19/05/2016 Reporting Scotland

weekend. That's it from the BBC News at six, time

Muirfield Golf club is stripped of the right to host the Open

championship after its members vote against allowing women to join.

I'm disappointed, because we recommended a vote in favour of

admission of women. I hope there is another way to overturn this. I hope

there is a way to look through this again.

Also on the programme, Cal Mac sees off private competition

to win the contract for west coast ferry services.

Failures in the system of farm payments,

the farmers union calls on the government to get a grip.

One of the accused in the Liam Fee murder trial says there was nothing

she could have done to prevent the toddler's death.

And a year after winning the Scottish Cup

John Hughes is set to leave Inverness after falling

Nicola Sturgeon has called the decision of Muirfield Golf Club

to reject women as members "indefensible".

A vote at the East Lothian club failed to achieve the two-thirds

majority of members required to allow women to join.

from hosting the Open Championship as a result.

VOICEOVER: Muirfield, the oldest recorded golf club in the world,

responsible for the original rules, it is a change to the role on

membership which has concentrated the minds on the club, women can

only play here as guests of visitors, to allow them to become

members needed a two thirds majority, most members voted for

change, that still was not enough. I'm disappointed, the committee and

direct amended membership vote in favour of admission of women but we

respect the views of the members and I'm delighted we have had a high

turnout. The captain was hardly back in the clubhouse before a statement

was issued by those that run the open, the R

the First Minister leaves that Muirfield has missed the chance not

just of hosting the championship but to do the right thing. This is

indefensible, they are a private club, in charge of their own rules

and regulations but this is 2016, Scotland has women leaders in every

walk of life, politics, the law, business, everywhere else, this

decision is wrong and I hope there is a way of looking at it again. The

Prime Minister David Cameron chipped in today, criticising Muirfield as

outdated, and one mile down the road from the Muirfield club, golfers

agreed. Given that the Army have women members, Augusta, Augusta

courses. -- given that the R the courses. -- given that the R the

-- given that the R have female members. When the open was last at

Muirfield in 2013, it was estimated to be worth ?70 million to East

Lothian, the loss of the open is a big disappointment for local

business. It is a big impact for us, not just the competition, it is the

run-up to it, we have two months to business beforehand, usually we use

that for planning things, and three forwards afterwards. It is a loss of

three months business. Muirfield is the most prestigious of clubs, at

more than 600 clubs in Scotland, it is one of 20 who are all men, 25 are

all women. STUDIO: Our Sport reporter Brian

McLauchlin is at Muirfield for us. Brian, the decision by the R

won't have come as a big surprise to the members voting at Muirfield

will it? Certainly not, throughout the

two-year consultation process, the committee here at Muirfield

constantly warned the members that the R could take this decision and

take away the club's membership status as an Open Championship

venue, and indeed, in eight weeks' time, the 145th Open Championship

takes place at Royal Troon, another club where women are not allowed to

join, as members now within the last few days, I understand, the members

at Royal Troon have been canvassed in regards to their opinions, and

indeed, hopefully a vote will take place later this year, but looking

at it, Royal Troon and Muirfield, they could be without two of their

most iconic Open Championship venues within just a few months.

The ferry operator, Cal Mac, has seen off competition from a private

sector rival -- and won a ?900 million contract to provide Clyde

and Hebridean ferry services for up to eight years. - The Scottish

Government faced criticism after announcing private companies would

have the chance to bid. But its decision to award the contract to

Cal Mac has been welcomed by islanders and union leaders.

Our transport correspondent, David Miller, reports: VOICEOVER: Up and

down the West Coast, varies bearing the distinctive black white and red

livery have been providing lifeline services for so long that they are

almost regarded as part of the scenery. We now know that will not

change any time soon, good news, we scenery. We now know that will not

are told, for staff and passengers. The last few years I have had a few

years at a time to see what we can invest in, now that is eight years,

proper development, investment, enhancements, in the last four years

we have brought in for new vessels, that is fantastic, in the next two

years we will bring on for new vessels, and new tonnage as well,

that is a fantastic opportunity, the next eight years looks fantastic. Do

Island agree, this was the reaction? Most islanders enjoyed giving them a

kicking from time to time. I think that one of the things that we have

seen personally, this brought up, was the fact that Cal Mac is very

much embedded, as the First Minister has said, into the fabric of

Scotland. We need new ferries, they need back-up, a ferry goes down in

the middle of summer, totally used, that would cause havoc. It is good,

Cal Mac do a good job. I think that it is a great thing that they have

got it back, they do a good job, I am very pleased. Meanwhile, Cal Mac

workers and politicians attending this long planned demonstration at

Holyrood found themselves overtaken by events. The members who work on

the service, the communities, the Highland communities, the Scottish

taxpayer, we are delighted for all of them, they will continue to

subsidise lifelong ferry service rather than staff the pockets of

shareholders. The rival bidder already operates North Link varies

to Auckland and shiny, in a statement it said that its tender

had been deemed to be noncompliant, stressed its bid had offered

significant improvements to quality and reliability and argued

efficiency improvements now promised by Cal Mac underlined the benefits

of competitive tendering. After months of uncertainty, months of

anxiety, a decision is made, a deal is done. Cal Mac workers and the

island communities which depend upon them will be hoping for calmer

waters ahead. STUDIO: The farmers'

union has called on the Scottish Government to "get

to grips" with what it calls The spending watchdog,

Audit Scotland has raised serious concerns about a new IT programme

which is MILLIONS of pounds over Our business correspondent

David Henderson is here and can Sally, in the past, Scotland's

farmers and crofters used to apply for their EU subsidies by filling

in pieces of paper. through a Scottish government

scheme called CAP Futures. But this IT system is set to cost

the taxpayer far more The budget has spiralled

from ?102 million, And Audit Scotland says

the new system has seen "multiple failures"

in the way it's been managed. VOICEOVER: Farmers the length and

breadth of Scotland, from Nairn to Lockerbie, have had a difficult

year, European subsidies, a mainstay of most farms, have been delayed,

because of problems with the new farm payment scheme. If you are used

to being paid in December and do not get it until January, February, in

some cases even made, it is quite stressful, that way. Families do not

get paid, the whole supply chain does not get paid. -- farmers do not

get paid. Fences do not get sorted, outside work does not happen, the

whole infrastructure of the rural community has ground to a halt. At

this office in Edinburgh, the Scottish Government has been

developing a computer system to process those farm payments. More

than 80 months ago, this man said it began to go badly wrong. -- 18

months ago. I send an e-mail immediately to Nicola Sturgeon and

the agriculture Minister, to say, are you aware of what is going on?

John was working on the project, he says that thousands of competent

workers were being laid off for no apparent reason, he says that when

he blew the whistle, some inside the programme team were not impressed.

The main thing I received at that point was pressure to shut up. They

wanted this silent, they wanted me to be put on one side and kept

quiet. Among the issues he says he raised were concerns about a

conflict of interest involving a contract on the programme. Dominic

became the delivery director with a major role in recruiting staff, but

he also supplied workers to the project through his own company.

Accounts seen by the BBC show his firm 's assets have soared in value,

by ?3 million, in just a year. It is always important when public money

by ?3 million, in just a year. It is is involved that the highest

standards are maintained, and conflict-of-interest is must be

dealt with. The conflict was known about the safeguards put in place

were not strong enough to make sure the person could not influence the

criminal decision. In response the Scottish Government says it has

focused on putting the system right, preventing similar mistakes in the

future. What the audit Scotland report identifies is a potential

flaw in the arrangements, we require staff to declare

conflict-of-interest, but it is not a requirement on contract is, we

have got to explore whether in procurement rules and legislation we

can apply that to contractors. -- contracts. So that is the future,

but for now, police Scotland are investigating what went wrong, and a

crucial deadline is looming. -- contract,

the Scottish Government could face a penalty of up to ?120 million.

Police Scotland are investigating what went wrong.

The new payment system has to be working by the end of June.

If, by then, it still fails to meet standards set

by the European Commission, then the Scottish government

could face an eye-watering penalty, of up to ?125 million.

One of two women accused of murdering Liam Fee has denied

intentionally deleting three phone calls to her mother

Nyomi Fee also insisted there was nothing she could have

Steven Godden reports from the High Court in Livingston.

VOICEOVER: On the left, Rachel Feit, on the right, her partner, giving

evidence for a third day, under cross-examination she was asked why

on the night that the two-year-old died, she deleted three phone calls

to her mother, she said that she did not delete them on purpose, her

phone is damaged, held together by tape, I clicked highlight and

deleted them by mistake. In response it was said that it seemed odd, that

within that cluster, this is the only three not deleted. Focusing on

the build-up to the death, Nyomi Fee was asked, would you change

anything? She said, yes, I would have got medical attention for him,

I suspected that his leg was injured, she denied the suggestion

that the one thing that she could have done to prevent this was leave

them alone and never have taken up with her. Later, her best friend

wept as she recalled a phone call telling her that Liam was dead. The

explanation was that one of the boys have harmed him and it went too far.

Nyomi Fee, the jewellery were told treated the tenure of like a son. --

jury. He was said that she had no problem with him staying with Nyomi

Fee before the death. Would you trust care to someone who suspected

that the toddler might have a broken leg but refused to taken to

hospital, she replied no. They deny murder, and abusing two other boys

in their care, the trial at the High Court in Livingston continues.

STUDIO: If ever there's an industry in Scotland that's fate has been

bound to the European Union, it's fishing.

The Fishing for Leave campaign, launched today in Peterhead,

says the Common Fisheries Policy has been a disaster.

But as Kevin Keane now reports, not everyone in the sector believes

that rushing to exit is for the best.

VOICEOVER: If there was a leave vote in June, people would be putting the

flags out, in fact they already are, bringing misery to their industry

and many have wanted the European Union to end for decades. They will

not let this boat go by without highlighting the change to the

community. Peterhead is one of the few survivors, and Peterhead alone,

has seen a 60 to 70% decrease. Grimsby, Aberdeen, whole, open, air,

Fleetwood, these towns synonymous with fishing, they are gone. Fish

was big business in the past, but the constant flow of both coming in

and out, that is now long gone. -- Hull, Oban, Ayr. Only the oil supply

ships keep them in trade. In Hull, Oban, Ayr. Only the oil supply

Peterhead it is not quite so bad, but this skipper has witnessed the

decline and would like fishing rights repatriated. Scotland and

Norway both owned the northern North Sea, negotiate with one another!

The Common Fisheries Policy has had a heavy effect on ports like this.

There's no doubting that Peterhead and other fishing communities are

very heavily in favour of the UK leaving the European Union. But this

processor says that decades of hardship from the Common Fisheries

Policy is finally paying off. We have thriving species and everything

is looking positive, throwing that away and say, we are going back to

square one, would be very dangerous. Much of this fish ultimately ends up

on dinner plates on the continent so the relationship with Europe is

complex. I think the closure of the Russian market illustrates the real

risks that there are for the industry. If we find ourselves

disconnected from many important customers in Europe. This is an

industry which is no stranger to fight, one over the EU could be its

most passionate. Now a brief look at other stories

from around the country... Reconviction rates for offenders in

Scotland have fallen to their lowest level for 17 years according to

official figures. In the year 2013-14 just over a quarter of

offenders were reconvicted within AEF. Figures show that those being

released from short jail sentences were more likely to reoffend than

those given longer sentences or those sentenced to community orders.

An attempt is underway to ditch controversial legislation aimed at

tackling sectarianism. The Glasgow MSP said it was time to axe the

hated law now that the SNP no longer had a majority at Holyrood. First

Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was a strange priority for opposition

parties but she would discuss their concerns. 17 Scottish beaches have

been classed as excellent in terms of water quality under a new, much

stricter European standard. However 17 others are now rated as poor

under the new system. An area around Oban on the West Coast of Scotland

has been hit by two mini earthquakes, the strongest was last

night, 1.9 on the Richter scale and it was felt by residents in and

around the town. A 1.3 magnitude quake was recorded by the British

geological survey a few days earlier. Two Scottish postcodes are

among the luckiest postcodes for a big lottery wins. Paisley and

Kilmarnock followed Truro in Cornwall for the biggest winners per

head over the last two years. Now the sport with David. High tension

at Falkirk and Inverness? You are reading my script! Good evening.

John Hughes is on his way out of Inverness.

The man who lead Cally Thistle to their first major trophy

is negotiating details of a package to sever his ties with the club.

His relationship with the board breaking down in recent months -

with the player budget for next season central to that tension.

His star shone brightly but it now appears rather briefly at Inverness,

last week 's match against Dundee almost certainly being his last as

the manager. There has been a fallout somewhere between the

chairman and manager. Unfortunately when that happens, and bridges are

repaired, Something s Gotta Give and in this case it's looking like it

will be John. It was different a year ago, Inverness welcoming home

their hero. The manager of the Scottish Cup winners, Inverness

Caley Thistle! CHEERING Scottish Cup winners, Inverness

He was also manager of the year with Caley Thistle, finishing third in

the Premiership. Tensions emerged when the club refused to let him

speak to Dundee United about moving there and it deepened with disputes

over his playing budget. Losing the fight to resign the top scorer who

joined Aberdeen was perhaps the last straw. His successor will face

similarly tight financial restraints. The budget is set for

the season. I think they have something like ten players to find

on a budget so it will be a tough job for someone. It's a great

opportunity as well because it's a fantastic club. History will no

doubt Tibbetts had to Hughes, the man nicknamed Yogi will be a hard

act to follow. -- tip its hat. Well our Senior football reporter

Chris Mclaughlin is at Falkirk stadium this evening ahead

of the Premeirship promotion play off final first leg

against Kilmarnock, evening Chris. We'll talk to you about that

in a minute, but first what do you know about who's likely

to takeover from John Hughes Well, first of all, as you said,

John Hughes and Inverness will have to agree a severance package which

may not be simple given their financial constraints but one

suggestion is that Richie Foran could step up. He is popular with

the fans and has been at the club since 2009 but hasn't played for the

past couple of years because of injury. That would make financial

sense as well. Popular with the fans and players. If he was to step up

the suggestion would be that he would need an experienced man beside

him, first and foremost John Hughes and Inverness must agree the

severance package. Tonight's match now, supporters are beginning to

arrive, behind you, plenty at stake tonight with Championship Falkirk at

home to Premiership Kilmarnock. Absolutely, no need to water the

pitch, it is throwing it down for the past half-hour. A massive game

for both of the sides. For Falkirk it's about promotion from the

Championship. Relegated in 2010. For Killy it's all about survival, they

haven't been relegated in 23 years, all of the form and momentum with

Falkirk, not losing in seven games. Kilmarnock have only won three and

17. Just the first game in two. The second on Sunday at Rugby Park. You

can listen to that match live on BBC radio Scotland.

exhibition by the Scottish artist Jacqueline Donnachie.

It's called "Deep in the Heart of Your Brain", and follows a five

year period of research with women affected by myotonic dystrophy.

A progressive muscle wasting disorder.

It's a very personal subject for the artist,

since the condition runs in her own family.

Our arts correspondent Pauline McLean reports.

It's rare to find the worlds of science and medicine meeting in an

art gallery. But it's an ongoing interest for Scots artist Jacqueline

Donaghy and a very personal one. The connection with science came about

through my family being diagnosed with an inherited condition called

myotonic dystrophy. I don't have it but a lot of people in my family did

and I wanted to find out more. In an initial way it was a desire to gain

more knowledge which set me on the course of talking to doctors. She

spoke to sets of sisters where one had the gene and the other didn't,

mirroring her own family 's experience. The film has won acclaim

from art and medical experts. For the Gallery of modern Art this

exhibition offers a way into difficult discussion into care and

loss as well as the chance to well over -- win over a very different

audience. What I love about the space is the different groups of

people that sometimes an expected in an arts space and the conversation

that it generates especially around contemporary art but in particular

shows like this that have other themes running through it which are

kind of relating to wider discussions on science and health.

Indeed a number of talks and workshops will be staged here over

the next six months, culminating in a symposium in November in which

academics, artists and patients will discuss many of the issues raised by

the show. Now over to Shelley Joffre

for details of tonight's edition Tonight, just a day after the Rooney

Rule affairs secretary quit a damning report slams government

mid-management -- mismanagement of subsidies to farmers. And we are in

Spain hearing from expats over their concerns over the EU referendum.

It's now time for the weather. Hopefully some improvement after a

miserable day here. Have you got any good news? There is some good news

for tomorrow. Good evening. It has been grey and miserable with a bit

of rain around, the rain is now pushing into Aberdeenshire and

Shetland where we have seen largely dry weather today. Behind the rain

heavy showers and some clearer spells as well developing towards

western areas. Take a closer look and some of the showers are

spreading towards us and have had the odd rumble of thunder. We will

continue to see some of those showers as we had through the

evening. Clearer spells at times. Not particularly cold. The rain will

eventually clear by the early hours. It is an improving day. Some breaks

in the cloud with brighter spells and some sunshine by late afternoon.

Still a risk of sharp showers around by the afternoon, too. By 4pm, one

or two showers in Shetland but here temperatures could reach 13 degrees,

warmer than in recent days. Across Aberdeenshire 17 or 18 degrees.

Winds will be generally light. A good deal of sunshine around. The

South West in particular will see high cloud coming through but

temperature wise it is still fairly warm out there, 1718 degrees at

best. This rain is associated with this

weather picture for Friday night with rain coming through which may

be quite heavy and persistent. Eventually clearing through four

Saturday morning. Saturday will be dried to start but then we will see

showers coming in from the south and spreading northwards, quite heavy at

times with a risk of hail and thunder next in. There will be some

drier and brighter spells around, and temperature wise, fairly warm,

14-15d. Some sunshine for the Northern Isles. If we look ahead to

Sunday, there will still be further showers with some of those on Sunday

quite heavy and potent with a risk of hail and thunder. You can get all

of the details on the website. That's the forecast. Thank you.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news...

Nicola Sturgeon has called the decision of Muirfield Golf

Club to reject women as members "indefensible".

A vote at the East Lothian club failed to achieve the two-thirds

majority of members required, to allow women to join.

The club has been barred from hosting the Open Championship

That's it from Reporting Scotland for now, I will be back with the

headlines at 8pm and the late bulletin just after the ten o'clock

news. Good evening.