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Compiled by Jim Lynch
[Issue 112 -
26th July 2002]
BACK TO WORK
 Well,
the back isn’t working yet, but needs must when the devil drives; what was
planned as a pleasant week visiting friends in Turriff, turned into a
painful hobbling around, and while I could in theory have produced the Flag,
being housebound, the will was not there.
I spent a lot of the time
doing crosswords in the wee sma’ hours, as I was unable to get comfortable
in bed, and cursing editors who kept putting banner adverts at the bottom of
the page (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms) as ideally with a
broadsheet you fold it into a quarter and that sits comfortably. I also
curse them when they produce highly obscure words that I can’t even find in
the Chambers Dictionary; I feel a degree of sympathy for the no doubt
apocryphal retired Army officer who wrote to the Times or the Telegraph as
follows "Sirs, I must congratulate you on your perspicacity in printing your
crossword on the back page. Now I don’t even have to open your filthy rag."
Not being able to get an
appointment, I marched into the Doctor’s and said I would wait until someone
saw me, not a popular course of action; I am now convinced that the reason a
vast number of appointments are missed by patients is that by the time they
get to see a doctor, the ailment has gone away. As one friend of mine put it
"It’s easier to get an audience with the Pope." Was New Labour’s
campaign tune "Things can only get better"?
THE MONEYMOON IS
OVER
Last year, in January,
February and March, the Westminster Government spent £62.8 million of public
money on advertising; to put this into perspective, Unilever and Proctor &
Gamble between them spent £63.5 million promoting a different brand of soap
during the same period. The
government spend was unprecedented, and one agent pointed out that the
amount in March, £30.2 million, was three times what Coca-Cola spent in a
year; in fact in that period the Government outspent Renault, Ford, Vauxhall
put together, and BT, Orange, Volkswagen and DFS, all very familiar names on
our TV screens. It was sheer coincidence that there was a General Election
planned for May, which had to be postponed due to the tiresome Foot and
Mouth epidemic, which they also spectacularly mismanaged.
Now while all this spending
was to advertise Government programmes and benefits, and not by the Labour
Party (not paid by them anyway) it is strange indeed that only one other
country in the world, Canada, is in the top 10 when it comes to advertising.
In most European countries, government spending is so low that it does not
register, and the accusation was levelled that this was the Labour Party
promoting its achievements, with our money, just before an election; this
was indignantly denied, but we expect no less.
The trouble is, that even
with this kind of money being spent on New Labour’s campaign, they are
broke; they have a £6 million overdraft, and they also have a mortgage of £5
million on their new offices in London, so they owe £11 million. This has
led them to confess that they will be unable to help fund the Scottish
Elections next year, so New Labour in Scotland will have to find the cash.
It is only in the last few weeks that we commented that Labour was going to
ferry in activists from England (Wales also has elections) because they do
not have the workers; now it appears that they cannot afford that either.
In 1999, New Labour spent
just under £1 million on the campaign, three times the SNP spend, and London
paid nearly all of this; their problems now are twofold, first a massive
drop in membership, and second, the turning off of the union cash tap. All
New Labour’s wealthy friends feel they have done enough and they have their
contracts and their knighthoods, so the Blessed Tony will have to get Peter
Mandelson busy lining up some more Hindujas, but be a bit cleverer about
this time, but hey - if it costs the taxpayer- who’s caring? And things must
be getting tough; can you imagine any other country where the newspapers
would carry as a headline "Blair to pay for family holiday in France"! -
apart from Zimbabwe, that is? I am a pensioner, my wife is a pensioner, and
if we go on holiday, we pay for it; Tony Blair is the Prime Minister, and
his wife is an advocate earning more than he does, so why should it be news
that he is paying for his holiday? Think about it.
Meanwhile, back at the Rancho
Escocia, the Scottish Executive has managed to spend £7.2 million last year
- on advertising - more than double the previous year; perhaps a coincidence
that there was a General Election last year, and again the sums lavished
were on governmental achievements - and who are the Government? The Labour
Party, and there was the Blessed Tony when in opposition calling it "a
flagrant abuse of public money for political purposes." They learned very
quickly, did they not? And when we think about it, Labour underspent the
Scottish Budget by £643 million last year and £750 million the year before,
and that was not prudent accounting , just incompetence; in England they
underspent the Education Budget by £1.2 billion for the same reason.
Putting all these things
together reminds me of the put-down sentence used when I was a boy "You’re
not very good, are you?"
A MUDDLE OR A
FIDDLE?
And this combination of
flagrant abuse, public money, and incompetence brings us nicely on to the
sad case of Henry McLeish, until last November, our First Minister.
So what has been
happening to Henry now? Fife Police have not yet completed their enquiries
into the "Officegate" fraud allegations, so Henry is still in limbo until
they report their findings to the Procurator Fiscal in Dundee. He has been
selected as the Labour Party’s candidate for Central Fife, but his candidacy
cannot be ratified by the Labour Party Executive until the threat of
criminal proceedings has been lifted, and he is apparently a lonely and an
angry man. As we have seen from above, the Labour Party has made a habit of
misusing public money, and in the case of Henry, it probably was a muddle,
but from the Labour Party’s point of view, he got caught, and this pointed
the finger at the myriad of wee scams the Labour Party has been at for
years.
The latest charges levelled
against him are not criminal or immoral, but very damaging just the same.
When he left Westminster to stand for the Scottish Parliament he was
entitled to a pay-off, as all dual mandate MP/MSPs were, and in his case it
amounted to some £30,000; he said that he would not take the money, and was
applauded for his principled stance. He has now repaid to the Westminster
Whip’s Office £38,500, which is the amount overclaimed in rent on his
Glenrothes Office, and this finalises the matter from their end; the claim
is now that he took the £30,000 he had foregone, and used it to repay the
Whip’s Office. In simple terms, taking public money to repay public money,
and while he may no longer be in the financial position he was when he was
First Minister (£110,647), he still has his MSP salary, £45,000, plus his
First Ministerial pension of £34,000 per year, and his wife, Julie, who we
believe is still off sick (having been implicated in the Third Age charity
payout) should still be being paid her salary of rumoured £60,000 per annum.
Not exactly on the poverty line, are they, so, with a little difficulty,
they should have been able to pay the money from their own resources. On the
other hand, £38,500 is a lot of moolah to hand over in one lump.
In a peculiar volte-face, I
hope that he did not take the Westminster cash, and that his refusal to
answer the question is due to old-fashioned cussedness; he was not, and is
not , in my opinion, a bad man, and in many respects very much better than
some of his colleagues in the Labour Party. Maybe I’m going soft in my old
age, or maybe I just don’t like to see people kicked when they are down.
SYMBOLIC MOVES
 In my desk drawer I have
three badges; well I have more than three, but the three concerned are SNP
badges from various eras. I have the original symbol, blue background, white
saltire and a touch of red/purple? to represent the thistle.
I have a purple background with a white symbol,
and a yellow background with a black symbol.
The common denominator of all
three is that the symbol is the same; for some reason, I have eschewed (good
crossword word that) all the fancy angular ones that were produced, and when
the Party’s publicity committee asked Party members which symbol they
preferred, the virtually unanimous response was for the traditional symbol.
The focus group was the Party membership, and the Party membership knew what
we had.
So now we are in to a new
phase, and the Party is talking of changing colours, softening them in some
way, and while I am very traditional I see no great harm in that; in fact,
the trick is to modernise and retain value, as Marks and Spencer tried to do
and failed. (Yes, I know they have turned the corner, but they nearly
bankrupted themselves in the process.) Labour is in the red, but politically
very very pale pink, the Tories blue and the Liberals not very sure; we used
to have a blue shield, with the Saltire white and the Lion Rampant in red
when I first joined the SNP, and I cannot honestly remember when the symbol
came along, but it replicated the colours. The change was first to magenta
(not purple) and it was probably because the Tories and Rangers were too
strongly identified with blue, and we wanted to identify with mainstream
Scotland. (Plaid Cymru is green.)
Maybe the magenta was too
hard to reproduce, and we changed to yellow because it gave a much sharper
focus, but I was not privy to the reasons, or have just forgotten them.
Whatever, we cannot stand still, and if they want a wee change to the
colour, there is no problem with that; what they will not do is change the
shape. We have the most instantly recognisable symbol in the United Kingdom;
the Party membership knew it, and when you have a good thing , you keep it.
Advertising works, as evinced by the well known cry "Why do they keep
advertising Guinness? Everybody knows that Guinness is good for you."
SAS TO COS
The Scottish Executive think
they have done something clever; they have replaced Clive Fairweather,
previously a colonel in the SAS, with Dr Andrew McLellan, former Moderator
of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Now perhaps, they have done
something clever, but for all the wrong reasons; all the evidence given to
the Justice 1 Committee, from all the prison professionals, brought forth
the damning verdict that private prisons and the proposed closure of
Peterhead were incompatible with an enlightened reforming programme. Even
the very "figures" produced by the consultants were proved to be "back of
the envelope" stuff. And to add further to the Executive woes, Lord Cullen ,
Lord President of the Court of Session, has also written expressing grave
disquiet with the proposal to close Peterhead Prison .Now Clive Fairweather
was not anti private prisons as such, but he was anti private prisons that
didn’t work, and he wanted to see less prisoners in jail ; private prisons
want more people in jail as that way they can make money.
The new Inspector, Andrew
McLellan, is very much opposed to private prisons, on principle, and he has
no intention of moderating (no pun intended) his views; he believes they are
wrong, and he helped formulate the Church of Scotland’s policy of opposition
to private prisons. He visited all 17 of Scotland’s prisons in 2000 and gave
a trenchant report on the "wretched and disgusting" treatment of prisoners
in Scotland’s jails. He is no pussycat.
Where the Scottish Executive
might be clever is that they will have two Inspectors who will be telling
them substantially the same thing, and it could be that they will defer and
delay until after the Scottish Elections, thus neutralising the Scottish
Prison Officers Association who have been talking about backing another
political party, or it could be that they are looking for a way to get off
the hook, and dump the build and operate scenario. In any event, we believe
they have made the right decision, if perhaps for the wrong reason, because
Dr Andrew McLellan is not for turning; all power to his elbow.
TALKING INDEPENDENCE
We are nearing the end
of the "Talking Independence" booklet, Chapter 11, and this week the subject
is the Constitution, or lack of one, as heretofore the Constitution has been
what the Establishment has dictated.
I particularly like the bit about the Queen, who becomes what she has always
really been, a ceremonial tourist attraction.
The constitution of an Independent Scotland
Who will decide the constitution of the new Scotland?
While Independence negotiations are underway, the
Scottish Parliament will draft the text of a constitution for Scotlan d,
opening this to public scrutiny and debate, and to final parliamentary
decision. The constitution will take effect as fundamental law for Scotland
as soon as an Independence settlement has been finally agreed and put into
effect. It will subsequently be open to amendment or confirmation by
democratic decision of the Scottish people, according to provisions made
within the constitution.
Why do we need a written constitution?
Practically every country in the world except the UK has
a written constitution, for at least two good reasons.
The first is to place restrictions on what politicians
can do with their powers. At the moment, for instance, the UK Parliament has
legally unlimited powers to legislate as it sees fit, though this power is
now limited both by the EU treaties and by international Human Rights Law.
There are still, however, no binding constitutional standards that
Parliament and Government are bound to respect. However, an independent
Scotland will have a written constitution to define what its Parliament and
Government can and cannot do.
The second reason for a written constitution is to
guarantee the ordinary citizen certain basic human rights. At present,
Westminster’s laws and actions do not have to conform to any basic standards
laid down in a written constitution. For instance, just as Westminster voted
to adopt the European Convention on Human Rights into UK Law, it could just
as easily vote to repeal all these rights.
The SNP wants a constitution which guarantees rights for
everyone and places limits on what politicians can do.
What rights will there be for me in the new constitution?
The SNP has prepared a draft text for a Scottish
Constitution, first adopted in 1977, subsequently updated in 1991. This
includes a binding and entrenched Charter of Rights, which will comply
with, and surpass the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights,
which Scotland will continue to be a party to after Independence.
The Charter of Rights guarantees the right to: a fair
trial; freedom of thought, speech and worship; freedom of the press; freedom
of assembly and the right to form a trade union; the right to housing and
free health care and education; the right to property; the right to work and
the right to support for those unable to work; the right to freedom of
information; and the right to use Gaelic as one of Scotland’s official
languages. Other rights contained in this constitution include: a right of
responsible access to the countryside; a right of freedom from restrictive
trade practices; freedom from persecution for those who seek asylum in
Scotland; a right to dignity in old age; a right to privacy; and the right
to vote for all citizens over 16 resident in Scotland.
What will the constitution say about how Scotland is
governed?
The SNP’s proposed constitution envisages a
single-chamber parliament elected by proportional representation, cabinet
government with a Prime Minister and other ministers elected by Parliament,
and an independent judiciary appointed by a judicial appointments
commission.
The framework of the present Scottish Parliament,
approved by massive referendum majority in 1997, has all the characteristics
our constitution sets out, except that it is still shackled to Westminster,
and subject to "reserved powers". Independence will transfer to Scotland all
the powers that are currently reserved to Westminster. A constitution of the
kind the SNP proposes would represent continuity of institutions with those
that the people approved in the 1997 devolution referendum.
The constitution will restore the sovereignty of the
Scottish people, part of our constitutional tradition, by making the people
the masters of the constitution, and the executive, legislative and judicial
branches of the state subordinate to the constitution. The SNP’s
constitution favours a slightly larger Scottish Parliament, to take account
of its greatly expanded powers, but Scotland will no longer be sending MPs
to Westminster, and will therefore have a similar overall number of elected
parliamentarians. The constitution will define the powers of Scotland’s
Parliament, Government and Head of State, as well as guaranteeing the
independence of the judiciary.
All new legislation must be constitutional and can be
subject to judicial review, which will reject as non-law any purported act
that infringes the constitution. Any future amendment of the constitution
will require the approval of three fifths of Parliament, plus the majority
vote of the people, expressed in a referendum.
Will the Queen still be head of state?
The SNP proposes that the Queen and her successors remain
Head of State, in the way that she is presently Head of State in fifteen
other independent Commonwealth countries. The constitution which the SNP
favours will define the powers of the Monarch, removing a number of her
present powers, though she will still confirm Parliament’s nomination of a
Prime Minister.
The Queen, in her Scottish capacity, will be
constitutionally barred from acting on the advice of her Westminster
Ministers.
The Scottish Government will only make such payments as
cover the cost of the Queen’s official engagements while she is acting as
Scottish Head of State, and will make no contribution to the upkeep of other
members of the Royal Family. The intention would be for the Monarch in
Scotland to have a more informal and less imperialistic role than has
traditionally been the case in the UK.
During periods of absence by the Monarch, the SNP
proposes that she be represented by the Chancellor of Scotland, an officer
appointed by Parliament, whose role would also encompass that of
Parliament’s Presiding Officer.
If, in the future, the people of Scotland wished to
change these arrangements, they would be free to do so by amending the
constitution through a referendum, and it is the SNP’s policy that the issue
should be tested by such a referendum once Independence is fully in effect.
Ultimately, the decision rests with the people of Scotland.
What will the laws of Scotland be?
All the existing laws of Scotland will continue in force,
except those which are superseded by the constitution. Instead of being
restricted to making laws only in "devolved" areas, the Scottish Parliament
will now make all new laws, subject to the constitution and to Scotland’s EU
obligations. The Monarch will not have the right to veto legislation and,
instead, the Chancellor of Scotland (see 11.5 above) will certify that laws
have passed all their parliamentary stages.
The Scottish judicial system will continue, though one
alteration will be that the House of Lords will no longer be a Court of
Appeal in Civil cases. UK tribunal systems will be replaced with Scottish
ones. Acts of the Scottish Parliament will no longer be subject to challenge
in the Judicial Committee of the UK Privy Council.
Next week will be the concluding part of the booklet;
after that we will await the reaction from the Unionist parties, who we know
have counted the words, but not advanced any arguments so far. No doubt they
will launch their attacks in the Spring, with shock, horror, dismay!
FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES
The Army’s new rifle, the SA 80, now modified as the SA
80-A2, has been severely criticised by soldiers since it came into use in
the 1980s and caused problems in the Gulf War; some £172 million was spent
on the changes, despite the MOD saying it was all the fault of the soldiers
for not cleaning their rifles properly. After what the MOD called
comprehensive climatic trials, major changes included alterations to the
barrel, bolt head, hammer, firing pin, magazine, springs, and cocking lever.
I wonder why this reminds me of the Irish
story "I still have me father’s ould axe; it’s had three new heads and two
new hafts, and it’s as good as the day he bought it."
A lot of column inches (feet?) have been devoted to
Jeremy Paxman’s interview with Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal
Party, where Mr Kennedy was accused of being a drunk; Mr Paxman later
apologised for his questions.
Of much more importance was the accusation, largely
ignored by the press and strongly refuted by Mr Kennedy, that student
tuition fees were not abolished in Scotland, but merely deferred; we agree
with Jeremy on that one.
Last week, the Scotsman reported that five of the
seven SNP constituency office bearers in Edinburgh South had resigned from
office after Margo MacDonald had given up the candidacy; the constituency
convener, who had been a member for 13 years, was one of them.
It did not reveal that he was also Ms MacDonald’s
parliamentary assistant, and that two of the others were parliamentary
assistants to MSPs associated with her.
The proposal that Britain could share the sovereignty
of Gibraltar with Spain has raised hackles in Gibraltar, whose 35,000
inhabitants would never vote for it; the leader of the opposition, Joe
Bossano, said "It is like telling the people of Scotland that they are to be
co-ruled by Scandinavia."
That’s a disadvantage?
The clothing company, Burberry, floated on the Stock
Market this month, and immediately fell below its issue price.
Things are really bad when a company specialising in
rainwear cannot make the price during the kind of summer we are having;
everything else seems to be floating.
A recent extension to my local Tesco means that you
can get bicycles, continental quilts, televisions, engine oil, and golf
clubs; they’ve been providing financial services for some time, and who
knows, pensions next?
No loose potatoes, though.
A search is going on for General Monck’s treasure, which
was taken when he pillaged Dundee in 1651; the hoard, estimated to be worth
£2.5 billion, was loaded on to 60 ships, which sank in a storm in the River
Tay.
The house he stayed in, at the foot of the Overgate,
was demolished in the 1960s, as Dundee City Labour Party continued with the
pillaging.
Earlier this month, David McLetchie, Tory leader in
the Scottish Parliament, said that MSPs should put in longer hours; this
would lead to a better public perception of the work of the Parliament.
As the leader of the Tories, Mr McLetchie does not
serve on any of the committees; he is still a partner in the legal firm Tods
Murray WS, and fits this work around his parliamentary duties. He earns
approximately £25001-£30000 per annum from this. Obviously one MSP with not
a lot to do.
The appeal by prisoner FF8282 has failed, and he will
return to North Sea Camp prison in Lincolnshire to serve out his sentence.
Or to put it into plain English, Lord Archer remains
in the pokey.
SYNOPSIS
A selection of items from the SNP Daily News over the
past week; we expected this to reduce when the Parliament is in recess, but
the SNP MSPs are buzzing about.
DOUBT OVER PRESTWICK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTRE
Wed 24 Jul 02
Plans for a 120 million pound air traffic control centre
at Prestwick were thrown into doubt today when auditors question the
finances of the company behind it. The National Audit Office claims National
Air Traffic Services could face major cash problems in a report into their
privatisation. NATS have already been bailed out by a 30 million pound
government loan to cover falling profits after September 11. Auditors warn
the company - co-owned by the Government and major airlines - may have to be
rescued again. The Prestwick centre was put on ice after the terror attacks,
but NATS announced this year they would go ahead with the plan. SNP shadow
deputy enterprise minister Adam Ingram called on the government to reverse
its part privatisation of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS). "Once
again the folly of exposing vital public services to the vagaries of the
marketplace has been thoroughly demonstrated," he said. "It's time for this
New Labour Government to abandon its ideological commitment to private
sector efficiency and restore security to vital public services."
SNP PROPOSE ACTION TO FILL RURAL GP POSTS
Wed 24 Jul 02
Shadow health minister Nicola Sturgeon today pledged action to fill
vacant GP posts in rural Scotland. Speaking on a campaign visit to
Inverness, Ms Sturgeon said: "We have a real problem attracting GPs to work
in rural areas and with some studies showing a 10% resignation rate from
rural practices, urgent action is needed to address the situation. The
Scottish Executive have done very little to solve this problem. They refuse
to implement the SNP policy of competitive pay for key specialities where
there are shortages - which includes GPs in rural areas." Inverness MSP
Fergus Ewing added: "Sadly the coalition Executive have not yet even
acknowledged this serious problem, far less taken steps to tackle it."
Meanwhile Ross, Skye & Inverness West SNP's David Thompson said: "In
government the SNP will act swiftly to reverse the shortage of rural GPs by
providing competitive pay to attract the health professionals our rural
areas deserve."
STUDY REVEALS DEPTH OF PROBLEM IN FISHING INDUSTRY
Tue 23 Jul 02
SNP shadow fisheries minister Richard Lochhead today
highlighted new figures showing a drop in vessel earnings of 25%, and crew
earnings by 29% over the last three years. "Reduced quotas, the closure of
the cod fishing grounds, and sky-high fuel costs hit the industry hard," the
North-east MSP said. "With the reform of the CFP in the pipeline it is
essential that investment in the industry continues so that we will have a
sustainable fleet for the years ahead when, hopefully, fish stocks are in a
better shape."
SECURITY SHAMBLES EXPOSED
Tue 23 Jul 02
 Britain's security plans are badly coordinated and underfunded, leaving
the country ill-prepared to respond to a terrorist attack, according to a
damning report by MPs to be published tomorrow. The report was regarded as
so critical that senior civil servants invited members of the defence select
committee to a private meeting last week in an effort to persuade them to
tone it down. The committee's inquiry, which was set up in the wake of
September 11, found a plethora of government bodies - including the Home
Office, Ministry of Defence police, intelligence services, private companies
and local councils - failing to work together on issues of security. SNP
shadow defence minister Colin Campbell said: "The truth of the matter is
that there are too many competing empires involved and that there are
insufficient resources to meet any sustained terrorist threat."
SWINNEY SEND-OFF FOR COMMONWEALTH STARS
Mon 22 Jul 02
SNP leader John Swinney was today waving off the Scottish Commonwealth
Games Team as they boarded a chartered train bound for the host city of
Manchester. More than 170 athletes were departing on the special Virgin
Voyager train which was leaving from platform 11 at Glasgow's Central
Station. Some 207 Scottish athletes will compete in 16 of 17 events at the
Games, which take place from July 25 to August 4. "All of Scotland is behind
the team and will be watching their progress with interest," Mr Swinney
said. A Scottish team has taken part in every Commonwealth Games since 1930,
winning a total of 276 medals, 66 of them gold. There are 54 countries in
the Commonwealth, but some 72 are able to bring teams to the event.
MINISTERS REJECT CHINOOK REPORT
Mon 22 Jul 02
A House of Lords report which said the RAF was wrong to
blame two Chinook pilots for a crash which claimed 29 lives has not been
accepted by the UK Government. The Ministry of Defence said it "notes the
committee's report, but does not accept its conclusion". But the SNP
Westminster defence spokesperson Angus Robertson described the government's
stance as "appalling" and vowed to continue the campaign to clear the pilots
of blame. Helicopter pilots Jonathan Tapper and Rick Cook were branded as
negligent by an official board of inquiry following the 1994 crash on the
Mull of Kintyre. That finding has been the subject of much controversy and
there have been allegations that the crash may have been caused by technical
problems. "It is appalling that the Defence Secretary has not taken the
opportunity to correct this travesty," the Moray MP said. "Nobody doubts
that this is a vexed issue. But with such massive all-party opposition to
this finding, a historic chance has been missed to right a major wrong, and
remove the stain from the memory of these dead pilots."
LANG SAYS SCOTLAND ON 'SLIPPERY SLOPE' TO INDEPENDENCE
Sun 21 Jul 02
 Commenting on the interview with former Tory Scottish
Secretary Ian Lang on the Scottish/Grampian TV Seven Days programme today,
in which he says that Scotland is on a "slippery slope" to Independence, and
is hostile to "splits" caused by devolution - Scottish National Party
Westminster Chief Whip, Pete Wishart MP, said that Ian Lang had simply been
forced to concede that Scotland was in a process of Independence. Mr Wishart
said that Ian Lang's remarks also illustrated that the Tories are totally
split on the constitution.
LABOUR'S ETHICAL FOREIGN POLICY A 'SHAM'
Sat 20 Jul 02
 Labour's ethical foreign policy has been attacked as
a sham by SNP Leader, John Swinney MSP, today following the publication of a
highly critical report on the arms trade by four House of Commons
Committees.
Speaking after the report revealed Labour had allowed the
sales of arms to India and Pakistan while the two countries teetered on the
brink of war, Mr Swinney called for a tightening of the rules on arms
exports.
The SNP Leader commented, "For all their talk of an
ethical foreign policy, we can now see that this was little more than spin
designed to cover their cynical arms sales. Rules on arms exports must be
tightened and strong safeguards put in place to guarantee exports only go to
the intended recipient."
ANNABELLE EWING ATTACKS FIELD'S HOUSING BENEFIT BILL
Sat 20 Jul 02
 SNP Shadow Minister for Social Security, Annabelle Ewing
MP, has attacked the Private Members Bill introduced by New Labour MP Frank
Field in the House of Commons, on the withdrawal of Housing Benefit.
The Perth MP complained that the Bill was yet another
example of New Labour at Westminster trying to steamroller over the powers
of the Scottish Parliament, and pass laws in areas that are clearly devolved
to Scotland, such as housing. Commenting she said, "The only way to have
integrated policies in Scotland is to devolve responsibility for housing
benefit and the entire social security system from Westminster to the
Scottish Parliament."
SCOTTISH CUSTOMS NEED MORE RESOURCES - MIKE WEIR
Fri 19 Jul 02
 Angus MP Mike Weir has called for more resources to
be given to customs offices in Scotland to help to reduce the risks of
illegal imports of meat. "The lack of presence in smaller ports around
Scotland is an easy target for smugglers who see rural Scotland as an open
window," Mr Weir said. "One deterrent would be to increase the number of
occasions on which custom staff in Scotland are on duty at strategic and
rural points. A noticeable customs presence in rural coastal areas of
Scotland would also be comforting to local communities who are aware of
being vulnerable to smugglers." Mr Weir also called on the UK Government to
re-introduce a custom dog service in Scotland. "This vital service would be
an invaluable asset in assisting the current efforts in combating the
introduction of illegal contraband, including meat," he said.
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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's extract from the play 'In Time o' Strife' by Joe Corrie in our
'A Kist o Ferlies' feature is a reminder of the high cost in human terms
of the coal-mining industry. Coal has been extracted in Scotland since the
Middle Ages but an era came to an end with the closure of the Longannet
Colliery, Fife, in March 2002 - the last deep Scottish mine. Incredible as
it must be viewed from the 21st century, colliers and their families in
Scotland were treated as serfs until 1799. In that year they were finally
freed from servitude to coalmasters and the last vestige of medieval
serfdom disappeared from Scotland. But coal-mining was always dangerous
and death and injury a common daily occurance - Scottish history records
many pit disasters. A sad reminder of the death-toll in the mining
industry is on display in Fife until the end of August 2002. The Fife
Mining Memorial Book, unveiled at the centenary of the Donibristle
disaster last August, will be on view at the Dunfermline Carnegie Library.
The book lists the names of people who have lost their lives working in
the Fife pits and was dedicated at a service to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Donibristle disaster, and has since been displayed in
venues throughout West and Central Fife.
It was compiled by staff in the Fife Library service along with volunteers
such as former SNP Councillor Joe Paterson, Lochore, from official
records, newspaper accounts and private information from relations and
descendants of casualties. The book contains about 1800 names with the
earliest dating from 1829. The fatalities include at least 20 women, the
youngest being a girl of four and the eldest a man aged 78. As well as
being displayed in the villages and towns of the Fife coalfield area, the
Memorial Book is also available on the internet - visit
www.users.zetnet.co.uk/mmartin/fifepits/ - for anyone interested in
the mining industry, viewing the website on the Fife coalfield, compiled
by Michael Martin, is indispensible.
In times of hardship, such as the Miner Strikes of 1921 and 1926, many a
miner must have poached a rabbit or two, or similar game, for the pot
which inspires this week's recipe - Poachers Stewpot. Rabbit makes an
excellent stew or casserole.
Poachers Stewpot
Ingredients : 2 lb ( 1 kg ) rabbit cut into pieces; 1/2 oz ( 15 g ) lard
or dripping; 8 oz ( 225 g ) streaky bacon, chopped; 1 oz ( 25 g ) plain
flour; 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks; 2 sticks celery, cut
into pieces; 1/2 pint ( 300 ml ) brown ale; 1/2 pint ( 300 ml ) stock;
salt and pepper
Heat the lard in a large flameproof casserole and fry the bacon, onions
and celery until brown. Coat the rabbit in flour, add to the casserole and
brown well. Add the ale and stock, and season well. Cover and cook in the
oven at 190 deg C, 375 deg F, Gas Mark 5 for about one hour or until
tender. If desired dumplings may be added for the last 25 minutes of
cooking. Serves 8.
See our
Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs in our Features section
DATES IN
HISTORY
26 July 1698
The ill-fated Darien Expedition, which attempted to set up a Scottish
Colony in the jungles of Central America, sailed from Leith.
29 July 1174
William the Lion, King of Scots, was brought before Henry II, King of
England, as a common thief, his legs bound beneath his horse. He had
been captured by the English at Alnwick earlier in the month.
1 August 1747
The wearing of tartan was prohibited in the wake of the 1745 Jacobite
Rising. The penalty for a first offence was six months imprisonment and
for a second, seven months transportation.
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
THE WEARY PUND O'
TOW
Robert Burns
Chorus:
The weary pund, the weary pund,
The weary pund o' tow,
I think my wife will end her life
Before she spin her tow.
I bought my wife a stane o' lint,
As gude as e'er did grow;
And a' that she hae made o' that,
Is ae poor pund o' tow.
There sat a bottle in a bole,
Beyont the ingle lowe ;
And aye she took the tither souk,
To drouk the stourie tow.
Quoth I, for shame, ye dirty dame,
Gae spin your tap o' tow !
She took the rock and wi' a knock
She brak it o'er my pow.
At last her feet, I sang to see't -
Gaed foremost o'er the knowe;
And 'or I wad another jad,
I'll wallop in a tow.
Footnote : Robert Burns modelled this song on
an older one with the same title.
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)
Jean : You're no' gaun
to be much better if you've to go back to the pit on the maister's
terms. It's been a hard time, richt enough, and mony a nicht I hae
lain doon wonderin' where oor breakfast was to come frae, but, Jock,
it's nae mair he'rt-rendin' than watchin' thae wheels turnin' every
day, and never lookin' oot the windie but dreadin' to see some o' ye
cairrit hame a corpse or maimed for life. There are plenty o' women
never bother their heids, they have seen that much and come through
that much, that they have got hardened to it.But I havena reached
that stage yet, na, thae wheels are ay between me and the sun,
throwin' their lang, black shadows on the doorstep. It's mebbe been
a time o' want since the strike started, but its been a time o'
peace; I was ay sure o' you and Bob comin' hame at nichts; but
there's nae such faith when the wheels are turnin'.
frae 'In
Time o' Strife - Joe Corrie. In this extract Jean Smith,
wife of a striking miner, gives voice to her thoughts at the ending
of the strike. The three-act play was written after the 1926 Miners'
Strike but it was rejected by the Scottish National Players' Play
Reading Panel. Joe Corrie and the Bowhill Players in 1928 performed
the play to over twenty-five Fife mining villages and the next year
toured it all over Scotland to sell-out crowds.
Complete Poem
Castles in the Air
by J Ballantine
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.
31 JULY 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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