11/01/2012 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight on your national news:

United for the union. David Cameron and Ed Miliband unite

to save the Union, as the main parties at Westminster pledge to

keep Scotland part of the UK. have been too many in the SNP that

are happy to talk about the process. Let's have the debate, and let's

keep us and country to give up. White is the Prime Minister

dictating to Scotland and emulating Margaret Thatcher? We'll be looking

at when an independence referendum might be held, what questions could

be asked and who'd be allowed to vote.

Also in the programme: Pictures are released of the

rubbish-strewn flat where Kimberley Hainey murdered her baby son Declan.

Police say the death of an 87-year- old woman at her home in

Lanarkshire is now being treated a suspicious.

And more stable-mate than lodger. How a horse is now living in a

Lewis pensioner's lounge. The threat to the 300-year-old

union between Scotland and England has forced a show of unity between

the David Cameron and the Labour leader, Ed Miliband. Both men

pledged their support for the maintenance of the United Kingdom

and pledged to work to keep Scotland as part of it. The SNP

accused David Cameron of emulating Margaret Thatcher by dictating to

Scotland. So Scotland might surprise you,

whether you are after dramatic scenery or dramatic scenes.

Never a truer word spoken, this new advert aimed at attracting tourists

to Scotland focuses on its heritage but Scotland's future is far from

certain. We know how to put on a show.

That is true politically. Outside Dover House, the London

headquarters of the London teams like business as usual but make no

mistake. Politics has changed this week. New alliances are being

formed. I want to ask the Prime Minister about Scotland. We, on

this side of the House... We believe the United Kingdom benefits

the people of Scotland and the people of the rest of the United

Kingdom in equal measure. We are stronger together and weaker apart.

I look forward to having the debate because I think they have been too

many in the SNP that are happy to talk about the process... They

don't want to talk about the substance. I sometimes feel when I

listen to them it is not a referendum they want, it is

something that will never happen. Leads keep our country together.

Already, the battle lines are being drawn. The Conservative Party has

its members of Parliament than there are giant pandas in Edinburgh

Zoo. White is the Prime Minister tried to emulate Margaret Thatcher

by dictating to Scotland? Earlier at Scottish Questions, a

restatement of the UK Government's you on a referendum. The Scottish

Parliament does not have the legal power to hold a referendum,

regardless of that -- how that is described. We need to provide that

power by working with them and I am committed to working with the

Scottish Government so that we can get the power to vote. The existing

legislation is currently being updated at Westminster to give

Holyrood more powers. Some say that should stop until the referendum

question is settled. The event in the room, as we discuss the

Scotland Bill, is going to be the referendum issue and this issue of

what devo max is. I think the Scotland Bill should be put on the

back burner until they are resolve. The independence debate has moved

up a gear. The constitutional genie is well and truly out of the bottle.

There will be conflict and compromises as well to be made.

It seems only one thing is certain in this matter, that there will be

a vote on independence. But there are big gaps between the two

governments on how any vote should be organised. David Henderson's

with us now to look at some of those issues.

If Alex Salmond gets his way, Scots will vote about 1,000 days from now

in the autumn of 2014. There is broad agreement the decision must

be made in Scotland but who writes the rules for this one-off event?

For now, Holyrood and Westminster Trust cannot agree but they have to

do we deal illegally binding referendum is to happen at all.

My suspicion is that compromise will have to be made and will be

made because if it is not, then whichever party is undermining

compromise will suffer Electric. It is in the interests of both the

Commission in London and the Scottish Government to find a grim

and. So, what are the potential deal breakers, the key points the

two sides will have to thrash out? First up, when will the people of

Scotland be asked to vote? It is going to be a busy year,

packed with feel-good events, like the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Little wonder that 2014 is Alex Salmond's choice. It is a year the

Ryder Cup comes to Gleneagles. The UK Government has not yet said no

to the stress of timing but it hasn't said yes. It would rather

avoid such a showdown 700 years after the Battle of Bannockburn.

Next stumbling block, what question will voters be asked? Westminster

once a straight choice, independence, yes or no. The SNP

wants to give voters a third tries, greater powers for Holyrood and

they are done out -- demanding the voting age be as low as 16. At

Westminster, they don't, since the normal voting age is 18, so what do

these youngsters make of that? think 16 year-olds should vote for

all issues that I am going to say yes for this issue as well. They

have the power and responsibility to have kids, get married, live by

themselves, so why don't they have the responsibility to make an

informed decision about who should be in power? It should be 18

because you can't even get into a pop at 16. If somebody asked me to

vote right now, I wouldn't have an interest in it. Whoever oversees

the boat's name vet the question. The SNP don't want The Electoral

Commission, an independent watchdog, to be in charge. They want to see a

new body, not accountable to Westminster. There will be some

hard bargaining, but I don't think it suits either side to leave his

bins here. I think the UK Government's move has opened up the

risk that third parties come in to this debate about process, and

disrupt it in a way that neither of the two governments wants to happen.

And by that he means the threat of court action. If the politicians

cannot do a deal to make the referendum happen, there is a good

chance this battle will end up before the judges of the Supreme

Court. Photographs of the flat in which a

woman murdered her toddler son have been released by the Crown Office.

For months after Declan Hainey's death, his mother, Kimberley,

pretended he was still alive, even accepting benefit payments and

birthday presents for him. She's due to be sentenced tomorrow.

Aileen Clarke reports. This is the debris covered room in

which Declan's but was -- body was discovered, decomposed. His bedroom

strewn with clothing, cartons, and in a corner, a new coat. The tag

still attached. Never worn. The BBC made a special application to the

trial judge to seek -- to see the state of the flat. The travel cot,

used as a been a, full of rubbish. Milk cartons piled on the floor.

The police found Declan in 20th March 10, the cartons were from the

previous summer, the summer during which Kimberley Hainey murdered her

son. The trial heard from a policeman, and the jury was shown a

photograph of the pile of soiled nappies he saw lying in a child's

bath. Among the rubbish, a baby's bottle. In the midst of the chaos

in the kitchen, happy family snaps stuck on the fridge door. Inside,

shelves neatly stacked with baby food. Linda Flanagan, the health

visitor told the court of all the notes she had put through the flat

door and letters she had written to Kimberley Hainey. The jury was

shown they were in piles of other male, unopened lying by the front

door. Declan's mother is due to be sentenced at the High Court

tomorrow. The Crown Office is considering whether to hold a fatal

accident inquiry. You're watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come on the programme:

Environmentalists and cyclists put pressure on Holyrood over plans to

cut spending on walking and bicycle schemes.

In sport, we speak to the Scots who've just helped a British team

qualify for the Olympics but will have to fight for their places in

the team. And they call them goons but they

prefer the term enforcer. We talk to one of the hard men of ice

hockey. Police have opened a major

investigation into the death of an 87-year-old widow, whose body was

found at her home in the village of Stonehouse in Lanarkshire eight

days ago. Kathleen Milward was found with several injuries, though

officers are treating her death as unexplained. Our home affairs

correspondent reports. A quiet street in the Lanarkshire

village of Stonehouse. Now the focus of a complex police

investigation as detectives try to find out how and 87-year-old widow

died. Kathleen Milward was found dead eight days ago in her home by

a family member alarmed she was not answering the phone. She had a

number of injuries. Police say following a post-mortem examination

and other inquiries, they are treating her death as suspicious

although they would give details of her injuries. Those injuries give

rise to the fact they are suspicious by their very nature.

What we are doing and we have been doing since that day is

investigating how she came by his injuries. Neighbours in the cul-de-

sac were shocked to what had happened to a private person.

was an ailing lady, she had her ups and downs, but she was always on

her feet. But she was private? very private. So, did you get to

know her at all? She would give me a wave in the conservatory, I would

cut her grass, and she would thank me for doing that. And it is story.

Police have stepped up controls in the area to reassure local people

and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Around 500 construction jobs are to go with the collapse of WJ Harte, a

civil engineering company based in Lanarkshire. The firm has been

placed in administration, as a result of the downturn in the

building trade cut its turnover by more than half, while it's

struggled with bad debts from financially troubled client firms.

A further 200 jobs are being retained at the Bothwell

headquarters and on building sites around Scotland.

A drunk driver who drove the wrong way along the M8 motorway causing a

crash which killed a woman has been jailed for six years. Immediately

after the crash in Glasgow, Ross Parker was heard to say he was

"wrecked". He killed charity worker Margo Boulazreg and injured her

She was described by her family as an amazing person who devoted her

life to others. But that life was cut sought by the actions of a

drunk driver. Today, her family hoped that her death would make

people think. This just shows how much

devastation it can cost. Our lives will never be the same because of

that one moment, where someone made that decision to get behind the

appeal of a car, and that is it. It was last February when Ross

Parker made that decision after a night out in the pub.

He drove down this exit road of the Meight, seemingly oblivious of the

no exit sign. Other drivers tried to warn him but he managed to

continue for almost a mile until he collided with the woman's car. She

died at the scene and her 18-year- old son was badly injured. Police

found Ross Parker almost twice the drink-drive limit.

The doctors said they were devastated but they were not the

only family suffering. We are not the only victims in this case. His

family and his children are suffering. I do think about them.

Obviously there is a lot of Hearts but there is no blame and we are

not paid for or angry. In sentencing him for six years,

the judge said that the sentence would have been higher if it was

not for the fact that he had admitted guilt and admitted regret

for his actions. Two local men have been arrested

after �50,000 of crack cocaine was seized in Aberdeen. The discovery

was made on Tuesday. Scottish Power have agreed talks

next week following complaints of persistent power cuts and a number

of rural villages and Galloway. In Stornoway, 400 residents have

been told to boil their water after possible contamination from a

broken sewer pipe. New technology is being introduced

in the Highlands and Islands to make it easier for aircraft to land

in poor weather. I knew DPS system is being installed on some lines.

The Trident which sank off Caithness with the loss of seven

lives could be the subject of new investigation.

It is claimed that somebody could be injured unless something is done

about the unstable trees on this street. Two of them blew down in

last week's storms. A major six-year study by

scientists at St Andrews University has discovered hundreds of billions

of planets in the Milky Way. Experts say that at -- almost have

as many planets as there are stars in the Universe.

The festival takes place tonight in which the barrel of tar is set

alight and carried around the town to celebrate the old start of the

new year. Green groups and cycling

campaigners say the SNP will be breaking a manifesto promise if

they cut the amount spent on encouraging us to walk and cycle

more. The government says they are making the cut because of

reductions in their budget. But they admitted the amount spent on

road building is going up. Cyclists from across the country

converged on St Andrews House in Edinburgh to get their message

across to the Scottish Government. The protesters who have gathered

argue that investment in cycling and walking is a relatively cheap

way for the Scottish Government to meet many of its environmental

targets and to improve the nation's health.

They say that encourages more people to take to their bikes will

help reduce pollution, cut congestion and tackle obesity as

well. The reason this should be ring-

fenced is simply that climate change is one of the key issues is

not the key issue of our time. If we are to meet our ambitious

targets, we have to get people out of cars and into active travel,

cycling or walking. Scottish ministers say they are

listening. There are many passionate people here. People who

are passionate about cycling and active travel, as we are in the

Scottish Government. I tried to explain we have some real budget

pressures, and we have had to make difficult decisions.

This is what Scotland should be aiming for according to campaigners.

Copenhagen has seen a massive increase in the number of cyclists

since the city authorities started making it easier and safer to

travel by bike. If we can get cyclists off the main

road and on to cycle lanes, that would make a difference. It would

be less dangerous for the cyclists, definitely.

Copenhagen might be ahead of the pack, but ministers here say that

budget cuts mean that we are having to perform a difficult balancing

act. On the theme of staying active,

here is David with the sport. Earlier this week, we had the story

of the sailor Luke Patience, the first Scot to qualify for this

year's Olympic Games. Now, two Scots have helped the GB team to

qualify for the Games. The men's gymnastics team well qualified for

the first time in 20 years. Despite their performances, Daniel Keatings

and Daniel Purves are not guaranteed a place on the team.

After a poor World Championship in Tokyo, the British gymnastics team

had to finish in the top four that this test to qualify for the London

Olympics. After this superb performance, they not only finished

in the top four, but they won the event to qualify outright in style.

It was amazing, to come here in front of the home crowd and to a

performance like that, as a whole team, was amazing. We have an

advantage now, we have felt the pressure and what it will be like,

and we have felt the equipment, so we are looking forward to the

Olympics. After Tokyo, everyone was a bit

depressed but we put a lot of work in, and I was really impressed with

everyone just getting stuck in and the result proves it.

Despite their starring roles, Daniel Keatings and Daniel Purves

are not guaranteed a place on the team.

The team is in the Olympics now but there is a lot to do, the team has

not been picked, and the team is very strong so it will the final

team will be decided one month before the Games start.

Sobey two men still have a lot of hard work to do.

Two players for Aberdeen have signed a contract extensions.

Defender Andy Considine is new deal runs until 2013. And Scott Vernon

is also extending his time with the club until the summer of 2014.

If you look up the word been in the dictionary, it is defined as a

stupid person or a thug. -- the word goon. There is a Holyrood film

at the moment lampooning the role of the pin. -- the goon.

Every ice hockey team has its hard man, enforcer, tough man.

I am 24 euros sold from Slovakia, and I play for Edinburgh. -- 24

years old. You do not like the term, goon. Why

not? It sounds like someone who'd just

looks four fights and tries not to play the game. I prefer to call

myself enforcer. I stick up for my team-mates when something happens.

He is there to protect the main stars and also to play hockey,

because he is a good hockey player as well, obviously.

Would you call him an enforcer? Yes, because he is sitting right

there. Because we live together, I don't want him to beat me up when

we get home. Do not try that at home!

You might describe it as a perfectly stable relationship. The

woman from the Western Isles who has moved her horse into her front

lines following a dispute about sheltering the animal. She has been

sharing her home with a pony since Christmas. If you trot along to

this form N b Lewis village of -- this home in a Lewis village, you

will find the ultimate in horse hospitality. Brass, grass

everywhere and not a drop to grace. The sheep and cattle people will

not allowed ponies on their land and crofters are primarily

interested in the sheep industry. Common grazing is not here.

Now she has turned her modern house into a modern but and then. -- but-

and-ben. I do not mind because the welfare

and safety of his pony is more important to me.

Some local people have been unbridled in their criticism

describing her as the neighbour from hell. She has rejected offers

from animal welfare experts to take the animal from her.

We are concerned about the future welfare of the animals. It is not

ideal but if the conditions are right, we cannot do much. We do not

have the powers to do any more. This week, a horse will be walking

the wet -- the red carpet. But this horse will be watching repeats of

Only Fools and horses. Here is the Here is the map from 7pm. There is

the rain and wind, which will sink South into Argyll and Lochaber. We

went will transfer to the South and south-east of the country as well.

We have a yellow warning in force from the Met Office. That means be

aware. For Fife, and areas of the Lothian and borders region, gusty

winds lasting until about 5am. We will see that rain and wind pushing

its way south and east. It will be a mild night, certainly in the

southern half of Scotland. Temperatures are around seven

degrees Celsius. Tomorrow morning, temperatures will fall away even

until the sun starts to rise, but when it comes up, it should be with

us for much of the day. Habitable day in store. A crisp feel to the

day with north-westerly winds. By the afternoon, some sunshine and

highs of six or seven degrees, where they should be far this time

of year. Farther north, cloudy with one or two showers, which could be

wintry. And when to the as well across higher parts of silent. A

cooler day compared with today but much drier. -- parts of Shetland.

On Friday, an area of high pressure is in control of the weather. Very

little wind so any mist or fog patches overnight might take a long

time to clear or so it could beat Grey in the North and west but

hopefully, further south and east, Offaly more sunshine. -- hopefully

A summary of the top stories. David Cameron and Ed Miliband have

enjoyed a rare moment of unity on the issue of Scottish independence.

Plans to give Holyrood more powers have been shelved until the whole

referendum question is settled. A photographs have been released of