16/06/2011 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight on your national news: An

unrepentant First Minister, Alex Salmond, refuses to bow to pressure

and apologise for his controversial attack on senior legal figures in a

magazine article. Well he out -- apologise for these outrageous

remarks. Opposition parties say he should

"grow up" and say sorry. Also to come: An inquiry into the

suicide of a teenage girl hears how she'd once fantasised about being

taken into care after watching a children's TV show.

A mystery benefactor offers thousands of pounds to make sure

pupils at a Lanarkshire school can afford its new uniform.

And we report from the red carpet as the stars come out in force for

The First Minister has repeatedly refused to apologise for an

outspoken attack on senior Scottish legal figures. Alex Salmond was

told to "grow up" by Labour leader Iain Gray as he came under

sustained questioning from opposition leaders during Question

Time at Holyrood. They rounded on him for the comments he made in a

magazine interview, and accused him of undermining the independence of

the judiciary. Our political editor, Brian Taylor, reports.

Trial by Parliament. Alex Salmond's opponents believes he went over the

top for criticising the UK Supreme Court for intervening in Scottish

cases. Perhaps Tony Kelly is considering to sue or for saying

that Lord Hope had extreme political consequences for his

intervention. Scottish lawyers aren't happy. The whole profession

was upset and alarmed by the type of comments being made about a

senior member of the judiciary and a senior solicitor who is only

carrying out his duty to the Court and his client. Iain Gray reckons

it adds up to an attack on judicial independence and he accused the

First Minister of losing the plot. Grow up, own up and apologise so

this debate can move on and be conducted in the way it should have

been in the word go. Will he apologise? Mr Salmond said he had a

duty to speak out when the autonomy of Scots law was under threat from

a London court. It is a real issue. The integrity of the judicial of

Scotland is set matter of public concern that was never meant to be

second-guessed in the way that is happening. Annabel Goldie tried

again, she is a lawyer. The First Minister's has obscured the real

issue and has made a laughing stock of Alex Salmond and has diminished

the Office of First Minister in this Parliament. Will he now

apologise for bringing the Office of First Minister into disrepute?

No. Someone also added to the charge seat. His refusal to

withdraw is embarrassing for him, this Parliament and Scotland.

controversy resurfaced over the case of Matt Frazer convicted of

murder. The Supreme Court ruled he had not had a fair hearing and

tomorrow a High Court will decide whether to order a retrial.

We can speak to Brian Taylor now. It has been a tough day for Mr

Salmond. He is stressing the independence of the judiciary was

entrenched by it an act of this very Parliament but the opposition

ms Peakes are pointing out that one element of that is that the First

Minister is obliged to defend, up holed and support the judiciary.

Alex Salmond is adamant he has a duty to speak up when he feels the

position of Scots law is undermined. He seems to want the debate to move

on from his controversial remarks to a more considered attempt to

address the situation. When a politician wants to move on, it is

normally because they are uncomfortable with where they are.

Nominations for the Inverclyde by- election for Westminster have

closed with just five candidates standing. The four main parties -

Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and Tories - are each contesting the

seat, while UKIP has also fielded a candidate. Voters go to the polls

on June 30th to elect a successor to Labour MP David Cairns, who had

a majority of more than 14,000 votes, following his death in May

from pancreatitis at the age of 44. A teenage girl who was living in

care when she jumped to her death from the Erskine Bridge, had

fantasised about being taken into care after watching the hit

children's TV show Tracy Beaker. The revelation came as an inquiry

into the suicides of 15-year-old Neve Lafferty and Georgia Rowe, who

was 14, heard a second day of evidence from Neve's mother. She

said her daughter had watched the programme as a young girl. Aileen

Clarke reports. This is the photograph of Neve

Lafferty just months before she jumped from the Erskine Bridge. Two

years before heard death, she sent a different fate it to her cousin

taken on a mobile phone. It showed where she had/Tehran lot more than

25 times - lots of red, and Greek wounds. Her mother, Collette

Bysouth, told the inquiry she had her daughter referred to a

psychiatrist but it had continued, the self harming. The following

April, Neve had slashed her wrists. The inquiry heard how things came

to a head two months later after Neve insult -- assaulted a pupil.

That this time, she was living with her father and could not cope with

her behaviour as he was a heroin addict. She insisted to be taken

into care. Another said that Neve watched Tracy beaker when she was

younger and she thought growing up in a children's home would be fun.

It came to the point of her being taken into care but she was quite

upset and she said, "why did I have a junkie dad?" Neve -- Neves... At

the Good Shepherd Centre where she was staying, she told staff she was

going to walk to the bridge. She was placed in a secure unit for hut

and safety. Her mother said she should have been made to have

counselling while she was there up You are watching Reporting Scotland.

Still to come: Keeping traditions alive - a new film aims to preserve

Scottish folklore for the future. wanted to go to my maternal

grandfather and record all his stuff. It never happened.

Be in sport: Scottish bosses are all the rage in England and we meet

-- needs some fans they -- you are reading their club is about to

appoint one. Find out why this film clue -- crew is playing would be at

an Edinburgh score. Figures have emerged showing the

cost of the controversial you lead Denny power line has more than

doubled. The new 600 million kind upright -- price tag will be met by

it electricity consumers. How much Harnessing the power of Scotland

comes at a cost and the price tag is bigger than we thought. The new

power line will run for 137 miles. There will be 600 pie longs, some

more than 200 feet high. The project has always been a hugely

controversial because the We'll run through many of Scotland's most

cherished landscapes. In 2004, the line was expected to cost �331

million but the price now is likely to be �600 million. The jump in

price is down to inflation and moves to limit the visual impact of

the. Campaigners say Scottish and Southern Energy as ScottishPower

should have seen it coming. thought the prize would go up

anyway but to go up by nearly 100% business elite incredible. The cost

of maintaining and improving the electricity network is met by

consumers but the industry regulator says there is no need to

worry. It argues that the entire cost of the upgrade will be just

10p a year for consumers right across the UK. The UK will have to

invest something like �200 billion in replacing -- replacing his power

stations with new, cleaner forms of power. Frankly, we are fitting the

bill for years of under-investment. Big companies and building the line

say it is vital to Scotland's economic future and construction

will beat -- begin later this year. The parents of a child who was

paralysed from the neck down after a delivery by forceps have been

awarded an undisclosed amount of compensation in an out-of-court

settlement. The couple were seeking �23 million in damages from Greater

Glasgow Health Board for the child who will need 24-hour care for the

rest of his life. The settlement is unusual in that it involves

payments in stages during the child's lifetime to avoid the

danger of a lump sum being too much or too little.

A mystery benefactor is offering to pay thousands of pounds to make

sure pupils can afford his new uniform. Some parents have said

they would struggle to find the money for a new blazer as requested

by the head teacher of Bellshill Academy.

It is just bits and pieces of cloth coloured and striped but these

young people want the uniform. makes everyone look like we are

players on the same team. We were the only school that weren't

wearing blazers. Other pupils looked really smart. Somewhere

nearby, its support from a surprising source. The donor,

thought to be a local businessman, is contributing �10 to the �28 bill

for each child which adds up to a cool �6,000. It is our chance to

continue to raise our standards... This head teacher says pupils who

dress better do better. He said, I don't think I did as well because I

didn't have my blazer on and he meant that. We come into work and

we are dressed to raise our own standards and I think the people

here are very committed to it. There were doubts side? We have not

got people being judgmental. They are all the same say you will not

get kits being victimised. There is a lot of time later on in life to

be different. At school, you should all be fairly similar. We passed

some schoolkids and every group of girls we passed were wearing a

strong perfumes. I would hate to be a teacher do Dale! In half an hour,

we couldn't find one person against. The head teacher hopes to find

Police investigating the death of and 88-year-old man who was

attacked in an underpass in Sterling have made an arrest. John

Gillespie died six days after he was found injured at the under pass

in the city on April 9th. A 50- year-old man is expected to appear

in court tomorrow. An offshore worker has died after falling

overboard from a North Sea oil platform. The 37-year-old was

rescued from the water and taken to a supply vessel where he

subsequently died. It is not known where the man is from but police

say his family have been informed. A man has died after falling from

scaffolding in Dundee. The 57-year- old was working with a colleague

that allows in the city. He died at the scene despite the efforts of

paramedics. Forget London, New York, Paris and Milan. Last night Glasgow

was at the centre of the fashion world as it hosted the Scottish

Fashion Awards. Celebrities were out in force for a Gaelic dinner at

the city's Science Centre. No question, it was Scotland's most

glamourous night of the year. The great and the good worthier. Models,

actresses, the Prime Minister's wife and even a genuine superstar.

They were all here to celebrate Scotland's fashion success. I love

coming to Scotland, especially Glasgow, it has very good memories

for me. I came several years ago, it is almost anything Scotland that

I am right in two. I am all over it! As the models and celebrities

make their way along the red carpet it is easy to think it is all about

fancy frocks and frivolity. The Scottish fashion industry

contributes millions of pounds to the British economy. Our turnover

from the textile industry is �758 million per year. That is a big

deal and sometimes people do not take fashion as seriously as they

should. Designer of the year was Jonathan Saunders. I am incredibly

proud. It is good for the industry and for all of us. It is a great

industry to work in. It makes you proud. And night with hard business

development sense behind it. I needed some tips! Dame Joan

Bakewell, Melvyn Bragg, Pamela Stephenson and others will appear

at this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Alasdair Gray will open the festival. It will also feature an

event with John Hartson, the first Premier League footballer to appear

on stage there. I am still on my first book, I will may be beat

another one another time! Scottish managers are all the rage in

Premiership this time round. The latest appointment of another Scot,

Alex McLeish, has led to protests from supporters of the club he is

about to join. These Aston Villa fans do not want Alex McLeish as

their new team boss. Very surprised, shocked and hurt. They will lose so

much money it is unreal. A lot of these lads will hand their season

tickets back in. McLeish has quit Birmingham City to take the job.

Birmingham City and our rivals, we don't like them and they don't like

us. Under McLeish, Birmingham won their first trophy for nearly 50

years. The they're also relegated to the championship. We do not want

someone who has taken our rivals down. He is a joker. I know Blues

fans to have said to me he is a great guy. Villa fans do not know

McLeish joined -- enjoyed a 70% when rate as Scotland manager. He

won the SPL twice with Rangers. But maybe they just do not here.

Rangers have turned down a third offer from the Turkish club

Bursaspor at four best man Whittaker. The two Scottish players

playing in the US Open have both par at the opening holes. They will

just let you watch this. We will bring you updates on the Scottish

players' progress throughout the evening on Radio Scotland. Now

during the First World War I group of 26 refugees from Serbia sought

refuge in Scotland. They arrived bewildered and exhausted and left

as sporting heroes. Here is our Rugby reporter. 100 years ago the

school bell would have been a familiar sound. Their energies may

have faded but their memory shines bright. Young men in search of

safety transformed into a Rugby team. Their journey was a hard one.

Hundreds of thousands of Serbian strive to cross the mountains of

Montenegro. About 8,000 died. Those who came here were survivors.

boys ended up at Heriot-Watt school in Edinburgh. The boys did not let

the Rugby tradition down. They were pretty good competitors. Later on

the Serbian boys have their own team. They took a love of Rugby

back to Serbia with them. Interest in the boys'' homeland has now been

rekindled. A documentary is being made for Serbian television. When

they first started playing Rugby here they thought it was a very

difficult sport and a very rough sport but afterwards they were told

they were did that it and they actually brought Rugby back to

Serbia. The story took place 100 years ago but they remain an

inspiration to pupils of today. They have been described as

national treasures, Gaelic comedian Peter Uihlein and traditional story

tellers -- Norman Stuart and Margaret Bennett and Sheila Stewart

probably know more about Scottish traditions than anyone but what

happens when they are gone? Margaret Bennett is widely regarded

as Scotland's leading folklorist. She plays a village matriarch whose

death marks not only the passing of a great character but also the loss

of one of the foundation stones of her community's culture and history.

It is happening for relive the day all over Scotland. So many times

you hear of someone dying and with them their generation and that

generations of tradition. Our songs are our cultural identity. If we

lose that we lose more than we can afford to lose. In this film this

young aspiring bar and has a crusade to keep alive local songs.

I wish I had a pound for every time as a young man I wanted to go up to

my maternal grandfather who brought me up and record all his staff. It

never happened, did it? Someone has to do it before it is too late.

This director is one of a new generation of Scots involved in

this film determined to do just that. When we're talking about

songs and poetry they're talking about the collective consciousness

and the soul of generations. I think it is so important that it

does not die. This is one of a series of films aimed at bringing

music, drama and folklore of Scotland into the national

consciousness. It has not been a bad day today in Glasgow at least

but how is it looking into the weekend? Not good unfortunately.

The showers that weather around today will disappear this evening.

It will be dry and mild air after across the whole of the country.

The game will leave Shetland finally as well. Temperatures not

dipping too far up tonight. Tomorrow Scotland will start dry

and find but rain will make its way in through the Irish Sea. There

will be strong winds around the Mull of Kintyre. As we go through

the day the game will push northwards across Dumfries,

Galloway, the Borders and central belt by lunchtime, then into Perth

Show by afternoon. By mid-afternoon tomorrow not a very pleasant the in

store for many of us across the country. Temperatures struggling as

well. Some of the game will be heavy. Further north temperatures

of around 16 Celsius. The best of the weather in Caithness,

Sutherland and the Northern Isles. Through the second half of the

afternoon and through the evening tomorrow we still have that rain

with us. A dull and damp end to the working week. It is here to stay.

This low pressure over the top of us Friday into Saturday means rain

for the start of the weekend. That band of rain will struggle from the

north-west to the south east of the country. It will be reasonably

light, just a few heavy bursts. As we move into Sunday the rain starts

to move away. The cloud will start to thin. That is the forecast for

now. So we have had our summer! Now a summary of tonight's top stories.

The First Minister has refused to apologise for comments he made

about senior legal figures in a magazine article. He was accused of

undermining the independence of the judiciary. There has been a much

bigger fall in UK High Street sales. After the feel-good factor of the

royal wedding boosted shopping in April last month saw a drop by a 4%.

Ed Balls said the Government should drop VAT. A teenage girl who was

living in care when she jumped to her death from D Erskine Bridge had

fantasised about being taken into care when she watched the TV show

Tracy Beaker. The BBC's Panorama has been ordered to apologise after

using footage that was probably fate as part of a report about