by Andrew Donaldson and Suhayl Afzal
Edinburgh postmen are today divided in their support of the nationwide strike as it reaches its midway point.
The strike is causing major disruption across the city, with fears of further strike action next week.
Almost 80,000 delivery and collection workers have walked out after yesterday’s action by mail-centre staff. [Read more...]
BNP leader Nick Griffin
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has called for BBC Scotland to censor the “overtly racist” British National Party (BNP).
The SNP’s Westminster broadcasting spokesman, Pete Wishart, asked the institution to replicate BBC Wales’ decision to deny BNP representatives a platform.
The media outlet’s Welsh chiefs agreed with Plaid Cymru after they said the BNP should not be invited on to political debates.
In a letter to the BBC’s Scottish controller, Ken MacQuarrie, Mr Wishart said that as the BNP had no elected representatives in Scotland it had no base in the country.
The MP for Perth and North Perthshire called for the news organisation to jettison the fringe party from political discussion programmes.
Mr Wishart said: “The BNP should simply not be allowed a prime time platform to peddle their deeply offensive views.
“BBC Wales has ruled out any involvement by BNP representatives in their panel programmes, and BBC Scotland need to send the same clear message.”
The MP said that support for the party was so low that they have never gained more than 5 per cent of the vote in any by-election a candidate has stood in – failing to retain their £500 deposit.
“They have never kept their deposit in an election here and managed only a derisory vote in the European election,” said Mr Wishart.
In June the far right party won two seats in the European parliament and solidified growing support.
The BNP leader’s debut appearance on the BBC’s Question Time last night fuelled the issue.
Mr Griffin today accused the BBC of bias and bullying as he was subjected to an hour of attacks on his policies.
BNP spokesman, John Walker spoke to Edinburgh Napier News, Mr Walker said: “It seems bizarre in the extreme that the party can have councillors across the country, elected members of the European parliament and still not be given a fair amount of airtime.
“Just because we don’t have elected MP’s doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to coverage. It’s the main stream party’s pulling up the draw bridge after themselves.”
Mr Walker said that the party had received lots of supportive emails and phonecalls following their showing on Question Time.
“Many people even if they don’t support the BNP’s ideology believe we have a right to express our beliefs,” said Mr Walker.
The spokesman aimed some criticism at the SNP’s calling them a “false flag nationalist party”.
“It was only a few years ago that they were a fringe party.”
 Burns: The National Bard By Calum Liddle and Myles Edwards Children are being penalised for using Scots words and language in the classroom as teachers are mistaking it as bad English, according to leading academics. Scotland’s experts have called for compulsory in-service training to be provided to tackle the “reluctance” of many English teachers at secondary level. The EIS, Scotland’s Teaching Union, have previously opposed teaching Scots in secondary schools on the grounds that “not all school children are Scottish”. Derick McClure, professor of Scots at Aberdeen University said: “I know that some teachers still make the distinction - wrongly interpreted and applied – between what they call ‘good Scots’… and what they call ‘bad English’. McClure said “there is no co-ordination on the frontline of secondary teaching” for Scots. He added: “I can understand the reluctance of some teachers [to teach Scots]. However, many simply do not know where to go for official information. The government should supply in-service training to teachers for the use and place of Scots in education.” Duncan Jones of the Association of Scottish Literary Studies – an educational charity that aims to promote the study, teaching and writing of Scottish literature and the languages of Scotland – conceded that Scots was rarely ever taught at secondary level. “We have run CPD (Continuous Progress Development) courses since the 1980s for teachers on Scots literature, specifically the Scots language. The teachers are a self-selecting group – obviously those who view Scots as a ‘bad’ language don’t show. However the courses can be very popular.” Itchy Coo – a partnership between authors James Robertson and Mathew Fitt with Black and White Publishing in Edinburgh – provides resources for classroom education. Mathew Fitt has run workshops, classes and made presentations to over 500 schools and libraries and delivered over 150 in-house professional training sessions in 18 local authorities. Mr Robertson said: “You are disadvantaging children educationally if you don’t enable them access to Scots material. Children need access to their own culture. Too often children in Scotland grow up believing all Scots is, is just bad English. That’s a fallacy.” Robertson, author of The Smoky Smirr O Rain: A Scots Anthology continued: “Unless there’s a commitment in terms of actually some kind of compulsory element, it will continue to be squeezed purely because of Higher English.” Many secondary schools have no teaching of Scots, amid accusations teachers prefer reading American literature and Shakespearean texts. Derek Douglas of the Scottish Qualification Association (SQA) said: “From Standard Grade to Higher and all levels in between there are no authors or texts prescribed by the SQA. Each school or college decides which literature to study.” McClure added the ‘Begbie’ image of Scots had to be addressed, in light of Scots being seen as an “under-class form of communicating”. “We need teachers, children and young adults to grasp the difference between good Scots and bad Scots, old Scots and new Scots. Just as is done for English.” SNP MSP Rob Gibson, who is fighting for Scots language equality in schools, defended the government’s progress. “Scots is undergoing a resurgence backed by Government action. From the Audit and subsequent conferences which galvanised speakers and activists, to the liberation of teachers (in the curriculum for excellence) to use much more Scots in class. All are key factors in the normalising of Scots.” Mr Gibson added: “What parity means is there’s naethin wrang wi spikin your ain leid’.” |
By Hollie Hanlan and Megan Berkley
Retail powerhouse Arcadia group has revealed a pre tax profit of £213.6m, up 13% from the previous year.
But the company – which controls Topshop, Miss Selfridge and BHS – ruled out any further UK expansion in favour of an overseas growth plan.
Arcadia owner Sir Phillip Green hopes to build on overseas success after the opening of the first American Topshop store in April of this year.
He is also now in talks to expand the brand’s in some of Europe’s key fashion locations such as France, Italy and possibly China.
Lee Armstrong manager of Topshop on Edinburgh’s Princes St said: “The announcement of pre tax profits yesterday is a great result for all Arcadia employees.
“It is slightly disappointing that there is no discussion of building new stores however as far as I’m aware Sir Phillip hopes to have less stores in the future, but make them bigger in size.”
He added: “Our recent refurbishment including the development of a third floor has proved a success, in a capital which is populated with many students who are loyal to the Topshop brand.”
Although the increase in pre tax profits in the year to August 29 is a great result for the group Green still remains evidently cautious in the current economic climate stating that the impact of the VAT increase in January, increasing unemployment and next year’s business rate rise worried him.
“You can’t not be concerned about it. I think there are still storm clouds up there. We need to be resilient, focused, careful and cautious. Hopefully the announced profits will act as a foundation to build on continuous business growth throughout the next retail year.”
Sir Philip said: “An excellent understanding of the market place and of our different brands has combined to provide our customers with great product and an exciting store and online shopping environment.
“I believe the focus on operational efficiency, managing our costs and cash, together with the ability of our global supply chain, will enable the business to continue to grow.”
by Andrew Tweedie, Calum Liddle and Michael Behr.
Scottish Government spending on PR increased by 10% during the recession, new information has revealed.
The report was gained through a Freedom of Information request which showed that the government spending on PR was £704 086 during April 2008 - March 2009. This was an increase of £64 033 compared to the 2007-2008 period, where PR spending was £640 053.
Scott Douglas, director of media consultancy firm Holyrood Partnership, said the way the government chooses PR companies was to blame for the increase in spending.
“Take one stout jute sack. Insert half a dozen hungry ferrets. Add a scrawny chicken that thinks it’s the most succulent bird on two legs. Hit with a big stick. Ta da! You’ve got the Scottish Government’s PR Roster system,” he said on his company blog.
“Words fail me on just how awful and flawed the whole process is. There’s nothing wrong with trying to squeeze the best possible value out of contractors – but this system does nothing for value, nothing for Scottish agencies and, I suspect, delivers little in the way of real value to the taxpayer.”
The Scottish Government responded to this by pointing out that PR Spending during 2006 – 2007 was £1 022 814 and the latest figures represent a 30% decrease.
A Scottish Government representative said; “The Scottish Government spend on PR has increased between 2008 and 2009 to reflect the changing nature of the Scottish populations media consumption. Marketing has long since moved away from big budget mass advertising campaigns to focus on a more strategic and targeted approaches of which PR plays a key part.”
By Arron Connoly and Constantine Innemee
A minimum price on alcohol would be a “double hit” on the whiskey industry according to a Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) spokesman.
Campbell Evans said the proposed introduction of a fixed price on alcohol would drastically affect both sales and jobs in the Scotch industry.
“The proposals would increase the price of your average bottle of whiskey by 33 per cent, which would eventually result in less sales and in turn a cut in jobs,” he said.
Mr Evans explained that the rise in taxes would affect the “bottom-end” brands.
According to the SWA the sale of whiskies would fall by 23 per cent in Scotland if a 50p minimum price was imposed.
Figures show that the industry is already experiencing troubles without the tax hike, with Chivas Regal and Glenlivet announcing sharp falls in sales.
Pernod Ricard reported that year-on-year sales of Chivas fell by 17 per cent whilst Glenlivet is down 7 per cent in volume this financial quarter.
Earlier today a European Court judge rejected the idea of the introduction of a minimum price to protect public health.
The advocate general of the European Court said that the new taxes would lead to a distortion of competition in the EU market.
The Scottish government initially proposed the increase as a measure to counter healthcare spending as a direct result of alcohol related ilnesses.
Dr Harry Burns, Scotland’s chief medical advisor, previously said: “One of the ways in which we can control the amount of alcohol being consumed is to tackle price. If we do that, people who in the course of the next year are going to die are going to be drawn back from the brink.”
Mr Evans disagreed with Dr Burns’ claims, saying the tax would not be enough to deter heavy drinkers from spending money on alcohol.
He also added that pubs would most likely welcome the introduction of a higher tax to compete with undercutting from supermarkets.
Protesters outside Pacific Quay, Glasgow (copyright Duncan Brown, flickr.com/duncanbrown)
Anti-fascism campaigners demonstrated at BBC Scotland’s headquarters in Glasgow on Thursday, in protest at British National Party leader Nick Griffin appearing on ‘Question Time’. [Read more...]
By Lori Carnochan and Emma Craig
Columnist Jan Moir, from the Daily Mail has publicly apologised following her controversial article on Stephen Gately’s death last week.
Moir was nationally condemned for writing so-called ‘homophobic’ and ‘hateful’ comments regarding the death of Gately in the Daily Mail.
Addressing Gately’s family and friends, she said: “I would like to say sorry if I have caused distress by the insensitive timing of the column, published so close to the funeral.”
The apology comes after 22,000 people complained to the Press Complaints Commission, the largest amount of complaints ever received for a newspaper article.
More complaints were made in the weekend following the article than the regulator has received in the past five years.
She went on to say: “Absolutely none of this had anything to do with his sexuality. If he had been a heterosexual member of a boy band, I would have written exactly the same article.”
After Moir insinuated Gately and his partner, Andy Cowles had been engaging in sexual liaisons with 25-year-old Bulgarian Georgi Dochev and had been involved with narcotics
In her original article, Jan Moir said: “The sugar coating on this fatality is so saccharine-thick that it obscures whatever bitter truth lies beneath’ and ‘that that the circumstances surrounding his [Gateley’s] death are more than a little sleazy.”
Members of the public have made their feelings clear about the apologetic response given by Jan Moir in the Daily Mail’s website.
Joanne Butler, 23, from Blackpool said: “Today’s response is truly to save your job, not because you give a toss what people think of you.
“If you cared what the public that buy the Daily Mail think and had any respect for Stephen’s grieving family & friends you would resign out of respect.”
Sue Smith, from Newport said: “This second article is a pointless half hearted attempt to get yourself out of the mire after your first insensitive insulting article.
“You were and are trying to smear this young man’s name at a time that his family were still trying to understand and come to terms with his death.”
The number of fatalities from swine flu in the UK is expected to reach 1000, according to revised figures released this week in a planning paper.
These figures come as four Scots with swine flu died in the space of 24 hours. All four had underlying health problems.
This brings the total number of fatalities in Scotland to 21, with six of the deaths coming in the past week.
Community samples testing positive for H1N1 has taken a 9.2% from the previous week’s figures, now lying at 38.5%.
A health spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “These deaths are extremely regrettable.
“We are predicting 1000 deaths from the virus, although this is predicated by the uptake on the vaccine. Hopefully those at risk will be encouraged to take the vaccine, swine flu is very high profile and we are hoping that people realise that there is a real threat from the virus.”
1.3 million Scots are eligible for the swine flu vaccination programme, with pregnant women, care workers and the elderly being targeted as priority groups in this band.
The introduction of the vaccination programme comes as 108 Scottish people were admitted to hospital with the virus in the past week.
Despite the number of Scots complaining of flu-like symptoms decreasing from 106.3 per 100,000 to 88.5, this figure nonetheless remains at a higher level than is normally seen.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “”Since the start of September the number of hospitalised cases has more than doubled.
“ This rise has always been expected as we approach winter, but this means it is even more vital that those deemed at risk do all they can to protect themselves including taking advantage of the vaccination programme.”
New figures indicate that the ‘attack rate’ prediction- the number of those affected by the virus – is down from 30% of the population to 12%< with work absence rates down to 5%.
An Edinburgh based artist is to spend nearly half a million pounds creating a football pitch in the middle of a secluded forest to mark the start of the Olympic Games in 2012.
The lottery funded project, chosen from a shortlist of 98, is to be built solely from natural resources and artist Craig Coulthard, 28, is hopeful his work will act as a lasting reminder to the London games.
Entitled Forest Pitch, the project will only be used for one day before being left alone for nature to take its course.
Two games, men and women’s, will take place at the remote woodland location in the Scottish Borders, hours before the opening Olympic ceremony in London.
“I am really proud to have been given the opportunity to complete this project; to be able to bring an initial idea to fruition, it is what I guess all artists aim for,” said artist Craig.
“I’ve worked hard to get the proposal to this stage, and I’m looking forward to working with my team to create an exciting and worthy Scottish addition to the Cultural Olympiad.”
Twelve separate areas of Britain were asked to nominate an art project for funding. Other regional artwork examples include a mile high spinning cloud in the North West, and the temporary relocation of an Arctic island in the South West.
Each region of England was given £500,000 to spend on a project whilst Mr. Coulthard, as Scotland’s entry, was given £460,000 to fund his pitch idea.
However, some art critics have slammed the project claiming it is a waste of lottery money that could have been better spent elsewhere.
“I think there are much better ways to utilise the money,” said Edinburgh Napier University Design student Garry Collins. “I don’t believe the project will break any boundaries, which is what it should be doing.”
“If you look at projects from other areas, you can see that Scotland could have been so much more ambitious.”
By Lauren Redpath and Fiona Gardner
The BBC were today criticised for focusing too much on the BNP leader’s appearance on Question Time last night and neglecting other important issues.
The Taxpayers Alliance have condemned the BBC for giving too much coverage to Nick Griffin and have said that not enough attention was paid to the other important issues of the day such as the national postal strike.
Mark Wallace, Campaign Director for The Taxpayers Alliance said: “The last thing the BBC should be is dictated to. The licence fee payers did not get a say in the matter and if had been aired on a commercial channel then people could have had the choice to watch it or not. Too much time was focused on Nick Griffin when other matters like the Royal Mail strike should have been discussed.”
Griffin faced tough questions from the audience but that didn’t stop him from voicing his opinion and he caused more controversy by calling homosexuals “creepy” and saying the Ku Klux Klan was “almost totally non-violent.”
The BBC faced huge criticism from protestors saying Griffin didn’t deserve the chance to voice his fascist views. Security was stepped up outside the BBC studios in London with a police presence on the ground and in the air to control protestors.
People on the streets of Edinburgh had mixed views this morning and were still debating whether the BBC made the right decision.
Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary told the Telegraph, “The BBC should be ashamed of single-handedly doing a racist, fascist party the biggest favour in its grubby history.”
The BBC defended its decision to invite Mr Griffin on Question Time saying it was “appropriate”.
Comedian and impersonator Rory Bremner is launching the Scottish Poppy Appeal today in Jedburgh.
Better known for his impressions of George Bush and Gordon Brown, Bremner will be showing a more serious side in urging Scots to wear their poppies with pride.
He will be joined at the event by Steve Beedie and Stuart Proudfoot, who are the young veterans that feature in the new PoppyScotland TV advertising campaign.
A spokeswoman for Poppy Scotland, the charity which runs the appeal, said: “This year we are very much focusing on younger veterans. “I think people traditionally associate Poppy Scotland with helping only older veterans but we really want to get the message across that actually we are supporting veterans from more recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Scottish Poppy Appeal comes one day after singers Dame Vera Lynn and Hayley Westernra launched the British Legion’s 2009 Poppy appeal in London. I
n a bid to appeal to a younger generation, PoppyScotland has now launched “Plant Your Own Poppy”.
A virtual garden has been set up on the PoppyScotland website where anyone is welcome to plant their own virtual poppy by making a donation and leaving a message of remembrance.
Last year the Scottish Poppy Appeal was a record-breaking success, exceeding a target of £2 million and achieving an increase of 16% on the 2007 total. An impressive £2,041,202 was raised.
This year the Scottish Football Assocation is also showing its continued support by launching remembrance patches in aid of the appeal.
The patches have been designed around the national side’s shirt and for every patch sold £5 will be donated to Poppy Scotland.
The aim this year for Poppy Scotland is to aim at educating children about the reason we wear poppies and why we remember.
Educational visits have been arranged by Poppy Scotland to places such as Lady Haig’s Factory where poppies were first made.
It is hoped that by teaching children from a young age about the realities of war that the poppy appeal and Remembrance Day itself will stay alive.
By Gemma Haigh and Frances Allan
The Poppy Appeal helps soldiers, veterans and their families
This year’s Scottish Poppy Appeal has just launched and will be raising money for World War One and Two Veterans as well as soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
The two-week television and radio appeal begins today, and on 7 November Poppys will be available to buy on the streets of Edinburgh.
Last year, the Scottish Poppy Appeal raised £2,041,202. The organisers have set a bigger target this year because of the increasing number of soldiers returning from Afghanistan needing the charity’s assistance.
The charity gives financial help to individuals as well as providing them with information, advice and specialist support.
The appeal takes place every year in the weeks leading up to Remberance Sunday on 11 November, and many people continue to support the cause year after year.
Edinburgh Napier News took to the streets to see what people thought about the appeal.
By Arnold Bhebhe
Union bosses have castigated the “stupidity” of the Royal Mail’s threat to hire 30,000 temporary staff to fill in for those on strike as not only illegal but also costly with up to £150,000 000 per day in fines only.
The leader of the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) which called the strike for Thursday and Friday, Bill Hayes described the move by the Royal Mail as “symptomatic of a divisive management culture.”
Talking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, he said: “I think it is a stupid move more than anything else. It’s something that wont help resolve the dispute. It’s going to inflame things.”
Sources within the CWU have suggested that the hiring tactic Royal Mail threatens to employ may be illegal, and the GMB union leader, Paul Kenny expressing disbelief at the action said: “Those who run employment agencies need to be aware that they personally will be liable for a fine of £5,000 per person, per day for every worker they supply to Royal Mail during the trade dispute.”
Normally the company employs 15000 temporary workers towards Christmas but has decided to double that number in the face of what it terms “CWU’s unjustified and irresponsible strikes”.
Meanwhile, fears abound that the strike could take ugly dimensions of the 1984-85 miners’ strike and focus is given on possible violence at picket lines.
Resultantly,the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has pledged to monitor the situation and has issued guidance to officers on dealing with large-scale strike action.
Adam Crozier, the Royal Mail chief executive said: ” We continue to urge the union to halt its appalling and unjustified attack on customers. At the same time, we are absolutely determined to do everything we can to minimise delays to customers’ mail.”
With householders and businesses facing huge disruptions as a result of the strike, the business secretary, Lord Mandelson expressed his fury with the union for obstructing “change and modernisation”.
The United Kingdom is still deep in recession, reports Janos Gal.
The UK economy shrank by 0.4% in the last quarter from July to August reports the National Statistics. It is the longest period of recession since records began in 1955.
This is the second year that the economy has contracted, or the sixth quarter, making the UK one of the worst hit economies in the European Union.
Germany and France came out of recession six months ago, and leading politicians and businessmen expected the UK would come out of recession by the end of 2009.
“There are many millions of people who will be deeply concerned to see that Britain is still in recession six months after France and Germany came out of recession,” told George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor the BBC.
He said that the new data means that the measures such as low interest rates and quantitative easing that the government said would turn the economy around have not worked.
He added: “It destroys the myth that Britain was better prepared.”
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
“Third quarter GDP is awful, with no positive news within the report, the UK may be the only major economy to have contracted in the third quarter” said James Knightley, economist at ING.
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of Exchequer said that confidence is returning but it will still take some more time to recover.
“I have always been clear that I did not expect to see growth until around the turn of the year and I have consistently said that we are not out of the woods yet.”
By Kirsty Topping 20 October 09
People without experience of depression fear the condition. It does not help that sufferers are sometimes thought of as violent and it is this reason that people are afraid to admit to thei suffering for fear of being branded in a certain way. What they really have to remember is that depression is a treatable disorder. The recovery rates for any mental health problem is between 70% and 80% and suffers can live a normal life with proper help.
Treatment of depression varies broadly and is different for each individual. Various types and combinations of treatments may have to be tried, but but may not provide a complete solution to the problem. There are two primary modes of treatment, typically used in conjunction: medication and psychotherapy. A third treatment, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), may be used when chemical treatment fails.
By Shane de Barra
Our genes have their work cut out for them.
New research published today has revealed that genes linked to the front line of our immune systems have over many generations had to develop ten times faster than other genes to keep disease and infection at bay.
The study which was carried out by the University of Edinburgh has for the first time shown how quickly the immune system has to work to keep up with the ever increasing threat from infections and viruses that grows at a similar rate, rendering our bodies genetic battlefields. Genes in linked to immunity are in constant battle with infection and even those not on the front line have to work at twice the normal rate to keep on an even keel with unwanted foreign bodies.
In an announcement by the University of Edinburgh today, Dr. Darren Obbard of the School of Biological Sciences, said: “We knew that some immunity genes changed faster than others, but this is the first time we’ve really been able to quantify how much faster”.
The study, published PLoS Genetics, is a collaborative work with the Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge and also received the backing of the Royal Society, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
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