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CAMPAIGNING FOR SCOTLAND
(Owned, Edited and Printed in Scotland since November
1926)
"Promoting all that is best in Scottish
Nationalism and all that is best in Scotland."
[Issue 139 - 31st
January 2003] |
Compiled by Jim Lynch |
AULD CLAES AND
PARRITCH
It is
very nice to be back from holiday, even coming back to a wet, cold
Scotland after the balmy breezes of a Caribbean cruise; certainly "East,
West, hame's best" is a very true saying!
This was my first trip
over the Atlantic, and in general it was uneventful, boring even, although
that is not a complaint; the old Chinese wish "May you live in interesting
times" is not a blessing! What I did find surprising, both in Miami and in
Fort Lauderdale, was the taxi drivers' lack of knowledge; being conveyed
to one major hotel in Fort Lauderdale by a taxi driver who had to phone
them up for directions on how to get there did not inspire confidence. On
the way back to Miami, the next taxi driver asked what ship we were going
on, and was somewhat disconcerted to be told that it was the airport we
were going to; all part of life's rich tapestry! The taxi driver bringing
us home from Edinburgh Airport was more knowledgeable; on being told that
we had been speaking to Americans who did not know who Tony Blair was, he
said "You should have told them that he was the puppet on George Bush’s
shoulder."
This is not a travelogue,
but bits and pieces will surface as I go on; the only bits of America we
were in were Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Key West, and one has to remember
that many Americans will never see the sea, as the country is so vast.
Nevertheless I was still astonished to see one man feeding the seagulls
following the ship; my hurried departure from the immediate vicinity may
have surprised him, but whereas in America Dodge City is a real city, in
Scotland it is often another name for Aberdeen.
PRIMA DONNA -
WITHOUT HONOUR
 As
has been trailed for the last few months, Margo MacDonald MSP has now
publicly resigned from the SNP and will be standing as an independent at the
next election.
She first left the Party
in 1982, in the huff, and said at the time "No one in their right mind would
vote for the SNP", a reaction to the battle within the party at that time by
her faction and the mainstream Nationalists; the Labour Party in Dundee used
her words in their campaign literature for the local elections in 1983. When
I heard she had applied to rejoin the Party my first words were "We must be
winning, Margo’s back." So in 2003, all the characters have changed, and all
of the disputees of 1982 are gone, but Margo hasn’t changed.
It is only right to put the
matter into perspective; in the list ranking in 1999, Margo MacDonald, as a
big name - she has a column in the Sunday Post and one in the Edinburgh
Evening News- topped the SNP list for Lothian; this ranking is done by the
SNP activists, not by the hierarchy. She did not do all that well in the
constituency vote, 23.53%, despite her high profile, and was 4th out of the
6 Edinburgh constituencies. After three years of representing the SNP in
Parliament, the same activists passed judgment and she slipped from No1 on
the list to No 5; obviously what they saw was not what they got.
She was, and still
is, a very able publicist, and would have everyone believe that she is a
fervent committed Nationalist and that others have sold the jerseys; as the
only way that Independence will be achieved is through a strong united SNP
keeping up the pressure on the Unionist parties, I fail to see how standing
against the SNP, and miscalling them can be described as good for Scotland.
Her answer to that was "I am not standing against the SNP. They may be
standing against me." It looks awfully like egotism, but then it probably
always was. What it is not is honourable.
OTHER FISH TO FRY
 As
we view the debacle that is being passed as conservation of fish stocks, it
has become increasingly obvious how we in Scotland are regarded in Europe;
all the other countries have come off much better than Scotland, despite the
action on conservation already taken by us.
The simple fact is that
in Europe Scotland is seen as a soft target, and it is only seen thus
because the Europeans perceive that Westminster couldn’t care less about the
Scots, and when it comes to bargaining we don’t even get to the table, so we
can be ignored. Deals are being done, and it will be another 30 years before
we get to know about them, and Scotland is being sacrificed to English
interests; how else can one explain that the Danes get to carry on the
industrial fishing, hoovering the seas and taking away the cod feedstocks to
feed pigs, while Scotland has to decommission boats, because we catch fish
to feed people.
What also needed some
explaining was the fact that the Foreign Office blocked the application for
European funds to help the fishermen, funds that other countries are getting
without enduring the pain we are getting? This is an interesting
question, and has resulted in an attack on Ian Hudghton MEP (SNP of course)
by two MEPs, one Labour and the other Liberal, obviously a LabLib pact in
Europe as well. They had a letter in the Herald saying that they failed to
see how the email quoted by Ian Hudghton and the Herald meant that the
Foreign Office had blocked the request. The text of the email is as follows
"On financing, my comments on EU funding stand; I doubt that the UK could
mobilise support for extra funds from the EU budget from this, and, because
of the effect on the abatement, we might well prefer to use national
financing in any case." The email is from the UK Permanent Representation to
the European Union. Reads like blocking to me.
Incidentally, the email also
says "If the Council were to try and adopt an alternative measure by
Qualified Majority in order to overturn the emergency measure, I believe
that there is quite a risk that other Member States could gang up on the UK
and impose a solution which protects their fisheries but hits ours hardest."
Exactly what happened, and the UK Minister accepted it, while poor Ross
Finnie, our Fisheries Minister was kept out in the cold.
What Ian Hudghton has
uncovered is that the UK government, which receives a rebate of 66% of all
the money it pays into the EU, decided not to apply for the £50 million
grant available for Scottish fisheries, on the basis that the Scottish
Parliament could find the money from its own resources, leaving Westminster
trousering some £2.1 billion per year, and keeping it. Westminster made the
decison - and we pick up the tab- so what’s new? Incidentally, the budget
rebate is a lot more complex than I have indicated; my father used to say of
any complicated issue "You would need a Philadelphia lawyer to understand
that", and having looked at the calculations I wonder if there are
also Philadelphia accountants out there? Maybe it’s this century’s Schleswig
Holstein Question.
SHOOTING FISH IN THE
FOOT
It
may be a part of the general disillusionment with politics, but I find the
decision of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association to form a
separate party to contest the Scottish Parliament elections inexplicable.
Or do I? The statement
that the decision met with a "guarded welcome" from the Labour, Liberal and
Tory Parties is not believable. Quite frankly, the Labour Party and the Tory
Party are virtually " rollin’ aboot the flair" at the prospect. The only
party that will be damaged by the new party will be the SNP, and that has to
be good news for the Unionists; as some of the fishermen behind the move had
failed to be picked as Tory candidates last time round we can see where they
are coming from. However, it was the Labour Party that sold the fishermen
down the river, and the Fishermen’s Party will make it more difficult for
the SNP to replace Labour; clever stuff.
The Liberals have been
slightly more cautious, but then they are never very sure of where they
stand anyway, and continually blur the line between democracy and self
interest, but always end up with the latter. Towards this end, the recent
disquiet in Liberal ranks at the coalition with Labour is welcome; we were
not surprised when Jim Wallace the Liberal leader said publicly that after
the next election he would not be having talks with the SNP, as he felt the
opinion polls showed that the SNP was not going to get more seats. The
reason we were not surprised is that we expect the Liberals to behave in a
naive fashion, so Mr Wallace burned his boats before he reached the river.
Now self interest, masquerading as democracy, has raised its ugly head, and
we hear the question "How can we refuse to speak to the SNP? If the people
vote for them, then surely it is only democratic for us to enter into
talks?" Precisely what we said when Mr Wallace made his gaffe.
One suspects that the
Liberals now see the possibility that Labour will lose the election, and
that they themselves may suffer guilt by association, so they are starting
to mount their defence now. As has been said before "If ye maun fly wi’ the
craws, ye maun be shot wi’ the craws." It is said that Oppositions do not
win elections, Governments lose them, and certainly the current Scottish
Executive, helped by Elliot Morley, John Prescott, Geoff Hoon and Jack Straw
are heading that way; it is up to the SNP to take advantage.
FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES
After
a "successful" campaign by the Edinburgh Evening News, the city’s traffic
wardens, employed by Central Parking Systems had to undergo customer service
training; last week they booked a hearse waiting for a coffin, and for an
encore an ambulance waiting for a wheelchair bound patient.
Sounds about right for
customer service.
The Treasury, on the
instructions of the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, sold off more than half of
Britain’s gold reserves
at rock bottom prices, and has lost about £1
billion; the gold traders of the world could hardly believe their luck as
they "filled their boots" and are now cashing in as the price soars due to
the probability of war with Iraq.
According to a spokesman
"This was part of a long term investment decision, to restructure the
portfolio to reduce risk." Got it wrong then.
And the Ministry of
Defence sold off one third of their (correction - our) research laboratories
(now a company named Qinetiq) for £42 million, to a foreign buyer, the US
Carlyle Group; John Major is the chairman of its European group. Qinetiq has
assets of £350 million, so the price should have been nearer £120 million.
An MOD spokesman said
"This was a complex process and this deal represented the best value for the
taxpayer." Could have fooled me.
Latest research shows that
some 9 million people in Britain become ill when dealing with their personal
finances; they are afraid to check balances and open bank statements.
Never knew the Treasury
and the MOD employed that many.
SMG Group
held an Extraordinary General Meeting in Glasgow for shareholders to approve
the sale of the Herald newspaper to the US media company Gannett; it appears
that this was a bit tempestuous, but the sale was approved.
We use the expression
"appears" as the Press was barred from the meeting.
The Scottish Executive handed
out £12 million in grants in the three months ended December 2002; out of 43
grants, 36 went to Scottish firms.
Foreign firms got £6.4
million.
SYNOPSIS
A selection of items from the
SNP Daily News over the past week.
Time to put patient safety first says SNP
Wed 29 Jan 03
 Shadow
Deputy Health Minister, Shona Robison MSP today accused the Executive of
failing the health service and patients due to their obsession with
privatisation. Commenting today on the report from Audit Scotland that shows
50% of hospitals are not meeting cleanliness targets, Ms Robison said, "Only
last week, a report from NHS Quality Improvement Scotland said that a lack
of cleanliness was one of the main causes of Hospital Acquired Infections.
This report today makes worrying reading as it highlights that 50% of
hospitals need to improve their standards of cleanliness. This is a clear
result of the Scottish Executive's lack of judgement about privatisation
through the contracting out of cleaning in hospitals. Patients go into
hospitals to be treated not infected and it is time that all cleaning staff
are brought back in-house."
Hep
C compensation - Westminster must not frustrate will of Scottish Parliament
Wed 29 Jan 03
 Shadow
Minister for Health, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, today gave a cautious welcome to
the Health Minister's announcement of compensation payments of £20,000 to
people living in Scotland who contracted Hepatitis C from the NHS, with
further payments of £25,000 to those who subsequently suffer serious
deterioration in their physical health, saying it was a "significant
breakthrough". However, she expressed concern that the government in
Westminster now has the final say on whether or not these proposals can be
implemented. Ms Sturgeon said she welcomed the Minister's announcement but
she was disappointed it did not constitute implementation in full of the
Expert Group report. Ms Sturgeon said, "In particular I welcome the
Minister's acceptance of the principle that everyone infected with Hep C on
the NHS should receive financial assistance. I am however concerned that not
withstanding the Scottish Executive's wishes, it is now the Westminster
government that has the final say on whether Hep C sufferers will at long
last receive justice."
Grahame condemns threats over fire-fighters
Wed 29 Jan 03
 The
announcement of draconian measures by John Prescott to impose a solution
in the fire-fighters dispute has been condemned by SNP MSP Christine
Grahame. Ms Grahame, who is set to meet with local fire-fighters on the
picket lines today, said, "I am appalled that the deputy Prime Minister
has concluded the FBU is not serious about reaching a settlement to its
dispute I joined fire-fighters in Galashiels and Hawick when they went on
strike before Christmas and all they wanted a pay settlement that they
deserve, given that they risk their lives in the course of their work on a
daily basis. I hope Mr Prescott will remember that fire-fighters pay and
conditions are devolved not reserved matters and I trust Mr McConnell will
not rush down the same route, a move which would only serve to make
relations between employers and union even worse than they are now. The
Scottish Parliament has already caused the First Minister considerable
embarrassment by voting down Mr McConnell's plan to give more power to
local authorities in managing pay negotiations and modernisation proposals
within the fire service. I will be meeting with the fire-fighters again
today to give them my support."
Dundee SNP announce team for Council elections
Tue 28 Jan 03
 Dundee
SNP has announced their full team of 29 candidates for the City Council
elections to be held in May. The Party are the first in the City to do
so. Councillor Willie Sawers, Secretary of Dundee SNP, said, "The SNP
are treating these elections very seriously. We are the first Party in
the City to announce our full team of candidates and are looking forward
to the election contest. Candidates who bring a wide range of experience
to the job join our ten experienced Councillors. Dundee is ready for
change and we are ready to meet this challenge."
link:
http://candidates.dundeesnp.org/wardlist.asp
Government must ensure
rail safety – Mike Weir
Tue 28 Jan 03
 Mike
Weir MP today called on the Government to put the public before profits
when it comes to safety on the railways. Commenting on the establishment
of a new Rail Accident Investigation Body in advance of a House of
Commons debate on the issue Mr Weir welcomed the move, but stressed that
this would not address the underlying factors affecting rail safety. He
also demanded that provision be made in the Bill for Scottish
representation on the new regulatory Board saying, "Many of the powers
relating to rail transport have been devolved, but this new Bill makes
no effort to reflect the position of the Scottish Parliament. When
established, the Office of Rail Regulation will have substantial powers,
but there is no compulsion for the Government to appoint Scottish
members. When the SRA announced its 10-year plan for railways last year,
Scotland missed out on its fair share of spending, with 15 of the 17
main projects announced being South of the border. Only by having a
clear voice on the board can we ensure that Scotland gets a fair deal."
Major report shows Labour
MPs doing less since devolution
Sun 26 Jan 03
A report by the
Constitution Unit entitled State Of The Nations, due to be published
next week, shows that since the Scottish Parliament began, Labour's
Scottish MPs voting levels have dropped and oral and written questions
asked in the Commons have halved. The report also points out that it was
SNP MPs who scrutinised the passage of the law that deprives criminals
of the proceeds of crime, and pointed out where it threatened Scottish
interests. The report based on House of Commons statistics, also states,
'MPs from Scotland and Wales are still adapting to the post-devolution
world. Although a minority has consciously sought a national role,
focusing on UK-wide issues, this is not a path followed by the
majority.' And it goes on to warn Scottish Labour that they will lose
ground to the SNP unless they can show that they too 'stand up for
Scotland'. The report also goes on to say, 'There is no coherent
approach at the centre, with no-one who thinks about devolution in the
round and no-one to give strategic vision'. The report also looks at the
NHS in Scotland and concludes, 'England is the only country trying
explicitly to reinvent its health services, and is certainly the only
one that might reinvent the NHS out of existence. That alone might
strike people in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as a reason for
devolution.'
Labour faces
embarrassment as unions say they will fight PFI
Sun 26 Jan 03
Jack McConnell will face
a series of attacks 's continued use of the private finance initiative (PFI)
at two key pre-election conferences in Scotland. Public Sector trade
unions have promised to denounce the policy which will prove to be
embarrassing for both Mr McConnell and Tony Blair at the party's UK
spring conference in Glasgow next month and then at the party's Scottish
conference in Dundee in March, just five weeks before the Holyrood
elections. The unions have rejected Labour's pleas for a truce in the
run-up to polling day and say they are determined to push the issue to
the top of the election agenda and voice their opposition to PFI. Unison
has already said they will spend £80,000 on a series of adverts and
events attacking PFI. The prime minister will also have to face anti-war
protesters who will lobby next month's conference at the Scottish
Exhibition and Conference Centre as up to 20,000 people are expected to
join a march on the day Mr Blair makes his speech to Labour delegates.
Charles Kennedy says PR
won't happen
Sat 25 Jan 03
 Lib
Dem leader Charles Kennedy today said he did not believe his party's key
policy of proportional representation would happen within the
foreseeable future. PR at Westminster elections he described as
"unattainable" and "unachievable" and he said the could not see PR at
local government either. he said. Speaking in an interview with the
London Times, Mr Kennedy did not mention that his party in the Scottish
Parliament are not supporting Tricia Marwick's private member's bill on
Proportional Representation for Local Government.
SNP Cllr asks Treasury to
chew over gum levy
Sat 25 Jan 03
 Cllr
Kevin Stewart, SNP group leader on Aberdeen City Council, is urging the
Chancellor to introduce a new tax on chewing gum manufacturers to help
meet the cost of cleaning it from streets leaders. The Council has
written to the Chancellor and also other local authorities asking them
to back the extra taxes which could save the taxpayer millions. Mr
Stewart said councils spent tens of millions of pounds every year to
clean up chewing gum from streets with Aberdeen spending £40,500 last
year to pay for the hire of a specialised gum removing machine and the
wages of the machine's operating crew over a nine-month period in 2002,
and the council expect a similar Bill this year. He added, "No sooner is
it done than it is as bad again. We are calling on the Chancellor to
introduce a levy on chewing gum manufacturers so that that money can
then be distributed to local authorities to clean up the streets. There
is unanimous support for this, it does cost the council an absolute
fortune and it's money that could be better spent on other things."
COSLA who support the levy said they were interested in any measure that
helps councils deal with the problem of chewing gum and the wider
problem of litter because it is an issue which has an impact on people's
quality of life. Chancellor Brown has replied to the Council saying he
would take the view into account in the preparation of the budget in
2003.
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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
Possibly the last thing on anyones mind when sitting down to enjoy a
Burns Supper is just how economically valuable Robert Burns is to his
native land. But thanks to Lesley Campbell, an economist with the World
Bank, we now know that the continuing appeal of our National Bard is worth
some £157 million to the Scottish economy. A remarkable figure when you
consider that the Bard, on his death in 1796, left £14 in debt. But like
the Elvis industry which has grown up around Gracelands, from his death
onwards, the Burns cottage at Alloway became a shrine to his memory and is
still a mecca to his world-wide admirers. The Burns connection is worth
some £100 million to his native Ayrshire economy alone with a further £50
million or so being generated Scotland-wide through visitor spending and
Burns Night fare. Supply of haggis comes into its own over the Burns
season. With the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth in 2009, his
annual worth to the Scottish economy should be on a steeply rising curve,
giving Scots yet another good reason to Toast the Immortal Memory of
Robert Burns.
We stay in Ayrshire for this week's recipe - Ayrshire Shortbread - a
delicious shortbread which has the added delight of cream. Very
appropriate as Ayrshire is famous for its milk production.
Ayrshire Shortbread
Ingredients : 8 oz (225 g) flour; 1 tbsp rice flour; 4 oz (100 g) butter;
4 oz (100 g) caster sugar; yolk of egg; 2 tbsp cream
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F/ 180 deg C or gas mark 4
Sieve the flour and rice lour together into a bowl. Rub in the butter and
add sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and cream. Knead
together lightly to make a fairly stiff dough. Divide into three pieces
and roll into sausage-shapes about one-and-a half inch (4 cm) in diameter.
Put into a cool place and leave for several hours or overnight. Cut into
rounds a quarter inch thick ( 1/2 cm), place on a greased baking sheet and
bake for 10-15 minutes.
See our
Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs in our Features section
DATES IN
HISTORY
1 February 1587
Queen Elizabeth I of England signed warrant for the execution of her
cousin Mary Queen of Scots.
4 February 1941
The 8,000-ton cargo ship Politician went aground on Eriskay, with a
cargo of luxuries, including 250,000 bottles of whisky, bound for New
Orleans, USA, and Kingston, Jamaica. The wreck was immortalised by Sir
Compton Mackenzie in his novel 'Whisky Galore', later made into an
Ealing film comedy which was filmed on Barra.
5 February 1284
Following the death of Prince Alexander, the infant Margaret, 'The Maid
of Norway', grand-daughter of Alexander III, King of Scots, was
acknowledged as heir to the Scottish throne; she died en route to
Scotland six years later.
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
MARY MORISON
Robert Burns
O Mary, at thy window be,
It is the wish'd, the trysted hour!
Those smiles and glances let me see,
That make the miser's treasure poor:
How blythely was I bide the stour,
A weary slave frae sun to sun,
Could I the rich reward secure,
The lovely Mary Morison.
Yestreen, when to the trembling string
The dance gaed thro' the lighted ha',
To thee my fancy took its wing,
I sat, but neither heard nor saw:
Tho' this was fair, and that was braw,
And yon the toast of a' the town,
I sigh'd, and said among them a',
"Ye are na Mary Morison."
Oh, Mary, canst thou wreck his peace,
Wha for thy sake wad gladly die?
Or canst thou break that heart of his,
Whase only faut is loving thee?
If love for love thou wilt na gie,
At least be pity to me shown;
A thought ungentle canna be
The thought o' Mary Morison.
Footnote: Another lovely Burns song to complete our selection of his
songs over the 2003 Burns season. Although the poet only forwarded
this song for publication on 20 March 1793, he referred to it as one
of his 'juvenile works, not very remarkable either for its merits or
demerits.' Future generations would disagree and applaud
this beautiful love song. The poet Maurice Lindsay wrote ' Varied as
was to be Robert's song achievement in the years ahead, he never
wrote anything more delicately perceptive than ' Mary Morison ', one
of the first fruits of his study of Scots folk-music.' Argument
still rages over the identity of Mary Morison.
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)
het: hot
jyle: jail; prison
mell: mallet
prig: beg; bargain
contentiously; entreat; insist
rowe: enfold;
roll; twine
rug at the hert:
touch the heart
Pit the peter on:
Put a stop to
Robert Burns, the skeilie Makkar wi his fiddler's lug, addit wirds
ti tunes whilk hae passit doun owre the hindmaist twa hunner yeir.
He tuik auld sangs an gied thame noo lyfe - he tuik auld tunes an
gied thame wirds.
He gied sang efter sang ti George Thomson an James Johnson fir thair
respecktive Scottish sang collecktions an deil a haet did he tak fir
this darg; he saw it as a servyce ti his cauf-kintra -
'That I for poor auld Scotland's sake
Some useful plan or book could make
Or sing a sang at least..........'
- weill he did mairnor sing ae sang.
He sang nearhaun fower hunner.
Burns throu his poems an sangs, his monie skreeds ti aw ranks o
societie, gied ti futur kithends a mukkil rich hairst. A hairst at,
thank guidness, we kin aw enjoy the day.
Gin the day evir daws whan a kithend o Scots dinna haud Robert Burns
i the heichmaist staunan - at Scotland wullna be warth a docken.
Fir Robert Burns is abune thaim aw Deed ay, a Toast ti Robert Burns
is a Toast ti our auld respeckit Mither - Scotland herlane.
frae 'The
Immortal Memory of Robert Burns' - Peter D Wright, given at
Peebles Burns Club in the Tontine Hotel, Peebles, on Saturday 25
January 2003.
COMPLETE POEM
Address To The Unco Guid
by Robert Burns
See Scots Language in
our Features Section
for other poems, stories, songs, sayings, jokes and words in the Scots language
SCOT WIT
Enjoy a Scottish Joke every week and
listen to it as well
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.
38 JANUARY 2003
[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.
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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
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resource so all issues are archived by Aberdeen University and Edinburgh University for
future generations to read and study. This means when you advertise with us you become
part of Scotland's history and heritage! Of course free issues of the newspaper are
sent to 400 Scottish secondary schools so that our youth can also learn from our excellent
range of topics on Scottish politics, heritage and history. This means that your advert,
while publicising your company, product, service, events, etc., is also helping to educate
our children and helping us to extend the reach of our newspaper to promote all that is
best in Scottish Nationalism and all that is best in Scotland. We have a powerful voice
not only in Scotland but all over the world wherever Scots and Scots descendants are
settled.
Button Advert
You can take out a 145 x 40 pixel Button Advert on this page for a full 12 months for
only £995.00 and at the same time get a FREE 2 column classified advert in
the Scots Independent Newspaper for the same 12 months, all for the same inclusive annual
price of £995.00.
Banner Advert
One Banner advert, 468 x 60 pixels, is available on this index page under the Issue Date
and before the first article. Cost is £695.00 per month and includes an optional FREE
2 column display advert in the Scots Independent Newspaper during the same month as you
have the banner on the site.
WE WOULD WELCOME YOUR
FEEDBACK
The Flag in the Wind would welcome your feedback on what you think of this
weekly service. Happy to receive any comments or suggestions. Simply email webmaster@scotsindependent.org.
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