The Herald

Cameron Calls for 10per Cent Cut in Number of Scots Mps Tory Leader Vows to End Westminster Gravy Train

DAVID Cameron has vowed to cut the number of Scottish MPs by 10per cent, if he wins power at the General Election . The Conservative leader announced the proposals as part of a raft of measures that includes pledging to cut ministerial pay and end MPs' subsidised food and drink if he gets into power.

Scottish Teachers Fall Behind in European Salary Scale

THE salaries of Scottish teachers are slipping behind their European counterparts at a time when increasing numbers cannot get jobs, according to new figures. A report comparing the education systems of different countries in the developed world, published yesterday, reveals that classroom teachers in Scotland are now the eighth best paid in the developed world, compared to fifth-best two years ago.

Angiolini Calls for Tougher Jail Sentences

SCOTLAND'S most senior law officer has called on the appeal court to reverse the decision to allow criminals pleading guilty a sentencing discount, and for those convicted of the most violent murders to die behind bars. Elish Angiolini QC, the Lord Advocate, is seeking a guideline from a five-judge appeal bench which would allow for "whole life" sentences and remove the sentencing discount of a third given in murder cases following a guilty plea.

Brown Accused of Demoralising Labour Over Megrahi Affair Pm's Role Slated As 'Government by Fiasco'

GORDON Brown's handling of the Lockerbie case is demoralising his senior colleagues, it was claimed yesterday, with one denouncing his leadership as "government by fiasco". With opposition politicians continuing to call for a parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure as the Labour Party gears up for its autumn conference later this month in Brighton.

Scotland Needs a Stronger Voice in Europe, Minister Urges

SCOTLAND'S ability to pursue its own agenda on the international stage is severely limited, Constitution Minister Michael Russell claimed yesterday. He told an invited audience of European Commission officials and representatives of European states in Brussels that Scotland needed a stronger voice in Europe "and indeed beyond" to represent its "interests, needs and priorities".

Chief Executive of City Council Suffers Suspected Heart Attack Exclusive

THE most senior official in Scottish local government has been taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack, which will rule him out of returning to work until December. George Black, chief executive of Glasgow City Council, was admitted on Sunday after complaining of chest pains at his home in the Giffnock area, south of Glasgow.

Three Die in Series of Accidents On Roads in Scotland

THREE people have died and two others were injured, including a 12-year-old girl, in a spate of road accidents yesterday. Two women were killed when they were struck by lorries while an elderly motorist died and three others were seriously injured in a rush-hour crash on the A90, in Angus.

Barra Set for First Whisky Galore Event

THE first-ever Whisky Galore Festival is being held on the island of Barra next weekend to mark 60 years since the launch of the famous film, which was made on the island. The 1949 film Whisky Galore was based on the book by Compton Mackenzie, the writer who lived for many years on Barra and is buried on the island. He was inspired by the shipwreck of freighter SS Politician in 1941 in the Sound of Eriskay between Eriskay and South Uist to the north of Barra. She had been travelling from Liv...

Threat of Plot to Split Kirk Over Gay Ministers Evangelicals Plan Break From Church of Scotland Evangelicals Plan Break From Church of Scotland Exclusive

EVANGELICALS are plotting a split with the main body of the Church of Scotland over gay ordination and have held "large gatherings" across Scotland, The Herald can reveal. The schism the Kirk tried desperately to avoid by postponing an open debate on appointing gay ministers and gagging members from discussing the issue at this year's General Assembly is moving towards reality.

Plans to Run Scotland's First Hybrid Buses Break Down Over Cost Exclusive

PLANS for the first hybrid buses to run in Scotland have been dropped after First UK Bus found the environmentally friendly vehicles cost too much to operate, The Herald has learned. The Aberdeen-based company has cancelled an order for 10 electric and dieselpowered buses to operate in Glasgow and Manchester, the biggest of its kind outside London, saying the technology is not yet advanced enough to make economic sense.

Ny Firm Builds On a Dream for Art School American to Work in the Shadow of Mackintosh

IT'S a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that only the world's top architects could dare take on - the chance to have their work stand face-toface with a genuine Mackintosh masterpiece. Yesterday, that dream became reality for an international team commissioned to design a new Glasgow School of Art building opposite the iconic original.

Hoping That Pay Cuts Will Pay Off at the Ballot Box Cameron Adopts Hard Line On Expenses Cameron Adopts Hard Line On Expenses Analysis

THE political race to curry the voters' favour by insisting that your hair shirt is hairier and much more uncomfortable than the other party's is on. Last night, Tory aides were beaming with pride, believing that David Cameron had, once again, stolen a tactical march on Gordon Brown in the fall-out to the MPs' expenses scandal.

Pupils' Basic Skill Level Stagnant for Years, Says Academic

STANDARDS of literacy and numeracy in Scottish schools have been stagnant for nearly two decades and the new curriculum is unlikely to resolve the issue, a leading academic warned yesterday. Lindsay Paterson, professor of educational policy at Edinburgh University, told a conference that the Curriculum for Excellence did not have enough of a focus on driving up basic skills - despite the rhetoric surrounding it.

Sir George Young 'Delighted' at His Shadow Cabinet Appointment

AS Sir George Young expressed "delight" at becoming the newest member of David Cameron's shadow cabinet, Labour launched an immediate attack on the 68-year-old baronet, who becomes the third Old Etonian on the Tory front line after the party leader and policy chief Oliver Letwin. Denis MacShane, the former Europe Minister, led the charge against the new shadow leader of the Commons, emphasising the class issue when he accused Mr Cameron of favouring "public school millionaires".

Row Over Lawyers at Children's Hearings

MINISTERS have vowed to fight on in the full Scottish Parliament after a defeat in committee yesterday following an ill-tempered debate about legal representation for some parents at children's hearings. The government had argued that some parents with mental incapacity who were deemed to require legal representation could end up suing the government under human rights rules if they were not provided with statefunded lawyers.

80 Passengers Still Suffering From Illness On Cruise Liner Gales Halt Bid to Get Medics On Board

THE cruise ship struck by a suspected outbreak of the norovirus vomiting bug is due at Tobermory on Mull today with about 80 people still suffering from the bug. The Balmoral lay outside Portree Bay on Skye for most of yesterday without any of its 1280 passengers disembarking as gale- force winds lashing the islands were too fierce to allow any tenders to approach the 44,000 tonne vessel and plans to get a medical team on board had to be abandoned.

Claims of Spin Over Concert Halls' Financial Crisis Revealed Internal Memos Show Scale of Dispute Internal Memos Show Scale of Dispute Exclusive

THE fallout from the financial crisis at Glasgow's leading concert halls is laid bare today in a series of internal memos released under freedom of information laws. They give vent to allegations of "spin", "extraordinary" financial protection and budget deficits of more than GBP1m.

Tributes As Actor Iain Cuthbertson Dies Aged 79

IAIN Cuthbertson, a giant of the Scottish acting scene, has died at the age of 79. Best-known for his roles in crime series Budgie and the films Gorillas in the Mist and The Railway Children, Cuthbertson suffered a crippling stroke in 1982 from which he never fully recovered. He passed away last Friday.

Are Tall People Really Happier? Height has Been Linked to a Range of Emotions by a Major New Study, Writes Mark Smith

IT'S great news for Michelle Obama and John Cleese, but not so good for Kylie Minogue and Danny DeVito. According to new research, taller people are happier with their lives than shorter ones. A study from America has concluded that people of greater height on average feel more positive about their lives. Approximately 454,065 American adults aged 18 or over were interviewed between January 2008 and April this year as part of the study published in the science journal Elsevier's Economics a...

I May Be Small, but I Don't Feel Short Changed Comment

IF I had a penny for every person who has told me that good things come in small packages, I'd be a rich woman. There seems to be an inbuilt need to produce a glib verbal response to the fact that I am slightly smaller than the national average - 5ft 2ins (in my bare feet) .