This is without a doubt the worst Rangers and Celtic squads that I have seen in the entirety of the time that I have been old enough to have an opinion that counted! (at 30, that’s 15-20 years in case your wondering)

Gone are the days of who’s best. The winner of the SPL is now determined by who is worst! With the glory times over, Gone are the days of high profile signings and big big money getting thrown about for average players (Flo, Rothental, Bratback). The old firm can no longer even afford to simply buy out all the best players from their lesser competitors in order to maintain the gap (Caldwell, Brown, Boyd, Whittaker, Naismith, Hartley……….. This list could go on a while!).

In fact, during this time when both Rangers and Celtic are struggling domestically, and in Europe- I find the fact that they feel hard done by because of their Premiership rejection absolutely hilarious!

A successful strategy that I have enjoyed this year is to oppose whom ever is play the old firm in Europe – home or away!

We’re now more that a quarter of the way through the Scottish season, and we have 3 points separating the top four teams.

Rangers will struggle to dominate an Aberdeen side, who shall be up for this one (why can’t they raise their game against every other team? – this must frustrate reds fans!). Celtic would normally have their match against St Mirren in the books before kick-off, but such outcomes can no longer be banked upon! Neither side shall be on my coupon this weekend! Gone are the days that I am willing to take odds of 1/3, just to boost the winnings- NO THANK YOU! The bookies must be killing themselves laughing this season!

I fancy Hibs to stuff Falkirk this weekend, & the match up between Dundee Utd and Motherwell will keep both sides in touch of the Glasgow giants, regardless of the outcome. But can any of the teams outside the top 2 sustain a run that we are still talking about in May?

Will this be the year of the underdog- probably not. Bet my top tip in Scotland for the foreseeable future, is to keep clear of the old firm, because their opposition no longer fear them!!!

Tourism agency ‘Visit Scotland’ is making more job cuts in the start of 2010 in addition to the reduction of 10,000 staff hours throughout 2009.
Philip Riddle, chief executive of Visit Scotland, said, while the 2010/2011 budget was being scrutinised in Hollyrood,  that more cuts were going to be made to battle the three million budget cut in 2010.
The main department and area in Visit Scotland which is to experience savings and cut backs is quality assurance, which currently runs at a deficit of six million pounds – and an extra one million on questions and answers.
Other areas where savings are to be made are Tourism Scotland – which will have 11.7% less budget in 2010, and support services, which is to be cut enough to make one million pounds in savings.
The budget is to be cut due to the current economic hardship experienced by every sector in the country, and the extra income provided by Homecoming Scotland, which is estimated to be £44 million.
Philip Riddle said: “following these budget cuts, we are going to have to do more for less”. As in the plan provided to the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee visit Scotland hope to reduce their spending by just under six million pounds. “Although we will lose some funding, we wont lose the lesson we learnt”
In contrast with budget cuts and job losses, Philip Riddle said: “In the context of the general economic environment the season so far has been on the whole positive.” – “From the German and French markets alone, last year’s European touring campaign generated £50 million in economic additionality for the Scottish economy.”
Too attempt to battle the current economic hardship: “VisitScotland has been working hard with trade partners in China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Singapore, Dubai and Russia. Highlights of this activity include: Sales missions to Japan, China and Russia, partnership activity with Emirates across their Asian network, partnership with IruBru in Russia on a Homecoming Scotland 2009 Campaign and a campaign with VisitBritain in our Asian markets based on value for money.”

Hello!

Can I remind you that the STV online writer contest runs until Dec 6th. I have probably another 4 articles to go up on the site between now and then, and hits & comments generated go towards deciding the winner.

You can find my articles here: STV Write Factor

If you could comment on them I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

New gadget uses pulses to convince brain that stomach is full. £99. That’s quite steep for beans & lentils isn’t it?

41yr old adoptee in USA traced his real dad & found it was Charles Manson. You know adoptive parents are going “Ha! Win!”

‘Celeb’ chef Gino D’Acampo did time for stealing guitars from Paul Young. Him & Sam Fox have crimes against music in common.

My last comedy gig got rave reviews. A couple of guys with glow sticks blowing whistles throughout.

Next time a zookeeper gets attacked by animals, should it be released on dvd with Motson shouting “only the keeper to beat!”

Slight mix-up. My girlfriend told me she wanted Cam fun. I beat the shit out of my mate Cameron.

This self-assessment form is confusing. I’ve just done the self assessment, but can’t find where to put ‘no lumps found’.

If you got hooked on the intensity of farewell sex, would you be bye-sexual?

Manual labourers – when will they get good enough with the spade not to need the manual anymore?

Apparently kids develop their motor skills most during the toddler stage. So the little fucker’s got no excuse for crashing.

The Data Protection Act. When will our MPs realise that Star Trek The Next Generation isn’t real?

I made a reservation at the hotel. Manager was a bit annoyed, but the people of the Cherokee tribe seemed to really like it.

I won a promotion at work then got sacked. Supervisors tend to frown on Championship Manager.

Tailor’s dummies – I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying a suit from a man who still sucked a dummy.

If meat is murder, is Quorn attempted murder?

If Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath, does that mean Jesus’ dad had weekend custody?

I played an origami expert at poker once. He folded.

I love throwing a ball for my dog, but he hates having to put on a dress and do all that dancing.

I used to paint landscapes. Until environmentalists complained.

I used to be a prize fighter. In my time I defeated a carriage clock, a book token, and a goldfish from the fair.

My girlfriend’s got a nice rack. She’s very into her medieval torture devices…

Condoms are an effective form of protection. When my girlfriend’s husband caught me I used one to strangle him to death.

Young people. Those who think listening to ‘New Order’ refers to switching on the shuffle on your iPod.

To be fair to Blairites/Brownites, we were all taught at school that division of labour leads to greater efficiency…

I can only seem to get gaelic programmes on my telly, and nothing at all on Sundays. I thought that wasn’t how you spelled Sky…

I’m not sure the Irish are over the Henry incident. They’ve written to DC Comics to ask to play in the Justice League.

Why aren’t lesbians referred to as ‘Kings’?

Just bought a sex manual. It’s basic stuff though. Entry level

The mind-altering powers that mean we can never beat the bookies: “What are the odds? They’re evens.”

If David Dickinson lost his perma-tan, would he pale into insignificance?

4 Politicians face jail over expenses claims. You know they’ll ask the Reliance driver for a receipt when he drops them there.

If you pass these jokes on anywhere, please credit www.comedyteddy.wordpress.com in doing so. I publish these gags up here for free to try to showcase my skills so I don’t think that’s much to ask. Thanks.

Teddy x

let the whispering wind come lift us away

les photos Highlands 2009 ICI : http://gilgphoto.wordpress.com/highlands-scotland-2009/

When: 25th December 2009 & 1st January 2010

Where: Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

£: Free

What is it?

The Ba’ is played every Christmas and New Year on the streets of Kirkwall.  A long running tradition played by the Uppies and the Doonies.  The team you are on depends on what side of town you are born, or more commonly these days what your family loyalties are.  The aim is for the teams to try to carry the ba’ to their side of town.

More info: Visit the website

#013
Leith Walk

What is Leith Walk?

Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stretches from The Foot Of Leith Walk at the junction of Great Junction Street and Constitution Street to the junction with London Road, it then continues as Leith Street to the east end of Princes Street.

Leith Walk has been in existence for over 240 years. Around the early 19th century, buildings were developed and slowly it became a vein in Edinburgh’s industry. Today, Leith Walk is seen as an icon for Leith and most of Edinburgh. It hosts many interesting features, including The Foot Of The Walk, The Omni Centre, St. James Centre and Elm Row. Half way down Leith Walk the City Limits Bar supposedly marks the historical border between Leith and Edinburgh.

Source: Wikipedia.org

I think that this recession has allowed employers to get away with stuff they wouldn’t normally be able to do.

I have seen many adverts for jobs with employers asking for photos. As far as I knew this was illegal or at least heavily frowned upon. Furthermore people desperate for work will not question it. I have applied for jobs where they have wanted you to do extra duties that would be classed as another higher paid job. e.g. glass collector for club £5.80 ph. includes cleaning the toilets. How much cleaning, just sweeping up or full wash down? Cleaners get paid around £7-10 ph. Would the bar staff clean the toilets? Male or female? I posed these questions to the employer and never received a reply. I have no problem with cleaning. I do tons of it at home and don’t get paid for it.

I recently applied for a job with a “reputable” Glasgow cinema as a marketing and festival assistant/administrator. On interview I was told that on top of the substantial list of duties (bear in mind its minimum wage) I would have to work in different locations, work unpaid weekends and nights and work and clean the cinema bar.

I would like to add here that I have worked since I was 14 and have never been out of a job untill I was made redundant. I work hard and play hard. I see it unfair that due to a shortage of jobs employers take the mick.

Claw

This is a report of the Scottish parliament debate on rural housing from Wednesday 7th October.

Parliament Report

Maureen Watt, SNP MSP for North East Scotland, today put forward the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee’s bid to have more affordable housing schemes built in rural Scotland.

In front of the Parliament Mrs Watt began by thanking her colleagues before talking about the “unaffordability and unavailability of rural housing.” Mrs Watt then went on to argue that with the lack of rural housing in Scotland, young families were being forced into moving away from their communities. She said: “Tight-knit rural communities cannot survive in the long term if young people are prevented from building their lives there.”

In highlighting the need for local councils to obtain more land to build houses, Mrs Watt introduced the idea of implementing the rarely used compulsory purchase order. “What is the point of having the power if it is never used—not even, for example, to stop a perfectly habitable building falling into disrepair in an area of high housing need?,” Mrs Watt added.

When asked to speak, Minister for Housing and Communities Alex Neil responded in a positive manner to Mrs Watt’s speech. He said that the Scottish government is “singing from the same hymn sheet in recognising the importance of housing in sustaining our rural communities”, before going on to focus on the work that the Scottish Parliament has already done to improve rural housing. He said: “We are investing £146 million in delivering more than 1,300 new houses in rural communities.”

In response to Mrs Watt’s criticism of the right to buy scheme, Mr Neil revealed that the government is planning on “ending the right to buy for new houses, possibly ending the right to buy for new tenants, and extending the period of suspension of the right to buy in areas of high pressure” in their forthcoming housing bill.

Mr Neil also agreed with Mrs Watt’s views on the constraints of compulsory purchase procedures. The Minister said that he was confident the Scottish Law Commission will agree to his request of reforming compulsory purchase legislation “so as to make procedures much more timeous and much less bureaucratic than they are at present.”

Highlands and Islands MSP Peter peacock gave Labour’s response to the matter and while he agreed with the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee’s report and with Mr Neil’s stance on compulsory purchase, he also attacked the Minister’s retort on pressured area status, labelling it “weak and disappointing.”

Mrs Watt’s motion on rural housing will be decided at decision time at 17:00 and is expected to be agreed to.

Eamonn Butler is the head of the Adam Smith Institute – a free-market think-tank.

But I’d not be surprised to hear that the Dignitas marketing folk were keen to retain his services.

I say this because, ever since I started reading this:

I’ve been increasingly curious about their services.

It’s an unceasing catalogue of the things that Gordon Brown and his coterie of bastards has done to our country.

Oh sure, there’s not much in there that you couldn’t find on most libertarian blogs, but the sheer scale of their destruction wrought upon the fabric of our economy, society, liberty, privacy, justice system and democratic protections is breath-taking.

I may, in fact, never finish this book, because I decide that I want to live. On the other hand, I may neck a fistful of vallium and get it over with. The book, I mean.

AJ

I remember telling you about the writing room and all the doorways – on the shelves were other worlds and you can have them all, and don’t stop, don’t stop – it’s not that I don’t want them, or you, or this world but if – can look around and see nothing but the earth in her natural state, then – know where – am at, cardinal directions dictated by the weathervane nearest you, way back there but it wasn’t so many hours ago that it was decided that only one of us had the power to decide. So tell the story like it happened and leave out all the parts that made it special, made it worth what it was, and create now what it wasn’t and prject that into me with passing trains and their origins in death.

Murders are the first course, so let him have his passage now and for the next, he’ll be jumping out the windows, playing tricks he’s always practiced, imagining the jewels that will follow him to the punchline, yes or no, not the stones but those associated with the very trickery, belligerence – he woke up in a daze and forgot about the sun – least to say it shocked the electricity from his heart and gave his brainwaves quite a start to discover that there was a star so close to him and she could make anything happen with a blink or anything else quite as simple – a breath or two will be my last example, and he or they would sweat or smile away all the shattering of bones and coins and some vital organs we mistook for some importance, for some point of view said it would be alright if we just broke it, or carefully removed it and placed it on the table, to watch it move like a colony of ants, watch it work itself to death protecting all those it loves or cares about to some extent, wait, wait, what exactly are we getting at?

Another failed attempt at tapping the subconcious, and now I’m back with you.

I am pressured by the purple sky to see past my own self. Last time I checked, these pages were the color of fake parchment mixed with a little bleach, but now they’re violet and textured, like an instrument I’ve seldom played before and could use some practice at if I were ever to perform, like in that empty amphitheater in Nashville – would I open up if I was there right now?

Would the words pour out of me, to no one particularly around, would my body move with them like I knew how to dance? It wouldn’t matter, I decide, because if there is something to be moved to, like the symphonies in my head, my soul would move me with the power of words and violins – to hell with shame; how many songs are left until the end? How many seconds, how many dances can we fit in before the end?

By Michael MacLeod

A FOOTBALL steward has been banned from every ground in Britain for a year after throwing a flare onto a pitch.

The court order means Michael Smith, 21, will lose his pitch-side security job with SPL side Falkirk.

He was arrested at a high-tempered derby match between rivals Linlithgow Rose and Bo’ness United when cops spotted the smoke bomb being hurled onto the pitch.

It wasn’t hard for officers to trace the arc smoke back to Smith, who was fined £1,000 and branded “mindless” by a Sheriff today (Thurs).

A Falkirk insider said last night: “This is exactly the kind of thing we employ stewards to stop other people doing, never mind doing it themselves.

“It’s completely stupid, but stewards are never the brightest anyway.

“We’ll be speaking to police, but it will be an instant dismissal.”

Smith’s antics forced last month’s game at Prestonfield Park to be delayed while police cleared the 15-inch long flare from the field.

Fiscal Depute Alastair Learmonth told Livingston Sheriff Court that Smith had been seen in the ground’s away end among the Bo’ness supporters.

Culpable and reckless

He said: “The ground was mainly made up of adults with young children.

“The flair appeared to come from over a wall and landed on the pitch.

“The game was delayed while a police officer went on to the pitch to retrieve the flare.

“Mr Smith was traced and made a full admission to throwing the flare.”

Smith, of Stewart Avenue in Bo’ness, Falkirk, pled guilty to culpable and reckless conduct and breach of the peace by throwing a flare into Prestonfield Park on October 10 in court yesterday.

He got the flare from a paintball centre, according to defence agent Darryl Lovie.

Mr Lovie said: “If anyone should know better, it is Mr Smith as he is, somewhat ironically, employed at Falkirk football stadium on Saturdays as a steward.

“Whether or not this conviction will affect his ability to do so remains to be seen.

“As I understand it, this device can only give off a plume of smoke; there was no fire, and if this item were to strike someone, it wouldn’t cause injury.

“It is normally used for paintballing, and while paintballing is a controlled environment, this is not a dangerous device or explosive.

“That’s not to take away from the fact that clearly this occurred in a largely populated football match.”

“Mindless behaviour”

He also said Smith had just left a full-time job with Scottish Widows, with the aim of going to college to become an engineer.

Now jobless, Smith claims he wants to start a racing car business when he finishes studying.

Sheriff Douglas Kinloch told him: “What you did was reckless and caused disruption.

“This is the kind of mindless behaviour that spoils the enjoyment of people who like to spend an afternoon being entertained at the football.

“It is very sad that this was carried out by someone who works as a football steward and should therefore have known better.

“There will be a substantial fine, but I also consider it an appropriate and just punishment to impose a football banning order.

“You will be banned from attending any football matches for one year.”

A Falkirk FC spokesman said: “I can confirm that Mr Smith is employed by the club as a security guard.

“Once we get confirmation from the police, we will be dealing with this internally.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Did Susan Boyle really suck her thumb after her knock out live performance on NBC in America. 

The ever faithful UK press, The UK Daily Mail seems to think so in this story, because supporting their own is what the UK media are renowned for. Not! Go here to see.

I think Susan Boyle is amazing. While some pop stars do boy-on-boy action in late night Award shows or clock into rehab for attention… if Susan Boyle sucks her thumb to get a headline, who cares! She’s found her way to stay in a headline and sell her music. Too funny!

When all is said and done, Boyle has the #1 album in America, outselling favorites of pop, Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert 2-1 this week. Props!

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 11.26.09~

By Tom Walker

THE FIRST ever replica of a 1000-year-old Pictish throne has been unveiled at the National Museum of Scotland after months of painstaking research and craftsmanship.

The original throne – thought to be the seat of a bloodthirsty warrior king – no longer exists, but the replica is intended to give visitors a glimpse of Scotland’s brutal tribal past.

Today (Thursday) the National Museum of Scotland unveiled the throne, which was commissioned in partnership with Glenmorangie Single Malt and is set to move around Scotland first going on display at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 1 December.

David Clark at National Museums of Scotland said: “Thrones were symbols of authority and power and as such would have been a very important part of Early Historic Scottish society that has hitherto been rather overlooked.

“There are no surviving examples of thrones from Early Historic Scotland and during the process of recreating this piece we’ve learnt so much about the design, manufacture and use of these thrones.

“It’s very exciting to see this type of throne brought to life for the first time in over a thousand years.”

The throne – into which clan symbols have been etched – will then move on to the Glenmorangie Distillery in Ross-shire in 2010, and from there will be on display at various locations around Scotland.

It was created by craftsman Adrian McCurdy in a bid to spark interest in Scotland’s past and show how sophisticated early Scottish society was.

Paul Neep, chief executive at Glenmorangie, said: “We are delighted to be able to work with National Museums Scotland to enable them to make exciting revelations about this period.

“At the Glenmorangie Company we are proud of our Scottish roots, particularly the ancient art and culture of the Picts which surrounds our Distillery in Ross-shire.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

By Cara Sulieman

SUSAN Boyle shrugged off claims that she had a break down during her visit to America earlier this week as she signed autographs for fans outside her home in Blackburn.

The star has been pictured in tears as she was surrounded by fans in New York’s Rockefeller Centre, where she was doing a live performance for NBC’s Today show.

But she said that her trip had been “absolutely brilliant” as she proudly posed with her debut album.

Casually dressed in a cream jumper and sporting a black beret adorned with jewels to keep away the cold, the 48-year-old waved to passers-by on the narrow street where she lives.

Bridget Boyle

Looking happy, she said that she hoped people would like her album.

I Dreamed a Dream is set to be number one in the album charts this weekend, after setting the highest first-day sales of the year with a whopping 130,000 copies flying off shelves.

And it is on track to beat the highest first-week sales of 375,872 for a debut album, which was set by Leona Lewis two years ago.

The CD is dedicated to the singer’s mother – Bridget Boyle who died in 2007 – and each song was chosen by SuBo because it had a special meaning.

Her management strongly denied that the Britain’s Got Talent performer had a breakdown whilst in the States, saying that she was overcome by emotion after receiving a quilt from fans.

A spokesman for Susan said: “She was just overjoyed and extremely touched with the reception she has had from everyone in America.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Fiona Clason

By Cara Sulieman

 

FRIENDS have paid touching tributes to a young woman who died after being hit by a car at the weekend.

Fiona Clason died at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh on Monday, the day after she was struck by a car on the capital’s waterfront.

The family of the 24-year-old were too upset to speak yesterday (Thurs) but friends of Ms Clason left touching messages on her social networking profile.

The University of Dundee graduate described herself as a fan of Hibs, Formula 1 racing and American Wrestling on her Facebook page.

“Love you”

Friends left messages praising Ms Clason, saying that she had been taken “too soon” and that “the world has become a darker place without you”.

Claire Sharkie wrote: “Love you Fi. So many amazing times and memories. Truly a great friend. Miss you so much.”

And another friend, Philip McKinstrey, added: “You always knew what to do and say to cheer up the whole room. I’ll miss you always.”

Police said Ms Clason was hit by a silver Volkswagen Golf on Waterfront Avenue at around 8pm on Sunday night.

Witness appeal

A 20-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with the incident, but has since been released pending further inquiries.

Lothian and Borders Police said that “further lines of inquiry” were being pursued and appealed for witnesses.

In particular, they are asking for passengers who were travelling on a Lothian number 38 bus which was in Waterfront Avenue at the time of the accident.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Lord Woolman granted Scotland’s first Civil Law McKenzie Friend request FORTY YEARS after McKenzie Friends were first introduced to UK courts as a result of the 1970 McKenzie v McKenzie decision which set a legal precedent for court users in England & Wales to request and receive the invaluable assistance of a McKenzie Friend, Scotland’s Court of Session has finally, albeit grudgingly fallen into line with the rest of the country and many international jurisdictions by granting what many say is the first successful request for a McKenzie Friend to appear in Scotland’s civil courts.

The unexpected turn of events in the Court of Session last Tuesday, 17th November 2009 saw the sitting judge, Lord Woolman allow the attendance of Scotland’s first ever McKenzie Friend in a long running civil damages action which named Motherwell College, North Lanarkshire Council & Edinburgh Law firm Simpson & Marwick as defenders. The case, a medical injury claim recently heard ‘potentially explosive allegations’ against the College from the witness box.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Courts Service confirmed the first use of a McKenzie Friend in Scotland, issuing the following brief statement : “I confirm [the party litigant] was allowed to be assisted in the manner associated with the term “McKenzie Friend”. [The litigant's] supporter was advised by the Court as to the nature of his role and is seated behind [the litigant] in court in the place where an instructing agent (solicitor) would sit.”

The Scottish Courts Service was further asked to confirm this was the first successful use of a McKenzie Friend in a civil damages action in Scotland. However, the SCS said they did not keep such statistics or data, and therefore could not confirm one way or another.

A senior official of one of Scotland’s consumer organisations welcomed Lord Woolman’s decision to allow the use of a McKenzie Friend. He said : “The rights of party litigants in Scotland’s civil courts have been greatly enhanced by Lord Woolman’s decision allowing what we understand to be the first ever use of a McKenzie Friend in a Scottish court. We hope this will be the first of many successful applications to the Scottish courts for the use of McKenzie Friends in cases were consumers have found it difficult or too costly to obtain the services of a solicitor to represent their legal interests.”

However, Lord Woolman’s decision in requiring the McKenzie Friend to ‘sit behind’ the party litigant came in for criticism, due to the fact that in England & Wales, and most international jurisdictions were McKenzie Friends are allowed, the party litigant requesting the advice & assistance of a McKenzie Friend usually find their McKenzie Friend sits beside them, rather than behind them.

A senior barrister from England said today : “I have often attended hearings where McKenzie Friends have assisted party litigants, seated next to them. I have not attended a hearing where an English court has insisted or required that a McKenzie Friend must sit behind their party litigant. Such a seating arrangement would be counterproductive to the litigant who would be put in a position of having to constantly turn around, seeking advice on what to say or asking to see notes taken by the McKenzie Friend. I would think the judge’s patience would fray a little at such a constant head turning prospect, and therefore on that basis I would have to say your Scottish judge got it wrong on who sits where.”

A former party litigant whose experiences were recently reported in a Consumer report on Scotland’s Civil Courts today said : “I found the entire system stacked against me in court and it will come as no surprise I lost. If I had been able to use a McKenzie Friend I might have won my case, or at least come to a settlement but the judge in my case said I could not have a McKenzie Friend. The lawyers laughed at me when I was forced to drop my case and to this day I feel very bitter about it.”

He continued : “Where a Scotsman living in England or Wales, can enter an English court with a right to have a McKenzie Friend by his side to help him in his hour of need, yet a Scotsman living in Scotland asking for the help of a McKenzie Friend will still have to face the discretion of individual courts who may seat his McKenzie Friend miles away to the rear .. is not fair. This lack of fairness has to be put right.”

Lord Gill recommended McKenzie Friends be introduced in his Civil Courts Review. In the recent Civil Courts Review, conducted by Scotland’s Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Brian Gill recommended that McKenzie Friends should be introduced in Scotland, not only being allowed to sit beside a litigant but also to be granted a right of audience in some circumstances, to speak for litigants. However, Lord Gill’s detailed recommendations on the introduction & application of McKenzie Friends in Scotland’s courts conflicts severely with claims made by the Lord President to Holyrood’s Petitions Committee, where Lord Hamilton claimed that such assistance as provided by McKenzie Friends had always existed in Scotland, when in fact, no recorded use of McKenzie Friends in Scottish Civil Courts has taken place until now, this now confirmed by the Scottish Courts Service itself.

You can read my earlier articles on Lord Gill’s recommendations for the introduction of McKenzie Friends in Scotland, here : Scots Law ’shake up’ as Lord Gill’s Civil Courts Review supports McKenzie Friends, Class Actions & wider access to justice for all

You can read my earlier reports on the battle to bring McKenzie Friends to Scotland here : McKenzie Friends for Scotland – A battle worthy of a McKenzie Friend

As legal experts in Scotland continue to assess the impact of Lord Woolman’s ruling on McKenzie Friends, and the precedent the decision has now established, the race is now on to set rules and guidance for the Scottish Courts on the general application & acceptance of McKenzie Friends to provide unrepresented party litigants with advice & assistance during court appearances.

A legal insider pointed out today that in England & Wales, as soon as a litigant makes a request to have a McKenzie Friend assist their litigation, the English courts must consider that request on a Human Rights basis, as contained in the Lord President of the Family Division’s guidance to the English Courts, which clearly states :

• When considering any request for the assistance of a McKenzie Friend, the Human Rights Act 1998 Sch 1 Part 1 Article 6 is engaged; the court should consider the matter judicially, allowing the litigant reasonable opportunity to develop the argument in favour of the request.

• The litigant in person should not be required to justify his desire to have a McKenzie Friend ; in the event of objection, it is for the objecting party to rebut the presumption in favour of allowing the MF to attend.

• A favourable decision by the court, allowing the assistance of a McKenzie Friend, should be regarded as final and not as something which another party can ask the court to revisit later, save on the ground of misconduct by the McKenzie Friend or on the ground that the MF’s continuing presence will impede the efficient administration of justice.

What a McKenzie Friend May Do :

• Provide moral support for the litigant
• Take notes
• Help with case papers
• Quietly give advice on : points of law or procedure ; issues that the litigant may wish to raise in court & questions the litigant may wish to ask witnesses.

What a McKenzie Friend May Not Do :

• A McKenzie Friend has no right to act on behalf of a litigant in person. It is the right of the litigant who wishes to do so to have the assistance of a McKenzie Friend.

• A McKenzie Friend is not entitled to address the court, nor examine any witnesses. A McKenzie Friend who does so becomes an advocate and requires the grant of a right of audience.

• A McKenzie Friend may not act as the agent of the litigant in relation to the proceedings nor manage the litigant’s case outside court, for example, by signing court documents.

The full guidance from the Lord President of the Family Division on the use of McKenzie Friends in England & Wales can be downloaded here : President’s Guidance: McKenzie Friends

One of the most important issues with regard to the use of McKenzie Friends in England & Wales, is that when a litigant makes a request for a McKenzie Friend, the request is considered with regard to Article 6 of Human Rights legislation. Currently, this is not the case in Scotland, and as yet, no guidance has been released from the Lord President’s office addressing these issues.

This Human Right of a McKenzie Friend to the unrepresented people across our country must not be separated by the hills of the Scottish Borders, simply on the basis the Scottish legal establishment, and the legal profession feel they will lose control over the courts and perhaps more importantly to them, control over access to justice and law firms profits.

Given the confused and contradictory claims by the Lord President, Lord Hamilton and the Scottish Government in its responses to the McKenzie Friend petition, and Lord Woolman’s following to the letter of Lord Hamilton’s ‘sit behind & far away’ policy, a right and entitlement to a McKenzie Friend in Scottish Law is long overdue and can no longer be allowed to remain ‘in the the gift’ of the Court. Give Scots the right of a McKenzie Friend.

By Cara Sulieman

EDINBURGH Castle had to close its doors for the first time in over a year because of high winds.

Staff at the popular tourist attraction took the precaution after recording wind speeds of up to 60mph at the high points of the building.

Initially it was hoped that the castle would be able to open late on Wednesday, but the weather didn’t improve and Historic Scotland decided to wait until today (Thurs) to allow tourists back in.

The esplanade was also shut, and staff were positioned at the entrance to explain the situation to visitors.

“Extreme winter weather”

The worry was that people might be blown over by the winds, and possibly even swept over the side of the attraction.

It is rare for the castle to close because of the weather, but it was shut for one day last year due to “extreme winter weather”.

A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: “The wind speeds being recorded at the higher parts of the castle, and even on the esplanade, were of a dangerous level, in some cases over 60mph, and so we took the decision not to open as normal, but to wait and see if the weather improved.

“Staff carried out checks every hour, but the winds remained high and so we had to close for the whole day. We apologised to tourism, and a lot of them said they would try and come back later in the week.”

The high winds also led to restrictions on the Forth Road Bridge, which was closed to high-sided vehicles throughout the day.

The Met Office said the high winds were expected to die down, but that rainfall is expected for the rest of the week and could become heavy over the weekend.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

By Cara Sulieman

IT HAS been a popular playground game for generations, but children in one Scottish school have been banned from playing British Bulldogs on “health and safety grounds”.

Pupils at Edinburgh’s Firrhill High School have been told not to play the game, along with other “physical” pastimes such as wrestling.

The game involves kids running across the field and trying to break through a human chain formed by the other team.

It has had a revival in recent years as schoolchildren are encouraged to be more active in the playground – but has been banned in schools across the country.

“Not allowed”

And a series of minor injuries caused by playing the game at Firrhill has led to the acting senior depute Nick McClellan telling the kids not to play it during school hours.

A note in the daily bulletin message to pupils on the school’s website reads: “Please note that taking part in physical games such as wrestling or British Bulldogs is not allowed in the school grounds at breaks and lunchtimes.

“On health and safety grounds there is a significant risk of injury to pupils and these types of games are therefore unacceptable in school.”

Just last year, the Local Government Association (LGA) – which represents councils in England and Wales – called for the game to be reintroduced, saying schools needed to strike a balance between health and safety and getting the kids active.

But the move has support from local councillors, who say the game is “not appropriate”.

Councillor Jeremy Balfour said: “If schools can’t provide the necessary supervision, it’s probably a game that is not appropriate for kids at break times.”

“Don’t get out of hand”

Other councillors are calling for the school to life the ban, saying risk is “part of growing up”.

Councillor Alison Johnstone said: “This is a game that I played when I was at school and the fact that it’s still going strong shows it does have a real appeal.

“Clearly we have to take health and safety considerations into account but we have to be a lot more imaginative and can’t simply ban anything that has a bit of risk attached to it, as that’s part of growing up.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council said: “We don’t have a central policy on activity in playgrounds.

“The school doesn’t want to see children wrestling or running into each other and getting hurt. They are simply trying to ensure things don’t get out of hand.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Blair lied and lied again: Mandarins reveal that 10 days before
 Iraq invasion PM knew Saddam couldn’t use WMDs

Tim Shipman
Last updated at 10:57 AM on 26th November

The full extent of how Tony Blair misled the public about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction before and after the Iraq War was laid bare yesterday.

The Chilcot Inquiry heard that just ten days before the invasion of Iraq Mr Blair was told Saddam had no way of using weapons of mass destruction.

And weapons experts revealed that the former Prime Minister took Britain to war based on intelligence that his own spies rated just ‘four out of ten’ for accuracy.

On the eve of the conflict, intelligence chiefs told Mr Blair that the Iraqi dictator had no warheads capable of delivering chemical weapons, dramatically undermining the Prime Minister’s case for war.

Yet Mr Blair gave the go-ahead for the invasion despite strong evidence that Iraq was no threat to Britain.

Then, after the war, officials had to tell Mr Blair not to ‘declare success too rapidly’ in the quest to find WMD in Iraq as he continued to make misleading statements claiming that ‘massive evidence’ had been found.

The revelations reinforce the case that intelligence evidence that Saddam was no threat was ignored by Mr Blair to take Britain to war on a false prospectus
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230824/Iraq-fourth-WMD-risk-list-inquiry-hears.html#ixzz0XxqkEYTA

IMHO

Tony Blair has KNOWINGLY DECIEVED AND LIED to the British people and the British parliment for foriegn interests!  His 45 minutes  claim !!        

This is an ACT OF TREASON!!

He has launched a War of Aggression on a country that was NO THREAT to the UK.

This is a WAR CRIME and a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY!!

There is a WARRANT OUT FOR HIS ARREST! If you see this treaterous ,bloodsoaked,butcher and liar in Europe, please demand his arrest

“a legal case was filed at the Audiencia Nacional against four United States presidents and four United Kingdom prime ministers for commissioning, condoning and/or perpetuating multiple war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Iraq.
 
This case, naming George H W Bush, William J Clinton, George W Bush, Barack H Obama, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Anthony Blair and Gordon Brown, is brought by Iraqis and others who stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people and in defence of their rights and international law.”
http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/blair-and-bush-and-co-war-criminals-named-and-shamed-now-lets-hunt-them-down-like-the-dogs-they-are/

IF we want to live in a decent world , we must NOT TOLERATE mass murderers and liars in posts of authority. IN FACT we should make EXAMPLES  of these people!!!  How many people wanted to become dictator of Italy after Mussolini was strung from a lamppost?

At least the EU has rejected the B-rate LIAR , Blair, as EU president. WHY? well it might be because they think that Phony Tony could be up to his neck in war crimes trials very soon. His cheesy charisma is NOT  working anymore, in fact everytime I see that fake cheese smile I want to punch it!!! Its a dark day for Blair to find out he is less charismatic than a Belgian(no offence meant to the people of Belgium). Remember Belgium’s Vlaams Bloc might bring Belgium as a country to an end!! So the EU would rather have a political no-body with a peronality by-pass from a country that might not even exist OR even be an EU member in a few years, rather than be assosiated with Phoney Tony’s cheesey grin and political associations.

The Fall of Blair has been dramatic, from front runner for EU president to , front runner for EU War Criminal. A week is a long time in politics.

Its back to the American lecture circuits for this piece of grinning human shite! OR JAIL!!!

IMHO

If this man is found guilty of these crimes , and I do suspect he is guilty, then he should be handed to his victims. Let them decide his fate , as he decided thiers! The Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have been total LIES from the start. Iraq and Afghanistan had NOTHING to do with 911 or any terrorism in the UK. TODAY our actions have only INCREASED THE LIKELYHOOD OF TERRORISM!!!

Tony Blair and George Bush with thier Iraq ,Afghanistan wars should be considered the BIGGEST promoters of Terrorism.

Iraq and Afghanistan have been converted by Bush and Blair to the BIGGEST terrorist recruitment and training camps .

Tony and Geoerge have spent so much on this fake war, that they have bankrupted thier countries and put the people into a DEBT they cannot hope to pay in thier lifetimes!

Tony and George have given millions of people a very genuine reason to want to hurt the US and UK. It is up to the people of the US and UK to do something about OUR butchers before dealing with other peoples. Because if we don’t deal with them , then by our own standards , someone else will have the RIGHT to deal with them!!!

…….. and they will not need to keep body counts either.

With leaders like these ,who needs enemies? Even if Osama Bin Laden had had something to do with this , I do not think he could of caused more damage than Blair and Bush. Both of whom seen to have conections with the Bin Ladens via the Carlyle Group. A business that has made BILLIONS since the start of these FAKE wars. No conflict of interest here?!?!

BUT do not worry the economy can be saved WITH MORE FAKE WAR IN IRAN , SOMALIA AND THE PHILIPINES!!!!

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/us-government-making-a-killing-on-war/

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/philippines-another-us-fake-war-in-the-making/

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/us-government-terrorists-still-in-power-iran-contra-to-911/

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/somali-pirates-guided-by-london-intelligence-team-report-says/

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/war-on-drugs-another-us-failed-war/

http://cuthulan.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/iranian-oil-bourse-the-real-reason-for-war-with-iran/

8 years since I moved to New Zealand from the UK. 8 years since I hugged my family and boyfriend goodbye and got on the first of 3 flights with no idea of what I was heading to. I cried most of the way from Glasgow to Heathrow, but thankfully got it together by the time I got to London. Just as well, as I was required to identify my bag on the tarmac after a x-ray revealed a ticking, metal object in my suitcase. Innocent enough (my mum had given me a Charles Rennie Mackintosh clock as a leaving gift), but taken very seriously as I was flying only a few months after 9/11 and tension at all international airports was running high. That goodbye ended up leading to 8 years away from my family and friends, although I had orginally intended to stay away for 6 months, maybe 1 year maximum.

It was in hindsight both the hardest and the wisest thing I have ever done. I grew and experienced in ways that just wouldn’t have been possible had I stayed in Scotland. I endured huge insecurities as I set up a new life in New Zealand, based on nothing more than knowing one person who was happy for me to sleep on his couch for a week or two. I was massively homesick and full of indecision, but I arrived in Auckland in the middle of a beautiful summer and I began to fall in love with the beauty of my new surroundings almost immediately. Anyone who has visited New Zealand will recognise this feeling. It is the little country that could. Full of humour, culture and pride – it might just be a little island in the middle of the Pacific but it has everything you need if you want to live in a country where people love their outdoor environment . It contains unbelievable scenery which, given the easily driveable size of the country, reveals awe-inspiring views  literally around every corner. You can ski (on a volcano) and surf in the same day. You can experience dramatic black sand beaches on the west coast, drive an hour and be sitting on a white untouched paradise on the east. 

I saw it all. Well nearly it all. Towards the end of my first year in New Zealand, I took my orange VW kombi camper and drove solo around the country for 2 months. It was amazing. It was also hard; travelling alone even in a country so welcoming is sometimes intimidating,  sometimes challenging but ultimately immensely rewarding. I might have preferred to have someone with me to enjoy everything I saw, but apart from that I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

It marked a trend for me to travel alone. Not always through choice. As I have got older my friends are settling down, many with houses and children and marriages now, and it becomes less viable for them to pack up and take off for several months. But I’m the kind of person who would rather go and experience something alone than miss out through lack of travelling companions. I think I’d like that to change. The next time I go somewhere new, I would like someone to share it with. For one, I might have some photographs of myself in nice places. As it happens though, I have several photo albums of beautiful landscape shots if anyone is interested.

I want to go back to New Zealand. I’m currently in Australia and will soon be returning to Scotland for the duration of my masters which starts next September, but I still call New Zealand home. I think I always will.

Martin Rosenbaum of the BBC has been following one of the long-standing Freedom of Information Act requests – about the establishment and introduction of the Sewel Convention, which requires Westminster to obtain the consent of the Scottish Parliament, and now National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly, if it proposes to legislate on devolved matters.  He first discussed the  protracted delays in the Information Commissioner’s response to this request (initially made in early 2005!) here.  In his most recent post, here, he discusses what is revealed by the (small number of) papers on the Sewel convention that have been disclosed following the Commissioner’s ruling.  The Commissioner had largely upheld the refusal of the  Scotland Office to disclose much of the documentation requested but ordered some further disclosures, so what has come into the public domain is only a small part of what exists in the UK Government’s files.

Nonetheless, this disclosure suggests that the introduction of the convention was a more difficult affair than many  (myself included) believed, with considerable reluctance on the part of Whitehall departments to alter their practices, and unease about Whitehall’s readiness to use the Convention.

There are several stories here.  One is the continuing culture of secrecy and non-disclosure in Whitehall, even when it’s hard to see what harm might be done by publishing the material sought.  Another is the problems which Whitehall departments had in coping with even the first steps of devolution, and the role civil servants played in fighting the battles (a term that’s only slightly an exaggeration) in making it happen.  A third is the way that a convention about inter-parliamentary relations became something first and foremost of concern to governments, and about how executives relate to each other.  While that has been reshaped by the new procedures introduced following the inquiry of the Scottish Parliament’s Procedures Committee in 2005 (available here), the leading role remains with governments not legislatures.  Each of these issues deserves attention – and the second and third have been particularly overlooked so far.

Lyle and Scott clothing have built a reputation of high quality with a 130 year history in the design of authentic Scottish knitwear. Originally from the Scottish Borders town of Hawick, Lyle and Scott Clothing launched their first golf clothing range in 1967 with the distinctive ‘Golden Eagle’ embroidered logo. It was an immediate success, with golfers such as Gary Player, Tony Jacklin, Greg Norman, Ronnie Corbett and Bob Hope championing the brand ever since.  Lyle and Scott polo shirts and jumpers have recently boomed in popularity and can be seen regularly on celebrities such as Dermot O’Leary and Steve Jones along with bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian.

Welcome to our Unofficial Lyle and Scott Clothing blog! We’ve started this blog because we love Lyle and Scott and first of all, we wanted to tell you guys about the three new colours of polo shirts we noticed on Aphrodite’s website the other day.  Aphrodite Clothing have stocked Lyle and Scott for 5 years now and have a huge range for an independent store!  They seem to have three new colours available which we haven’t seen before.  A new darker grey, a new yellow and a new Electric Blue Lyle and Scott Polo.  Check out the new colours at http://www.aphrodite1994.com/lyle-and-scott-13.phtml.

A wet Ancient Tree Hunt day in South Rannoch Wood

We would like to send a big thank you to the 21 people who turned out on the 1st of November, a rather wet and windy Sunday for our Ancient Tree Hunt  (ATH) Day. The going was slow, covering just a square kilometre between us – hampered by the sheer number of large trees to be found! We mapped 58 in total, a mix of Oak, Birch, Scots Pine and even a couple of Beech – is this a record haul? Hopefully our ATH colleagues can tell us. It could probably hold the record for the wettest Ancient Tree Hunt ever!

To help us confirm the age of the trees found by our intrepid hunters we commissioned dendrochronologist Coralie Mills to core some of the trees we found. Coring trees is much harder than it looks – so thanks to Colin who did much of the hard work! We now have to wait a few weeks for the results but they will be invaluable in helping us learn more about the woodland’s history. This will mean we can tie the trees with what we know of the land use of the area and the history of the neighbouring Black Wood of Rannoch.

A public meeting to discuss the proposed development at Dall took place on 19th of November, chaired by Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire. Over 100 people from Dall, Kinloch Rannoch and the surrounding areas came to hear and ask questions of the Dall Community Association, Loch Rannoch Conservation Association, Prof Gavin McCrone and DPP – the agents for the developer, Mr James.

It was great to see that the overwhelming view of those attending was that the development currently proposed for Dall and the surrounding woodlands was inappropriate. Most of the issues that concerned the local community seem to be the scale of the proposal, the environmental impact on both the woodland and loch and the access issues, both for locals and the visiting tourists.

Just reading Ian McGeechan’s autobiography Lion Man.

I recommend it.

McGeechan is so renowed for his coaching that it’s easy to overlook what a good player he was (and he stopped playing before I can remember watching much rugby).

However, there’s one passage where he describes his coaching philosphy:

"I believe that when you put new players in or a relatively new team together, you've got to be pretty direct in your coaching; you have to give them a framework, and a thinking and an understanding, because if you haven't got one mind, and one overall idea of what you are trying to do, that's when you fall between two stools. Once you've got that base right, once you've got all the basics, you can do anything; you can mix and match and that's where the decision-making and the talent shows, and then bring the best out of each other... 

And when all else fails, what's the plan? Go forward, and win the contact. If you do that, you will probably win."

Now how relevant is that to the past six years of England rugby?

As Graham says, it should be coaching bread and butter (shame Graham doesn’t write more articles for the blog).