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SCOTTISH OLYMPIC TEAM (2)
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| France | Britain | |
| Population | 60.95 million | 60.44 million |
| GDP | £1.1 trillion | £1.2 trillion |
| National Income per head | £12,517 | £13,590 |
| Average GDP growth, 93 - 04 | 1.9% | 3.0% |
| GDP growth in 2004 | 2% | 3.2% |
| Foreign direct investment | £13.8 billion | £44.6 billion |
| Inflation | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Total exports | £296 billion | £298 billion |
| Unemployment | 10.2% | 4.8% |
| Population in poverty | 7% | 17% |
| State
spending on schools per person in 2001 |
£3,863 | £3,032 |
| State
spending on healthcare per person |
£1,653 | £1,270 |
(Sources: World
Bank; CIA World Factbook; OECD)
Statistics are notoriously easily manipulated,
especially unemployment statistics.
But in the light of France¹s relatively poor
economic performance over several years I find it
fascinating that Britain still has more than double
the number of people living in poverty that France
has.
This, in spite of the fact that in economic terms
Britain to be almost ten per cent richer.
And yet the French can still spend more on
schools and health.
I wonder if like me you ever get tired of lazy myths
perpetuated by politicians and the media.
One of these is the casual assumption expressed in
the words: Of course, we live on a crowded
island.
Not so, for those of us who live in Scotland.
Figures
I was browsing through recently show that the UK has
about 244 people per square kilometre. (The exact
figures for England itself are not to hand, but they
are a bit higher.)
The UK overall is the 5th most densely populated
country in the European Union.
Yet Scotland, which is treated as a region in
European statistics, is one of the least populated
areas in the EU, with only about 66 people per
square kilometre.
These interesting facts hide one or two other
interesting trends. England is getting more densely
populated, while Scotland is getting less.
These differences in population density figures can
help to explain quite a bit about political decision
making.
For dangerous activities - eg untested nuclear
power plants, Trident nuclear submarines, military
bombing ranges or low flying areas - Scotland is the
ideal location for a London government to use.
Implications for economic policies, past and
present, are also considerable. Market-led petrol
pricing favours densely populated areas like most of
England, whereas in in a country like Norway the
government has ensured that in remote country areas
petrol is cheaper than in the cities.
And of course, in the past (things have changed
now), city-dwellers could telephone dozens of
friends for the price of a local phone call, whereas
those in rural areas (and Scotland even still is far
more rural than England) had to pay long-distance
prices.
Another major implication is that vital industries,
especially marine, are seldom given their proper
weight in national affairs, simply because they are
either far from London or they do not have the
necessary electoral clout.
A great pity.
JUST GIVE US THE FACTS
It
is a pity that Scottish National Party press
department is often so shy with election statistics.
When we lose a by-election, it is seldom mentioned
in the emails sent out from HQ.
Even when we win, we are not given enough
information to make an educated guess about trends.
Recently, the Party has been doing rather well in
by-elections. Yet, when we have a by-election win,
we just get the crude result, as we saw last week in
the Flag in the piece by Richard Thomson.
Richard clearly had to rely on information put out
by HQ.
So while the crude election figures were great,
where were the comparative figures for 2003? And
what was the turnout like?
Come on, HQ. We are big boys and girls. We can
take the bad with the good. Let us have it!
SYNOPSIS
SNP TABLE MOTION ON CONTROL OF SCOTLAND'S OIL
SCOTLAND'S TURN' AS REVENUES HIT £1 BILLION A MONTH
SNP shadow energy minister Richard
Lochhead MSP has tabled a motion in the
Scottish Parliament calling for Scotland
to have control over revenues from North
Sea oil and gas. The call comes as world
oil prices reach a level which mean
revenues are now £1 billion a month.
This is equivalent to £200 for every
Scot every month.
With
oil prices over $60 a barrel Scotland's
share of UK oil revenues is £12 billion
a year according to estimates provided
by the House of Commons library. This is
almost double the revenue forecast by
the Chancellor in his Budget statement,
which was based on world oil prices of
$40 a barrel.
The motion reads:
Parliament believes that after thirty
years when £200 billion of revenues from
North Sea oil have gone to the Treasury
in London, it is now high time revenues
from oil and gas in the Scottish sector
of the North Sea came under the control
of the Scottish Parliament; further
believes that with world oil prices now
over $60 a barrel, the monthly revenues
of £1 billion could be better used to
invest in Scotland's people, economy,
and infrastructure rather than wasted by
the British government to fill the black
hole in UK public finances.
Commenting Mr Lochhead said:
Over thirty years Scotland has
seen £200 billion in revenues pump south
into the London Treasury with little or
no benefit to Scotland's people or
economy.
At a time when world oil prices are
rising, industry and the public in
Scotland lose out because of higher fuel
and energy costs. We pay the price, but
unlike every other major oil producer we
see no benefit from
the revenues. We have plenty of energy
but not enough power.
With £1 billion from the Scottish sector
of the North Sea pumping into the London
Treasury every month - equivalent to
£200 for every man, woman and child in
Scotland - it is high time that
Scotland did more than feel the pain and
that means getting control over
Scotland's oil.
With as much left in the North Sea
as has been taken out - according to
industry and government estimates - oil
is a resource that can play a big part
in fuelling Scotland's economic
recovery. But we need to see oil
revenues staying in Scotland and
invested in our future.
Monday 22 August
2005
WALLACE SACRIFICE REMEMBERED BY MSP
SNP MSP Christine
Grahame called on the coalition
Executive in Edinburgh to do more to
highlight the historic sacrifice of
William Wallace at a commemorative event
in Selkirk last Tuesday, the 700th
anniversary of Wallace¹s execution by
the English.
Ms
Grahame will be joined by the respected
local historian Walter Elliot who will
recall Wallace¹s activities in the
Borders.
Ms Grahame said:
Wallace was appointed Guardian of
Scotland in Selkirk in recognition of
his efforts to end English rule in
Scotland.
The spark which Wallace ignited led to
the Wars of Independence and ultimately
recognition of Scotland as a free
nation. Had he not done so then Scotland
would have almost certainly have been
annexed as part of a greater England.
Liberal and Labour Ministers
in Edinburgh, like those who ultimately
betrayed Wallace in 1305, take their
orders from London, hence the official
silence to mark this 700th anniversary.
A nation that choses to forget its
past has no future and I am calling on
Ministers to acknowledge and formally
commemorate Wallace¹s life and work by
establishing a permanent memorial at the
Scottish Parliament and on Tuesday to
fly the Saltire, in place of the Union
Jack, above Edinburgh Castle.
It would be the first time the Scottish
flag has flown over Edinburgh since the
disastrous union of 1707.
Monday 22 August 2005
SNP ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF LIVINGSTON SELECTION
The National Executive Committee of
the Scottish National Party has
finalised the procedures for choosing a
candidate for the Livingston by-election
following the death of Robin Cook.
They
approved a short leet of 2 people,
Angela Constance and Gordon Guthrie.
Angela Constance is councillor for the
Carmondean ward in the constituency and
was SNP candidate in Livingston in the
2005 general election while Gordon
Guthrie was candidate in the
neighbouring seat of Linlithgow.
The candidate will be chosen by
one-member-one-vote of all members in
the constituency, with ballot papers
arriving with party members on Monday.
The
result of the selection procedure will
be announced at the campaign launch,
which will take place this Friday 26th
August.
Commenting, SNP Leader Alex Salmond MP
said:
I am delighted that every local
member is getting the chance to choose
the SNP candidate in an open and
democratic selection process.
Only the SNP can beat Labour in
Livingston and Angela Constance and
Gordon Guthrie are two strong West
Lothian candidates with a real chance of
victory. Either one would make a great
new Member of Parliament.
NOTE:
The SNP require a swing of 14.75
percent to win the seat from Labour.
This is within the swing from Labour to
the SNP at the following by-elections:
| Hamilton South (1999) | - 22.6% swing to SNP |
| Ayr (2000) | - 21.4% swing to SNP |
| Falkirk West (2000) | - 16.2% swing to SNP |
The SNP are the only party that can beat
Labour in Livingston. The Liberal
Democrats were a distant third and the
Tories fourth in the recent UK election.
The Tories came third and the Liberals
fourth in the 2003 Scottish Parliament
election, both with less than 10% of the
vote, compared to 31.6% for the SNP.
Neither the Liberals nor the Tories have
any local councillors in the seat,
compared to 5 for the SNP.
Winning Across Scotland
The
SNP have won 3 out of the last 4 local
by-elections in Scotland.
In the last year the SNP has seen the
greatest increase of any party in its
number of seats, up by 5 with
by-election wins in North Lanarkshire,
the Scottish Borders, two in
Clackmannanshire and now two in Falkirk.
Among the results:
* Herbertshire (Falkirk Council) A swing
of 24.4% from Labour to overturn a
Labour majority which was the second
safest in Falkirk Council in 1999.
* Inchyra (Falkirk Council) The SNP saw
an increase in its vote of 56% in the
space of just over 18 months when the
SNP went from third to win the election
there in December 2004.
Tuesday 23 August 2005
SNP MARK
700TH ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH OF WALLACE
The SNP hosted a
short memorial for William Wallace in
Westminster Hall in the House of
Commons. The event was attended by David
Ross, President of the William Wallace
Society who walked to London from
Robroyston, near Glasgow to mark the
event. A candle was lit and Carron
Anderson sang Freedom Come aa ye.
The event was also attended by SNP
MPs Angus Robertson and Angus MacNeil
and by SNP MSP Bruce Crawford. It marked
the start of a day of commemoration,
with a walk from Westminster Hall to
Smithfield the route of William
Wallace's long journey to his execution
700 years ago.
Angus
Robertson MP for Moray said:
The event today was a particularly
poignant memorial to William Wallace who
faced his show trial in the Hall before
his execution the event is important for
Scots everywhere to remember his
sacrifice and ensure that Scotland
remains a nation.
Angus MacNeil MP for Na H-Eileanan an
Iar added:
Today I felt inspired and proud to
celebrate a Scottish Hero. We are the
political heirs of William Wallace.
At 3pm there was a commemorative service
in St Bartholomew's church in Smithfield
at which Alex Salmond MP, Leader of the
SNP gave a speech, the text of which is
below.
700 years on and William Wallace
still has the establishment scared
stiff. Note the absence of any official
commemoration planned for today, the
anniversary of the execution of
Scotland¹s greatest national hero.
And yet the event has been
marked, not by official ceremony, but
only by the activities of the many
grassroots Wallace societies, which
still flourish the length, and breadth
of Scotland. Here I am at St Bart's in
London where Wallace was judicially
murdered. However, that has been
arranged by the individual efforts of
David Ross and others not by any
official body.
The
contrast with the recent Trafalgar
anniversary is telling. It was
celebrated by official pageantry and
limited public participation. For
Wallace all that is taking place planned
is what the people have organised for
themselves. The toom tabards
in the Scottish Executive have arranged
precisely nothing. It was ever thus.
When the towering Wallace
monument was built in the 19th century,
every penny piece was raised by public
subscription.
When the film Braveheart was produced,
ten years ago, most of the establishment
were horrified but the film went on to
triumph to popular and international
acclaim - and the story of Wallace was
restored to a new generation of Scots.
However, the irony is that throughout
history the more the authorities of the
day have tried to suppress the Wallace
legend the more that it has grown. The
English chroniclers of the 13th century
describe Wallace as a bloodthirsty
brigand not as a national leader. He was
hanged, drawn and quartered as a traitor
to Edward I - an English monarch to whom
he had never sworn allegiance
However, the more he was dismissed and
defamed the more powerful became the
Wallace legend. From the 15th century
onwards, it bred into every young Scot
with their mother¹s milk. The
cornerstone text was the epic poem of
The Wallace composed by the wandering
minstrel, Blind Harry, around 1478.
Centuries later, our national bard
Robert Burns cited Blind Harry's poem as
the fountainhead of his own love affair
with Scotland. Two hundred years later
yet it was this very poem, which
provided the basis for the Braveheart
screenplay. written by the Canadian,
Randall Wallace.
The reasons for Wallace's continuing
appeal are obvious. He was a leader who
emerged from out with the magic circle
of aristocracy to inspire a nation. He
sought no personal gain but fought as a
Guardian of Scotland for a king John
Balliol, who was not fit to lace his
boots.
When Scotland's establishment leaders
bargained and sold it was Wallace¹s
uncompromising patriotism, which saved
the nation from surrender and
annihilation. It is why his memory has
been revered by the common people of
Scotland.
He died a martyr's death, still
refusing to bow the knee. And in his
death, he provided the platform for the
national struggle to be carried forward
to victory by the hero King, Robert
Bruce.
Generation after generation of Scots
learned this epic story and were
inspired. And when many of our children
had this history deliberately withheld
from them at school, and when popular
oral tradition made way for television,
along came a Hollywood blockbuster and
brought the story back to life for young
Scots.
And so Wallace's historical victory has
been all but complete. Next to no
English youngster knows anything about
the history of Wallace's great
protagonist Edward I. The deeds of that
most successful and ruthless of the
Plantagenet monarchs are lost in the
history books. In contrast, the story of
Wallace - and the release of Brave heart
- was certainly a factor in spurring
Scotland on to the restoration of our
national Parliament.
And so Wallace has triumphed in the
minds of the common people and it is the
Scottish people who should demand that
his anniversary be properly honoured.
This should be done in two ways.
Firstly, that we have a renewed
effort in the current review of the
national curriculum to ensure that
Scottish history is offered and taught
to every single schoolchild in Scotland.
That this still does not happen SIX
years after the restoration of our own
Parliament should be a source of shame
to every self respecting Scot.
Secondly, we should demand that the
Saltire, the flag of Scotland, is flown
from every public building in the
country on every August 23rd, in memory
of William Wallace. And not at half-mast
as if in mourning. But high and proud in
celebration of the life of the man who
ensured that Scotland, the nation,
lives.
Wednesday 24 August 2005
SNP
Leader, Alex Salmond MP, has called for
the Scottish Parliament to have control
over Scotland's oil resources and
revenues after the latest figures from
Norway showed their oil fund increased
by 94 billion kroner in the last quarter
- equivalent to £8 billion.
It is now worth 1.184 trillion kroner or
£101 billion.
Commenting Mr Salmond said:
Since oil was discovered in the
North Sea £200 billion has gone south in
revenues, with very little return for
the people of Scotland. In contrast
Norway has been able to invest its oil
wealth for future generations and they
are now reaping a huge benefit.
In this latest quarter, Norway's oil
fund has increased by £8 billion, money
that will fuel their economic success
for generations to come.
With world oil prices reaching record
highs this year the UK government is set
to benefit by as much as £10 billion
from Scotland's oil. This is money that
could and should remain in Scotland.
Scotland is missing out on its oil
windfall, but with government and
industry estimates suggesting as much as
half the oil remains, it is not to late.
We can enjoy the same benefits from
oil as Norway, but only when the
Scottish Parliament and the people of
Scotland take control.
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DATES IN HISTORY
28
August 1715
Under the pretext of a stag hunting party (tichel), John, 6th
Earl of Mar, Bobbing John, summoned leading Jacobite
chiefs and gentlemen to gather at Braemar. On 6
September 1715 the standard of James Francis Stewart was
unfurled, marking the start of the 1715 Jacobite Rising.
28
August 1798
Death of James Wilson, Fife-born lawyer and signatory of the
American Declaration of Independence (1776).
1 September 714
Death of St Giles (Aegidius), a Greek saint who evangelised in
France, patron saint of Edinburgh and Elgin.
1 September 1644
James Graham, 5th Earl and 1st Marquis of Montrose, began
his victorious year-long campaign by defeating a larger
Covenanter army under Lord Elcho at the Battle of Tippermuir, 4
miles from Perth.
1 September 1985
Freuchie, Fife, defeated English side Rowledge (Surrey) to win
the National Village Cricket Championship at the home of English
cricket, Lords. 639 clubs took part in the competition.
See Dates in History in our
Features Section
SCOTTISH QUOTATIONS
I like to have quotations ready for every occasions - they give one's ideas so pat and save one the trouble of finding expression adequate to one's feeling. (1788)
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
The third week of our new Feature in this section of the Flag - Scottish Quotations - statements in prose and verse which reflect all aspects of Scottish life and outlook. The quotations are not restricted to native Scots but include observations from abroad which help us, in the words of our National Bard, Robert Burns, "To see oursels as others see us!"
Sir
Sean Connery
What you are doing is a marvellous thing and just to let you know I am backing you all the way.
(text-message of support to David R Ross on his successful Walk for Wallace, August 2005)
David Daiches (1912-2005)
The proper drinking of Scotch whisky is more than indulgence: it is a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto of man’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh mind and body and enjoy to the full the senses with which he has been endowed.
(Scotch Whisky 1969)
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1653-1716)
I knew a very wise man who believed that if a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of the nation.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
You talked of Scotland as a lost cause and that is not true. Scotland is an unwon cause.
(Letter of 28 February 1964 to Mrs John F Kennedy)
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer.
Sir William Wallace (c1270-1305)
To Edward, King of England, I cannot be a traitor. I owe him no allegiance; he is not my sovereign; he never received my homage; and, whilst life is in his persecuted body, he never shall receive it.
(speech at his Mock Trial in London, 1305)
See Scottish Quotations in our Features Section
SCOTTISH
FOOD, TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
A crowd of over two thousand heard writer and
broadcaster Billy Kay give the Wallace Address at the commemoration
ceremony at the Wallace Statue, Aberdeen, on Sunday (21 August 2005), to
mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Sir William Wallace.
His stirring speech followed a Historic Procession through the City
Centre which reflected 2,000 years of Scottish history. The parade
was led by John
Kenny
of Edinburgh who played the Pictish Carnyx War Horn. The following
procession included a colourful and vocal Guizer Jarl Squad from
Shetland and the Wallace Men, part pf the famous Lonach
Highlanders, who provided the guard of honour for the Wallace Colours at
the statue; from America there was a large turnout from the Clan Wallace
and Clan Irvine Associations and a host of historically dressed pupils
from North-East schools. No parade in Scotland would be complete
without a pipe band and the Grampion Police Pipe Band and the Culter
Boys Brigade Pipe Band splendidly filled the bill.
Prior to the laying of wreaths by Aberdeen City Council, Lord Aberdeen, Clan Wallace Society Worldwide and North-East schools pupils, special mention was made of former SNP councillor Tom Howe who had laid the wreath at the Wallace Statue fifty years ago.
Heartiest congratulations are due the secretary of Aberdeen's Wallace 700 Association, John Mackay, whose hard work has seen the Aberdeen event into one of the finest annual tributes to our National Hero, Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland.
Alasdair MacPherson sent in this picture and commented: Bannockburn
SNP bought a 75 by 37 foot saltire, reckoned to be the biggest saltire
in the world, and we draped it over London Bridge. The London Bridge
flag image was taken by Bruce Ogilvie of
www.siol-nan-gaidheal.com
Prior to the discovery of Scottish Oil, Aberdeen, now
the oil capital of Scotland, was perhaps best known for its fishing
industry. This week's recipe - Pickled Herring - is a
reminder of those days.
Method: Clean and fillet the herrings, sprinkle the flesh with salt and pepper, then roll up from tail to head and put on top of the bay leaves in a fire proof dish. Pack them tightly and sprinkle the peppercorns and spices among them together with the sliced onion. Pour over the vinegar and water mixed, cover with a lid and bake in a moderate oven (325°F) for 30-40 minutes. Leave to get cold in the liquid. Serves four.
See our Scottish Food, Traditions and Customs 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
DARK LOCHNAGAR
George Gordon Byron, 6th Lord Byron
Away ye gay landscapes, ye gardens of roses
In you let the minions of luxury rove
Restore me the rocks where the snowflake reposes
If still they are sacred to freedom and love.
Yet Caledonia, dear are thy mountains
Round their white summits tho' elements war
Tho' cataracts foam 'stead of smooth flowing fountains
I sigh for the valley of dark Lochnagar.Ah, there my young footsteps in infancy wandered
My cap was the bonnet, my coat was the plaid
On chieftains departed my memory pondered
As daily I strayed thro' the pine covered glade.
I sought not my home till the day's dying glory
Gave place to the rays of the bright polar star
For fancy was cheered by traditional story
Disclosed by the natives of dark Lochnagar.Years have rolled on, Lochnagar, since I left you
Years must elapse ere I see you again
Tho' nature of verdure and flowers has bereft you
Yet still thou art dearer than Albion's plain.
England thy beauties are tame and domestic
To one who has roved on the mountains afar
Oh! For the crags that are wild and magestic
The steep frowning glories of dark Lochnagar.
Footnote: Although usually regarded as the most English of romantic poets, Lord Byron (1788-1824) was in fact half-Scots.
"But I am half a Scots by birth, and bred
A whole one, and my heart flees to my head."
He spent his early childhood in Aberdeen where he attended the grammer school. He wrote the poem Lachin Y Gair in 1807.
I used to greatly enjoy this fine song as sung by the late Jimmy McDermid, father of the crime writer Val McDermid. Jimmy brought out the full passion of Byron's words. His other great claim to fame was his discovery of the incomparable Jim Baxter and persuading his beloved Raith Rovers to kick-start the career of one of Scotland's finest footballers.
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)
She leukit at the
mune, but lichtit i the midden: an old proverb applied to
women who boast before marriage that they will find a fine match,
but who afterwards end up marrying ordinary men.
21. And they cam intil Capernaum; and withoot delay, on the Sabbath day, he cam intil the kirk and was teachin.
22. And they war uncolie struck wi' astonishment at his teachin; for he spak as gin he had authoritie, and no like the Scribes.
23. And no, thar was i' the kirk a man wi' a foul spirit; and he cry't oot.
24. Sayin, "What hae we wi' thee, thou Jesus o' Nazareth? Hast thou come to destroy us? I ken thee, wha thou art - God's Holie Ane!"
25. And Jesus forbad him, sayin "Haud yere peace! And come oot o' him!"
26. And the foul spirit, rivin, and cryin wi' a great voice, cam oot o' him.
27. And they war a' astoundit; sae that they coonsell't amang theirsels, "What is a' this? A new teachin! Like a Ruler he commauns e'en the foul spirits, and they do his wull!"
28. And the fame o' him spread abreid at ance ower a' the hail kintra-side o' Galilee roond aboot.
Mark Chaipter Ane, verses 21-28, frae The Four Gospels in Braid Scots - Rev William W Smith
COMPLETE POEMS
The Robin Cam To The Wren's Nest
Nursery Rhyme
Click here to listen to this in Real Audio read by Caitlin Wallace
The robin cam to the wren's nest
And keekit in, and keekit in:
"O weel's me on your auld pow
Wad ye be in, wad ye be in?
For ye sall never lie without
And me within, and me within,
As lang's I hae an auld clout
To row you in, to row you in."
See Scots Language in
our Features Section
for other poems, stories, songs, sayings, jokes and words in the Scots language
Enjoy a Scottish Joke every week and
listen to it as well
The Voice of Authority
THE MONTHLY PRIZE CROSSWORD
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 27 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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Defeated
in 1979, she returned to Westminster as MP for Moray
in 1987, and was re-elected in 1992 and 1997.
Surely
most Scots would say Hear! Hear! to that?
But no. The idea was scoffed at in the press,
especially by a spokesman from a body called
sportscotland.
I
have never seen a table used to such devastating
effect. Game, set and match to Linda Fabiani.
Total slaughter of the opposition. And surely a
good claim for an enquiry into attitudes in
sportscotland.
Talking
of a Scottish Olympic team, I have recently had a
letter from my indefatigable friend Andrew Kerr, who
informs me that at the Kirkcaldy National Council of
December 1979 his father, the late Anthony J C Kerr,
put forward a resolution on behalf of Roxburgh
Selkirk and Peebles Constituency Association calling
for an independent Scottish Olympic team.
I
am writing these words on exactly the seven
hundredth anniversary of Wallace's death on 23
August 1305.
