Get your flags out, your fair frock on and your arches up because it’s almost time for the best day of the year.
By Jenny Scott
Thousands of excited children are anxiously waiting for 9’oclock, probably the only time of the year they are actually impatient for school to begin. Wherever you look people are dressed up, be it in regal costumes, fancy dress or their very finest. There’s not a car or bus to be seen, the only noise heard on the streets is the resounding chorus of pipe bands dotted all over the town. Girls in matching white dresses carrying huge baskets of freshly cut flowers are surrounded by dancing boys kitted out in sparkling spandex whilst fairies are vigorously tugging on their wings and giving their wands a final once over, anxious to get on their way and use the ‘special fairy walk’ they have been learning for the last two months. Just what exactly is going on in the sleepy little mining town of Bo’ness?
It’s the Fair Day. Or to use it’s full title ‘The Borrowstounness Children’s Fair Day Festival.’ The biggest of it’s kind in Europe and easily the most important day of the year for any true Bo’nessian, effortlessly eclipsing Christmas or Easter. It’s difficult to show how passionate Bo’ness is about it’s Fair Day without experiencing it firsthand for yourself, however Douglas Snedden, the famous ‘voice of the Fair’ sums up how the locals feel perfectly: “Over the years, we may have lost our docks, our pits, our hosiery’s and our potteries but the one thing we haven’t lost is our fantastic community spirit – this sense of camaraderie – that has seen our fair grow from strength to strength as the years go on and long may it continue to do so. For wouldn’t Bo’ness be a poorer place without it”.
Since it’s beginnings in 1779 the Fair Day has changed significantly. What originally started as a celebration to the end of the thirling of miners – one eyewitness described the first fair day as “a drunken orgy” among the coalminers of the district – gradually evolved in to the lavish festivities that are even more popular today than ever before. Nowadays the Fair is all about creating a huge send off for the children before the summer holidays begin and the town does a brilliant job at kick starting the summer with a bang.
It is easy to be wary of events like these but by no means is the Fair Day a small town conspiracy, a communal effort to overemphasize yet another ‘gala day’ to try and drum up a sense of self importance. What sets the Fair Day apart from your typical small town event or fete is tradition, dedication, and the undeniably strong sense of community noticeable by anyone visiting the town. There is also the participation of visitors welcomed from as close as the next town over to as far as Canada, Russia and Norway, to name but a few. Steven Herd, one of the volunteers who runs Valley Fm, the radio station dedicated to all things fair day, gives a visitors account of the day firsthand: “I feel that it takes someone who does not come from Bo’ness to realize the extreme proportions of the fair, both physically and financially. However, Bo’nessians see this almost religious act of keeping money aside for the smallest chance that their child will be chosen almost common-place . . .so it is this fact which amazes me most; the extent to which families dedicate themselves to this event. I now believe that Bo’ness is either a town of understatements or perhaps just blind modesty”. And there is no greater honor, or financial strain than having your daughter crowned Queen of the Fair Day.
The sheer time and effort put in by the Queen’s family is astounding and is a point that has been commented on in many of the National newspapers as ‘ludicrous’ and a complete waste of money and resources etc. People spend thousands, and I mean thousands on scaffolding and wood, professional painters and decorators not to mention joiners, just to build an impressive ‘arch’, the local terminology used for a house frontage, essentially there to advertise your child and the part they play in the Fair. Of course there’s other things to consider as well, such as the costumes that have to be tailor made, the hairstyles that have to be constructed by hairdressers called out on the fair morning amongst the many other ‘essentials’ that make up the perfect fair day. So why do people risk getting themselves in to so much debt? The short and simple answer is: happy memories.
The parents of this small town are doing their very best to provide their children with as many happy childhood memories to look back on as possible, fundamentally the reason the fair has been going on for so long, is more popular than ever and will probably continue to be a crucial event in the towns calendar for years to come. Ex-Queen Samantha-Lee Sherratt describes her fond memories of the year she was crowned Queen: “Nothing can describe that feeling of being woken up by the pipe band and realizing it’s the Fair Day. And not just any Fair Day but the most important one of your life. Putting on my dress and riding in the horse drawn carriage to the park is the most excited and nervous I’ve ever felt. But when 11 o’clock chimed on the Glebe Park clock and I finally became Queen, and there were over twenty thousand people screaming and cheering for me, that was the best feeling in the world.” The parents and grandparents of Bo’ ness have already had their happy Fair memories and now they want the same for their children who, if tradition remains unbroken, will want the same for their own hopefully continuing the tradition.
Of course it’s not just the locals who have fond memories of the Fair or who return to it every year to try and rekindle happier times, there’s something for everyone and it’s hard not to find something to be impressed by or enjoy. In order to experience the full effect it is recommended you arrive the night before the big day, dubbed the Fair’ene. Spend a warm, sunny, summer evening strolling around the town admiring all the arches then off to bed to make sure you’re bright eyed and bushy tailed for your early start the following day. Then you’ve got two processions, the crowning of the Queen, the live entertainment and stalls at Douglas Park, ‘the shows’ and of course the fair day is not complete without a barbecue. This year will be the 100th Fair Day to be held so what better time to come and visit? So whether your young or old, local or not, it’s well worth investing some time in a visit to the Bo’ness Children’s Fair Festival, you never know, you could become one of the adopted locals returning every year. It’s the best way to do it, all the perks of the Fair without dealing with the big cleanup afterwards.
Andy Murray made a winning start as he bids to win his first Grand Slam and Wimbledon title.
The Scot won in four sets, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, but had to endure a scare as his opponent Robert Kendrick took the second set and threatened throughout their encounter.
Murray battles through
Kendrick, ranked 76 in the world, strengthened as the match went on and with his big, powerful forehand won an impressive tie break to level matters up.
Murray, who looked passive throughout, improved in the third set, which was epitomised with some impressive serves. He managed to take the set fairly comfortably and this was repeated in the fourth and final set.
In truth Murray did not play great, but did not need to and his performance was solid and good enough to beat an inspired opponent. He will have to up his game as the tournament goes on, but it is clear to see he does have a few extra gears he can move up to. In any case, you do not want to play your best tennis at the start. It is all about timing it and hopefully this can happen a week on Sunday in the final.
Murray now plays Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who is ranked 74th in the world.
Last year, the AQA was moved to withdraw her poem Education for Leisure from the GCSE English exam, due to its supposed insinuations of knife crime. Her unashamed relationship with fellow writer Jackie Kay was allegedly considered by Tony Blair to be too unconventional for Middle England. An emotional and forthright poet, Carol Ann Duffy seems to court contention more than most.
The latest stanza in her eventful comedy of errors allows her to maintain her offbeat characterisation: Duffy is set to become the first woman Poet Laureate. For months there has been neck-and-neck competition between Ms Duffy and West Yorkshire poet Simon Armitage, but a report yesterday announced that the UK government have made their final decision.
An official announcement on Thursday will confirm that Duffy will follow in the footsteps of Andrew Motion who held the post for ten years – the only poet thus far not to take on the position for life. Yesterday Motion praised his likely successor saying:
“I would be profoundly pleased if Carol was to take on the role as I think she would be magnificently good at it. She’s an absolutely wonderful writer and I think that because no woman has had the role, having Carol would give the whole thing a great glamour and appeal.”
This year a new means of choosing who would fill the post, implemented by Andy Burnham the culture secretary, allowed for the general public to assume a more involved role in the process. Poetry lovers were invited to vote for their favourites by writing to ministers, while other authors and scholars were also asked for their contributions.
However, the role may not be welcomed with entirely open arms as would ordinarily be assumed. Ten years ago, before Motion took on the role, Duffy was also a candidate. Yet, representatives at Downing Street vetoed her from the position, the reason allegedly being that Middle English society were not ready to embrace her openly homosexual lifestyle. At the time, Duffy was said to be deeply bruised at the rejection, declaring herself ”out of the picture” regarding any future considerations for the post. She later maintained that she would not have taken on the post anyway, angrily stating:
“I will not write a poem for Edward and Sophie. No self-respecting poet should have to.”
If Duffy was to change her mind about her views of the honour, it would be a turnaround to the fans who recognise her as a fearlessly controversial figure, unafraid to speak her mind. She hotly defended the removal of Education for Leisurefrom examinations, claiming it to be conducive to raising awareness of street crime. The poem contained lines such as:
Today I am going to kill something. Anything.
I have had enough of being ignored and today
I am going to play God. It is an ordinary day,
a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets
To counter the seeming overreaction to her poem, Duffy countered the decision to ban it by penning another poem, Mrs Schofield’s GCSE, in which knife-related incidents found in traditional GCSE fare, such as Shakespeare’s plays are highlighted:
Who said
Is this a dagger which I see? Which tragedy?
Whose blade was drawn which lead to Tybalt’s death?
By proving her point in such a waym she has garnered a number of supporters in her field. Poet and professor Robert Crawford describes her work as being “lively, lyrical, somewhat provocative, alert to poetry’s capacity even in the 21st century to have a significant public dimension.”
Over the last seven weeks at the High Court in Edinburgh, a jury has heard the prosecution case against eight men aged between 23 and 46 who face a range of 44 charges relating to child pornography and sex abuse.
Neil Strachan, 41, from Edinburgh, James Rennie, 38, from Edinburgh, Ross Webber, 27, from North Berwick, Colin Slaven, 23, from Edinburgh, Craig Boath,24, from Dundee, Neil Campbell, 46, from Glasgow, John Milligan, 40, from Glasgow, John Murphy,44, from Glasgow, are charged with possessing, making and distributing child pornography.
Six of them, Strachan, Rennie, Webber, Boath, Campbell and Milligan have been charged with conspiring to take part in the commission of sexual offences against children.
Neil Strachan and James Rennie are further accused with a serious sexual assault against a child.
Much of the case is founded on an image known as ‘The Hogmanay image.’ The image, which was apparently found on one of the accused’s computer, is said to have been traced to an email account called kplover99@hotmail.com.
Computing giant Microsoft assisted Scottish detectives who applied for a warrant from the American courts. Microsoft are said to have revealed that the author of the account was James Rennie of Edinburgh.
When questioned about the name of the account, Mr Rennie apparently told police: “It’s me trying to be witty – KP stands for kids porn.
The prosecution has alleged that the image was sent to Mr Rennie by Neil Strachan, who has denied sexually assaulting a young boy on Hogmanay 2005.
Charges of sexual assault against Colin Slaven, 23, have been dropped, but he still faces possession and distribution charges.
The offences are said to have taken place over a seven year period in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
The prosecution summed up their case on Friday, and the defence will put forward their case today.
The trial has had to move to the Sheriff Court in Edinburgh, to make way for Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Magrahi’s appeal, which begins today.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has expressed concerns over multiple safety lapses at a naval base near Faslane which resulted in radioactive coolant leaking into the Firth of Clyde on three occasions.
The environmental watchdog is concerned over the breaches of procedure at HM Naval Base Clyde that resulted in the leaks and said it would consider shutting down the base if it had the power.
The incidents were revealed in a Ministry of Defence report which was revealed under the Freedom of Information Act. The report characterised the incidents as a “recurring theme.”
However, no formal legal action can be taken as military installations are not subject to the usual laws governing nuclear sites. Sepa has already issued a letter of complaint and an enforcement notice.
The submarine fleet at Faslane includes vessels carrying Trident nuclear missiles as well as nuclear-powered vessels. Leaks occurred in 2004, 2007 and 2008.
One incident in August 2007 involved the nuclear-powered sub HMS Superb, which discharged potentially contaminated water into Gare Loch. In February 2008, a tank in the HMS Torbay’s reactor overflowed into the same loch.
A spokesperson for the MoD noted that “The dicharges into the Gare Loch had no environmental consequences.
“The MoD is a responsible nuclear operator and informed the appropriate regulatory authorities.
“We commissioned an independent study into the facilities and practices at HM Naval Base Clyde and an improvement plan is currently under way to ensure modern standards and best practice at the base.”
Sepa says that although the environmental consequences in these instances were minor, there are still concerns that proper procedure was not followed.
Following the 2007 incident, the agency was not notified of the leak for six days.
Health officials say Britain is well placed to cope with the outbreak of the deadly swine flu.
More than 100 people have died in Mexico. It has also spread to America and Canada, whjle there are suspected cases in Europe. New Zealand, Isreal and Brazil.
Two people in Scotland will find out later today whether they are affected.
Health Minister Lord Darzi says we have a stockpile of drugs- but we should take precautions.
Gordon Brown meets with Afghanistan President Karzai
By Elizabeth Gorrie
Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a new strategy today to deal with terrorism, as he warned of a “chain of terror” breaking out in the mountainous region of Afghanistan and linking to capital cities worldwide.
Brown called for British provinces to be handed over to the Afghanistan Government as happened in Iraq. He also wants to expand the Afghan army from 75,000 to 135,000, in addition to expanding the police force. Britain will also contribute financially toward the elections in Afghanistan.
Speaking to the BBC today while visiting British troops in Helmand Province, Brown said: “These border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan are the breeding ground, the crucible of terrorism…We will tackle it because security in these mountainous border areas, which may seem distant and remote from home, will mean more security in Britain.”
After speaking to President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, Mr Brown said that Britain could not “sit by” and watch on. He also commented that the two countries need to work together to eradicate this terrorism, ensuring that terrorism does not reach the other side of the Pakistan border.
The Whisky industry is bucking the trend of the recession by focussing on the younger drinker and is in turn challenging traditional views of the market.
2009 is being hailed as the year Edinburgh gets a live music scene to match its capital status and it is old fashioned song writing techniques which are behind the revival.
For years Scotland’s capital has played second fiddle to the Glasgow music scene, but in recent times it seems that bands from the East coast have been the ones to stike a chord with the music press and promoters.
One such promoter to be impressed by the so called ‘Edinburgh Scene’ is Tallah Brash, head of local club night and record label This Is Music, ‘In Edinburgh at the moment there are loads of opportunities and there is a real sense of community within the music scene. All the promoters seem to be working together rather than against each other’.
Edinburgh 4 piece Meursault
The live scene is centred primarily on Scotland’s Club of the Year Caberet Voltaire. They have featured live acts such as current BBC 6Music favourites Metronomy and emerging local band Meursault.
Other Edinburgh venues have also managed to build up a reputation for their live music. Sneaky Pete’s is a tiny club on the Cowgate with a capacity of just 81 people, but has gained a reputation for promoting the most exciting young talent making music in Edinburgh.
‘What has struck me this year is that the revival has been led by really amazing songwriting’, said Sneaky Pete’s owner Nick Stewart, who has been promoting bands all over Scotland for more than Ten years. ‘A lot of the bands who have emerged from Glasgow in the last Ten years have been attached to a certain style of music, whilst the current crop of musicians in Edinburgh is varied, but with quality songwriting at the core ’.
So what are the chances of an Edinburgh act emerging on the UK scene or even breaking the notoriously tough market in the US?
Nick Stewart believes he has the answer, ‘Broken Records have blown us all away in Edinburgh over the last few years and have just signed to 4AD records, with an album due out in June. They are already making waves in London and could well be the act to lead an Edinburgh charge on the international stage’.
Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre has announced the staging of a pioneering urban show which will feature the world’s top breakdancers.
Breakin’ Convention will feature “the world’s hottest poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls” all showing off their moves in a highly competitive international hip hop dance competition set for the 18th and 19th of May. The event has been run from Sadler’s Wells in London for the past five years and has been so successful that it is now touring the UK.
Breakdancing workshops run by some of the biggest stars in the business will give an extra level of audience interaction
Laura Penny, Front of House Manager at the Festival, says of the Breakin’ Convention, “We’re delighted to be able to stage such a fantastic and lively event like this, which gives us a chance to attract the type of audience to the Festival who would normally consider the theatre to be totally irrelevant to their lives”.
The event promises much more than the hip hop dance competition taking place in the main section of the theatre. The foyer will feature breakdancing workshops, DJing, beat boxers and an area for graffiti artists.
The line up is a headed by some world renowned acts but also has a strong Scottish element, with local act Heavy Smokers made up of dancers from Edinburgh and Livingstone. The international acts, or ‘crews’ as they are known, include Ken Swift from the USA, Salah from France and MyoSung from Korea.
“We are expecting this to be a much more interactive event, with lots of participation from all those coming to the show”, says Laura Penny. “Although I doubt you’ll find me spinning on my head on the box office front desk!”
Breakin’ Convention star Ken Swift shows off some of the moves which are set to dazzle audiences at the Festival Theatre in May
A robust band of campaigners are fighting to have their own vision for the huge gap site left by the the now defunct Caltongate development realised.
The £300 million Caltongate project involved the regeneration of a large Old Town site, with a five-star hotel, office blocks, 200 homes, bars, restaurants and cafés planned. It collapsed last month after its developers, Mountgrange, went into administration.
The scheme angered Edinburgh residents because it planned to demolish listed buildings and homes on the Royal Mile, it even put Edinburgh’s World Heritage status at risk. Conservation architect James Simpson said,
“Very few who care for the history, the architecture, the image and the long-term health of Edinburgh could fail to welcome the collapse of Mountgrange.”
The demise of the developer’s plans was a happy twist of fate for the main protagonists in the protest against Caltongate. ‘Save our Old Town‘ or ‘SOOT’ are a group of local residents, conservationists and champions of the city’s famous Old Town character, they believe the Caltongate development would certainly have ’destroyed our Old Town’.
Gap site in the Old Town
‘SOOT’ joined with other groups to form the ‘Cannongate Community Development Trust’, intent on opening discussions with the City Council in order to put forward their own plans for the site. In proposals to the council the campaigners have stated,
“The area is in need of sustainable regeneration. We think this regeneration should reinforce and strengthen the historic urban structure and buildings as well as providing much needed local facilities for the existing community.”
The trust’s ideas for the site include more emphasis on public space, such as the restoration of the former fruit and veg market, planned performance and exhibition spaces and a public/civic square. They also propose that one of the vacant listed buildings, the Cannongate Venture School be restored to its original state.
The Community Trust believe that the recession and the resulting collapse of the Caltongate scheme might make way for a new era of ‘people over profit’ whereby developments may take on more of a civic than a commercial purpose which would strengthen communities.
This is obviously a tall order as although the trust group are certainly a thorn in the side of any developer with plans for the site, they face a substantial battle. Edinburgh City Council are currently leading efforts to attract a new developer to take on the Caltongate scheme as it stands. A source from the council said,
“There is no doubt we’re encouraging the full development of the scheme. If Mountgrange’s directors cannot buy the assets back it’s open to another company to take the project forward.”
The assembly of campaigners do not intend to bow down. An excerpt from the ‘Canongate Community Development Trust’ research project proclaims,
“Money talks; everyone knows that; so we need to shout louder.”
Justice Ngema pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including abduction and robbery, when he appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff Court.
He was remanded back into custody to be sentenced in July.
Detective Inspector Alan Sommerville, who led the investigation, said: “Justice Ngema is a manipulative individual motivated by his own greed, and it is typical of his character that he has shown no remorse.”
Ngema is convicted of kidnapping a 38 year old South African nurse Magdaline Makola, who was bound and gagged in the boot of her car for 10 days over last Christmas. Miss Makola said that she prayed during her ordeal. Whilst her adbducter showed little emotion she says that she forgives him.
“I feel no anger towards him, only pity. I wish him well in the future and I will pray for him.”
What is swine flu?Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs, a new strain of the H1N1 influenza virus which is also derived in part by the human influenza virus Type A. Most outbreaks occur in late autumn and winter on farms, killing between 1% and 4% of animals it infects. The virus is a mixture of pig, human and avian flus. The WHO has confirmed that the cases examined are a never-before-seen version of the virus.
Can humans catch it?
While swine flu is not usually found in humans, the disease can be contracted in two ways. The virus can be contracted after being in contact with infected pigs, or being in areas in which infected pigs have been kept. It can also be spread person-to-person in the same way as seasonal flu – through coughing and sneezing. The infection cannot be caught by eating pork or pork products.
What are the symptoms?
Swine flu has symptoms similar to those of the more common human seasonal form, including respiratory problems, fatigue, fever and lack of appetite. In some cases, diarrhoea and vomiting have also been reported. Seasonal flu is caused by viruses that are adapted to spread in humans, who have some natural immunity to common strains and can boost it by immunisation with a vaccine.
Why is swine flu spreading so quickly?
The World Health Organisation is trying to determine this by collecting data on the current outbreak – as yet
Passengers in Mexico wear face masks
not enough is known about the virus determine why it is so highly transmissible. Epidemiologists need more information in order to assess the risk of a global pandemic, and whether the deaths in Mexico were the result of the same virus which is causing milder symptoms in other countries. Mexico is a popular holiday destination, particularly for North Americans, so it is not surprising that a large number of cases have emerged in the wake of the busy spring break period in March and April as school groups and other travellers return from their holidays.
Can the virus be contained?
The fact that cases of swine flu have already been reported as far away as New Zealand means that it is already too late to completely confine the virus at its point of origin. However, governments around the world are taking measures to slow the spread of the illness. In Mexico, officials have banned such traditional forms of greeting as the handshake or the kiss on the cheek, and many locals have taken to wearing protective masks in public. Church services, football matches, and other large-scale public gatherings have been cancelled or restricted, and museums have been closed. Other countries are screening travellers returning from abroad and isolating those who show signs of sickness. Britain’s chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, has instructed hospitals to be on the look-out for the virus, with special instructions issued concerning possible symptoms and the tests to be performed. It is expected that the government’s £500 million pound stockpile of the tamiflu vaccine will be sufficient to treat any confirmed cases and prevent the illness from spreading among hospital staff and the public.
What treatments are available?
The US authorities have confirmed two drugs which are believed to be most effective in preventing initial symptoms from getting worse: a pill called Tamiflu and an inhaler called Relenza. However, they also maintain that it is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other strains. Scientists in America are developing a bespoke new vaccine designed to combat the new strain of swine flu. It is feared that it may take some some to perfect and that suppliers may not be able to deal with the huge demand that will be generated.
Nevertheless, health secretary Alan Johnson says the Britain has £500 million of flu drugs ready, adding: “Once we know what the strain is we will look to find a vaccine to prevent it and we have a pre-agreement for these vaccines to be produced as soon as we decide.”
Past cases
In 1976 200 people were left seriously ill and one person was killed by an outbreak of swine flu in New Jersey. The virus circulated for about a month and then disappered. In 1988 in Wisconsin, a pregnant lady contracted the disease while in hospital and died soon afterwards. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 12 human cases of swine flu in American, none of which were fatal.
Other global pandemics
In 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic infected up to 40% of the world’s population. More than 50 million people died, mainly young adults. The H1N1 strain of flu was responsible and this remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times.
In 1957, Asian flu, a human form of the H2N2 virus combined with a mutating strain found in wild ducks, killed 2 million people, with the elderly being the most vulnerable. However, due to fast action by health authorities, who regonised the strain and rapidly made vaccines available, the impact of the pandemic was minimised.
In 1968, a strain of H3N2, first detected ni Hong Kong, killed up to 1 milion people world wide.
The Scottish National Party has refused offers of financial advice from the Treasury, despite concerns about the Scottish Government’s ability to make appropriate spending cuts in the face of the recession.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy claims that the SNP Administration is “the least efficient of all four UK governments.” He offered First Minister Alex Salmond the services of top Treasury advisers and civil
SNP's Jim Murphy courtesy of daylife.com
servants in an attempt to improve the Scottish Government’s efficiency target, which Murphy said is “the lowest efficiency target of them all”.
“If it hit similar targets to those the rest of the UK is chasing, it would be able to find the relevant efficiencies and be able to help real people through the global recession. It cannot be exempt from tightening its belt along with the rest of us.”
The SNP’s refusal has created further tension between the Labour and SNP administrations . Labour claims that the 2% efficiency savings proposed by SNP finance secretary John Swinney does not measure up to the 3% savings to which Westminster, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly aspire.
A spokesman for John Swinney argues that “The very last people to advise Scotland about efficient government would be the very Treasury who have presided over a financial disaster, racked up £1.4 trillion of debt and whose forecasts aren’t worth the paper they are written on.”
This is not the first time the SNP Administration has turned down offers of assistance or otherwise refused to cooperate with Westminster. Last month John Swinney turned down the Treasury’s offer of £1 billion to be put towards the construction of the new Forth Bridge on the grounds that the money would simply be siphoned off from other sections of Scotland’s budget. First Minister Alex Salmond also faced criticism later in March for refusing to enter into discussions with the Calman Commission – an independent group set up to review the Scottish Government’s devolved powers – because Scottish independence would not be considered as part of the review.
The British farming industry faces huge losses as thousands of bee-hives are stolen around the country.
A number of recent break-ins has caused farmers across the UK to fear there may be an apian black market in operation. The value of the common Honeybee has risen dramatically in the last year following a reduction in numbers caused by disease and wet summers.
And now 800,000 bees have been stolen from a farm inStaffordshire, costing the owner over £6000.
Richard Lindsey, a bee farmer who runs the Great Little Honey Company at Rowley Hill Farm in Stretton said he was deeply upset by the scale of the theft.
He added;
“It’s soul destroying. I went to check on the hives and all that was left were the stands. It had been cleaned out completely.
“It must have been someone who knew what they were doing — someone in the trade. You would need equipment to load them on to a truck and they’re not easy to lift.
Farmers across the UK have launched an appeal to the thieves claiming that any harm to bees may seriously affect British agriculture. Their declining numbers have meant less pollination and may mean fewer crops in the future.
Membership of pay-as-you-go car rental service City Car Club has rocketed as Edinburgh drivers look for alternatives to private car ownership.
The Edinburgh based club, which also operates in seven cities across the UK, has ”hundreds” of cars parked across the capital which can be booked for as little as £3.96 per hour. Already this year 300 new members have joined the club and statistics show that a hundred more are joining every month.
Last week it was revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders that car sales in the Lothians have dropped by 30% over the last year. City Car Club CEO James Finlayson said, “The increase in new members is totally unprecedented, we have never seen an increase like this since the club was formed in 2002. In the last six months of 2008 membership really shot up. We thought they would peak at the end of last year but they have continued to rise in 2009″.
hiring a Car Club car will be cheaper than buying
City Car Club claims that savings of over £1,600 can be made by using its vehicle rather than owning a car. The running cost of a second-hand Vauxhall Corsa can reach over £3,000. Insurance, road tax, servicing and maintenance, and breakdown costs are all included in this. A City Car Club would see many costs cut such as road tax.
So is this the end of the car industry as we know it? Across the UK this year so far 137,730 new cars have been bought, compared to 313,912 by the same time last year.
However, many road users do not expect this slump to last. One car salesman said, ” I think the City Car Club’s profits will last for as long as the credit crunch. Given how much worth people place on owning and maintaining a car it seems unlikely that will stop”.
Mexicans cover their faces in masks as the swine flu outbreak spreads (photo courtesy of Globe_Photo)
By Jodi Mullen
Governments and health officials around the world are battling to contain the spread of a new strain of swine flu, amidst fears that the virus could become a global pandemic. More than 1,600 cases of the illness have been reported in Mexico, where the first outbreaks of the virus occurred, and there have also been confirmed cases in the United States and Canada. Patients in New Zealand, Spain, France, Israel and the UK are also being monitored with suspected cases of the virus.
In Mexico, 103 people have died from the illness, though only twenty have been confirmed by laboratories as having been caused by swine flu. The Mexican government has acted swiftly to contain the virus and in Mexico City, the centre of the initial outbreak, most shops, schools, restaurants and public buildings have been closed. The public have been advised to abstain from unnecessary physical contact, including shaking hands and kissing, and many people are refusing to leave their homes without masks and are consuming stored food and water rather than using public supplies.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is advising all affected countries and is working to prevent the further spread of the virus across international borders. While there are no reported deaths outside of Mexico at the moment, the WHO remains vigilant and has asked governments to closely monitor all arrivals from regions with confirmed cases of swine flu. China and Russia have placed quarantine restrictions on passengers arriving from affected countries while the US is set to begin testing for the virus at immigration control in international airports.
While there is no vaccine for the new strain of swine flu, the WHO is working closely with governments to ensure that sufficient quantities of anti-viral drugs reach affected areas. Dr Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s assistant director-general, said that preparations to prevent a global outbreak of avian influenza between 2004 and 2007 have helped impede the spread of the virus. “I believe that the world is much, much better prepared than we have ever been for dealing with this kind of situation,” he said.
Dr Keji Fukuda courtesy of voanews
Two Scots are undergoing tests for swine flu in hospital in Airdrie in the first suspected case of the virus in the UK. The couple fell ill shortly after returning to Scotland from a holiday in Mexico and have since been hospitalised and quarantined. Friends and family members who had contact with the couple after their return are being monitored by health officials and plans are in place to isolate them should any develop symptoms of swine flu. The results of the tests are expected later today.
At present, the WHO is holding its pandemic crisis alert system at Level 3, though the organisation has debated raising the threat level to 4. If signs appear that the virus can pass easily from person to person, the alert level will likely rise. The WHO has warned that Level 5 indicates an imminent pandemic, when governments should resort to emergency measures to mitigate the spread of the disease, while Level 6 represents a full-blown global pandemic.
Harry Hill won Best Entertainment Performance for the second year running at last night’s Bafta awards.
His show, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, which takes a light-hearted look at the week’s television, beat off competition from popular rivals Stephen Fry (QI), Ant and Dec (Saturday Night Takeaway) and the ever-controversial Jonathan Ross (Friday Night with Jonathan Ross) to clinch the award.
Award-winning Harry Hill courtesy of allgigs
Upon receiving the award, he joked self-deprecatingly: “I never thought I’d get three Baftas for a clip show…Ridiculous!”
Hill also received a nomination for Best Entertainment Programme, alongside QI and the Friday/Sunday Night Project, but in the end Saturday night’s search for the next pop sensation, The X Factor, triumphed.
Graham Norton hosted the evening, which saw some unanticipated winners, with many assumed victors eclipsed by lesser-known nominees. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came when Eastenders favourite June Brown missed out on the Best Actress award for her role as gloomy, chain-smoking Dot Branning. Instead, the award was won by Anna Maxwell Martin for her portrayal of a disturbed mental patient in Channel 4’s Poppy Shakespeare.
Another surprise came as Wallander beat Dr Who, Spooks and Shameless to win Best Drama Series.
Channel 4’s comedy shows reigned in their respective categories, winning both Best Sitcom for the geeky, office-based The IT Crowd and perennial favourite Peep Show saw its bumbling star David Mitchell take home Best Comedy Performance.
French and Saunders triumphed by receiving the Bafta’s highest honour - the Bafta Fellowship. They are only the second double act to receive the award, following Morecambe and Wise’s posthumous honour in 1999.
A full list of winners can be found below.
Best actor Stephen Dillane – The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (Channel 4)
Also nominated
Jason Isaacs – The Curse of Steptoe (BBC Four)
Ken Stott – Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
Ben Whishaw – Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Best actress Anna Maxwell Martin – Poppy Shakespeare (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
June Brown – EastEnders (BBC One)
Maxine Peake – Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
Andrea Riseborough – Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (BBC Four)
Best entertainment performance Harry Hill – Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1)
Also nominated:
Stephen Fry – QI (BBC Two)
Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnell
y – I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (ITV1)
Jonathan Ross – Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC One)
Best comedy performance David Mitchell – Peep Show (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
Rob Brydon – Gavin and Stacey (BBC Three)
Sharon Horgan – Pulling (BBC Three)
Claire Skinner – Outnumbered (BBC One)
Best single drama White Girl (BBC Two)
Also nominated:
Einstein and Eddington (BBC Two)
Hancock and Joan (BBC Four)
The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (Channel 4)
Best drama serial Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Also nominated:
Dead Set (Channel 4)
The Devil’s Whore (Channel 4)
House of Saddam (BBC Two)
Best drama series Wallander (BBC One)
Also nominated:
Doctor Who (BBC One)
Shameless (Channel 4)
Spooks (BBC One)
Best continuing drama The Bill (ITV1)
Also nominated:
Casualty (BBC One)
EastEnders (BBC One)
Emmerdale (ITV1)
Best factual series Amazon with Bruce Parry (BBC Two)
Also nominated:
Blood Sweat and T-Shirts (BBC Three)
The Family (Channel 4)
Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (Sky One)
Best entertainment programme The X Factor (ITV1)
Also nominated:
The Friday/Sunday Night Project (Channel 4)
Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1)
QI (BBC One)
Best situation comedy The IT Crowd (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
The Inbetweeners (Channel 4)
Outnumbered (BBC One)
Peep Show (Channel 4)
Best comedy programme Harry and Paul (BBC One)
Also nominated:
The Peter Serafinowicz Show (BBC Two)
Star Stories (Channel 4)
That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC Two)
Best single documentary Chosen (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
A Boy Called Alex (Channel 4)
The Fallen (BBC Two)
Thriller in Manila (More 4)
Best feature The Choir: Boys Don’t Sing (BBC Two)
Also nominated:
The Apprentice (BBC One)
Celebrity MasterChef (BBC One)
Top Gear (BBC Two)
Best international show Mad Men (BBC Four)
Also nominated:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (More 4)
Dexter (ITV1)
The Wire (FX)
Best specialist factual Life in Cold Blood (BBC One)
Also nominated:
Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (BBC Four)
Lost Land of the Jaguar (BBC One)
Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press: The Machine That Made Us (BBC Four)
Best current affairs Saving Africa’s Witch Children – Dispatches (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
Mum Loves Drugs, Not Me – Dispatches (Channel 4)
Omagh: What the Police Were Never Told – Panorama (BBC One)
Ross Kemp: A Kenya Special (Sky One)
Best news coverage News at Ten – Chinese Earthquake (ITV1)
Also nominated:
Channel 4 News (Channel 4)
Sky News – Canoe Man (Sky News)
Sky News – Mumbai (Sky News)
Best sport ITV1 F1: Brazilian Grand Prix (ITV1)
Also nominated:
Cheltenham Gold Cup – Denman v Kauto Star (Channel 4)
Olympics 2008 (BBC One)
Wimbledon – The Men’s Final (BBC One)
Best interactivity Embarrassing Bodies Online (Channel 4)
Also nominated:
Bryony Makes a Zombie Movie (BBC Three)
Merlin (BBC One)
Olympics 2008 (BBC One)
Audience award Skins
Also nominated:
The Apprentice
Coronation Street
Outnumbered
Wallander
The X Factor
Mark Porteous Funeral Directors are demanding a plan of action regarding grave toppling in Edinburgh’s graveyards. Despite acknowledging that this is a health and safety issue the funeral directors have accused this as being “disrespectful” adding: “more kids have fallen off a school roof than been crushed by a headstone”.
The City of Edinburgh Council manages and maintains almost 40 cemeteries in the city. They also maintain a number of historic graveyards such as Greyfriars Kirkyard.
According to the council, since a fatal accident here in Edinburgh in 1982, and following a fatal accident in Yorkshire in 2000 involving a six year old child, a policy has been developed by the Council to have any “unsafe” headstones laid flat in case they fall on a child playing there…..who presumably should not be there in the first place! Have you ever allowed your six year old child ever go into a cemetery far less use it as an unsupervised play area? So for the last seven years headstones in the cemeteries have been flattened where they are thought to be the least bit wobbly or dangerous. City workmen have undergone training to assist them make their minds up what is and is not safe.
According to one of the city’s undertakers this practice is another case of health and safety gone mad. “It is” he said, (and for obvious reasons he did not want to be named) “vandalism under an official hat. The desecration of the city’s graveyards is unforgivable as most of these stones would never have moved from their position.”
He went on to tell me that one of the worst is the Morningside Cemetery in Balcarres Street where beautiful old stones have been torn down where considered unsafe. When I spoke to the Chair of Morningside Community Council, Jean Thompson, she told me that the Community Council have discussed this issue more than once and that they support the City Council’s policy. She said “It is making the place safe for the public while minimising the upset to relatives.”
Dr Derek Browning, minister at Morningside Parish Church, told me that he finds it sad that cemeteries are not as well tended as they used to be when people would regularly visit family graves every few weeks. But, he thinks this may be one result of social change and mentioned that the more mobile communities of modern times mean that some families have become very far-flung. As well as this many cemeteries are almost full and the number of burials is declining in favour of cremation. “ I suppose in these cash-strapped times it is difficult to justify the cost.” he said to me.
The legal position is that in the council-owned graveyards the council maintain the paths and grassy areas but the owners of the grave or lair are responsible for maintaining the headstone. Then after the last person who is to be buried in the grave is dead and gone the right vests in his or her executor and they are responsible for the maintenance of the grave after that.
Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader, said: “The Council ensures that it maintains its cemeteries and graveyards in a safe and respectful manner, which is why, like the majority of our fellow local authorities, we have a clear policy regarding the safety of headstones. In order to safeguard against potential accidents or even fatalities from unstable headstones, we believe laying dangerous stones flat with the inscription facing up is the safest and most dignified course of action available. Whilst we understand the effect this has on the appearance of individual graves, we must put the safety of the public first.”
A council spokesman went on to tell me that “Where a headstone is found to be dangerously unstable it is laid flat by using an approved lowering gantry, designed to manoeuvre memorials safely without causing unnecessary damage to the memorial. Since our inspection programme commenced in December 2002, approximately 9,000 headstones have been laid flat in Edinburgh.”
At Saughton Cemetery where I first noticed this problem I spoke to a couple tending to their family grave. This grave has a lovely shiny black headstone and they were the first to tell me that they knew of their obligation to maintain the headstone in a safe condition. But they went on to say that they thought it a great pity that the cemetery generally looked as though it was in a state of disrepair owing to the number of headstones which have been pushed over.
I spoke to a spokeswoman for Historic Scotland who said: “The management of graveyards is mainly a matter for the local authority, although gravestones themselves are often owned by individual families.
“If a listed gravestone is involved it is for the local authority to approach Historic Scotland with a Listed Building Consent application. With listed stones we would prefer to see their repair and resetting.”
Whilst any deaths which may have resulted from accidents caused in this way are very sad is it not a little extreme that the council have now flattened almost 10,000 headstones in the city?
The Equality Bill receives its first reading in Parliament today. The Bill will impose legislation forcing companies which employ over 250 workers to declare average hourly rates of pay for men and women and the government will be able to take legal action if these declarations do not take place.
Equalities minister Harriet Harman says the Bill will help to end discrimination in the workplace, but the British Chambers of Commerce have expressed concern about forcing businesses to spend more on bureaucracy whilst in the grip of recession.
The Bill is expected to come into force from autumn 2010.
