Scotland round-up

Posted by andrewscoones at Fri, 12/12/2008 - 1:07pm in Political commentary

This month's Scotland round-up by Scotland consultant Andrew Scoones:

Gordon Brown might have ‘saved the world’ but the Scottish Government has saved the Fringe.  A series of box-office failures had brought the Festival Fringe to the brink of collapse but the Scottish Government and Scottish Arts Council have now bailed it out with a £250,000 one-off grant.  Student Amateur Dramatics Societies across the country can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Otherwise, it’s been bridges dominating the news in Scotland. Of the 29 transport investment priorities detailed in the Strategic Transport Projects Review, the modified new bridge over the Forth has raised the most eyebrows.  The existing Forth road bridge crossing, rusty cables and all, is to be kept open, but only for public transport.  Apparently it could last another 120 years. This means that the new bridge can be narrower as all the buses will use the old one - ‘value for money’ according to Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. Following similar moves in England, the Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that new guidance will be drawn up to allow top-up payments in some cases for patients north of the border. Glasgow will also be the testing ground for the UK Government’s benefit reforms. Incapacity claimants in the city will trial new welfare reform proposals designed to get them back to work as part of wholesale reforms announced by the Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell. If you’re currently being detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure in Scotland, you might be interested to know that it’s now a criminal offence for you to possess a mobile phone or SIM card.  Be warned, the Scottish Government also has plans to introduce penalties for actually using a mobile inside. And finally, it is not all doom and gloom in the Athens of the North.  Edinburgh residents appear to be finding alternative ways to occupy themselves during these difficult times as the 13 % rise in the birth rate proves.  The number of people dying is also on the decline.  Officials have welcomed the new as a ‘vote of confidence in the city’.

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