the
Child abuse claims spread closer to home
5
4
Education Secretary sacked in Downing Street reshuffle
7
9
Scots descend on departure lounges
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18
Boffins: From A to chimpan-zee
Stooshie Editor’s Round-up: That was the week that was
Welcome to another packed issue of The Stooshie, the magazine that brings you the big stories that have been making headlines across Scotland – and beyond. We’ve thumbed through countless newspaper pages, clicked through various blogs and websites and caught the bits that matter on TV and radio to bring you the best news, sport and current affairs in one neat package. It’s been another surreal week for Scotland’s media and we’ve been served up a number of topics to get our teeth into, from scandals and snooping laws to spaceports and everywhere in between. The world of politics has been similarly diverse, with questions raised about issues varying from currency in an independent Scotland to a Scottish MP’s cable bill. On a lighter note, pandas have hit the headlines again this month. As staff at Edinburgh Zoo pray for a new arrival, our Seven by Seven page delves into the murky world of panda mating. We also look at the facts and figures behind Scots flocking to foreign shores on their holidays, while our Stooshie of the Week wonders if society should try to rewrite history in light of recent events. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got the all the latest sport ahead of Glasgow 2014, as well as views on the Rangers tax case and what has suddenly become an even more daunting trip to Deutschland for Scotland next month. Read, digest and enjoy!
SCOTTISH WORD OF THE WEEK
couthy adj ❘ ‘ku:0i ❘
19
Business: Miles of cabling set for Moray Firth?
27
38
41
46
Sport: Glasgow 2014 into the home stretch
Contact the Stooshie Mail:
The Stooshie, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL
Email:
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Visit:
www.thestooshie.co.uk stooshiescot
24
1. sociable; friendly; congenial. 2. comfortable; snug. 3. plain; homely; unsophisticated. Usage: “We’re trapped between hanging on to couthy heritage and craving a trendy future” (page 14)
we really like...
■ A rap battle to end all rap battles: William Wallace vs George Washington – well worth a watch at www.youtube.com/user/ERB
Editor-in-chief: Richard Neville Editor: Steve Bargeton Deputy editor: Catriona MacInnes Art director: Aileen Wilkie Content manager: Rory Weller Editorial: Craig Smith, Stefan Morkis Contributors: Brian Donaldson, Robert McNeil, Andrew Burnet, James Williamson, Graham Huband
Advertising & Commercial Opportunities: Bryn Piper: 0207 400 1050, bpiper@dcthomson.co.uk Circulation: Iain McKenzie: imckenzie@dcthomson.co.uk Subscription Sales & Customer Service: 0844 826 5009, thestooshie@dcthomson.co.uk 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
4 l news
MAIN EVENTS
Scottish space tourism plans out of this world Six Scottish airfields compete to become home to UK spaceport but SNP says only independence can open final frontier ■ The UK government has identified six Scottish airfields as potential homes for the country’s first ever spaceport. Campbeltown, Kinloss, Leuchars, Lossiemouth Prestwick and Stornoway are all in contention for the commercial spaceport, which would be the first to be built outside the US. Llanbedr in Wales and Newquay complete the eight-strong shortlist. The base (concept visual pictured above) would be up and running by 2018 and would be used by companies
such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to offer trips into outer space. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said Scotland has a “proud history” of space exploration. “We celebrated Neil Armstrong’s Scottish ancestry when he became the first man on the Moon and an amazing Scottish company was responsible for building the UK Space Agency’s first satellite,” he said. The Scottish Government said only independence guarantees a strong space industry.
EDITORIALS SAY
COMMENTATORS SAY
For Captain James T Kirk, space exploration was an opportunity “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before”. The Herald, however, had more earthly concerns: jobs on the ground. It said Business Secretary Vince Cable wants to make “space travel a realistic option for everyone” and noted that some progress has already been made on this front. The paper said the UK’s space sector has grown by seven per cent over the past two years and that “Scotland has been a central part of that growth”. The launch of the Scottish designed and built satellite Ukube-1 “proves Scotland already has some of the skills and industry needed to become the location for the new spaceport” which, The Herald said, could create a new tourism industry and “many thousands of jobs”. Meanwhile, The Courier said Leuchars should become the country’s first spaceport. The RAF is soon to move out of the base and although they will be replaced by the Army, the paper said having a “space base” in north east Fife would be perfect compensation. It added nearby Dundee’s “booming technological” sector also make Leuchars the sensible choice for the UK’s first ever spaceport.
Space travel has excited imaginations for generations but not everyone was quite so taken with the idea of venturing out among the stars. The Daily Telegraph’s Sinclair McKay said while once the thought of space travel would have made his “inner Dan Dare moonwalk with excitement” it now does nothing more than “elicit the small pang of dismay that the theme tune to Blake’s Seven used to”. He also complained that turning outer space into just another tourist destination “doesn’t bear thinking about”. McKay said he fears what will happen when the cosmos becomes just another “commodity”, adding it would be “a Judith Chalmers travel destination to be ticked, viewed almost exclusively through the cameras of smartphones”. But he also wondered what the point of the ambitious spaceport plans is when there is no real “vision of where, potentially, we might go”. The Courier’s Graham Huband said he believes the UK Government is “dangling a pre-referendum carrot” in front of Scots. Former SNP MSP and radio presenter Andrew Wilson suspected space travel might just become another stick with which to beat the campaign for Scottish independence. On Twitter he said: “Wait 24 hours then ‘indy threat to spaceport’ headlines will commence.”
Anger at emergency snooping laws Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill hits out as Westminster rushes through emergency bill ■ Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill (left) has hit out at the UK Government for introducing emergency legislation that will allow security agencies to monitor private emails and phone calls without consulting the Scottish Government. Mr MacAskill said the legistlation, backed by all three of the main the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
Westminster parties, will “impinge” on the Scottish legal system. The bill gives police and security agencies the power to access where and when electronic devices were used for communication. The UK Government said Mr MacAskill was trying to turn a public safety issued into a “referendum row”.
EDITORIALS SAY The new legislation may simply be the cost of living in the modern world, according to The Scotsman. It said “there is bound to be concern” about the law, which has been rushed through to counter a European Court of Justice ruling that phone companies keeping this data infringes human rights. But the paper said “critics need to acknowledge the uncomfortable fact that we now live in notably more dangerous times”.
MAIN EVENTS
Westminster child abuse scandal spreads north Former Perth MP and solicitor general for Scotland latest to be implicated ■ Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, the former MP and solicitor general for Scotland, and former Scottish Conservative party chairman Dr Alistair Smith have been linked to the child sex scandal at Westminster. Fairbairn (above), who died in 1995 at the age of 61, is among those alleged to have visited a brothel which lies at the centre of investigations into claims of a paedophile ring at Westminster. It is claimed visitors to the Elm Guest House were able to procure vulnerable children from nearby care homes. A list of people who visited the guest house includes Fairbairn as well as former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, who is now known to have been a serial abuser of boys. There have now been calls for a full investigation into whether Fairbairn was involved. Smith is alleged to have procured young boys for cabinet ministers. Meanwhile, Pope Francis has said as many as one in 50 priests could be a paedophile. The Scotsman also pointed out that the powers are not “new” and that “significant restraints” on the legislation exist. The Herald said Westminster should have consulted with Holyrood given the proximity to the referendum but said balancing civil liberties and law enforcement will always be a “pained process”. It welcomed a 2016 “sunset clause” in the Bill but said passing the law should only be “the beginning of the process” and that “careful consideration” must be given to what will replace this “stopgap” legislation.
EDITORIALS SAY
COMMENTATORS SAY
Claims of a paedophile ring at Westminster must be “fully investigated, of that there is no doubt,” said the Daily Record. The paper said that although the abuse may date back decades, victims “still need to feel justice is being done”. It concluded that the Prime Minister must live up to his promise “to leave no stone unturned”. Baroness Butler-Sloss, who was to head the public inquiry, stood down over concerns of a possible conflict of interest because her brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorneygeneral when allegations of abuse were made in the 1980s. Scotland on Sunday said “through no fault of her own” she was not the right person to head the inquiry. The Scotsman said that Home Secretary Theresa May must find a replacement for Baroness Butler-Sloss, who is above reproach, after making an error with her first choice.
It is little surprise there would have been a cover-up of child abuse at Westminster during the 1980s as the Establishment exists to protect itself, said Ian Bell in the Sunday Herald. He said that from MPs’ expenses to the banking collapse “we are told two things: that the abuse of trust, with children at stake, has been of the worst kind imaginable, and that the Establishment has covered things up for decades to protect itself and its members”. Lesley Riddoch struck a similar note in The Scotsman. She said: “It seems clear those in the Establishment view themselves a cut above.” On Twitter, author James Mackenzie said: “Astonishing to think that Butler-Sloss could ever have been picked for this inquiry. “Glad she’s stood down finally.”
COMMENTATORS SAY
whether that is “a bombing, a transfer of funds, or the initiation of a paedophile link”. Sara Ogilvy from civil rights group Liberty also gave her opinion in The Scotsman. She said that while Prime Minister David Cameron claims the bill is “about maintaining capability” she said it is not “about just snooping on suspects but all of us”. She added emergency legislation is being used “to flout the rule of law” and that a deal that leaves “us with no privacy” had been agreed with “no scrutiny” and “no chance to question is provisions properly”.
Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, a former policeman and director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, was in no doubt the legislation is necessary. Writing in The Scotsman, he said: “The data requests involved here are absolutely vital to investigations into terrorism and organised crime”. He said the data can be used identify “links” between people and that “patterns of communication” can tip off authorities before an event,
news l 5 on the bright side ■ Not many people can say they have a morgue named after them. However, that was exactly the honour bestowed on Fife crime author Val McDermid by Dundee University after a group of writers drummed up support for a new high-tech facility. ■ A Scottish brewery has created the world’s strongest beer. Scotland Now reported that Snake Venom, which is produced by Keith-based Brewmeister and costs £50 for a 275ml bottle, was measured at 68%. Managing director Lewis Shand said it should be “savoured in small measures”. ■ A Scottish teenager escaped with nothing but cuts and bruises after sleepwalking off a third-floor balcony while on holiday in Magaluf. Jack Fairburn (19) from Kelso was in Majorca with friends. Meanwhile, authorities in the resort introduced a new law to restrict pub crawls and the “irresponsible” behaviour of British tourists. ■ A mock independence vote held in a part of England known as “Little Scotland”. The poll was held during the annual Highland Gathering in the Northamptonshire town of Corby, where hundreds of Scots moved to in the 1930s to work in iron and steel industries. Out of the 576 votes cast, just 162 backed Scots independence and 414 rejected it. ■ A “vigilante” tore down homeless spikes set up to stop people sleeping rough in central Glasgow. The activist, known only as Gary, became a Twitter hit after dismantling the metal structures (pictured below) and dumping them in a bin (see page 14).
19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
6 l news
POLITICS
Currency claims put on trial by Law Society of Scotland
The Law Society of Scotland’s report was seized upon by the pro-Union press. The Scottish Daily Mail said it is “no surprise” the Law Society of Scotland is pressing for an answer to what the Scottish Government’s “Plan B” on currency is after they “declined to answer” when asked last year. After all, noted the paper, lawyers “are no strangers to returning to questions left unanswered by a recalcitrant witness”. The paper said currency is the most important issue of the independence debate as it “will have such farreaching consequences for ordinary people” and it affects everything from interest rates, consumer prices, exports and even jobs in the financial services sector. According to the Mail, it is “an affront to the democratic” process that the Scottish Government has not said what
its plan B is when there are now less than 10 weeks until Scots vote. It said it hopes voters “draw a suitable conclusion when delivering their verdict”. But the chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland is confident that Scotland has the legal know-how to safely negotiate any tricky bumps in the road post-independence. Interviewed in the Sunday Herald, Lorna Jack said there is enough legal expertise to unravel any particularly knotty constitutional problems if Scotland votes Yes on September 18. She said Scotland would not require any specialist legal advice from London or other parts of the UK regarding a constitutional divorce. Jack said: “Any assumption that [legal expertise] would have to come from outside Scotland would be quite wrong. We have constitutional law capability, we’ve got negotiating capability, we’ve got compliance skills. The Scottish solicitor [skill] base is very well placed for anything that might come up.” She added some issues, such as EU membership would need to be prioritised while others could be adopted from the rest of the UK.
“I am confident that the .scot domain name will prove to be a real asset to the people of Scotland and to the worldwide family of Scots.”
“Tackling long-term and youth unemployment is one of Labour’s key ambitions but a Yes vote will only put the jobs we have at risk.”
Nicola Sturgeon,
Johann Lamont,
Deputy First Minister
Scottish Labour leader
Report says both Yes Scotland and Better Together failing to answer key questions in independence debate
indy BRIEFS 1. Chancellor George Osborne has said First Minister Alex Salmond “is in denial” about problems facing the Scottish economy, including currency, the deficit and diminishing oil reserves. 2. Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont has said independence threatens one million Scottish jobs that are dependent on links with the UK. 3. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said independence would “sell young Scots short” by denying them “avenues of opportunity”.
■ The Law Society of Scotland has demanded both sides in the independence debate answer key questions about Scotland’s future. The Society, the main organisation for lawyers and law students in Scotland, has said both sides have so far failed to properly address a number of issues in the battle for Scotland’s future. The Society said the Yes campaign must provide more information on the economy, currency and education postindependence. It said First Minister Alex Salmond needs to reveal what contingency plans are in place if there is no currency union or negotiating EU membership takes longer than the 18 months he has promised (see opposite page). And it claimed it may be illegal to charge English students to study in Scotland after independence while proUnion parties must say what powers will be devolved to Scotland after a No vote.
4. Energy bills in Scotland could rise by £280 a year after independence as it would no longer share the cost of meeting renewable energy subsidies with the rest of the UK. 5. Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee has launched a consultation on “the Borderlands of Scotland”, which it says has been overlooked and inadequately served by successive governments. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
COMMENTATORS SAY
POLITICS
news l 7
Ex-Lib Dem leader probed over cable
Gove out in reshuffle ■ Michael Gove has been ousted from his role as Education Secretary as Prime Minister David Cameron embarked on a major reshuffle ahead of the General Election. Mr Gove, who was raised in Aberdeen, becomes chief whip and has been replaced at education by Treasury minister Nicky Morgan. He will no longer be a full member of the cabinet although Downing Street said he will continue to attend meetings as a “core member” of Mr Cameron’s team and promote its message on television. It is believed Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will wait until just before his party’s conference in Glasgow before deciding on any changes. It means Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander will remain in post until the referendum is concluded. Meanwhile Michael Fallon, has been named Defence Secretary. Born in Perth, he was raised in Fife. His predecessor Philip Hammond has been named as William Hague’s replacement as Foreign Secretary.
the taxpayer for any regular subscriptions. Sir Menzies claims a cable connection is necessary ■ Former Liberal Democrat because the reception in his leader Sir Menzies Campbell block is so bad that he could is facing an official probe over not watch television without his cable TV bill. it. Sir Menzies (below) has The Independent been claiming £18.75 a Parliamentary Standards month for his cable television Authority (IPSA) is to subscription at his second investigate why he has been home in London since allowed to claim for his Virgin September 2012. TV package. However, while MPs are If Sir Menzies is found to allowed to claim for the have broken the rules then cost of a television licence the North East Fife MP will or the installation of a TV have to pay back the full at their second home, they cost, which will come to are not allowed to charge around £280.
Juncker piles on EU woes
Cheque not in the post
■ The new head of the European Commission has cast further doubt on whether an independent Scotland would gain entry to the EU. Jean-Claude Juncker said no new states would be admitted to the EU for at least five years. Mr Juncker said a “pause” is needed to “consolidate” the existing 28 state arrangement. The SNP has said it expects renegotiating membership of the EU would take 18 months. Mr Juncker’s spokeswoman told the BBC his comments were not referring to Scotland.
■ MPs have claimed taxpayers lost out on £1 billion from privatisation of Royal Mail because the UK Government underestimated demand for shares. The business select committee said taxpayers were missing out on “significant value”. The sell-off of Royal Mail did raise almost £2bn. Business secretary Vince Cable said the critics of the sale were operating with the benefit of hindsight although committee chairman Adrian Bailey said this was not the case.
“By doubling the amount of money UK and Scottish governments spend on motor neurone disease research, we can find a cure quicker and stop the needless loss of life.”
“We are appealing to Prime Minister David Cameron to speak out against homophobia and transphobia in the Commonwealth in the runup to the Games.”
“In a reshuffle where competence mattered Hague, Hammond, Gove and Clarke would have stayed in place and Iain Duncan Smith would’ve been sacked.”
Gordon Aikman,
Peter Tatchell,
John McTernan,
Better Together director
Human rights campaigner
Labour policy advisor
indy BRIEFS 1. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a Yes vote could create thousands of rural jobs by investment in green energy and through improving broadband connectivity. 2. An ICM poll showed support for independence would increase by three per cent if people thought it likely the UK would leave the EU. Backing for independence was at 37%. 3. Nicola Sturgeon has said that if an independent Scotland could not join the EU then residents from other European nations could lose the right to stay in the country. 4. First Minister Alex Salmond has said Scotland’s oil would represent “a bonus, not the basis” for the economy after independence. 5. Voters believe the Yes Scotland campaign is more effective than Better Together’s according to research by polling company Progressive Scottish Opinion. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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SEVEN BY SEVEN
news l 9
Pregnant pause – will Scotland’s wait for a baby panda be rewarded?
SEVEN QUESTIONS YOU REALLY WANT TO ASK 1. Not them again. We all love the somnolent poltroons, but why don’t they put up or shut up? Good question well put. Edinburgh Zoo’s giant panda couple Tian Tian (Sweetie, pictured above) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) become the focus of attention every year when the nation gets down on its knees and prays for a cub. Over-egging the pudding there, but it’s become as much of a ritual as the Royal Highland Show or a row about nudity at the Festival Fringe.
2. I get all that, but why don’t they just get on with it like normal animals? Being a panda isn’t as easy as it looks. The female comes into heat for just one period of 12 to 25 days every year and, even then, she’s only receptive to mating for two to seven days of that. The odds narrow further because, within that two to seven days, she’s only actually fertile for 24 to 36 hours. So your panda has to get the timing right – if he can be bothered at all. Pandas, certainly in captivity, seem to have lost interest in mating or even to have forgotten how. In the wild, several males compete for each female, with a dominant male able to show the younger fellas how it’s done. But, even in the wild, pandas give birth just once every two years.
3. Fair enough. What about artificial insemination?
pandas IN NUMBERS
1,600
Pandas left in the wild (though some estimates say 3,000).
300
Approximate number of pandas in zoos worldwide.
99
Per cent of a panda’s diet is bamboo.
5in
Average length of a giant panda’s tail.
17st
Average weight of a giant panda.
45lbs
Yup, humanity is on the case. But it’s not all roses there either. In Edinburgh, Tian Tian was artificially Amount of bamboo a giant inseminated in April, and urine samples taken panda can get through seven to 10 days afterwards indicated that she’d in a day. conceived. However, as Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, told the Edinburgh Evening News: “It is important to stress that this test tells us only Number of times a day a giant that she has conceived, not that implantation has occurred, as pandas practise delayed implantation.” panda can defecate.
40
4. Sound like their own worst enemy. When will we know anything for sure? Possibly not until she has actually given birth – at the end of August, if all goes well. A panda foetus doesn’t implant itself in the uterus until about 45 days before delivery and is so small that often it can’t even be detected by ultrasound. To complicate matters further, female pandas often experience pseudo-pregnancy, exhibiting typical behaviours such as decreased appetite and even greater sluggishness than usual.
5. What was the story last year? As the Daily Record noted, the pair didn’t bother mating, but Tian Tian was artificially inseminated anyway. Alas, she lost her foetus at late term possibly because, as The Scotsman noted, in yet another problem with pandas, the foetus may have been absorbed into the womb.
6. So, do you advise that we hold our breath? Breathe normally. Mr Valentine advised: “[There] is a long way to go yet, so we would urge everyone not to get too excited at this stage.” However, Manuela Calchini, of tourist organisation VisitScotland, said that, if Tian Tian does become pregnant, “the excitement will intensify and images of Edinburgh Zoo will be seen across the world”.
7. Ah-ha. It’s all a publicity stunt then? That’s the view of John Robins, secretary of Animal Concern, who noted that it was always very convenient for the school holidays. But the pandas themselves won’t be aware of this, busy as they are eating bamboo shoots and, perhaps in Tian Tian’s case, contemplating her navel. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
10 l news
AROUND SCOTLAND
1 HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS Outburst on the QT
CCTV and guard dogs to stop Moray sheep rustlers
A Nairn man became an internet sensation after making an impassioned defence of the Union on BBC programme Question Time. Nigel Kirk Hanlin was dubbed the Braveheart of Better Together following his spirited contributions.
A Moray farmer who spent £55,000 on 11 Swiss sheep has installed CCTV cameras around his farm to stop them being stolen. Raymond Irvine imported the Valais Blacknose sheep (right), described as the world’s “cutest” sheep, and hopes to sell their wool. They are the only herd of the rare breed in Scotland and are so valuable that Mr Irvine had installed unprecedented security measures at his farm near Tomintoul to protect them.
2 GLASGOW & WEST New starring role for Paisley
Paisley is to stand in for Northampton in a new Channel 4 sitcom. Filming on the series Cut, about civil servants forced to relocated from London to Northampton, has been taking place in and around the Renfrewshire town. The series stars Zawe Ashton (below) and Sacha Dhawan. Locations used in the shot include the Country Square and the Kilty Kilty pub in New Street. A number of recent programmes and films have been shot in Paisley in recent years, including David Tennant drama Single Father, Rebus and feature film The Stone of Destiny.
Free wifi in time for Games
Glasgow has become the first city in Scotland to offer free wifi zones. The Urban Wireless scheme, led by Glasgow City Council, has created 50 wifi spots in the city centre and East End. BT won the contract to provide the wifi hotspots for eight years. It also has an option to extend the deal for another two years. Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said: “Anyone coming to the streets, public spaces and community centres covered by the first stage of this network will be able to take advantage of this innovative, fast and high-quality service.”
1
5
Massive Glasgow blaze It took more than 70 firefighters an entire night to get a huge fire at a Renfrew recycling centre under control. Nobody was hurt but nearby residents were advised to keep their windows closed because of fumes. Police investigating the blaze said it is likely it was started deliberately.
2 3
3 SOUTH SCOTLAND Galashiels thief shopped
A drunken man disappeared with his friend’s shopping after offering to carry it home for him. David Connolly admitted stealing two bottles of cider, crisps and a mobile phone at Green Terrace, Hawick, on Saturday. The 30-year-old, of Lintburn the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
Street, Galashiels, also pleaded guilty to giving police a false name. He initially gave police the slip by climbing out the back window of his flat. He was sentenced to a community payback order, with 99 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £40 compensation.
Hand holding plan to save union falls apart
A hand-holding event along the length of Hadrian’s Wall to demonstrate the love “between the four nations of the union” has been dropped. Rory Stewart (right), Conservative MP for Penrith and the Borders, wanted to make the grand gesture “of love and respect” before the September 18 referendum. Instead, people are now being invited to pile up stones in a border cairn as a “visible marker of the union”.
news l 11
AROUND SCOTLAND 4 NORTH EAST, ORKNEY & SHETLAND
Raw determination
Health board stretches its patients
NHS Grampian spent £7.1 million sending patients to private hospitals over the past two years so it could meet strict waiting time targets. The health board sent more than 2,000 people to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee for operations since 2012. The health board claims it has struggled to recruit staff because of high house prices and the cost of living in the north east. Figures released by the health board show that £3.1m was spent on private hospital bills during 2013/14 and £4m the year before. Meanwhile, it has hired two new consultants to work in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s accident and emergency department. The move follows warnings that staff shortages could endanger the lives of patients. It was feared the number of senior consultants could drop from 10 to just two by next month.
Fresh start for museum
5 TAYSIDE & CENTRAL Everybody needs good neighbours, claims councillor
4
A Tillyfourie woman has raised almost £9,000 to help her aunt, after taking to the streets of London dressed in nothing but a sombrero and a pair of bikini bottoms. Ale Ramirez took part in the World Naked Bike Ride in London to help pay off her aunt’s medical bills. Her aunt Liliana, who lives in Mexico, currently has medical bills in the region of £50,000 after battling breast cancer.
A Dundee councillor is calling for a crackdown on nuisance neighbours. Licensing committee member Tom Ferguson (below) has proposed that landlords who rent out properties to troublesome neighbours should be stripped of their licences for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Landlords must hold an HMO licence for each property they let to three or more unrelated tenants. Any landlord without a licence can face a fine of up to £50,000. Without one, landlords, particularly those renting to students, would have to limit the number of tenants they can have in a property, which could severely restrict their income.
Work on a £2.9 million project to transform a crucial part of Dundee’s industrial heritage has started. The scheme will see a disused and dilapidated part of the Verdant Works jute museum stripped of its wooden floors to reveal a cathedral-like space that will be used for viewing exhibits and staging events. Work will take almost a year to complete but when it is done it will double the size of the museum. Built in 1833, Verdant Works is the last working jute mill in Scotland. More than 50,000 people in Dundee worked in the jute industry at its peak.
6 EDINBURGH, FIFE & EAST 6
MoD cleans up
The Ministry of Defence has finally agreed to pay for cleaning up radioactive waste found on a Fife beach. Particles from radiated dials used in wartime aircraft that were dumped near Dalgety Bay were first discovered in 1990. Members of the public were warned not to remove items from the beach. Local MP Gordon Brown welcomed the announcement and said the clean-up could ultimately cost the MoD around £10 million.
Birmingham Six campaigner to visit Jodi killer in prison
Justice campaigner Paddy Hill, who was wrongly jailed for 16 years after being falsely convicted of two fatal IRA bombings, is to visit the man convicted of killing Jodi Jones in prison. Luke Mitchell (below right) from Dalkeith, is serving a minimum of 20 years for the murder of his girlfriend Jodi Jones in 2003 when they were both 14. Now 25, Mitchell is taking the fight to clear his name to the European Court of Human Rights. Jodi’s mutilated body was found in woodland at Easthouses. Mitchell was convicted of the killing in January 2005. The “support visit” is to review Mitchell’s case.
Tattooed “pig skin” discovery Police are investigating the discovery of a piece of tattooed skin found in woodland near Edinburgh. Forensic specialists combed Saltoun Big Wood, near Pencaitland, after the “unidentified organic material” was found. The skin has been taken for analysis to determine if it is human. But it is understood it is probably from an animal – possibly a pig – which may have been used to practice tattooing. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
12 l news
AROUND BRITAIN
1 NORTHERN IRELAND
2 NORTH ENGLAND
Desecration hate crime
Black-up row
Manchester unmoved Tickets boss turns himself in
Police are treating the vandalism of statue of the Virgin Mary on the Falls Road (below) as a sectarian hate crime. It is believed the statue was damaged as thieves attempted to steal it.
Ulster Rugby has apologised after a photograph showing four of their players with their faces and bodies coloured with black makeup appeared on a social media site. Irish international Paddy Jackson posted the picture on his Twitter profile. It included two other Irish internationals and has now been removed.
The Department of Transport has apologised after official literature said Manchester was in the north east of England. The press release, which also said Plymouth was in the north west, was announcing investment in green transport projects around England. A “data source issue” was blamed.
Ray Whelan, the head of FIFA partner Match Hospitality, has handed himself into police after originally fleeing to avoid arrest over illegal World Cup ticket sales. Match Hospitality is a subsidiary of Byrom, based in Cheadle near Manchester.
3 MIDLANDS & EAST Judge, jury and medical practitioner
1
A magistrate who has just retired from his job as a paramedic leapt to the aid of a defendant who collapsed in court. Paul Postle treated the woman at Norwich Magistrates Court then issued a 12-month conditional discharge after she admitted failing to send her child to school regularly. The woman said she was upset because she feared jail.
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4 WALES
Peer cashes in
Cleared of forging will six years on A dead estate agent’s girlfriend found guilty of using a forged will to stop his estranged wife inheriting his £3 million fortune has had her conviction overturned. Gillian Clemo (61) of Cardiff was convicted in 2008 of using a false document to deny Caroline John her share of the estate but another copy of the will was discovered in a London storage unit.
A peer who opposed a museum’s decision to sell a 4,000-year-old statue will receive £6 million after striking a private deal with Northampton council. The Sekhemka statue sold for £15.76m at auction. It was given to Northampton Museum by ancestors of the current Lord Northampton. He will receive 45% of the sale price. The sale was branded “unethical” by Egypt.
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Farmers given rave warning by police Dyfed-Powys Police has warned farmers and other landowners to be on the lookout for illegal raves and other gatherings taking place on their land this summer. They said social media is making it easier for people to organise unlicensed events and are urging communities to report anything suspicious they may see over the summer months.
5 SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Jurassica park planned Ambitious plans to spend £60 million turning a disused Dorset quarry into a dinosaur museum have been unveiled. The plans for the park, called Jurassica, involve putting a glass and steel roof over a 40 metre-deep limestone quarry in Portland. Sir David Attenborough (right) is patron of the project. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
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6 LONDON & SOUTH EAST Location, location, location
F1 street plans accelerate
A London townhouse two minutes walk from Buckingham Palace has been put up for sale for a cool £75 million. Estate agents say it will take another £25 million to make No 2 Carlton House Terrace habitable. Houses on the terrace are mostly owned by the Crown Estate and rarely come on the market. There has already been interest from two buyers.
Plans to stage a Grand Prix on the streets of London are being driven forward. Local authorities will have powers to suspend the Road Traffic Act, lift speed limits and close roads. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has called for a Grand Prix in London, and drawn up a potential race track incorporating The Mall, Trafalgar Square, and Park Lane.
PEOPLE
news l 13
The Fresh Prince of Balado wows crowds A-lister’s surprise visit as curtain closes on T in the Park 2014 ■ Some sights you expect to see at T in the Park, others not so much. And an appearance by Hollywood actor Will Smith probably falls into the latter category. The US star made a surprise appearance on day two of the music festival to introduce Saturday’s big draw Calvin Harris on the Main Stage, ensuring the pair hit headlines in the following day’s newspapers. “I said to Calvin Harris, I have two weeks free and I want an experience,” Smith told the crowd, before the home hero launched into a set that lasted well into the wee hours. Another memorable moment came when Pharrell Williams brought a female friend, Pinki, on to the stage and dedicated his song ‘Happy’ to her after revealing she had just beaten cancer. More than 85,000 fans savoured performances at T in the Park in what was the festival’s final year at Balado before moving to pastures new at Strathallan Castle.
Indecent proposal ■ Scots lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone turned down a £50,000 offer from a ‘Dubai guy’ to take her out for the evening. The Scottish Daily Mail said she tweeted the revelation before adding the hashtag “iaintforsale”.
Eilish’s secret battle ■ Glasgow 2014 medal hopeful Eilish McColgan revealed she has been battling heart palpitations since she was 12.
Records broken on Rockall
There was nae World Cup final for Wullie after he smashed his dad’s vinyl. But Primrose had another final in mind...
■ Adventurer Nick Hancock broke the record for the longest solo occupation of Rockall – a tiny islet 240 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. Hancock surpassed the previous benchmark of 40 days – set back in 1985 by ex-SAS man Tom McClean – but fell short of his 60-day target after a storm washed away his food supplies.
Sir Sean’s licensed to thrill How Connery ensured top billing as James Bond, as well as the Scot’s bitter battle over Thunderball island ■ Sir Sean Connery was already a household name when he returned to the role that made him famous in 1964, but the canny Scot reportedly made a series of demands to ensure even better billing as James Bond in Goldfinger. The Scottish Daily Mail’s Gavin Madeley revealed how Connery had a contract drawn up for him that insisted his name “must appear at least 25% bigger than – and on a separate line to – the name of any other cast member on posters, pictures and adverts for the film”.
Any image of him also had to be “much bigger” than his costars, the paper added. The stipulations came to light as a rare copy of the contract went up for auction. Meanwhile, in the present day, the same paper revealed that Connery is “playing a lead role” in a fight against development on New Providence Island in the Bahamas – where at least four Bond films, including Thunderball, were shot. The actor is “among a group of 100 wealthy residents” embroiled in a bitter dispute with “super-rich neighbour” Peter Nygard.
Rod’s ready to rock ■ Rod Stewart will perform at the Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony. Susan Boyle and Amy MacDonald will also take to the stage, while Kylie Minogue will sing during the closing ceremony.
Hitting the right note ■ Nicola Benedetti – who will also perform to open Glasgow 2014 – became the first Scottish classical musician to enter the UK album chart’s top 20. ‘Homecoming: A Scottish Fantasy’ was also number one in the classical chart. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
14 l news
BEST OF SCOTTISH COMMENT
Outcry offers some hope
Metaphor for a mixed-up country
Graeme Brown
Bill Leckie
Sunday Mail
The Scottish Sun
■ The Glasgow company which installed spikes over warm air vents at the rear of a vacant building in the city centre to stop homeless people bedding down there shocked people across Scotland. Graeme Brown, director of homeless charity Shelter, wondered in the Sunday Mail if the installation of the spikes, which have now been removed following the public outcry, was “a sign of the times”. Brown said a quarter of Scots are merely “one pay cheque” from ending up on the streets themselves. And he said it is not “uncommon” for the homeless to be persecuted, particularly when a city “hosts a major sports tournament or international event”. He said this happened at the Vancouver Winter Olympics four years ago when the homeless were “moved out of the city”. Brown said he hopes the Commonwealth Games are a “success” but that while the “outcry” against the spikes gave him hope, politicians must do more to protect those who are homeless, or at risk of ending up on the streets.
■ The fact Scotland’s athletes will be sent out looking like “the reception staff at the Brigadoon Hilton” is not the only thing mixed-up about the country, suggested Bill Leckie. He said the uniforms are in fact a “perfect metaphor” for Scotland’s current crossroads. “Culturally, we’re trapped between tradition and change, between hanging on to couthy heritage and craving a trendy future,” he explained. Leckie added that Scotland was “kind of moving with the times but still that little scared to let go of the past”, and compared the country with Brazilian football. He said Brazil had “clung desperately to memories of genius”, cloaked in an “impenetrable force field” which had been destroyed by a German team that had long since “binned nostalgia”. And he added: “The thing is, with them we’re only talking about football. Huge as it is to so many people, it’s only a game. What Scotland has to make is a decision on life.” With that, he doubted if Scotland was still collectively “too emotional, too angry and too entrenched” to make a decision with “clear heads and for the right reasons”.
Brazilian humiliation a welcome break
Hamish Macdonell The Mail on Sunday
■ The brutal dismantling of Brazil by Germany in the semi-finals of the World Cup was a welcome distraction from the claims and counterclaims of the independence debate, according to Hamish Macdonnell in The Mail on Sunday. And he was not the only one to enjoy the temporary ceasefire in hostilities. Macdonnell said that during Brazil’s 7-1 humiliation “somebody made the mistake of actually tweeting about politics” and “found themselves ridiculed and roundly abused” for their efforts. And while he said “it is not a lesson the Nationalists want to hear”, Macdonnell said that
for many people “the World Cup has been great because it has taken us away from the interminable eye-gouging we have become so weary of”. Macdonnell said that although both sides will continue to campaign throughout the summer, most people will have stopped listening to the debate and so there will be hardly any fluctuation in polls until the vote draws nearer. This, he said, poses a problem for Yes Scotland as it will struggle “to close the gap in such a short time”. He said the proindependence movement has only itself to blame, stating that “if we hadn’t had such a long campaign, then perhaps the voters wouldn’t be so keen to switch off now”. He concluded that with Better Together still enjoying a lead in the polls, the referendum is all but won. “It is now very clear that time is running out for the leaders of the Yes camp and, however hard they try, there seems to be very little they can do about it,” he said.
HAUD YER WHEESHT! ■ Football clubs up and down the country have been pranked by a writer on the hit show Chewin’ The Fat, reported the Daily Record’s Paul English. Fraser Syme (right) managed to fool clubs including Celtic, Rangers, Dundee, Dumbarton, Hearts, Chelsea, Everton and West Ham by writing “funny yet straitlaced” letters under the pseudonym Struan J Marjoribanks. Now his correspondence has been turned into a new book that aims to raise money for good causes. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
The paper revealed that highlights included Dundee “arranging to have a cremated budgie’s ashes scattered on Dens Park” after a heartfelt plea on behalf of his “Auntie Jessie”, and an appeal for a shoe lost at Dumbarton’s ground during a goal celebration leading to a ransom note. Syme also wrote to Rangers suggesting “a motivational mix tape” could improve their away form, while Celtic’s youth team were offered a chance to peel carrots in Struan’s fictional soup factory.
16 l news A chance to free ourselves from nuclear reliance
Sir Michael Atiyah The Times
■ A Yes vote in the independence referendum will finally sever us from a reliance on nuclear weapons, argued Sir Michael Atiyah in The Times. Describing Trident submarines as “the most conspicuous, useless, immoral and expensive symbols of Westminster’s hankering for imperial grandeur” since Churchill’s staunch defence of the empire in 1942, Sir Michael said the “incongruent metaphors of ‘sitting at the top table’ and ‘punching above our weight’,” perhaps explained the tendency of UK governments to support “doubtful foreign adventures beyond our capabilities”. However, he said Scotland has gradually shown less
BEST OF briTISH comment enthusiasm for that kind of “chauvinism”. Sir Michael, who spent five years as president of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and Public Affairs which, along with Joseph Rotblat, jointly received a Nobel Peace Prize for its role in helping with nuclear disarmament, said the recent launching of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier showed that “white elephants need not be nuclear” and assertions that the “grand new toy” will project British power for the next 50 years were “faintly ridiculous”. So while academia has concerns over research, economists worry about the pound and the sporting world wonders about its national teams in an independent Scotland, Sir Michael focused on the broad policy issues: “military (especially Trident), political (especially Europe) and social (especially care of the poor and vulnerable)”. “If Scotland votes Yes, I am sure there will be solutions to a host of technical problems,” he said. “The British are famous for their pragmatism and for acceptance of special circumstances.”
Break-up will benefit nobody
Stop treating Scots like lab rats
Leader
Ruth Wishart
The Economist
The Guardian
■ With two months to go until Scots vote on independence, influential magazine The Economist came out against separation. In a strongly worded leader column, the magazine, which claimed to derive inspiration from “the Caledonian liberalism of Adam Smith and David Hume” said it believes “the break-up would benefit nobody”. Although the editorial was careful to say “there is no reason to think separation would be a disaster” it said claims that Scots would be £1,000 better off after independence are based on “implausible assumptions about the oil price”. The magazine added that the “argument Scotland would be more democratic is a stronger one” but added the caveat that “healthy democracies are flexible enough to deal with regional differences”. And it laid out the positive case for the union, saying it “embodies the belief that people with distinct histories and identities can live together, and that their diversity makes their culture, their economy and their polity stronger”.
■ As yet more documentaries are screened featuring “intrepid Englishmen trawling Scotland and prodding its inhabitants”, Ruth Wishart argued it is becoming difficult not to feel “like a lab rat”. Admittedly, she said, these “psephologists are not all happy amateurs blundering about the land like Japanese tourists in search of Brigadoon”, but Wishart – a Creative Scotland board member – cast aspersions on what’s been served up. The BBC’s Robert Peston was “almost wholly preoccupied with the numbers” and “fell victim to the current obsession with TV gimmickry”, while Anthony Barnett on Channel 4’s Dispatches covered “much of the same territory”. But her worries, wearing her Creative Scotland hat, were “rather more pragmatic” – as she fears the fascination won’t last. “I can remember previous junctures when Scots voters were considered sexy enough for prime-time telly,” she said. “If Scotland votes no, my wee laboratory will slide effortlessly from the radar screens of producers and programme makers.”
HAUD YER WHEESHT! ■ Most of Scottish people believe that prayer can change the world, that there is life after death, and that not everything can be explained by science. That’s the findings of a new survey conducted by the University of Edinburgh. However, the fact that most of the 1,400 respondents – who were asked 38 questions relating to current ethical issues as part of the research – belonged to major faith groups had sceptics suggesting: “Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?” the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
The University of Edinburgh report, Faith and Belief in Scotland, was commissioned by the Scottish Government to help councils provide services for people of religion and belief. Of the respondents, 66% said there were things in life that science cannot explain, while 58% said prayer can have a real effect on the world, and 54% believed in life after death. A further 18% of those surveyed also stated that abortion is wrong in all circumstances.
18 l news
everybody’s talking about...
The great summer getaway Thousands go in search of foreign climes but it’s not that easy this year... 1. July usually means holidays, so I take it Scots are heading for the airport? Quite a few, yes. The Glasgow Fair fortnight is now underway and that usually means one thing – Scotland’s airports will get busy. In fact, they’ve been busier than ever. Edinburgh Airport announced that it had become the first Scottish airport to handle more than 10 million passengers in a year, while Aberdeen’s numbers were also up 9% on last June. It looks as if Scottish airports will get busier too, as Easyjet announced three new routes – from Aberdeen to Geneva, Glasgow to Marrakech and Edinburgh to Funchal – hard on the heels of Ryanair’s announcement it would operate 55 flights a week out of Glasgow as part of a £260 million investment. Prestwick will lose out, with its daily Ryanair flight to Dublin switching to Glasgow, but the Irish carrier said it “remains committed” to the Ayrshire hub. In fact, all our airports expect record numbers this summer and have laid on extra staff to make the journeys less stressful for travellers. The stress might have been worse had French air traffic controllers gone through with a planned six-day strike, but talks between staff and unions averted that threat.
2. Should be plain sailing then? Not exactly. The Herald initially revealed that airport security had to be stepped up
at Scottish airports after the US called for heightened precautions amid reports of a terror threat in America. The US Homeland Security department warned the UK of two terror networks reportedly working together on a bomb that could evade existing measures. With that in mind, The Scotsman’s David Rosenthal warned Scots passengers that they faced “luggage swabs and clothing searches” due to the terror threat, adding that a trip to departures was also likely to “include greater scrutiny of shoes and electronic devices”. But the Department for Transport (DfT) stressed the extra measures were not expected to cause “significant disruption” to passengers and noted that the official UK threat status remained unchanged.
3. We’re pretty used to the old vet’s rummage these days. No biggie. That’s not the half of it unfortunately. It then emerged that travellers will have to prove their electronic devices – some with a notoriously short battery life – are working normally following fears that terrorists could pack battery compartments with explosives: a move that reportedly could become permanent on flights across the Atlantic.
Then the Scottish Daily Mail revealed that ministers had announced a “dramatic escalation”, with tests on mobiles, laptops and tablets to be “massively expanded to cover destinations around the world”. It also noted how British Airways and Virgin both “vowed to foot the bill to send on any uncharged electronic devices”. But, even though specific routes have not been highlighted and the DfT say they will “minimise disruption”, the upshot is you’ll have to have your gadget charged or face an unwanted headache.
4. Wasn’t there all that bother with passport applications as well? Correct, and it’s still ongoing. The Guardian reported that Paul Pugh, head of the Passport Office, denied claims of “chaos” amid reports the backlog of applications stood at 508,000. Pugh said the “vast majority” of applicants are being issued with passports within three to four weeks, and said staff are being paid a “freakish amount of overtime” to ease the situation.
5. You’re better off staying at home. That could well be VisitScotland’s next advertising slogan. But BBC Scotland did report that a rise in the popularity of “staycations” helped boost the number of visitors to Scotland, with numbers rising by 5% in the 12 months to March. Visitors also spent 15% more over the year.
SCOTLAND’S SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN NUMBERS
250,000 The number flying out of Glasgow and Edinburgh in the first weekend of July
the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
285
The average number of flights which fly out from Edinburgh every day
news l 19
BOFFINS
A to chimpan-Zee of gestures
Scientists decipher messages of our simian cousins ■ Scientists at the University of St Andrews have compiled the world’s first “chimpanzee dictionary”. Translating the meaning of gestures used by wild chimpanzees, the researchers found that man’s closest cousins use 19 specific messages and a lexicon of 66 gestures to talk to one another. For example, a chimp taking conspicuously small bites from leaves is signalling, as The Herald put it, “I’m up for it” to potential mates. The Courier reported further that a mother chimp waving her foot is
Big belch theory ■ A massive belch of carbon dioxide ended the last ice age, according to a study by an international group of scientists. The team, led by Dr James Rae of the University of St Andrews, discovered that changes in the circulation of the North Pacific Ocean 17,000 years ago caused the CO2 to be “belched” into the atmosphere. The circulation alteration was caused by a change in rainfall which made the ocean surface saltier and less buoyant. As The Courier reported, this warmed the planet sufficiently to melt the ice.
telling her children: “Jump up, I’ll carry you.” Primatologists Dr Catherine Hobaiter and Professor Richard Byrne followed and filmed groups of chimps in the Ugandan rainforest, examining more than 5,000 meaningful gestures. Dr Hobaiter said chimpanzee sign language was the only form of intentional communication recorded in the animal kingdom. She said: “The big message (from this study) is that there is another species out there that is meaningful in its communication.”
‘CSI: Speyside’ probes fake whisky ■ A professor of isotope forensics has developed ground-breaking tests that can tell genuine Scotch whisky from bogus products. “Think CSI: Speyside,” as Scotland on Sunday put it, referring to the work of Dr Wolfram MeierAugenstein, a German scientist at the James Hutton Institute and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Dr Meier-Augenstein’s investigative nous has helped crack murders and human trafficking cases worldwide. He described his whisky test as “mass spectometry, but not as you know it”. This involved comparing the isotope ratio in an authentic whisky with the suspected counterfeit. “Rather than looking for a needle in a haystack,” he explained, “we are reducing the size of the haystack.” Fake Scotch is understood to cost the whisky industry £500 million a year.
Spring this year was the warmest since records began, with a mean temperature of ■ Increasingly sunny
skies over Scotland could make ginger hair extinct, according to geneticists. As The Herald reported, the red hair gene is thought to allow inhabitants under cloudy skies to absorb vitamin D more efficiently. Dr Alistair Moffat, of Scotland’s DNA, said climate change could see fewer people carrying the gene.
7.69
degrees centigrade according to Friends of the Earth Scotland. The environmental group said data showed 2014 was on course to be the second warmest ever recorded in Scotland.
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE BODIES THAT NEVER DIED ■ Anatomy students at the University of Edinburgh will soon be able to work on lifesize virtual cadavers, BBC News reported. The new 3D device, created from CT (computerised tomography) scans, allows the body to be seen front to back, side to side and upside down. Using the digital Anatomage Table, students will be able to investigate the human body through virtual dissections, in
which they can remove and add organs, veins, arteries, nerves or tissue. Professor Gordon Findlater said the Table allowed students to rotate and view the body in all three planes “in a unique 3D experience”. He added that, while this would never replace the experience of dissecting a real cadaver, it was a valuable tool unhampered by legislative difficulties affecting real bodies. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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LETTERS TO THE EDITORS An alternative view from south of the border
best of the week
Do unto others ■ I have recently returned from a World Cup trip to Brazil, and it was a fantastic experience. We stayed in four beautiful parts of the country and saw five games in Recife and Natal. Given widespread pretournament documentaries and press warnings of muggings and violence, we might have been forgiven for having safety concerns. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Brazil we experienced was safe, welcoming and fun loving. In fact, on a particular car rental day from hell, which started with a flat battery and ended with two burst tyres, we were helped at various points by no fewer than one dozen complete strangers who came to our aid, unprompted and unpaid. The best bit about Brazil? The Brazilians. I’m sure that we in Glasgow can give our Commonwealth Games visitors a welcome every bit as special as the Brazilians gave to us.
■ I guess I am as “English” as anyone in this country could be, my family having resided in the village where I reside for 250 years now. As far as I know, I do not have a single “Scottish” gene in my body. Yet some years ago I joined the Scottish National Party. I did so because I grew tired of the continuous whining of Scottish politicians about how unfair the other countries in the union were to them. In the absence of a credible “English Nationalist Party” I decided the best way forward for me to be rid of Scotland would be to support its own drive to independence. I will be happy to see the Scots pay for their own free university education, nursing home places and prescriptions, rather than a large part of it coming, as it currently does, from the Barnett formula. I predict that after a brief period of euphoria the Scots will be taking their tartan begging bowl to the IMF and EU. So, if ye gang awa’ Alex, from my point of view it will have been two pounds a month well spent. John Glasspool, Timsbury, Hampshire The Independent
Mary Docherty, Balbeggie Street, Glasgow The Herald the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
Please no, not again
Mum’s the word
■ Should there be a No vote, will we be forced to endure another referendum on greater powers for the Scottish Parliament, as promised by the pro-Union parties? Few prospects fill me with such dread. If the current one is anything to go by, all it will do is perpetuate the incessant name calling, uninformed debate, illogical grievances and economic illiteracy which sums up modern Scotland and its bitter people. At least we can now safely say that the picture many had of Scotland before the referendum debate started, that we were a humorous, tolerant, welcoming and outward-looking nation, can safely be put to bed.
■ I was interested to learn that the Home Office is considering having the mothers’ names on a marriage certificate. My husband died two months before my son was born. It fell to me to raise our son singlehanded. I was happy to do so. I was, however, rather sad to find when we got married that only my husband’s name appeared on the marriage certificate. It would have been rather nice to have had a little acknowledgement of the part I had played in my son’s life. Nancy Leishman, 25b Bank Street, Falkirk The Herald
Fears for the future
■ If the cringeworthy uniform to be worn by Scots competitors at the Commonwealth Games is an example of Scottish decision making, it will do much to swell the No vote in the referendum. Frankly, one would not do this to a sofa.
■ Around half of what the SNP claims is Scottish oil is in waters that would be lost to Scotland if Orkney and Shetland were allowed the same freedom to decide on nationhood. While the financial arguments for Scottish independence are debatable, one thing is certain. If Orkney and Shetland, with their historical links to Norway, threw off the Scottish yoke, an independent Scotland would have a monumental financial crisis and a much impoverished future.
John Eoin Douglas, 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh The Courier
Martin Dowds, 3/3 Cornwalls Place, Edinburgh The Herald
Andrew Black, Livingston The Scotsman
Sofa, so not so good
that’s debatable ■ Yes supporters are to the fore in sticking signs in their cars and windows and might give the impression of leading the polls by their prominence. In Aberdeen, it has been reported that spray paint has been used by Yes supporters with signs saying “Vote Yes” and, encouragingly, “Vote Yes or else”. A neutral observer might take this to mean that there was a groundswell of opinion in favour of the break-up of the UK. Sad to say, all the evidence confirms comments that I have had from a number of people to whom I have spoken. They tell me that the programme of intimidation, so-called ‘Campaign Fear’, by SNP ministers against prominent businesses and their directors is echoed by the behaviour of their supporters.
■ Andrew HN Gray displays his ignorance of the Yes campaign. If he cares to look there are numerous examples of Yes supporters being intimidated both verbally and physically. A recent survey of those using social media found that significantly more Yes supporters reported online abuse than those supporting No. The real intimidation, of course, is coming on a daily basis from the Better Together campaign – businesses will all leave, we’ll lose the BBC, we’ll be cast adrift in Europe, we’re too wee, too poor etc. The reality of the Yes campaign is, in the main, it is a true grass roots campaign where thousands of ordinary men and women are engaging in a rational, calm and uplifting debate about the future of this country.
Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh The Scotsman
Andrew SR Gordon, Edinburgh The Scotsman Letters have been edited
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THE WEE PAPERS
A taste of...
Extra-time and some ■ Seven footballcrazy friends from Forres raised £1,200 for Macmillan Cancer Support by playing the game for 12 hours. Organiser Mark Donald and pals held their football-a-thon from 8am to 8pm, playing five-a-sides, penalty shoot-out, ‘headers and volleys’, ‘two-a-side champs’, and ‘World Cup’.
Exchange celebrated
sport Fran-tastic race ■ Fran Britain, Moravian Orienteering’s longdistance specialist, delighted club colleagues when she finished the Great Glen Ultra distance race between Fort William and Inverness in a fantastic time. Fran beat her own 15-hour target, finishing in 13 hours and 38 minutes, after a 1am start on her 72mile journey.
Willie’s beezer ■ Jackos stayed top of the AJG Parcels Forres and Nairn Welfare League after defeating Galacticos 3-1 in Elgin. Following goals from Kieran Maclean and Aidan Park (penalty), the Nairn football side’s victory saw a Willie Barron wonder-strike from just inside the Galacticos’ half straight from kick-off after half-time.
■ A plaque has been presented to Forres Academy celebrating 20 years of its participation in the Mount Dora Exchange Programme. Robbie Laing, founder of the Mount Dora-Forres Twinning Association, presented the plaque to head teacher Carol Stuart. Each year, Academy pupils and their Florida counterparts visit each other’s communities.
Architects’ awards ■ A Forres architects’ firm has picked up four awards for its work on restoring the A-listed Knockando woolmill, Garry McCartney reported. LDN Architects received accolades from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland for a project that balanced “functionality, safety and heritage”.
Good citizen ■ Jackie King has been named 2014 Citizen of the Year after several nominations by the people of Forres. Jackie, who runs her own gardening business, was hailed as someone who worked tirelessly for her community, not least
in Grant Park for Forres in Bloom. She also helps with the Christmas lights.
Go to gigs ■ The lead singer of popular local band Be Like Pablo has organised an over-14s gig to encourage young people to get involved in music. Ewan Watson (28) said the event at the Mosset Tavern, Forres, aimed to let young people experience the “real sense of excitement” of local gigs.
BIG STORY Sun shines on Highland Games ■ Around 4,000 local folk and visitors flocked to the Highland Games on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Gazette’s Tanya McLaren reported. The event was the third in a series at Grant Park, Forres, following on from Armed Forces Day and the European Pipe Band Championships. After the pipes and drums marched up Forres High Street, this year’s Chieftain, Lena Scott, declared the event officially open. Lena has worked behind the scenes at the event for the past 30 years. She paid tribute to another regular attender, Neville Stillitoe, who, despite being in his 80s, comes over from Australia every year, bringing with him a large contingent of young Australian athletes. “The athletes just love him, and we love to see him,” said Lena. “We look forward to seeing him again next year.” As well as athletics, track and field events, the crowd enjoyed the spectacle of 11 massed pipe bands.
EVENING ALL Edinburgh Evening News ■ The capital’s tram
network was cut short after balloons became tangled in the overheard lines “forcing bosses to kill the power”. Five balloons wrapped themselves around the wires outside the McDonald’s restaurant in St Andrew Square and a 2.3 mile stretch was shut for two hours.
Evening Express
Evening Times
Greenock Telegraph
Evening Telegraph
■ A schoolboy thought
■ Traffic could be
■ Staff at Greenock’s
■ NHS Tayside bosses
he was going to die after strong waves dragged him into the North Sea. Scott MacLean (12) and friend Isla Sim (13) got into difficulties after swimming off Fraserburgh beach. The pair were rescued by RNLI lifeboat crewman John Chalmers, who leapt into the sea to save them.
banned from Glasgow’s Byres Road under plans to give the West End a makeover. The “slightly bohemian” street is described as Glasgow’s most important shopping area outside the city centre. Locals have complained about traffic volume and poor roads.
Gateside Prison have seized illegal drugs valued at £10,000 in the last three and a half years, according to official figures obtained by the Telegraph under FOI laws. The haul included £7,000 worth of heroin and 2,000 illicit tablets. Eleven bladed weapons were also recovered.
have apologised after a seriously ill teenager was sent home from Perth Royal Infirmary with two paracetamol tablets. Shortly afterwards, Owen Abbot, who was 15 at the time, was discovered to be suffering from meningitis and had to spend almost a week in a highdependency unit. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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VIEW POINTS: THE BEST OF THE REST
NEWS BLOGS Proud that journalists broke the law By Mick Hume ❘ Press Gazette The jailing of Andy Coulson “gave the tabloid-bashing lobby a welcome opportunity to pose on the high ground once more”, said Mick Hume. But he said we should be “pleased and proud” some journalists have resorted to underhand methods. “Without law breaking there would be no press freedom”, he argued. He added that “all the great modern stories” broke the law – Thalidomide and Watergate to name two – and asked why prosecutors should dictate what’s in the public’s interest.
■ Keeper Coni McEwan applies suncream to
the ears of a young Kune pig at Blair Drummond Safari Park as hot weather hit Scotland.
■ Experts at the Scottish Seabird Centre said Scotland’s puffins are gearing up to leave the country after a good breeding season.
www.pressgazette.co.uk/mick-hume
Come clean on customs at Gretna Green By Thom Brooks ❘ The Conversation Thom Brooks, a reader in law at Durham University, said border controls in an independent Scotland still remains unclear. He said any application by Scotland to join the “common travel area” could trigger a review of the whole system, in which case the UK could use it as “a means of checking Scottish immigration policy’s liberal tendencies”. He wondered to what extent Edinburgh would risk calling London’s bluff. He said: “If we ever end up in that situation, the power politics will be fascinating”.
■ Around 75 firefighters tackled a fierce blaze at a Renfrew scrapyard.
www.theconversation.com/uk
TV debate must be done right By Kevin Williamson ❘ Bella Caledonia News Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling will go head-to-head in an STV debate was welcomed. But, Kevin Williamson said, for it to be “fair and meaningful” equal airtime should be given to the two alternatives. “This means one hour on the possible outcomes of a no vote for Scotland and one hour on the possible outcomes of a Yes vote,” he insisted. But he said the media has no enthusiasm for framing the debate as “two competing narratives”. www.bellacaledonia.org.uk
Mainstream media missing the point By Derek Bateman ❘ derekbateman.co.uk Ex-BBC Scotland presenter Derek Bateman bemoaned coverage of the referendum. He argued that we heve been “ill served by those we expect to guide us through complex issues of public policy” and criticised the BBC’s “British mindset”. www.derekbateman.co.uk the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
■ Fireworks marked the end of this year’s T in the Park festival, the last to be held at Balado near Kinross.
■ Former Scotland rugby star Gavin Hastings was named first chieftain of the athletes’ village at the Commonwealth Games.
NEWS TWEETS #spaceport Really? Scotland could house UK spaceport. Believe it when I see it #science #space
Will we need a rail link for our temporarilynationalised spaceport?
Garrie Fletcher @Fletchski
Stuart Mackinnon @SAMackinnon
The government will not build a spaceport in Scotland because Virgin Galactic aren’t flying into space. Indeed, they’re not flying. John McTernan @johnmcternan
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VIEW POINTS: THE BEST OF THE REST good week Council told to burger off A teenager accused a council of “Stalinism” after they banned fast food vans outside his school. Aaron Barnett (14) drew up a petition against North Lanarkshire Council’s plans for a burger van exclusion zone at St Aidan’s High in Wishaw.
Upwardly mobile Glasgow’s new hire cycles are more popular than London’s Boris Bikes, said The Herald. The bikes were rented 1.24 times per day in the first 12 days of the scheme, more than the 1.16 London daily average.
■ Our word cloud amalgamates all the week’s top stories from the Scottish papers, with greatest prominence given to the most frequently used words.
GOSSIP OF THE WEEK
bad week
Actor’s anger at theatres Actor David Hayman claimed his play about Scottish independence had been banned in several areas. The Scots star told the BBC he was being denied his “right to employment” by several theatres who refused to allow his one-man production to be shown.
Hotel fall “horrendous” A teenager suffered “horrendous” injuries after falling 40 feet from a penthouse terrace at one of Glasgow’s best hotels. The 19-year-old barman landed on spiked metal railings at the five-star Blythswood Square.
Fury over faecal matter A farmer was reported to prosecutors by Renfrewshire Council over a foul stench from human waste. The Herald told how “vile odours could even be smelled in Glasgow”, six miles from the sewage sludge at Drumcross Farm.
New Potter book in the pipeline perhaps? Bookies slashed the odds on author JK Rowling releasing an eighth Harry Potter book from 10-1 to 3-1, revealed the Daily Record. Hopes of a new novel were heightened when she revived the hero for a short story on her website, which depicted an older Harry with “threads of silver” in his hair.
Doctor’s debut gets political The Scottish Sun reported that Scots actor Peter Capaldi will crack a referendum-related joke about his eyebrows in his debut episode of Doctor Who. The cult character will regenerate as The Thick of It actor in August and will poke fun at his own bushy eyebrows. The Time Lord will reportedly make the quip in the first programme of the new series.
“They’re independently crossed – they probably want to cede from the rest of my face and set up their own independent state of eyebrows,” he will say.
Scot’s second dig at Trump A film-maker who risked the wrath of US tycoon Donald Trump is preparing to take the billionaire on again, reported Scotland Now. Anthony Baxter was “arrested, chased by security guards and insulted by one of the world’s richest men” when he filmed You’ve Been Trumped, which was about the conflict between Trump and locals over his golf resort in Aberdeenshire. But the Scots producer is making a new movie about the impact of super-rich golf courses globally – and will cross swords with The Donald again.
Is announcing a spaceport just something they let science ministers do on their last day, like watching Blackadder in history at school?
McSpaceport “Scotland, u can break the surly bonds of earth. But seat at UN/EU? Too much!”
Independent Scotland prepares for worldwide fame by becoming NASA spaceport. Tartanaut Alex Salmond to steer the first Haggisphere to Mars.
Craig Clark of @ClydeSpace: There are currently no launch sites in Europe. A UK spaceport would put us ahead and attract business.
The UK government won’t feed the poor, but they will build a spaceport in Scotland? Utter electioneering nonsense.
Michael Rundle @michaelrundle
Pat Kane @thoughtland
Dave Waters @Realdavewaters
BBCSundayPoliticScot @Sun_Pol_Scot
Derek Scott @DerekScott1984 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
24 l
Stooshie of the week
aye or ay ❘ eye ❘
1. means yes. Usage: “Aye, certain things need to be forgotten.” ■ When Kirkcaldy’s Adam Smith Theatre decided to remove the mural created by Rolf Harris, it was something that was not done lightly. Nor, for that matter, was it done as some sort of attempt to rewrite history. There can be no question that Harris has some talent as an artist – we need only look at the fact he was asked to paint The Queen as proof of that – and that he was a well-loved entertainer. The fact one of his murals is even in a Fife theatre tells you his work must have some merit. But the key word there is “was”. After his conviction for 12 indecent assaults on four girls as young as eight between 1968 and 1986, the world will not remember Harris as a lovable figure or someone who inspired a generation to draw or sing. The world will remember Rolf Harris as a sex offender. Someone who should no longer be held up in high regard, and that means taking actions like painting over his murals or removing his artwork from sight. Even in Harris’s hometown of Bassendean in Australia, councillors voted to remove all of his artwork from the town’s buildings and place them in indefinite storage.
Why? Because a message has to be sent out to people of all ages that what Harris did was unacceptable. Every painting that is taken down, every honour that is stripped, sends a message to him and other perpetrators that, no matter what their past glories may have been, no-one has any entitlement to do what they liked, when they liked. Like Jimmy Savile before him, much of his work will live on – albeit out of the way. Savile’s Top of the Pops appearances, for example, will probably never see the light of day again, but the physical tapes will be there. We all know Savile hosted Jim’ll Fix It, did charity work, ran marathons. We all have memories. It’s just that those memories have been overtaken by the truth behind the facade. Harris’ paintings, Savile’s headstone: these are both things which probably once meant something to someone, but now they are seen for what they are. Inanimate objects. Of far greater importance should be the feelings of the victims who suffered the abuse, and the feelings of people across the world who have been forced to go through a similar ordeal. Those are things that can’t simply be glossed over.
Should we whitewash our own past?
The Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy is to paint over a mural created by sex offender Rolf Harris. Is this part of the healing process or a way to avoid hard questions?
suggest that even though the Yes campaign is “not without star power”, citing the likes of Sean Connery as a high-profile pro-independence, “no name has elicited quite as heated a reaction as Rowling’s”.
AS ITHERS SEE US!
O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! To a Louse ❘ Robert Burns behind the Better Together, JK Rowling’s McLaren said she was commitment to a “immediately excoriated” on No vote “uncovers some Twitter. increasingly dark forces” in Nationalist trolls “en masse” the Scottish independence labelled her everything from debate, suggested Leah a “Unionist cow bag”, she McLaren in Canada’s added, to “another common Maclean’s Magazine. Scottish insult that begins When the Edinburgh-based with ‘c’ and features heavily in author threw her support the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
the dialogue of Irvine Welsh”. And although the abuse was widely condemned by politicians on both sides, McLaren said the damage had been done and the debate over the referendum had “shifted to a whole new, unpleasant level”. McLaren went on to
Scotland’s debate about independence has been “largely about money”, surmised Wyoming Public Media, and noted how most voters would switch their vote if it meant an extra £500 in their pocket. However, it said North Sea oil and gas are “central to this economic debate”
l 25
Stooshie of the week
naw
❘ naw ❘
1. means no or not. Usage: “Naw, we cannae forget the past.”
Nowhere more so than in the Shetland Islands. The website quoted several islanders who have seen the “nearly unfathomable change wrought by the region’s oil boom”. The website quoted Jim Dickson, ex-harbourmaster at Sullom Voe, the largest oil and gas terminal in Europe, who remembered what the region was like before the oil. “Shetland was basically ignored by all the governments until the mid1970s,” Dickson said. “Then lo and behold, what did we find off our shores? Oil and gas. And everything changed.”
The Pittsburgh Tribune’s Bob Karlovits told the interesting tale of several people who had taken to playing the bagpipes, thanks to the first collegedegree programme in piping at Carnegie Mellon University in western Pennsylvania. Bagpipes are almost as big a part of Pittsburgh culture as “pierogies and potholes”, he observed. “And a great deal older.” He also noted how Carnegie Mellon, which “creates a new level of studying bagpipes”, is now home to ethnic mixes that give a “new flavor to an expected sound”.
■ The Adam Smith Theatre’s decision to paint over a mural by the disgraced children’s entertainer Rolf Harris is undoubtedly a matter of taste. Many Fifers’ first experience of the theatre will have been a pantomime at the esteemed venue which has, over the years, also welcomed acts ranging from The Beatles to Four Men and a Dog. But the theatre’s decision is a miniscule part in what seems like a dangerous rush to bury the uncomfortable truths about the child abuse scandals that have now even reached the House of Commons. What has become clear over recent months is that for decades figures like Harris, Jimmy Savile and Max Clifford were able to get away with sickening acts of abuse unchallenged and without fear of exposure. That these revelations are now coming to light and those perpetrators who are still alive are finally facing justice will hopefully offer some small crumb of comfort to those who suffered at the hands of these monsters but it is nowhere near enough. Society clearly failed all of these victims but what is perhaps the most horrific aspect of these crimes is often they appeared, particularly in
the case of Jimmy Savile, an open secret. People like Harris were not only feted but right at the heart of an establishment that seemingly turned a blind eye. Nobody should forget that, for so long, nobody took action. Almost immediately after Harris’ conviction, people began to ask where his portrait of the Queen was. Buckingham Palace was quick to say the artwork had only ever been loaned to the Royal Collection for a sixmonth period, desperate to disassociate themselves from Harris and his crimes. Like the Adam Smith Theatre, this is an entirely understandable reaction even if not a particularly helpful one. As much as we would all like to pretend these sordid events never happened, the sad truth is they did and, even though these crimes were known about, or at least suspected, these men were allowed to target victim after victim without being challenged. For the sake of all their victims we need to ensure greater vigilance in future. That does not mean hysterical witch hunts. It means we must remind ourselves the powerful and famous are not above any law.
Managed to get the image of Team Scotland’s parade uniform out of your head yet? No, us neither. And it’s fair to say other countries have been having a good laugh at our expense. Take Rachel Clun in the Sydney Morning Herald. “If you thought the Australian Commonwealth Games uniforms were bad, you can now be comforted in the knowledge they’re definitely not the worst,” she said. She observed that while the athletes modelling the kit had given it a positive response, people on social media had
been quite a bit “more severe”. Australian journalist Sally Sara called it a “McFashion Crime”, although she said the Scots’ 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games uniform was “equally horrific”.
19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
26 l
REVIEW & Preview
STAGE
The Pokey Hat SEEN AT ALEXANDRA PARK, GLASGOW Touring until August 3 ■ Grinagog’s show is an interactive treat for kids and a nostalgic jamboree for older audience members as it tells the tale of those running an icecream van who are desperately preparing to receive a visit from an important inspector. Anna Burnside at The List
Home Nations Festival TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW Until August 3 ■ As part of the Commonwealth Games’ Culture 2014 strand, the Tron Theatre, under the guidance of their forward-thinking leader, Andy Arnold, is hosting the Home Nations Festival. The event’s centrepiece is four pieces of poetic drama from Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, opening with a big community production of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood before bringing us a reading of Seamus Heaney’s version of Beowulf, Carol Ann Duffy’s take on Grimm Tales and Liz Lochhead’s (pictured) play, Edwin Morgan’s Dreams And Other Nightmares. Arnold told The Herald’s Neil Cooper that he was having a blast bringing this project to fruition: “I really like adapting poems for the stage and, in a way, it’s an indulgence on my part to have a festival where, through theatre, you celebrate poets either through their lives or their work.” Writing about Home Nations in The Scotsman, Joyce McMillan scanned the full programme (which also includes a poetry slam, live music and the rehearsed reading of a Jackie Kay poem), concluding that “what the season offers is both a series of towering and distinctive poetic voices, and a set of infinitely complex, interwoven cultural relationships”.
Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival TRAMWAY, GLASGOW Run ended ■ The Commonwealth Games has spawned a whole raft of cultural events, but few will be performed with as much youthful zest as this. Dance groups for young people from around the world descended
EXHIBITIONS John Ruskin: Artist And Observer SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH
Until September 28 ■ The Victorian art critic John Ruskin was also a watercolourist of some renown, and Artist And Observer makes its Edinburgh appearance after the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
a successful run in Ottawa. The exhibition features Gothic palaces in Venice, spectacular Scottish and Alpine landscapes as well as a self-portrait and minutelydefined animals and plants. Duncan Macmillan in The Scotsman acknowledged that Ruskin was a man of minutiae whose emotional attachment to his drawings
was impressed with the show’s invention: “It makes full use of a converted and customised ice-cream van, which becomes the window of a flat, the serving counter of a café and the orchestra pit for a musical interlude.” The Sunday Herald’s Mark Brown praised the production for squeezing so much into its half hour without feeling overly done: “Everyone will have their own highlights but, some smashing ice-cream related puns notwithstanding, I enjoyed the exceedingly daft puppet show, entitled Cinderella And The Drapped Cone.” And writing for The Stage, Gareth K Vile concluded that “Martin O’Connor’s script fizzes with energy and, while the stories could come from any childhood, their wit and shape are determinedly Scottish”. on Glasgow’s Tramway for three nights of effervescent movement. Kelly Apter in The Scotsman was brimming with praise: “In amongst the diversity, there was one commonality each of the companies shared, regardless of where they hailed from – hard work.” Ahead of the event, Mary Brennan in The Herald remarked on the organiser’s ambition: “What especially excites Anna Kenrick, creative director at YDance, is not just the prospect of 36 youth groups coming together in one festival, it is how future networks can be forged in the process and undiscovered doors opened on collaborative opportunities.” helped make them unique: “He developed techniques that enabled him to see, describe and understand the structure of a peacock’s feather, the texture of a mossy, crumbling brick, the colours of a kingfisher, the structures of rocks, clouds and mountains, but also the intricate details of the Gothic architecture that he loved.”
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REVIEW & Preview FILM
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (PG) Voices: Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett ■ Set five years on from the first movie, the Viking villagers of Berk are living in harmony with their fire-breathing brethren thanks to the gallant efforts of Hiccup (Baruchel). But trouble is stirring with a horrible tyrant seeking to gain control of all dragons in order
to seek world domination. The List’s James Mottram noted that “the director has cited The Empire Strikes Back as his template. And while it might be pushing it to compare the two, Dean DeBlois’ script has ambition – one that should resonate with viewers of any age”. Alistair Harkness for The Scotsman was enamoured by the characters and action, if not with the story. “The voiceless Toothless remains a wonder. Imbued by the animators with the unconditional love and loyalty of a pet pooch (in a neat touch he’s often to be seen running around the background of shots chasing sticks), he’s the heart and soul of a movie that can occasionally feel a little mechanical.”
Average rating 7/10
Begin Again (15) Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine ■ In 2007, writer-director John Carney scored an indie hit with Once, a Dublin-set musical fairytale about a busker falling for a young Czech woman. In this similarly-themed follow-up, Keira Knightley plays Greta, a down-on-her luck singer-songwriter who’s just split from her partner (Levine) and looking for a big break. It comes in the form of the equally lovelorn A&R man (Ruffalo) who spots potential in her quaint folk songs. Siobhan Synnot in Scotland on Sunday was reasonably taken with the project: “Like Knightley’s singing, the storytelling is earnest and not as bad as you might think. Yet Begin Again still struggles to hit the right note.” The List’s Allan Hunter was rather more beguiled, claiming that “Knightley really fits the character and can sing quite pleasantly in a Katie Melua/Norah Jones manner”. But Alistair Harkness, writing in The Scotsman, was wholly disdainful of the movie, damning it as “twee in the extreme, with its most laughably earnest moment coming when the film starts championing the idea of artists taking control of their work and selling it for next to nothing to the public via the internet – something to think about when debating whether to fork out a tenner to see this commercialised pap”.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (12A)
Carnevale bemoaned the vast imbalance between the movie’s quality and quantity: “There’s Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola no good reason to justify how Peltz, Stanley Tucci a film that’s essentially about ■ The fourth Transformers robots bashing other robots movie hits the cinemas just in can be stretched out to such time for the summer holidays, gargantuan lengths, especially but the critics, as one, are with a plot as hole-ridden and suggesting that you should lightweight as this,” while The spend your time elsewhere. Sunday Herald’s Demetrios Writing in The List, Rob Matheou dubbed the franchise “big, brash and dispensable”. For Alistair Harkness in The Scotsman, the movie represents the depths to which director Michael Bay’s career has been threatening to plumb for some time. “His films have become lumbering, gaudy spectacles, full of incomprehensible setpieces barely held together.”
Average rating 5/10
Lys Hansen: Love + War + Paint LILLIE ART GALLERY, MILNGAVIE
Until September 24 ■ Covering four decades of her work, Hansen’s exhibition contains over 50 works on topics such as war, the body and identity. Jan Patience in The Herald was impressed: “The naked, raw power of
Average rating 3/10 Hansen’s work gives voice to a primordial roar that hijacks your senses and jolts you into territory you might skirt over in day-to-day life.”
Kenny Hunter: Kontrapunkt HOUSE FOR AN ART LOVER, GLASGOW
Until September 4 ■ The German word for counterpoint, Kontrapunkt
is sculptor Hunter’s contribution to Generation, in which he utilises wood, plastic, iron and bronze (right). For Jan Patience in The Herald, the counterpoint here is with various human cultures: “Kontrapunkt typifies this clash. The longer you look, circling it as you go, the more you impose your own narrative on it.” 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
28 l THIS WEEK
SCOTS on the box
REVIEW & preview
Worth catching… Youngsters taking on too much responsibility for their age and a comedian who got major success in his early 20s lead the way this week
TV: Britain’s Youngest Carers Channel 4 Shown July 9
Kevin Bridges BBC One, Monday July 21, 10.35pm ■ Kevin Bridges’ rise to superstardom has been dubbed as an overnight success. And while it’s true to say that he was a fresh-faced lad when the country started to take notice, he’d already racked up many years of experience on the Scottish comedy circuit. Perhaps this is why he seems so at ease on stage even when playing massive arenas. Now, he’s back home to host a night of comedy from Glasgow’s Theatre Royal to celebrate the rather large sporting event that’s looming. Kevin Bridges: Live At The Commonwealth has him doing his own observational shtick as well as presenting four renowned comics from around the Commonwealth. Canada’s Katherine Ryan has firmly established herself in the UK, while Scotland’s own Danny Bhoy is massive in Australia. South African comedian Trevor Noah is slowly making a name for himself, and English comic Simon Evans is a Fringe favourite who will be appearing in the world’s highest ever stand-up gig on Mount Everest later this year. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
■ There are probably more people than you’d imagine looking after their parents at an age when they should barely be expected to take care of themselves. Britain’s Youngest Carers was fronted by ex-JLS singer Oritse Williams (pictured) who, at the age of 12, started caring for his mother when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He meets the likes of Josh (13), who is helping care for his terminally ill father, and sisters Clare (16) and Erin (14), who spend 60 hours a week looking after a parent suffering the onslaught of vascular dementia. Damien Love in The Sunday Herald may initially have been cynical but was definitely won over by the end: “It’s reasonable to be wary, even groany, when celebrities put themselves at the front of issue-documentaries, but this film is clear-eyed, sincere and moving”.
Bryan Burnett GET IT ON
RADIO: Kohli’s Caledonian Commonwealth
BBC Scotland’s request show picked songs featuring relatively minor injuries
Radio 2, Wednesday July 23, 10pm
Eurythmics
Violent Femmes
Goldfrapp
Train
Diana Ross
Little Willie John
Rod Stewart
Elvis Presley
The Lambrettas
Thorn In My Side Bruises
Blister In The Sun Love Hangover
The First Cut Is The Deepest
I Got Stung
A&E
Fever
Poison Ivy
■ Get It On ❘ Weekdays at 6.10pm
Louise White morning call The following questions were asked on BBC Scotland’s weekday Morning Call programme ■ Is it time to ditch the TV watershed? ■ Have you traced your family history? ■ Are statins all that they’re cracked up to be?
■ Are we suffering compassion fatigue for the homeless? ■ Would you take the test which is being developed for Alzheimer’s?
■ Morning call ❘ Weekdays at 8.50am
■ Hardeep Singh Kohli’s exploration into Scotland and its Commonwealth links continues with an analysis of Scottish culture. He delves into the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, comes face to face with the Kelpies, and meets artist Peter Howson who shares his thoughts on why Scotland punches above its weight.
RADIO: Lulu’s Musical Map Of Glasgow Radio 2, Monday July 21, 10pm ■ Lulu embarks on a musical tour of her Glasgow hometown. Her glorious career has its roots at the age of four, when she sang In A Golden Coach during the Queen’s Coronation while up on her father’s shoulders.
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REVIEW & preview
The best of this week’s books
SCOTTISH BESTSELLERS
A doorstopping dystopian future thuds on top of the Stooshie reading pile plus Alasdair Gray argues for independence and a small girl celebrates her 150th birthday
HARD BACK 1. My Scotland, Our Britain
RECOMMENDED
by Gordon Brown
2. How To Train Your Dragon
The Silent History
by Cressida Cowell
by Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby and Kevin Moffett
3. Written In My Own Heart’s Blood
■ Intended initially as an iPhone and iPad app, The Silent History project has grown out of all proportion to become a thumping 500-page hardback. But then, such unconventional fare is a matter of course for the likes of McSweeney’s, the literary magazine which has spawned and nurtured these writers. We are in the near future and a generation of children are born without the ability or the desire to talk. Their stories are told through the testimony of people who had dealings with these kids: parents, politicians, doctors and so on. Doug Johnstone, writing in The Big Issue in Scotland, claimed: “There are attempts at quiet profundity throughout The Silent History, attempts that mostly work, as the book dips lightly into what it means to communicate, the role of community and society in the human experience.”
by Diana Gabaldon
4. Where Memories Go by Sally Magnusson
5. Fighting Spirit by Fernando Ricksen with Vincent De Vries
6. The Sex Lives Of Siamese Twins by Irvine Welsh
7. Kingdom by Robyn Young
8. Shredded by Ian Fraser
Independence An Argument For More Home Rule
Summer House With Swimming Pool
The Arsonist
9. Hidden St Andrews by Susan McMullan
10. The Great Tapestry Of Scotland by Alistair Moffat and Andrew Crummy
by Alasdair Gray
by Herman Koch
by Sue Miller
PAPER BACK 1. The Critic
■ With typical frankness, Scottish literary legend Alasdair Gray lays pretty much all his cards on the table with the title of this 128-page pamphlet for change. Writing for The Scotsman, Matt Qvortrup insisted that Gray’s book, while “witty and entertaining”, is “written with equal doses of poetry and panache, but also with that element of populism that otherworldly intellectuals mistake for profundity”.
■ Koch’s last novel, The Dinner, scored a worldwide hit. This new novel, concerning a doctor who is accused of malpractice when a celebrated stage actor dies under his care looks to do just as well. Alastair Mabbott of The Herald praised Koch whose “comedic sense is clearly engaged at all times, and, furthermore, like a thriller writer, he understands that darkness and grit can drive a plot and ramp up tension like nothing else”.
LOOK OUT FOR... ■ Penned in the voice of The Daily Prophet’s gossip columnist Rita Skeeter, JK Rowling (right) has given fans another taste of the adult lives of thirtysomethings Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron as they attend the Quidditch World Cup. The story can be found on pottermore.com.
■ Publishers Macmillan will be marking the 150th anniversary of Alice In Wonderland next year with a re-release of several fiction and related nonfiction titles. Philip Pullman and Philip Ardagh are among those penning new forewords.
■ With The Arsonist, the author of While I Was Gone and Inventing The Abbotts brings us a tale of smalltown woe and a torn community. Frankie returns to her New Hampshire home after 15 years away only to find that someone is setting fire to summer houses. Rosemary Goring in The Sunday Herald stated that “Miller is a skilful storyteller, never better than when evoking the spirit of a place and the tensions between neighbours”.
by Peter May
2. Dead Men’s Bones by James Oswald
3. Extraordinary People by Peter May
4. There Was A Wee Lassie Who Swallowed A Midgie by Rebecca Colby and Kate McLelland
5. Scotland’s Referendum by David Torrance and Jamie Maxwell
6. Flesh Wounds by Chris Brookmyre
7. Bertie’s Guide To Life And Mothers by Alexander McCall Smith
8. Katie In Scotland by James Mayhew
9. How To Train Your Dragon 2 Sticker Activity Book by Cressida Cowell
10. How To Train Your Dragon by DreamWorks ■ Lists from Waterstones 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
30 l CHEF’S CORNER
TOM KITCHIN The Kitchin/The Scran and Scally, Edinburgh
In his Scotland on Sunday column, the Michelin-starred chef reminded regular readers of his “passion for Provence”, revived by a recent visit to Cannes. He enthused over the vegetables grown on France’s Mediterranean coast, singling out artichokes, peppers and courgette flowers. He also dwelled on the fresh seafood available at Provençal markets, including sea bass, langoustines, sea urchins and scallops. Simplicity, he wrote, was the secret to preparing these ingredients. “Lovely sweet, white textured” sea bass, he noted, was best cooked simply but carefully, to produce tender flesh and crispy skin.
tastiest FOOD & Drink Panther seeks green pasture in urban jungle ■ Glasgow-born exfootballer Emmanuel “Manny” Panther has pounced from one dietary extreme to the other in just two months. The former soccer pro, who once played for St Johnstone and Partick Thistle, recently opened the Belgian-style chippie Pommes Frites on Sauchiehall Street. Now he’s offering Glaswegians a shot of good health at Juice Garden, which opened at 23 Renfield Street just in time for the Commonwealth Games. As the name suggests, the bill of fare includes juices and smoothies, plus salads and healthy snacks. There are sit-in and takeaway areas, and a few iPads for customers’ use.
Pinchitos walk the Walk ■ The revamping of ancient drinking dens in Edinburgh’s Leith continues with the opening this month of Serrano Manchego in the former Dalmeny Bar. Tapas bars are now familiar in Scotland, but this new venture – named after famous Spanish forms of ham and cheese – aims to offer a very authentic taste of Spain. The distinction between pinchitos and tapas is a fine one (pinchito can mean a little kebab) but the offer of a tortilla of the day – “perfect for breakfast” – is hard to argue with.
Cuppas on the up ■ Scotland’s first ever tea festival is to take place next month in and around Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. Part of the Year of Homecoming, the festival runs over three days, from August 22 to 24. It was developed partly as a celebration of local tea entrepreneur James Taylor, who was born in nearby Auchenblae and made his name as the founder of the tea industry in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Taylor will be the subject of an exhibition and a talk by Professor Angela McCarthy. Other events include tea-based cocktails, tea tastings, tea ceremonies and a Teddy Bears’ Picnic.
Craft beer festival announced for Glasgow ■ The annual Craft Beer Rising festival is to be held in Scotland for the first time this September. A celebration of beer, music and street food, the festival will be held at Glasgow’s Drygate brewery. There will be four main sessions, with about 45 local and international breweries taking part. Aside from beer and food, talks and demonstrations are planned – including live brewing – with a music programme curated by social networking service Kiltr. The festival runs from September 19 to 21 with tickets available now from www.craftbeerrising.co.uk
WINE OF THE WEEK Les Terrasses de L’Argentier Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc 2012 A vintner’s Tour de France To celebrate the cycling challenge winding its way through France until July 27, Sam Wylie-Harris in The Courier chose some refreshing French wines. For the Tour de France’s 19th leg in Gascony, she recommended Les Terrasses de L’Argentier Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (www.virginwines. co.uk), a “bright and breezy” Gascon white. She said it was an easy-drinking wine “overflowing with zingy apricot fruit’, had “grassy notes” and would be sure to “up the tempo” for the Paris climax. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
RECIPE of the week
Smoked Peppered Mackerel Rillettes From Gerry Sharkey, Executive Head Chef, La Bonne Auberge, Glasgow Gerry is at the helm in La Bonne Auberge’s kitchen, serving menus influenced by the cooking of France and the Mediterranean. He helped win their AA Rosette and has maintained it for several years. He serves this dish with fresh grapefruit, Miller’s toast, cherry tomatoes and a lemon and chive dressing, but you can dress it in your own way if preferred.
Ingredients (serves six) ■ 200g smoked Scottish mackerel ■ 200g peppered mackerel ■ 1 tbs Dijon mustard ■ 1 tbs whole grain mustard ■ 200g cream cheese ■ Juice and zest of one lemon ■ Small handful of chervil Method 1. Prepare the mackerel by removing the skin and discard. Flake the meat into a bowl, carefully pick out any bones. 2. Grate the zest from lemon and juice. 3. Using a food processor, mix together the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest, whole grain and Dijon mustard. A food processor will make mixing easier but, if you do not have one, it is not essential. 4. Roughly chop the chervil. 5. Combine the cream cheese mix, mackerel and chopped chervil until evenly mixed. 6. Serve pâté with fresh herb salad and toast, brioche or oatcakes.
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THE BEST RESTAURANT REVIEWS The Old Bakehouse Main Street, West Linton EH46 7EA www.theoldbakehouserestaurant.com ■ Arriving in West Linton, Gaby Soutar spotted copies of chef Tony Singh’s book Tasty in a shop window, and hoped to avoid a reviewer/chef encounter. At his new restaurant, she was struck by the contrast with his former restaurant, Oloroso, in Edinburgh. The Facebook page, she thought, summed it up: “American (New), Asian Fusion, British, Brunch, Burgers, French, Hot Dogs, Indian/Pakistani, Seafood, Soul Food, Steakhouses, Vegetarian.” One of two summer rolls in her starter featured “duck hunks, thin strips of pepper, beansprouts and mint” and was “great”, though her partner didn’t care for unlisted goat’s cheese in his asparagus tart. He was cheered, however, by the “utter filth” of his Bhangra burger, a large and very meaty lamb concoction. Meanwhile, her broth of Asian vegetables and duck was “a haiku to the burger’s punk anthem”. She declared the puddings “fun” – one of them, dubbed The Sweetie Shop, featured a revolving trolley of ice-cream toppings. Score: 16/20 | The Scotsman
Playfairs
Blu Coo Bistrot
Wild Cabaret
The Vintage at Drygate
2 Playfair Terrace, St Andrews KY16 9HX www.ardgowanhotel.co.uk
The Green, St Boswells TD6 0EW www.buccleucharms.com
18 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LD www.wildcabaret.com
85 Drygate, Glasgow G4 0UT www.drygate.com
Just 200 yards from the Old Course lies this “comfortable, cosy, friendly place” within the Ardgowan Hotel. The Courier’s secret diner noted that the menu “draws heavily on the traditional, but with a difference”, and praised the serving staff’s knowledge. Starters of Caesar salad with rump steak and pigeon with black pudding were both substantial, as were main courses of chicken Balmoral and Puddledub buffalo sirloin. Among the imaginative elements in a shared assiete of desserts were an Irn Bru crême brulée and a “delightfully unusual” parsnip ice cream.
Set in the Buccleuch pub, a former hunting lodge, the Blue Coo was endorsed by Richard Bath as “a classic example of a pub which now serves outstanding food in impressive surroundings”. He admired the artful simplicity of its ambience and the large, varied menu. Mushrooms on brioche were “dreamy” if “parsimonious”, but a starter of carpaccio was “gloriously succulent” and substantial. “Impressive” main courses followed: “perfect” roe venison loin and salmon with asparagus. The cranachan dessert (above) was a highlight and further evidence of proprietors who “clearly care about what they do”.
This new dining and live entertainment venture was given a resounding thumbs-up by Tam Cowan. For him, £24.50 was a small price to pay for a two-course dinner with three hours of magic, comedy and aerial acts. Among the wisecracks about his circus family, Cowan squeezed in a glowing review of a meal featuring chargrilled scallops (“two big plump ’uns”) on black pudding, a rather diminutive helping of pork belly, an Aberdeen Angus fillet with peppercorn sauce (£15 extra), monkfish in Parma ham, praline ice cream and a “vanishing” apricot tart.
At the Vintage – part of the much-admired Drygate craft brewery – Ron MacKenna had his doubts, particularly about “grazing” platters. He admired the decor’s “stylish, vibrant, art school approach” and liked the staff, but thought food seemed “a bit of a bolt-on” to the craft beer menu. There were good points, such as the “delicious and tender” pork cola cubes and the carrot and cumin cannelloni, but the main courses were “dull pub grub”, and as for the panna cotta... “A mish mash,” he concluded, but “it may be fine if you’re just here for the beer”.
Score: 40/50 | The Courier
Score: 7/10 | Scotland on Sunday
Score: 28/30 | The Scottish Sun
Score: 18/30 | The Herald 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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PROPERTY
INSIDE OUT – our Pick of the Scottish Market
Waverley Lodge, Melrose Offers Over: £725,000 Knight Frank ❘ www.knightfrank.com n A substantial, detached Victorian villa set in the beautiful town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, this beautiful family home was modernised approximately eight years ago with the addition of a kitchen/breakfast room extension and a full upgrade
of the central heating system. Its layout is said to be particularly well-suited to modern family living. There are attractive front and rear gardens and the town centre is around half a mile from the property. The accommodation is well laid out and is centred around four main reception rooms and a good-sized reception hall. The garden is also enclosed with a low stone wall to the north and a high stone/brick wall along the western boundary.
BIG BUDGET
Darvel House, Broughty Ferry Offers Over: £575,000
The Rowans, New Fowlis, Crieff Offers Over: £595,000
Thorntons ❘ www.thorntons-property.co.uk
Strutt and Parker ❘ www.struttandparker.com
n This detached residence was effectively extended to the rear to create a magnificent family home. Originally Art Deco, the property is set out over three levels and there is a detached garage with office above, all set within extensive garden grounds. the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
n The Rowans has been decorated to an extremely high level with European hard wood floors, American oak panelled doors and timber framed windows. The house was completed in 2004 and is ideal for families.
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PROPERTY CAPITAL CITY LIVING 8 Gilmore Place Edinburgh
Auchindoune Edinburgh Coulters
This impressive six-bedroom property is located in the Bruntsfield district of the city.
❘ www.coultersproperty.co.uk
Offers over: £595,000
Offers over: £500,000 A grand and imposing detached 1920’s house which also benefits from room to extend subject to planning.
23 Dublin Street South Edinburgh
44 India Street Edinburgh
Knight Frank
Coulters
Offers over: £400,000
Offers over: £325,000
This picturesque, detached mews house has been extensively and carefully renovated.
❘ www.coultersproperty.co.uk
❘ www.knightfrank.com
❘ www.paganosborne.com
Pagan Osborne
An immaculate and beautifully presented basement property in one of the city’s desirable streets.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
54 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh Offers Over: £295,000
2 Dunrobin Road, Airdrie Offers Over: £269,950
Coulters ❘ www.coultersproperty.co.uk
McEwan Fraser Legal ❘ www.mcewanfraserlegal.com
n A truly stunning and individual loft conversion apartment in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End. Accommodation includes a large reception/diner, semi open plan kitchen, master bedroom with en suite shower room and a guest double bedroom.
n This five or six bedroom chalet-style detached bungalow is set amidst mature level grounds in a popular location. A huge amount of time and effort has been spent by the present owner in creating a really special and quite unique family home. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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the best travel writing
TRAVEL SCOTLAND
Gilly Pickup The Scotsman
Coach trip, Central Scotland
■ If you think that coach travel means OAPs and no leg room then you are wrong, wrote Gilly Pickup in The Scotsman. With “no map reading, parking or bags to handle” coach breaks are “stress free” and “ideal for solo travellers”. Gilly’s tour of the Central Belt started with the Falkirk Wheel, “the world’s first and only rotating boat lift”. Nearby are the new Kelpie sculptures (left). The “mythical Celtic water horses” were made by the Glasgwegian artist Andy Scott who drew inspiration from a pair of Clydesdale horses. On a trip to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National
Park, Gilly learned about Honeymoon island. So called because newly-weds used to be castaway on the island. If they were still talking a few days later, that was taken as a sign that “theirs was a marriage that would last”. At Stirling Castle, the reporter was entertained by “tales of crownings, royal fisticuffs, lavish banquets and a murder”. Many of those banquets took place in the Great Hall of James IV, “the largest medieval banqueting hall in Scotland”. Gilly’s trip ended at the new Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre where she participated in its new interactive battle game. Taking the role of King Edward, Gilly’s troops rewrote history and won the battle for England.
TRAVEL BRITAIN
TRAVEL EUROPE
TRAVEL THE WORLD
Ibis Euston St Pancras, London
Baltic Cruise
Calgary, Canada
Melanie Harvey Daily Record
Fiona Laing Scotland on Sunday
Anthony Lambert Scottish Daily Express
■ “Location is everything” wrote Melanie Harvey after staying at the Ibis Euston St Pancras. Being able to walk from her train rather than taking an “awkward trip on the underground” was a relief. For a budget venue, the hotel was “clean, comfortable, modern and air-conditioned” while breakfast in the “funky” restaurant was “fresh and plentiful”. While London is “big, busy” and “hectic” the hotel makes a visit “so much easier”.
■ During a cruise around several Baltic cities, Fiona Laing was “cosseted at every turn” by the staff on the Boudicca cruise ship. When not enjoying “imaginative and extensive” dinner menus on board, she enjoyed Oslo’s Viking Ship Museum (above) and the “neoclassical quarter” around Senate Square in Turku. In Copenhagen, the final port of call, Fiona enjoyed visiting “fine Renaissance buildings such as Rosenborg Castle”.
■ Chuckwagon races and riding bucking bulls are among the thrills on offer at The Calgary Stampede, wrote Anthony Lambert. Away from the leather chaps and Stetsons, he enjoyed cycling along the Bow and Elbow rivers as well as visiting the 127 acre Heritage Park (above). Here Calgary’s past was brought back to life as Anthony “rode an 1893 Ferris wheel” and learned how to “live in a log house with 14 children”.
TRAVEL NEWS All inclusive costs more
Thinking of saving money by going all inclusive? Be careful. Research by Post Office Travel Money shows that booking a B&B holiday could be cheaper than taking an all inclusive package. Post Office Travel Money
found that a July B&B package, including meals and drinks for two people, in the Algarve was £309 cheaper than an all inclusive week’s holiday – £863 compared with £1,172 for two. The savings for families in August were even better. In Ayia Napa a family of four could save themselves £342 by taking the B&B route to a
the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
week’s getaway during the school holidays (£2,290 for a B&B break compared with £2,632).
Commonwealth Games boosts Glasgow rentals The holiday home rental company HomeAway has seen a 1,581% rise in enquiries for properties in the Glasgow & Clyde
Valley region. According to HomeAway’s UK Director, Gregory Sion the increase is down to “the draw of the Commonwealth Games. Other areas of Scotland that are enjoying a hike in interest this summer include Edinburgh and Lothians, Scottish Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Stirling and Ayrshire and Arran”.
THE BEST OF the great outdoors the garden experts Vicky is mucking in with the neighbours ■ An area of abandoned wasteland in the corner of Leith Links has been transformed into a “community croft” and journalist Vicky Allan in the Sunday Herald hasn’t just been writing about it, she’s been part of the life-changing process too. “It was filthy, often smelly work but strangely satisfying”, she said of the effort to clear the site of rubbish and start growing crops. It’s part of an ever-growing movement for communities to make use of gap sites and for neighbours to come together for a common good. She Knowing your onions admitted to being no expert horticulturist and confines herself to pulling weeds. The food that is grown is ■ A reader called on the services of the Sunday Mail’s made all the more special for not being bought in a shop but by “people I have come to know”, she said. garden expert Carol Klein after receiving mixed advice Now’s the time to be replanting your iris rhizomes on whether bending the tops of his onions would ■ After a spectacular summer from her bearded irises make them grow bigger. Jo Whittingham in The Scotsman found that their Carol advised that the rhizomes have become choked with weeds. Luckily, opposite would happen and now is the perfect time for them to be lifted and growth would be restricted. divided. Use a fork to gently lift the rhizomes from the He should leave the tops earth, she said, and cut off any old sections keeping to brown and they would the best. Plant them in a shallow dip and cut the flop over on their own. leaves down to stop the plant blowing about.
OOT AND ABOOT! (Heavy) horsing around
Here’s mud in your eye
■ More than 150 horses from around the country will assemble at The National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride for the annual Heavy Horse show on Sunday July 20. The models for Andy Scott’s Kelpies will be on display as will the museum’s newest recruit Anna, a Clydesdale yearling. If you miss the event, heavy horses and 300 years of farming can be found at the museum all year round.
■ As a lady who is “happier in wellies than high heels”, The Scotsman’s Claire Gardner found that taking part in the Tough Mudder extreme obstacle course in Dalkeith was a curiously enjoyable way to spend a Saturday morning. She had “high walls to climb, ice cold water to plunge into, pits of mud to wade through and barbed wire to crawl under”. That was before the electric shocks...
She split participants in to four camps; the “Rambo runners” who looked like they could “knock out 100 press-ups on one hand while downing a pint” who led the charge. Then there were the soft-handed office workers who knew their way around a gym and “40-something midlife crisis entries” (her included). Bringing up the rear were those “decidedly past their best, heads down, legs pumping, flesh spilling out of straining Lycra”.
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NATURE’S BEST ■ The familiar seven-spot ladybird is under threat from the invasive harlequin ladybird (below) which is out-competing its British counterparts and “gobbling them up for dinner” wrote the Daily Record’s correspondent. The discovery of the insect’s larvae in Kelvingrove Park in 2009 confirmed that the “world’s fastestspreading invasive insect” was in Scotland and breeding. Initially it was feared that the Harlequin would compete with the native species for food and habitat but a new study has shown that it is eating them too. The public is being encouraged to help track developments by contributing sightings of both species to www.ladybird-survey.org ■ Sticklebacks “form friendships and guide each other to food” reported Lucinda Cameron in The Scotsman. New research from a team which included scientists from the University of St Andrews found the fish recognise those they have been housed with and “spend more time interacting with them than unfamilar ones”.
Weather Sunniest
– Kinloss 15.6hrs
Warmest
– Aviemore 25.6C (78.1F)
Wettest
– Kinloss 0.88ins
Coldest
– Aboyne 1.1C (34F)
Weather round-up: Fine weather across most of the country on St Swithin’s Day, which fell on Tuesday, will be seen as a good omen for those hoping for a sunny summer, reported The Daily Telegraph. But the paper confirmed what we all knew anyway: that dry weather on July 15 will not necessary mean 40 days of sunshine. It quoted a Met Office spokesperson who said there was “no scientific basis” to the myth. Temperatures have been on the rise all week long, but the heat was due to be accompanied by thundery showers in places. Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency carried a story this week that suggested the weather has no effect whatsoever on people’s ailments. The story said many people have reported suffering back pain in particular on certain days of the year but, according to new research, “back pain is no more likely to strike on cold, rainy days than in fair weather”. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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CONSUMER
Three of the best...travel gadgets
TRIED AND TESTED
The summer holidays are nearly upon us, so cue the obligatory last-minute panic about what to pack. But things can be made a little easier when you’ve got some top tech for travelling.
Essenti
al
HOLIDA Items Y Orla Kiely Fashion Print Makeup Bag £20.00 John Lewis
Kindle Paperwhite £109.00 Trying to stay within your weight limit isn’t easy if you start packing paperbacks, yet some eReaders can be rendered useless once the sun starts shining. Not so with the Paperwhite. The glare-free screen means you can read just about anywhere. The battery lasts an incredible eight weeks too, so that’s one less charger to take up precious flip flop space. www.amazon.co.uk
Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB Portable Hard Drive £129.99
Inspired by her new fashion prints, these Orla Kiely zip-top bags are the ideal way to transport your cosmetics and makeup in style.
Steve Aoki Suitcase £349.95
No need to download films, music or other digital data on your travels, just load up this device with hundreds of films or thousands of tracks before you go and it’ll wirelessly deliver them all to your devices. The perfect pool-side entertainment centre.
The collaboration between DJ and scooter aficionados has resulted in this kick-board, suitcase and trolley hybrid that’ll get you from A to B in a flash, all while serenaded by the on-board Bluetooth speakers. There is also a more subtle version without the musical ability, which is a couple of budget airline tickets less.
www.argos.co.uk
www.micro-scooters.co.uk
Elemis Summer Set Glow £49.50 Debenhams
The beauty set includes ProRadiance illuminating Flash Balm, Tan Accelerator, Total Glow Bronzing Moisturiser for Face, Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser, Soothing Apricot Toner and a beach bag.
Sunny Bright White Loafers £60.00 Fitflop
These super lightweight canvas loafers have ergonomic cushioned midsoles for all-day comfort.
DRIVE TIME
Toyota Aygo x-cite Price from £11,595
Ford Fiesta Red and Black Edition Price from £15,995
Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake Price from £79,995
Tom Hunter ❘ The Scotsman
Phil Lanning ❘ The Scottish Sun
Andrew Mackay ❘ The Herald
The “moody-looking” x-cite, replaces the older model after a successful nine years on the road, and the changes from its predecessor are “not what you’d call subtle”. “Tailoring the car to your tastes is what the Aygo is all about”, and the car comes with a 36-page accessories brochure giving drivers the chance to do exactly that. Although “it’s hardly a high performance machine”, the new Aygo can still “give a good account of itself on the motorway” and its “grown up” road manners belies its appeal to younger buyers. Toyota should “have little trouble repeating the Aygo success story”.
This edition brightens up the Fiesta’s interior “substantially”, while an already good-looking car on the outside has become even more of a looker. It might “look like a hot hatch”, but this special edition is “very much on the warm side just as Ford wanted it to be”. Performance is “brisk not barnstorming”, although it gives you an “excellent drive”, but the fact it has the 1litre EcoBoost International Engine of the Year means this is a Fiesta with more horsepower per litre than a Bugatti Veyron. In terms of cars you can actually afford to buy, that earns the Fiesta “bragging rights”.
The Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake is a “true eye catcher of a model” and induces passersby to have “open mouthed stares”. Most enjoyable is “the ballistic propulsion that could reach 60mph in 4.4 seconds” and gets you “quickly past primordial Austin Allegros”. With a top speed of 186mph, albeit most will never see that, behind the wheel of the Sportbrake is a “quiet and pleasingly comfortable” place to be and the car “works well”. It is a car someone could live with “for a very long time”. Indeed, its boot “would take golf clubs, a pushchair and perhaps sometime later a wheelchair”. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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BUSINESS & FINANCE Hired, Fired & RETIRED ■ Embattled M&S boss Marc Bolland has more worries, The Scotsman said, after finance chief Alan Stewart was lured to Tesco just two days after the old high street favourite reported on dwindling clothing and homewares sales.
Opening up a northern front for green power generation Ofgem has approved a £1.2bn subsea power line in the north east of Scotland – skirting transmission bottlenecks by connecting Wick with Buckie beneath the waves ■ More than 100 miles of cabling look set to be laid across the Moray Firth after the energy regulator gave the green light to the massive infrastructure project. Perth-based utility SSE wants to install the cable to fully connect the power potential in Scotland’s uppermost corner with the rest of the grid. The investment is expected to help lower the cost of remote power project, and, in time, help keep bills down despite the massive capital cost. By a quirk of timing, the announcement came in the same week as a massive Chinese barge delivered huge concrete foundations to Invergordon (above), for use in the construction of weather stations for offshore wind projects in the Moray Firth and off the coast of Angus.
COMMENTATORS SAY
The cost of renting an average two-bed home in Aberdeen jumped
The paper used data from agent Lettingweb to show the cost of renting had risen by more than five times to Scottish average. The company said the problem was only going to get worse as the city’s population continues to grow – with ‘little new supply’ coming to market. While the average Scottish home rented for £606 a month, the same property in Aberdeen could command £1,007.
36.1%
between 2010 and 2014 thanks to ‘enormous’ demand and low supply, reported Erikka Askeland in The Press and Journal
The Scotsman’s main leader grasped the sheer scale of the investment project. It called SSE’s plan “huge”, likening its cost to dualling roughly half the A9 between Perth and Inverness – but arguing that the economic benefit could be even greater. “The biggest engineering project the Highlands will have seen since the construction of the Kessock Bridge” should allow further development of renewable power in the north, the paper said, but also promote wave and tidal generation in due course. But it warned there remains “a way to go yet” before the vision can become reality. The Scotsman also featured Michael Rieley, senior policy
the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
manager at industry body Scottish Renewables, who welcomed the news, and argued that economic impact studies had shown the project would deliver an average of 1,340 job a year for the area. Elsewhere, former UK energy minister Brian Wilson used a slot in the same title to argue against a new Scottish Government paper on energy regulation in the event of independence. But he noted the Ofgem approval for the Caithness to Moray link and wondered aloud who might fund an investment of such scale from within Scotland alone. The Herald’s political editor, Magnus Gardham, took up a similar theme in its opinion pages. He said both sides of the indyref debate could agree with the report’s conclusion that sticking with an integrated UK market would be in the common interest, but warned that Westminster has said subsidy regimes beneficial to Scottish renewables could not continue in the event of a break-up.
■ There’s a new boss at Mothercare, with interim chief Mark NewtonJones (below) charged with stemming UK losses after taking on the £600,000-a-year job full time. ■ Justin King completed his departure from Sainsbury’s – with group commercial director Mike Coupe taking over as chief executive at the grocer’s annual general meeting. ■ Chairman of Macdonald Hotels, Donald Macdonald, is to take over day-to-day running of the business after CEO David Guile stood down to pursue other interests.
BUSINESS & finance WEEK IN NUMBERS
27.6%
The average profit margin made by North Sea oil and gas firms during the first quarter of 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics – the lowest level in almost five years. The Press and Journal reported how bosses and trade bodies were “pleading” for a simple and predictable tax regime, while HM Treasury announced a new consultation on the issue.
£6.4m
Cash pocketed by Galliford Try after the infrastructure giant paid £16.6m to take on the construction arm of Edinburghbased Miller Group – and received £23m in working capital into the bargain. The Herald said the move meant uncertainty for “hundreds of workers”, while The Scotsman said it marked a “clearing of the decks” ahead of the potential flotation of a slimmed-down housebuilder and commercial property specialist.
20,124
Interest waning? Hands in pockets ■ Shoppers are concerned by the prospect of rising interest rates – and it’s stopping them spending, according to the British Retail Consortium. Figures released this week revealed that trading on the UK’s high streets actually fell last month, despite a whole load of positive indicators for the economy in recent weeks.
Scotland’s toy industry could get a major boost after Rutherglen’s H Grossman, the first firm to import loom bands to the UK, said it would consider opening a UK factory. Sunday Herald business editor Colin Donald said the firm shifted bands worth
£3m
or more inside a few months.
■ We’re all used to news bulletins ending with a line on the performance of the FTSE share index – but what if a Scottish exchange was to make a return to the markets in the event of independence? Academics this week said it would have underperformed its big brother in London, with real terms growth of 5.7% since 1955 on a dividends reinvested basis. Plenty of papers carried the curiosity piece, dubbing it a ‘Scotsie 100’. Scotland’s exchange merged with London in 1973. The report, by London Business School and Walbrook Economics, used a company’s location to determine its ‘listing’. It laid out a Scotsie dominated by utilities, energy firms, investment trusts and banks. Without those pesky banks – and RBS and HBOS in particular – the index would have marginally outperformed London.
COMMENTATORS SAY
4.2%
£230m
The sum Galashiels-based speciality drugs firm Prostrakan spent to snap up rival Archimedes Pharma in a deal designed to help accelerate its European expansion plans. Chief executive Tom Stratford told The Scotsman’s Terry Murden that Prostrakan had benefited from ‘rare’ support from its Japanese owner.
The Courier reported how consumers had slammed on the brakes in June as like-forlike sales fell 0.8% despite the effect of the usual World Cup spendathon. Home accessory sales were weak amid speculation over rate rises, while the rise of the discount supermarket has helped keep food prices down.
At the close, the Scotsie share index...
The number of cars sold by the John Clark Motor Group during 2013. The firm posted a 68% hike in pre-tax profits as it booked its fourth record-breaking year on the bounce.
The proportion of people Which? expects to switch bank accounts this year. Regulators want to end the big banks’ market monopoly.
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Pay deal derailment? ■ The latest round of annual general meetings has brought the usual wrangles over executive pay – with FirstGroup’s Tim O’Toole (above) in the firing line. His package almost doubled to £1.9m last year, despite the scrapping of the dividend for shareholders and a discounted rights issue launched to help rebuild First’s balance sheet. Activist investors were on the warpath over the 94% hike.
Scotland on Sunday’s Kristy Dorsey said the transport boss would “feel the wrath” of shareholders, with a “significant” number expected to reject the pay deal. The revolt is just the latest in a string of similar actions, she said, and follows hot on the heels of anger over an eye-watering £27m deal for Burberry’s Christopher Bailey. But stablemate Terry Murden wondered if – despite all the fizz – anything really changes. Most votes remain advisory, he said, and the cheques will likely get cashed however tough general meetings become for a company board. But he welcomed the fact that powerful institutional investors have found their voices and pondered whether targets should be tougher.
talking heads “I’ve heard that it has become the cheapest weekend destination in the UK.” Martin Gilbert, chief exec of sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management (top), hopes the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen will spur golfers into visiting the Granite City as a weekend destination.
“We are not poised with pens at the moment but it is one of the things we would look at.” Kenneth Shand, chief executive of Maclay Murray & Spens, didn’t rule out mergers or acquisitions as the law firm reported “strong growth” in profits. Brodies also reported revenue and profit growth, following the success of its three-year strategic plan.
“We have major concerns that Lloyds seems comfortable in announcing continuous salami slicing job losses on a bi-monthly basis.” Unite the Union national officer Rob MacGregor attacks Lloyds Banking Group after it revealed its latest tranche of job cuts.
“The recovery in the Scottish economy is now firmly embedded.” Bank of Scotland chief economist Donald MacRae highlighted a rebound in growth in both manufacturing and services as the lender published the latest edition of its closelywatched PMI study. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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SPORT Monty’s major victory
Glasgow gears up for action as Commonwealth Games draws near ■ The Diamond League athletics meeting at Hampden Park was almost like a dress rehearsal – and now Glasgow is almost ready for the real thing. The 20th Commonwealth Games will get underway in less than a week’s time and, if last weekend’s Sainsbury’s Grand Prix was anything to go by, the track and field events will be hugely competitive affairs. Star of the show, and obviously one to watch over the next fortnight or so, was Eilidh Child, who won the 400 metre hurdles in front of her home crowd with a season’s best time of 54.39 seconds. However, The Courier noted the Kinross athlete “will need to turn it up another notch” if she is to reach the Commonwealth Games podium and better the silver she won in Delhi four years ago.
Seven Scots received a preGames boost this week after being picked for the European Championships squad, with Beth Potter (10,000m), Laura Muir (1,500m), Lynsey Sharp (800m), Chris O’Hare (1,500m), Jake Wightman (1,500m) and Jax Thoirs (pole vault) joining Child on the team. But while preparations on the track are going well, there were still a few problems to straighten out off it. The Scottish Sun reported that a sickness and diarrhoea bug hit the athletes’ village just two days before the first competitors arrived, with 10 members of staff falling ill. And TV coverage of the Games was also thrown into doubt after BBC staff voted to stage a 12-hour strike over pay on the day of the opening ceremony – sparking last-ditch talks to try and resolve the dispute.
■ Major success eluded Colin Montgomerie throughout his career, but the Scot chalked up a second major victory on the seniors circuit by winning the US Senior Open. The 51-year-old took advantage of some struggles for overnight leader Gene Sauers to force a three-hole playoff, with Montgomerie eventually going on to secure the title after Sauers bogeyed the second extra hole. The trophy win came seven weeks after Montgomerie won the Senior PGA Championship, his first official victory in America in his career – as the World Championship Match Play had been classed as an unofficial event when he won it back in 1998. The Scot had trailed by four shots at one stage in the tournament but he got plenty of help from Sauers as the Georgia native closed with a 73. The pair finished four shots ahead of the chasing pack.
OTHER NEWS Sprinter says sorry Jamaican sprint superstar Yohan Blake apologised to Scottish fans after choosing to skip the Commonwealth Games in favour of the more lucrative Diamond League meets. The double Olympic silver medallist said he could not put his preparations for Rio 2016 at risk. “Of course I’m disappointed to be missing out on Glasgow 2014 but it’s in my best interests,” he said.
Three badminton bites Badminton star Imogen Bankier told BBC Scotland that it was “fantastic to have three bites at the cherry” as she goes for a medal at Glasgow 2014. The 26-year-old hopeful is targeting a place in the semifinal at least as she competes in the mixed doubles, the women’s doubles and the team event.
Gauld off to a flier Ryan Gauld made a winning start to his Sporting Lisbon career, coming off the bench in a 2-1 friendly win over an Azores XI. The ex-Dundee United star debuted after making a multimillion pound switch.
Rowers recoup medals Five of the six Scots racing in the Rowing World Cup picked up medals. Heather Stanning, Imogen Walsh, Polly Swann, Alan Sinclair and Sam Scrimgeour all secured podium places in Switzerland.
HAUD YER WHEESHT! ■ After England’s early exit from the World Cup, an MP has called for the House of Commons to formally debate the formation of a UK football team on the basis that “outstanding” players are currently being denied World Cup opportunities. The Herald reported how Tory MP Laurence Robertson put the controversial idea forward as an early day motion and believes that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should join forces to have a better chance at winning on the international stage.
His motion, which has been ridiculed by fans north of the border, noted that England has not won the World Cup since 1966 and has failed on three occasions since to qualify at all, while Scotland has only qualified eight times out of 20, Northern Ireland three times, and Wales just once. The motion went on to observe that “no other nation fields more than one national team” and argued that fielding four teams from the UK “reduces the chances of success” for top British players. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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SPORT Rose wants swift followup to Scottish success
Germany set the benchmark
Scots look forward to date with new world champions ■ Scotland may not have even qualified for this summer’s World Cup, but it’s fair to say we’ve had more than a passing interest in what’s been happening over in Brazil. Now that it’s over, of course, attention turns to the European Championships and whether or not the Tartan Army will be able to join that particular party in France in two years’ time. The size of the task has been known for some time and there were a few eyebrows raised when Germany were initially pulled out of the hat
alongside Scotland in Group D. But the assignment Gordon Strachan’s men have been given in Dortmund on September 7 suddenly became all the more daunting after Germany’s stunning triumph in the Maracana last week. Mario Götze’s extra-time winner over Argentina sealed the Germans’ fourth World Cup title in their history and will surely make Joachim Löw’s side one of the favourites not just to seal a place as Group D winners in qualifying for the Euros but also to lift the trophy itself in Paris on July 10, 2016.
Scotland’s forthcoming game against Germany will be both countries’ opening qualifiers and, although it will not decide anything at such an early stage, it will give Strachan a fair idea of what the team needs to do to reach their first major finals in almost two decades. Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that Scotland will host England in a friendly at Celtic Park on November 18. That game has been billed as a rematch from the Wembley encounter between the sides last August, which England won 3-2.
COMMENTATORS SAY final,” he noted. “But that’s ■ Germany were “all about where the similarities with the team rather than the that poor excuse for a football individual”, wrote Kenny match ended.” Dalglish in the Daily Record, The same paper’s Martyn and that is why they emerged Ziegler also described it as a triumphant in the end. “fabulous” final to end what “Much of what they have had been a “spell-binding” achieved has been based on World Cup. “Whether the the idea that their individuals watching figure of Christ the sacrifice themselves for the Redeemer on the hill-top team,” he added, although overlooking the Maracana he did suggest that Germany had anything to do with it is do not possess “anyone who a matter for the theological really makes you sit on the debate, but Heaven knows edge of your seat”. this was a wonderful end to Still, The Scotsman’s Alan this marvellous Copa das Pattullo said the final had Copas, the World Cup of all been a “contest fitting for a World Cups,” he concluded. World Cup final” that would Indeed, Scotland on “live long in the memory”. Sunday’s Aidan Smith “Argentina wore blue, quipped that few people had Germany were in white – as wanted to upset the hosts of was the case in 1990 when “The Best World Cup Ever (© the countries also met in the the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
just about every member of the laminate pass legions)”, although he was particularly glad “Travesty Brazil” failed to win out in the end. Of course, Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 in their semi-final and that was the focus of John McGarry’s analysis in the Scottish Daily Mail. He said that meant Scotland’s game against Germany in September now had “all the appeal of being tied to a rail track” and, although he said the Scots still have good reason to approach the Euros “with a degree of cautious optimism”, it will still be a “tall order”. “The ruthless manner of their historic 7-1 win was enough to send a shiver down he neck of every Scot,” he said.
■ Justin Rose has set his sights on more glory at Hoylake this week after claiming victory in the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen. The Daily Record’s Euan McLean revealed how the Englishman is keen to win The Open after picking up his second title triumph in a row “with a stunning display of clinical golf that left the chasing pack – including Scotland’s big hope Marc Warren – trailing in his wake”. Most of golf’s big names will take part in this week’s Open Championship, with a whole host of Scots hoping to get their name on the Claret Jug.
Quick FIRE ■ Freyja Prentice and Mhairi Spence narrowly missed out on a medal in the modern pentathlon as Great Britain finished fourth at the European Championships in Hungary. The Scotsman
■ The SFA faced anger after it emerged fans will have to pay up to £60 for a ticket for the forthcoming friendly against England. The Herald
■ Olympic and world champion Mo Farah will make a decision about running at Glasgow 2014 “further down the line” as he struggles with injury. Scottish Daily Mail
SPORT
good week
QUOTES
Paul Foster
“I’ve been in football for 41 years and I’m going out right at the top.”
The Team Scotland bowler had been left “devastated” after his lawn bowls were stolen from Troon Portland Bowling Club. However, after police investigated the break-in, the bowls – which Foster has been playing with since April ahead of the Commonwealth Games – were recovered. See Fred MacAulay’s take on the theft on page 46.
Jordan Rhodes
The 24-year-old Scotland forward extended his contract with Blackburn to 2019. The striker has scored 53 goals in 96 appearances since joining from Huddersfield Town for £8 million in 2012. “I enjoy coming in every day and to have an extension of two more years on top of my current contract is a real bonus,” he told the club’s website.
BAD week
James Austin
The Scottish judo medal hope told The Scotsman he was “absolutely gutted” after injury ruled him out of the Commonwealth Games. The 31-year-old was due to compete in the 100kg weight along with teammate Euan Burton.
ALAN HANSEN The football pundit retired from TV after the World Cup final
■ Celtic Park is almost unrecognisable as the finishing touches are put to this week’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
Mixed results for Scots’ hockey hopefuls ■ Scotland’s hockey teams endured mixed fortunes in the Investec Cup, with the country’s women claiming a bronze medal while the men left empty-handed. Gordon Shepherd’s women completed the double over Wales and clinched a podium place with a 3-2 victory, revealed The Herald. The Scots had been three goals to the good thanks to
strikes by Nikki Lloyd, Vikki Bunce and Ali Bell, although they took their “foot off the pedal” to allow the Welsh back into the game late on. However, they held on to secure a victory and earn a bronze medal. Meanwhile, the men were not so successful as they ended up with the wooden spoon after a disappointing weekend in London. A 3-0 defeat to South Africa piled on the misery, although The Herald’s Craig Madden noted that the fact the two teams will play each other in the opening game of the Commonwealth Games made for a “cagey” encounter. Indeed, Scotland chose to rest star players like goalkeeper Jamie Cachia, striker Alan Forsyth and captain Chris Grassick (pictured).
Eilish McColgan
The Scot was left disappointed after her 12th place steeplechase finish at the Diamond League meeting in Glasgow saw her fail to qualify for the European Championships. She missed the required standard by less than two seconds.
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“If it was up to me I’d pause the Commonwealths.” EILISH MCCOLGAN Planning for Glasgow haven’t been great
“I couldn’t have done more – the better man won.” MARC WARREN The Scot was pipped at the post by Justin Rose at Royal Aberdeen but was proud of his play
“It’s pretty special because you guys invented the game and the knowledge of the game is second to none.
■ Team Scotland are ready to go in every sport at this year’s Commonwealth Games, judging by this picture taken at Stirling Castle.
Justin rose The Englishman was happy to win in Scotland 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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SPORT
OFF
Fans look back in anger at tax case ■ Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray welcomed the news that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had lost its appeal over the oldco’s use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs), but his subsequent statement – that there are “no winners” from the outcome – seemed particularly pertinent. Dubbed the Big Tax Case, the tax authority had argued that payments made to players and other employees should be taxable but the Murray Group, which used to be in charge of the Glasgow club,
claimed they were loans. A first-tier tribunal (FTT) had issued a 2-1 majority verdict which favoured, in principle, the Murray Group in November 2013 and ordered that HMRC’s £46.2million demands, about three-quarters of which referred to the liquidated club, be “reduced substantially”. But the fact upper-tier judge Lord Doherty dismissed HMRC’s appeal against the decision last week represented a victory for Murray, who claimed he would not have sold the club to businessman
Craig Whyte in 2011 in what turned out to be one of the most disastrous transactions in Scottish football history. Murray may feel vindicated, but Rangers fans took to blogs and social media to vent their anger at their treatment. They feel they have been the victims of a “witch hunt” after seeing their club liquidated, with one fan group even claiming they were exploring further legal action against HMRC, the SFA and even the BBC for how it reported Rangers’ use of the EBT scheme.
COMMENTATORS SAY The same paper’s leader ■ Lord Docherty’s verdict was said it was easy to understand branded “good news” for Sir fans’ “thirst for revenge” but David Murray by The Scottish said new court action would Sun’s Chris Musson, but the drag the club through the writer noted that fans will see it as “a hollow victory at best”, courts again with “little or nothing to be gained”. with the “damage already It called for a line to be done” to their club. drawn, but admitted it was He said the outcome was “not so easy to be pragmatic good for Murray because he when you’re a long suffering could now argue “with some supporter”. justification” that Rangers’ Describing the Rangers story demise should never have as an “unrelenting scandal”, happened and that the tycoon the Daily Record’s Keith would not have sold to Craig Jackson said “deep seated Whyte. outrage” was almost universal, But while some fans will lay pointing out the anger of the blame at HMRC’s door, Celtic fans who maintain Musson said he “was not so their rivals benefited from a sure”. “Even if the taxman is to blame for making the club “prolonged and sustained an unattractive purchase, period of financial chicanery”. it does not mean Murray However, he said an “even should have sold it to a dodgy frothier tide of bitterness, dealer,” he continued. resentment and undiluted rage the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
THE BALL
■ The World Cup might be over, but BBC Radio Scotland’s hit show continued with Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan welcoming Michael Stewart and Paul Kane to the studio. ■ Topics discussed included the Hibs’ fans group takeover led by Kane and players who are known for one thing and one thing only, while listeners were also asked if they had done anything more dangerous than being trampled by a bull. ■ Team of the Week was the Funfair XI, featuring Lex Goldfish and Waltzer Smith.
Celtic seek to finish job is swelling on the other side of Glasgow’s great divide”, with Rangers fans “convinced that a sustained and malicious campaign has been waged against their club”. Murray’s “biggest mistake” in the whole saga was selling to Whyte, he added, the moment when a “gloomy situation became an unrecoverable one”. “Murray still insists that he was duped by this mysterious man whose PR flunkies packaged him up as a billionaire but whose actual wealth had slipped so far off the radar that it was hardly worth detecting,” he added. Describing Whyte as a “fraud of a man”, Jackson said it remains “impossible to comprehend how Murray could have fallen for him”.
■ Celtic will be looking to book their spot in the next round of Champions League qualifying by seeing off KR Reykjavik on Scottish soil this week. The Hoops have high hopes of qualifying for the Champions League group stages but will have to firstly negotiate a second leg against the Icelandic champions at Murrayfield on July 22 and then two further rounds. Boss Ronny Deila has spoken of his frustration at Celtic – who won the first leg 1-0 – having to play three qualifiers to reach the groups, telling the media it was “stupid that the Scottish co-efficient is not regarded as good enough” for automatic entry.
SPORT
good week
QUOTES
Stephen Gallacher
“It doesn’t come much tougher than this.”
The Scot is gunning for a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team and a course-record equalling 63 on the final day of the Scottish Open will have done his chances no harm at all. A share of fifth place was a “perfect way to prepare for his week at The Open”, said The Courier’s Steve Scott.
Scott Jamieson
Another Scot with something to aim for at Royal Aberdeen was 30-year-old Jamieson, who was hoping to claim one of the final remaining spots at The Open Championship. Jamieson did just that, thanks to what The Herald’s Matthew Lindsay described as a “heroic final round” on the tough links golf course. He needed to hole a 10-foot putt at the last to qualify for Hoylake and managed to hold his nerve.
Paul hartley Dundee’s boss was right – but they still managed a win over Man City
“The Euros are only a couple of years away now so I’m setting my sights on that.” ■ Dundee’s Willie Dyer holds off the advances of Manchester City star Jesus Navas in the pre-season friendly at Dens Park. Dundee ran out 2-0 winners in the game.
HEADLINES
Louise Richardson
University of St Andrews’ female principal spoke out against the neighbouring R&A’s discriminatory policies, suggesting that it has interfered with her work. The American motherof-three had refrained from talking about the issue up until now, having been denied the offer of membership that is traditionally given to those taking up the university post. However, in an interview with the New York Times, she said: “I run this place very successfully and I’m not allowed in the clubhouse 600 yards from my own house?”
FRASER Forster The Celtic goalkeeper is keen to force his way into Roy Hodgson’s England plans
GOLF: The Scottish Open will continue its tour of the country in 2015 by visiting Gullane in East Lothian before returning to Castle Stuart in 2016, organisers confirmed.
Scots continue quest for Europa League glory
BAD week
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■ Scottish clubs will be in Europa League qualifying action again this week, with the all-important second legs due to be played on Thursday. Scottish Cup winners St Johnstone are at home to FC Luzern of Switzerland in their return leg, while Motherwell face a difficult trip in Iceland to play Stjarnan. Aberdeen are also on their travels as they head to Holland for the second leg against FC Groningen.
Speedway: Dmitri Berge saluted Glasgow Tigers fans for their support after his horror crash earlier in the season. The teenager made an appearance at the Premier League match with Scunthorpe Scorpions to pay tribute to supporters after suffering arm, leg and kidney damage in a crash against Peterborough in April. SHINTY: Skye are now eyeing a cup double after lifting the Balliemore Cup, reported Kenneth Stephen in The Scotsman. Skye edged out Ballachulish in extra time to clinch the title and they have a Camanachd Cup semi-final tie with Glen Urquhart to look forward to.
“If I do the business, maybe a La Liga team will come in for me.” Jason Cummings The Hibs striker did not let reported interest from Swansea upset his preparations
“The boys welcomed me and really made me feel part of the team.” BENNI MCCARTHY South Africa’s all-time top scorer made a shock appearance for Lowland League side Whitehill Welfare
■ Hearts teamed up with the famous Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival to mark the centenary of the main stand at Tynecastle. 19 July 2014 ❘ the stooshie
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COMMENT
FRED SAID Comedian, broadcaster and presenter
FRED MACAULAY
Looking to the stars, with his feet firmly on the ground Fred hasn’t got time to wait for interplanetary travel to take off but he’s got some ideas for what to do until then
■ A number of aerodromes have been identified as potential spaceports in Scotland. Among them is Stornoway, Lossiemouth and Prestwick, or as it’s known on some airlines websites, Glasgow (Prestwick). I’ve lived in a golden era where intercontinental travel has become viable and affordable. We first flew to Australia when the kids were small. Middle child was awake for almost 28 hours, something Aileen and I reminded ourselves about recently when he told us that when it was exam time at university he regularly ‘pulled an all-nighter’ to study. The only time I’ve ever done anything remotely like that was when my pals and I got a lockin in a pub in Ballater some years ago. Or it might have been Braemar or Brigadoon...
Clarifications and corrections The Stooshie is committed to journalism of the highest standards and we aim to produce our magazine with accuracy, honesty and fairness. Our journalists adhere to the DC Thomson company values of integrity, respect, commitment and creativity. We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice which is enforced by the Press Complaints Commission. It is our policy to publish clarifications and corrections when necessary and as quickly as possible. You can contact us by email at: editor@thestooshie.co.uk or by writing to: The Readers’ Editor, The Stooshie, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.
the stooshie ❘ www.thestooshie.co.uk
I’m trying to deflect unwanted attention from the publican who I think might still be serving there! I doubt I’ll be around when space travel is common, but the main difference between space travel, as we currently know it, and air travel, is that with the former you take off and land at the same place. And when you land your bank balance will be a couple of hundred thousand pounds lighter. For those of us who can’t afford space travel, we can get the same experience by going round the full Inner Circle of the Glasgow Underground from Partick... to Partick. And it won’t cost you the price of a detached house. I wonder though, if the spaceport is to be situated at Prestwick will it be renamed Earth (Prestwick) with another spaceport called Earth just 30 minutes away in Paisley?
Radio gag-argh ■ I’ve been part of Radio 4’s Newsquiz show for 18 years and I enjoy the pressure of writing topical material for one of the flagships of radio comedy. Essentially, the week of recording is spent trying to second guess which topics might come up. Then writing gags about them. Figuring we’d be discussing the theft of Team Scotland’s Paul Foster’s bowls (that’s him below) I jotted down a couple of lines. Namely: that the bowls had been found wrapped in newspapers in a hedge by a dog called Pickles (harking back to the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy story from 1966, made semi topical by the fact the World Cup was on). Got a laugh from the others in the studio. Then I went on to say that the police forensic department had inspected the bowls, found them to be in good order but were mystified as to where the holes you put your fingers in had gone. Another laugh. I then read afterwards that someone involved in the sport of bowls had accused me on Twitter of “belittling their sport”. I’ve nothing more to say on the matter other than, my job is to get laughs (job done). And also... isn’t the ablilty to ‘block’ on Twitter a wonderful thing.
Information about the Code of Practice can be obtained from The Press Complaints Commission at Halton House, 20/23 High Holborn, London EC1N 2JD or email complaints@pcc.org.uk or call 0845 6002757 or 0207 8310022. Published in Great Britain by D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, 185 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2HS. © D. C. Thomson & Co., Ltd, 2014. Distributed by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU. Tel: +44(0) 20 3148 3300 Fax: +44(0) 20 3148 8105 Website: www. marketforce.co.uk
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