04/11/2011 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight on your national news:

Schools out on St Andrew's Day, teachers vote to strike later this

month in the first walk out for nearly a quarter of the century.

Nearly every school in the country will be effective. Ruth Davidson is

duly elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party.

So six months as an MSP and Ruth Davidson is tonight the new leader

of the Scottish Conservatives. The Prime Minister offers his

congratulations as we look at the task ahead of her.

The family whose mother was killed in this train crash forgive the man

whose mistake caused her death. is the only one there seemed to try

and help. My family do not hold anything against him.

And United for a quarter of a century. 25 or glittering years in

Manchester. Most of Scotland's schools to be

closed in the first strike by teachers in almost a quarter of the

century. Members of the EIS have voted for the one-day stoppage on

November 30th in a dispute over coast changes to pensions.

-- proposed changes. In just over three weeks, the gates will shut in

schools right across Scotland. Teachers don't in chalk over

Government plans to change pensions. The dispute is very much over

pensions which are part of the salary and remuneration package.

Clearly, the Government thinks we should have to be greater

contributions, work longer and get less at the end. Echoes of the

1980s, when teachers and later famous friends to to the streets in

a dispute over pay. The staggered strikes lasted over a year. This

time, top of just one day, but will parents hit by tough times

themselves by it? I will have to miss going to university, it is

quite important and I have no one else to look after the children.

will be a nuisance at the time, provisions will have to be made,

but I agree with it. I have four children, so my kids will miss out

on education. This much last year in Glasgow, the first sign unrest

was on the way back. Today, an overwhelming vote for strike. The

Scottish Government says it is disappointed. We quite understand

the concern, because the Scottish Government disagrees fundamentally

with the UK Government about how they are going about the whole

process of pension reform. But we very much regret that EIS members

have decided take industrial action. Tens of thousands of primary and

secondary teachers are set to take action. Even primary head teachers,

once known for manning the barricades, have voted in principle

for the strike. November 30th is shaping up to be a date to remember

for Scottish schools. The former BBC journalist Ruth

Davidson has been elected as the new leader of the Scottish

Conservatives. Ms Davidson has only been an MSP since May. She was

chosen to succeed Annabel Goldie after vigorously opposing Murdo

Fraser's suggesting that the Tories in Scotland should be disbanded and

relaunched as a new centre-right party. Glenn Campbell reports.

The key contenders came to the count one by one. They brought in

the ballot boxes. Party members had for MS Ps to choose from. To find a

leader for the party at Holyrood and for the first time, someone to

lead the wider party in Scotland. Rumours soon spread that Rhys

Davids and was ahead. -- Ruth Davidson. After several hours,

victory was indeed her as. declare Ruth Davidson the duly

elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party.

Murdo Fraser was the first of her three defeated rivals to offer her

a kiss of congratulation. His bold plan to break away from the British

Conservatives to form a new centre right force for Scotland seems to

have cost him the job and handed it to a political newcomer.

campaigned on a platform of change, there is what I need to do to

change the party to make it a modern fighting force, so we are

equipped to take on the other parties in Scotland. But there is

also lot to do in terms of changing the way in which we deliver the

message as well to people, and that will involve bringing in other

voices. He is the leadership result. -- here is. At this stage, Jackson

Carlaw and Margaret Mitchell trailed in third and 4th places.

When they dropped out of the race, and second preferences were

redistributed, Bruce Davidson finished further ahead. -- Ruth

Davidson. So, who is the new leader? She is a

former BBC journalist. Inspired by David Cameron, she joined the

Tories two years ago. Elected to Holyrood in May, her political rise

has been rapid. Glenn Campbell joins me now from

Edinburgh. What does this mean for the Conservatives in Scotland?

It is surprising in that a few weeks ago, she was certainly not

regarded as a front-runner and it is surprising in that Tory leaders

tend to be a bit longer in the tooth. But Ruth Davidson now is the

youngest leader of any main political party in Scotland, in

fact, probably the youngest since devolution. And she has a big job

to rebuild her party and to build a united team around her. Because

only two of the 15 MSPs at Holyrood other than herself chose to back a

campaign. I think she will reach out by offering Murdo Fraser a big

job, he may have a big decision whether or not to take that or take

a back seat, because he effectively said the party couldn't return to

victory in its current form. One thing I think he will not do is

break away, because he knows how hard it is to draw voters-1 centre

right ballot, presumably it would be harder still if there were two.

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come before

seven: Family and friends of the former trade union leader Campbell

Christie celebrate his life to of service.

And in sport, and Neil Lennon tries to get to the bottom of Celtic's

injury crisis, could it have something to do with their multi-

million-pound training complex? Ricky Burns weighs in for what he

says is the biggest fight of his life. All that and Sir Alex

Ferguson. The family of a Scottish woman

killed in the D B a much of a high- speed train in Cumbria say they

hold Network Rail responsible. 84- year-old Margaret Masson died when

the Virgin Express from London to Glasgow came off the track near

Grayrigg. Today, an inquest found that a badly maintained set of

points had caused the crash. It was remarkable that more people

were not killed. This train had been travelling at 95 mph when it

derailed. Margaret Masson, and 84- year-old grandmother, died in the

crash. More than 80 people were injured, including her daughter,

who was at today's verdict. I miss my mother very much. What sort of

woman was she? A happy woman. She loved her family. A badly

maintained set of points has been blamed for the crash. The engineer

who should have checked them, told the inquest he had forgotten to do

it. David Lewis, seen here at the back of this group, said his team

was understaffed and under pressure and that he had e-mailed his bosses

the year before to say the inspection process was a shambles.

Today, Margaret Masson's family say they did not hold him responsible.

This man was sincere, he showed remorse, and he has more -- much

respect in my family, we don't hold anything against him. Nobody

listened to him. The coroner also praised the driver's courage and

character. He stayed at the controls as it crashed. Weeks

afterwards, he spoke to the BBC from his home in Dumbarton. There

was nothing that was going to save the train. I have to try anyway. I

could not do that sitting with the passengers. This inquest has been a

chance for Margaret Masson's family to draw a line under what happened.

Network Rail has apologised, but a family believes the company has a

lot to answer for. The same network rail but many of her life. -- BBC

network will put money or for life. Some of the other stories across

Scotland this Friday: Scottish business leaders have reacted with

concern to the news the owners of British Airways will by the rival

airline BMI. The two carriers compete on key routes linking

Edinburgh and Aberdeen with Heathrow. BMI have already axed

services between Glasgow and Heathrow.

A golfer who lost an eye after being hit by a wayward ball as one

almost �400,000 in damages. Anthony Phee was playing a round at Niddry

Castle Golf Club when he was hit by a shot struck by James Gordon in

August 2007. Lord Braisford ruled that Mr Gordon was 70% responsible

and the Cob 30%. A sea eagle has been rescued on the

Aberdeen jocose. RSPB Scotland was called to a remote cove,

inaccessible by a man, near police mac after reports of an injured

bird needing help. The team managed to rescue the tired and wet but

feisty sea eagle, which is now recovering and been treated by vets.

-- being treated. This weekend sees the 25th

anniversary of the worst offshore helicopter accident in Scottish

history. 45 men died when their Sion it crashed off the southern

tip of Shetland. It was caused by mechanical failure but was an event

which saw workers begin to stand up for the rights for the first time,

the pressure leading to the massive helicopter is being withdrawn. --

helicopters. A wreckage of the shin up which

crashed into the sea of Shetland on November 6th, 1986. These

helicopters were immediately grounded, but Robert Maxwell tried

hard to bring them back, even taking a flight himself to prove

they were safe. We have no trepidation. The crash should not

have happened. But all life is at risk. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those

words angered workers. They came together to fight the cause against

the use of the shindig, and they won. Maxwell was probably the best

person the could have had to campaign against. It was seen as a

publicity stunt. By a multi- millionaire. Cool on a day-to-day

basis, had nothing to do with offshore. As we remember those who

did not come home, so will we remember those who return. A

service was held for the fortified man who died. But for the rescue

workers on the day, there was a glimmer of hope. -- the 45 men.

rescued the survivors, that was not too difficult, but they were not in

a very good condition. We had to go and get them to hospital, but we

had to wait to make sure there were no other survivors who would pop up

to the surface. There were no more. 18 months later, came Piper Alpha.

Many fear these events gave the unions the extremes to fight for

widespread changes that larger The life of the former trade union

leader Campbell Christie has been celebrated at a ceremony at Falkirk

Football Club, where he was chairman. Mr Christie, formerly the

general secretary of the STUC until 1998, died last week at the age of

74. Familiar faces from politics, industry and sport. They all came

to the stadium to celebrate the life of Campbell Christie. The form

or union boss, aged 17, his mother gave him money for his fare, his

rent and his union subscription. It was the start of a lifetime in the

trade union movement. Then there it is time for all of us today to say

goodbye. I want to take this opportunity to say we love and miss

you delay. You were an inspiring man. He won a beloved grandfather

and I will miss your loving presence always. Throughout the

years, he battled to save industries such as Ravenscraig. He

believed they could prosper if they were only given the opportunity.

used to get upset at people who were big men in the steel industry

in Lanarkshire. In their own locality they were big people. They

were just cast on to the scrapheap. We Ravenscraig was lost and the

trauma of seeing the heavy industries collapsed forced a way

for new industries in Scotland. was Campbell who had the foresight

and courage to take the lead any civic coalition which transcended

party structure. Were never great fixers of Scottish politics has

gone, but Campbell Christie it will be remembered by his substantial

legacy to public life. Bells ringing across the country, or

relay runners taking film from cinema to cinema and an open-air

concert in Stirling. It is just one of 40 events planned to celebrate

the cultural impact of the London 2012 Olympics. Ringing out the

start of the 2012 Olympics. That is what artist Martin Creed plants,

using every bell in the United Kingdom. I do not know what are the

best ones to play, so maybe it would be best to just ring up all

of them. From a musical performance inspired by Glasgow's latest museum

and a football pitch in the forest, there is no shortage of ideas or

ambition. One of the great ideas is that the festival can come to local

communities all round Scotland. We can create a programme with

creative Scotland, in partnership with local communities, much of it

three, which brings some of that excitement to Scotland to share it

with the community and sell the country around the world. Not least

in Stirling, where the children found that even a Venezuelan

orchestra of which inspired them will come to Scotland. After

working with the children for four days, they will stage a huge

outdoor concert. They're coming to work with you. That is how much we

believe in you. It is people coming to help us become the best

orchestra we can be. For feels like this are being transformed across

the country, not for sporting purposes, but for cultural events.

This one that stuck below Stirling Castle will be one of more than 40

events taking place across Scotland. No, let us see how the sport is

looking this evening. Celtic's injury problem could be

down to the club's training pitch, says manager Neil Lennon. According

to Lennon, only four or five of his players have remained injury free

this season. Heel is now faced with mustering a side to face second

placed Motherwell on Sunday. Here is Hooper. He stays on say dance

scores. Celtic defeated the French state on Thursday, but once again

they had to do it it with the makeshift side. Looking at the

surface here, it can be quite slippy when it gets wet. It might

have contributed to a couple of soft tissue injuries we have

received. It is a terrible back- pass. Inconsistency has been the

problem for Celtic this season. Players think that the changing

personnel has something to do with it. No such problems for the

manager of the month, Motherwell manager Stuart McCall, who play

host to Celtic on Sunday. Realistically, can we split Celtic

and Rangers? Probably not. Can we win on Sunday? Yes, we can.

After a delay of almost three weeks, the Hearts first team squad have

finally received their wages for October. They had threatened to

take their case to the Scottish Premier League, but after talks

with the manager and their union they decided to allow the club more

time. Ricky Burns has weighed in bang on

the nine stone nine pounds mark for his WBO Interim World Lightweight

title fight at Wembley Arena tomorrow night. It is the first

time the former super-featherweight champion has stepped into the ring

at his new weight. He takes on Australian Michael Katsidis.

will be a very hard fight ahead of me. Michael is a great fighter, but

I have always said that the bet and the opponent in front of me, the

better I will be. The most successful Scottish

manager of all time has another reason to celebrate this weekend.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the longest serving boss in the English Premier

league, will have been charge of Manchester United for a quarter of

a century. And he says he has no intention of slipping quietly into

retirement. 1986 - Sir Alex Ferguson steps of the team bus for

his first game in charge of Manchester United. 25 years on he

is still in charge. It is his silver jubilee. It has been a

fantastic spell for me. It is something you do not think is going

to happen. It is amazing that it that has lasted so long and I

appreciate that. He has led the club to a host of championships,

including two Champions League trophies. Just look all the teams

he has built. He has brought young players through the development

programme. I think he is the best manager there has ever been. The he

has had a few fall-outs with people along the way. He is just one of

these people that you can never quite read. One day, he can be a

brilliant worth and the next day, something might have upset him and

he is completely different. But that is one of his strengths. You

never quite know what you're going to get next. His reputation has

given him a few imitators. A few years ago, he announced his

retirement and then changed his mind. Can we look forward to his

Golden Jubilee in 2036? Today marked a significant

milestone for Scotland's only commando unit, as the final four

marines from 45 Commando completed their latest tour of Afghanistan. A

the Arbroath-based unit have emerged from the last six months

without suffering a single fatality - a cause for relief at their RM

Condor base, as locals were offered their first glimpse at a new

memorial garden. A world away from the heat and dust of Afghanistan

and, members of 45, and will give people at tour of the my new

memorial garden. The timing is significant. More than six months

after the Marines were sent to war, today mark the day the all where

counted back home safely. We have that some men badly injured, but we

have not had any fatalities. The fact that it has been a successful

tour has allowed us to come back and reflect on what we have done.

The cost of previous campaigns is never forgotten. The centrepiece of

the memorial garden it is this memorial made of granite with the

names of all the people from 45 Commando killed in service. For the

commanding officer, many of the people where his friends. A very

good friend of mine got killed in 2001. To see his name up there is

the massive thing for myself personally. In July, it was

announced that the command unit would leave their Arbroath visit. -

- the or Arbroath days, as part of the spending review for the armed

services. It is a fantastic place for the men to come as part of

their recovery. For now, at the focus is on the official opening of

the garden. It is the very fitting place to mark Remembrance Day.

Let us see what kind of weekend we It is not looking too bad at all.

We can expect pretty settled conditions over the next few days.

That will start tonight, we should be clear and cool for most of us.

For a time, some rain pushing into the Borders and pushing up the East

Side of the coast. But for the bulk of us, clear and cool, with

overnight temperatures down to four or five degrees Celsius. Looking

ahead to tomorrow, we have this ridge of high pressure building

over Ireland and that will bring us some dry and bright weather. In

terms of the detail, there will be some mist and fog patches, but a

pretty good day after that. Across the whole of the country, has

plenty of sunshine on offer. 10 major ways, roundabout below them

or 12 degrees Celsius. There will be some cloud around. Further north,

it is the similar story. High temperatures of 10 are relevant

degrees Celsius. If you're out hill-walking or claiming, you could

see some showers to the far north of the region, but elsewhere, dry,

bright and sunny. In the east, sunny again, but those temperatures

will be a bit cooler on the top of these hills. If you're out on

inshore waters, you can expect forced three to four north-westerly.

Over in the East, similar conditions. And good visibility.

Into the evening, it stays dry and Cam, but it will be a cold night,

down to freezing for many places. If you're out and about on Saturday

for Bonfire Night, it should be cool and clear, but you might want

to wrap up, as it will be a bit chilly. On Sunday, again, dry and

bright conditions. Temperatures similar to Saturday, eleven or 12

degrees Celsius. Into next week, there is a low pressure in the

Just before seven o'clock, a summary of tonight's top stories...

President Obama has told the G20 Summit in France that he has

confidence in the Eurozone's ability to solve its debt crisis.

David Cameron is confirmed that he is willing to commit more British

taxpayers' money to the International Monetary Fund. And a

the Greek government has reversed its decison to hold a referendum on

an EU rescue package. Most of Scotland's schools could be

closed by the first strike by teachers in almost a quarter of a

century. Members of the largest teaching union the EIS have voted