seats
in the next Scottish Parliament, the term "political reality" has obviously
a different connotation for a Tory.
On 13th June 2002, an editorial in the Scotsman
severely criticised the proposal to charge £2 per journey for cars entering
Edinburgh; on 25th June 2002, it printed favourable comment on opposition to
the scheme from Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Tory Cabinet Minister.
On 26th June 2002 it lambasted Kenny MacAskill SNP
MSP for using a Dick Turpin character to highlight the £2 charge.
 And
while on the subject of Scotsman editorials, last week one suggested that a
lot of local government problems could be solved by directly elected mayors;
makes one suspect that the leaders are not written by Scotsmen.
To be fair, I also came across the word "alderman" in
the Herald, but that was in the crossword.
Writing in the Sun, Jim Sillars, husband of Margo
MacDonald, accused the party leadership of being behind her downfall.
Haven’t quite figured out who was behind the downfall
of Andrew Wilson, Michael Russell, George Reid, Irene McGugan...none
of whom were at odds with the party leadership.
Gulam K Noon, founder of Noon Products, a large
supplier of ready made curries to supermarkets, is worth about £40-£50
million, and has been awarded a knighthood for his services to business;
despite refusing the 90% of his workforce union recognition in 1998, he has
been described by a Labour spokesman as a "very fine industrialist and a
philanthropist."
Mr Blair’s spokesman insisted that his donation of
£100,000 to Labour had no influence on the decision to award him a
knighthood.
 In
the Scottish Parliament on 15th May 2002, there was a debate on the Fire
Services; in that debate the SNP put forward an amendment to ensure that the
Fire Service remained in the public sector. They were accused of
scaremongering by the Executive.
It is now proposed that all stations, fire engines
and equipment in the Highlands and Islands be transferred to a private
company; the Executive is supporting the proposals and paid £500,000 for a
feasibility study by Deloitte & Touche. The report was commissioned in
April.
SYNOPSIS
A selection of items from the SNP Daily News over the
past week:
TRICIA MARWICK CHALLENGES LABOUR AND LIBERALS TO ACT NOW
ON PR
Wed 26 June 02
 SNP
MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Tricia Marwick MSP, today formally introduced
her Bill for PR in Local Government to the Scottish Parliament. This Bill
seeks to introduce PR for local Government elections in Scotland, replacing
the present first past the post system of voting with Single Transferable
Voting in multi member wards. The Bill takes forward the recommendations of
both the McIntosh Commission and Kerley working party into local government
voting. Commenting on her Bill, Mrs Marwick said, "Both Labour and Liberal
Democrat supporters of PR have in the past called for the implementation of
PR. Well here is the bill that lets that happen. It is time for the Labour
and Liberal Democrat supporters of PR to stop talking and start acting."
"FAILING SCOTTISH ECONOMY IS PRICE OF UNION" - ANDREW
WILSON
Wed 26 June 02
 Commenting
on the Scottish Economic Report published today the SNP Shadow Economy
Minister, Andrew Wilson MSP, said that this report highlighted Scotland's
economic underperformance in the union, with a growth rate of just point six
percent over 2001 compared to two percent in the UK. Mr Wilson said, "This
report confirms that Scotland is being held back as part of the union. Our
growth rate for 2001 was only 0.6 percent compared to a UK rate of 2
percent. We need independence in order to equip ourselves with the powers to
place our economy at a competitive advantage to the rest of the UK and
deliver a national consensus behind the need to grow Scotland's economic
strength."
ALEX SALMOND ATTACKS CHANCELLOR OVER UNIONS "INSULT"
Wed 26 June 02
 SNP
Westminster leader Alex Salmond MP today tabled a Motion in the House of
Commons, condemning remarks by the Chancellor Gordon Brown on the BBC Radio
4 Today programme this morning, in which he described trade unions as
"restrictive practices". Commenting, Mr Salmond said, "For Gordon Brown to
insult trade unions by describing them as 'restrictive practices that exists
in our economy' is extraordinary, and shows just how right-wing New Labour
have become. If this is the attitude of New Labour - which sounds like
something from a Victorian mill owner - no wonder the unions are pulling
their money."
We just wonder if this item is connected to the next
one?
UNION WITHDRAWS FUNDING FROM NEW LABOUR
Tue 25 June 02
 Pete
Wishart MP today said New Labour were paying the political and financial
penalty of presiding over a shambles of a transport policy, as it was
revealed that the Rail Maritime and Transport Union is to slash its
financial support for New Labour. The RMT is to withdraw funding from 13
individual Labour MPs it currently supports, including Robin Cook and John
Prescott, prompting the SNP Westminster Transport Spokesperson said, "New
Labour carried on with Tory transport policies when they were elected, and
did nothing about the railways until forced into action against Railtrack.
The travelling public and those who work in the transport sector have been
short-changed by the Government, and the unions are right to start the
process of ending their links with New Labour." Mr Wishart added, "The
unions are exploring a more diverse set of relationships with a range of
politicians and political parties - as evidenced by the meeting last week
between Alex Salmond and John Monks of the TUC - and that is a welcome
democratic development."
SNP CHALLENGE BLAIR ON SEVILLE AGREEMENT
Mon 24 June 02
 Prime
Minister Tony Blair has tried to counter claims that he suffered an
embarrassing defeat over asylum plans at the EU summit in Seville. In a
statement to MPs on Monday afternoon, Mr Blair came under fire over the lack
of a Scottish voice at the Summit. SNP MP Angus Robertson said the Prime
Minister had tried and failed to introduce plans aimed at hitting the
pockets of those countries deemed not to be doing enough to stop people
smuggling. Speaking after the statement, the Moray MP said: "Given the major
issues at stake in Europe - including the controversy of the Spanish
Presidency's handling of CFP reform, and its huge implications for Scotland
- it is appalling that Scotland was yet again without any voice at this EU
Summit. Blair could not give a single example of a Scottish priority being
advanced by the UK delegation."
NICOLA STURGEON APPOINTED CAMPAIGN CO-ORDINATOR FOR 2003
VOTE
Jun 23 June 02
 SNP
leader John Swinney today announced he had appointed Nicola Sturgeon as the
SNP's 2003 Election Campaign Co-ordinator. Mr Swinney said he was pleased Ms
Sturgeon had agreed to take on this major role. "This appointment will build
on the excellent work Nicola Sturgeon has undertaken as Convener of Project
2003, our election planning unit which has been meeting regularly since last
year. It is essential will in advance of election that the SNP and our
candidates know what Nicola Sturgeon is the person who will direct our 2003
challenge." Mr Swinney said, "I'm giving notice eleven months before the
campaign that the SNP will have a robust, professional and upbeat campaign
that will promote the policies that will deliver social and economic justice
for Scotland. And it is Nicola I have asked to direct this." The SNP leader
said who told candidates yesterday he expected them to fight to win
constituency seats added, "The SNP is better equipped than ever before to
take on Labour in their heartland and win." Speaking about her election
role, Nicola Sturgeon MSP said, "I am delighted to take up challenge of
Campaign Co-ordinator and looking forward to winning the elections of 2003."
Ms Sturgeon said she would ensure that everyone in the SNP will be
canvassing and campaigning as never before to ensure SNP success in the
parliamentary and council elections next year."
McCONNELL IN PRISONS ROW
Sun 23 June 02
 Jack
McConnell and Jim Wallace are at loggerheads over the appointment of a new
chief inspector of prisons, with the First Minister wanting to re-appoint
the incumbent Clive Fairweather, while his deputy wants a new start. The row
goes to the heart of controversies over future plans for prison building and
the Scottish Executive's attempts to influence civil service decisions
following last week's row over the intervention of McConnell in the planned
recruitment of 40 'policy advisers'. As chief inspector, Mr Fairweather has
gained a reputation in many quarters as a fair-minded critic of the prison
service, equally willing to criticise SPS management or staff and unions if
he believes a jail is failing to deliver. Deputy SNP justice spokesman
Michael Matheson said: "The chief inspector of prisons is not there to
please the Executive or the SPS, but to inspect Scotland's prisons." But he
added: "I would hope the First Minister's view prevails. It would appear
McConnell recognises the respect which Clive Fairweather is held in and that
he is the best person for the job. It speaks volumes that the organisation
he is responsible for investigating is keen to see him replaced. That should
be reason enough to reappoint him."
SEAN CONNERY's CASH PLEA FOR SNP
Sun 23 June 02
 Sean
Connery is using his
personal
website to seek funds for the Scottish National Party. The renowned
actor and avowed nationalist has listed three favoured causes on his site
and encourages users to lend their support. They are the SNP, the Scottish
International Educational Trust and the Friends of Scotland. Writing on the
site, the former James Bond actor said: "The Scottish National Party depends
on thousands of ordinary people like you, so your support as an individual
makes a big difference! Above all, right now we need to get the SNP's
message to as many people as possible who might also want to give their
support. And you almost certainly know some of them! So most importantly,
please think of at least one and as many friends as you can who might also
like to hear from me." The page includes a link to his appeal for funds for
the Scottish parliamentary elections in 2003 on the SNP website where users
can make a donation.
"LET'S GET TOUGH, PROFESSIONAL AND SERIOUS" - JOHN
SWINNEY
Sat 22 June 02
 SNP
leader John Swinney today put his party on an election footing, telling
candidates and activists to forge ahead to win at next year's Scottish
Parliament elections. Addressing the SNP's Annual Bannockburn Rally, Mr
Swinney said: "I am delighted that the SNP are the first party to have all
of our candidates in place for the 2003 Scottish Parliament elections. The
selection process is now behind us; the job now is to get on with winning
constituency seats. That's the fight we must take to every constituency and
every community in Scotland. Each and every one of us must now focus on how
we make the breakthrough in 2003 - that's the only way we will accelerate
our Independence Day. We have a positive, upbeat campaign that promotes the
policies that will deliver social and economic justice for Scotland. And we
have constructed the most powerful election machine in Scottish political
history. It's this twin track strategy that gives me confidence that the SNP
can deliver success in 2003. Over the campaign we will convince voters that
Independence can deliver the powers that will change Scotland and tackle
endemic problems like child poverty and lack of business growth." The
fourteenth century battle which the march and rally commemorates was the
culmination of the Scottish Wars of Independence. It saw a force of 13,000
Scots defeat an English army of 40,000 under Edward II and secured the
future of the Scottish throne for Robert Bruce.
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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)
This week Americans, the world over, will be celebrating American
Independence Day on the 4th of July. Taking part in the celebrations will
be many of Scots descent whose forebears settled in America. At the time
of the American War of Independence Scots were to be found fighting on
both sides but this week we wish to recall the two Scots who signed the
American Declaration of Independence.
The first is the Rev John Witherspoon who was born near Haddington, East
Lothian , in 1722 and who died in New Jersey in 1794. John Witherspoon was
a theologian, educator and revolutionary, and was the only clergyman to
sign the Declaration of Independence.He was said to have more charisma
than George Washington himself! His first political action in Scotland
ended in failure. In 1745 he marched with a group of fellow students to
try and prevent the capture of Edinburgh by the Jacobite army. His band
were swiftly captured and disarmed and taken as prisoners to Doune
Castle.by their Jacobite captors. He escaped from the castle by means of a
rope made from rags. The young student then became a Kirk minister and as
his fame spread many nations sought his service but he choose to accept an
invitation from America to be Principal of Princeton College, a post he
took up in 1768. He soon threw himself wholeheartedly into the American
revolutionary struggle for Independence. He seems to have had the ability
to find the right phrase for the right time. When a colonial orator argued
that the colonists were "not ripe for independence" Witherspoon replied
"In my opinion sir, we are not only ripe for independence, we are rotting
for it." 21st century Scotland is in the same position! John Witherspoon
is buried at Princeton and is honoured with a colossal statue in Fairmount
Park, Philadelphia.
The other Scot to sign the Declaration, James Wilson, came from the other
side of the Forth from John Witherspoon and was born near St Andrews,
Fife, in 1742. He died in Pennsylvania in 1798. He left university without
a degree, studied accountancy for a short time, then emigrated to New York
where he quickly became involved in political agitation. He taught Latin,
then turned to Law and became very prosperous. His later career saw him
involved in banking, land speculation and other commercial enterprises. He
was a very able chiel and is seen by many in America as the 'Father of the
Constitution' as many Scottish legal terms are in the American
Constitution and this is attributed to Wilson. He later became a member of
the United States Supreme Court and was the first Professor of Law at the
University of Pennsylvania.
A recipe with an American flavour is appropriate for the week which
includes the 4th of July and American Lemon Loaf fills the bill. Once
again we are grateful to 'The Anniversary Cook-Book of the Dumfriesshire
Federation SWRI 1922 - 1992' for this week's recipe.
American Lemon Loaf
Ingredients : 4 oz ( 100 g ) margarine; 5 oz ( 150 g ) castor sugar; 8 oz
( 225 g ) plain flour; 1.5 teaspoons baking powder; 1 egg; 1 lemon; 1/2
cup milk
Beat margarine and sugar to a creamy consistency. Add beaten egg and
grated rind of lemon. Add flour, baking powder and milk gradually. Put
into one large or two small loaf tins. Bake at 180 deg C, 350 deg F, gas
mark 4, for 3/4 to 1 hour. Squeeze lemon. Add 4 dessertspoons sugar and
pour over loaf when ready. Hae a braw Independence Day.
See our
Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs in our Features section
DATES IN
HISTORY
29 June 1315
Scots army of Edward Bruce stormed into Dundalk after defeating the
Anglo-Irish barons.
1 July 1731
Birth of Adam Duncan, Viscount Dundee of Camperdown, the son of a former
Provost of Dundee, in the Seagate, Dundee. For his heroic sea victory
against the Dutch fleet of Admiral De Wynter at Camperdown, he was made
a Peer of the Realm and Viscount Dundee of Camperdown.
4 July 1776
The American Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia. It
was not fully written or signed until August. The Declaration was signed
by two native-born Scots - James Wilson from Fife and the Rev John
Witherspoon from East Lothian. In reply to a claim that the colonists
were 'not yet ripe for independence' Witherspoon famously stated 'In my
opinion sir, we are not only ripe for independence, we are rotting for
it.'
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
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
Traditional
( Words supplied by Gaberlunzie )
In 1814 we took a little trip
Alongwith Colonel Packinham down
the mighty Mississip
We took a little bacon and we took
a little beans
And we met the "Blooming British"
at the town of New Orleans.
Chorus :
We fired our guns and the British
kept a comin'
But there wasn't nigh as many as
there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began
a runnin'
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf
of Mexico.
We stared down the river and we
saw the British come
There musta been a hundred of 'em
beatin' on a drum
They stepped so high and they made
their bugles ring
We stood beside our cotton fields
and never said a thing.
Packingham said we could take 'em
by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til
we looked em in the eyes
We held our fire 'til we saw their
bellies swell
Then we opened up our muskets and
we really gave 'em hell.
They ran through the briars and
they ran through the bushes
And they ran through the brambles
where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds
couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf
of Mexico.
We fired our cannon 'til the
barrels melted down
Then we grabbed an alligator and
we fired another round
We stuffed his head with cannon
balls and powdered his behind
And when we set the powder off the
'gator lost his mind.
Footnote : Thanks to Gordon Menzies and Robin Watson, Gaberlunzie, for
supplying the words of ' Battle of New Orleans' which I first heard sung
by the Glasgow-born 'King of Skiffle' Lonnie Donegan. We hope that all
the American visitors to The Flag have an enjoyable Independence Day on
the 4th of July. We, also, congratulate the American Football team on
reaching the last eight of the World Cup - a great pity that Scottish
referee, Hugh Dallas, denied the USA a penalty in their narrow defeat by
Germany.
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)
All
creature on the Lord dependis
Their sustennace for to ressave of Thee
Their meit and drink in tyme to them Thou sendis
Thou opinnis furth thy hand full graciously
And satisfyis all flesh aboundantlie
Blis us gude Lord into thir giftis gude
Quhilk Thou has given to us to be our fude.
Complete Poem
THE HERT O SCOTLAND -
Robert I, King o Scots
A Play by Robert S Silver - an excerpt
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
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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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