:00:16. > :00:21.Tonight, on Reporting Scotland: Same sex marriage is expected to move one
:00:22. > :00:24.step closer tonight in a free vote at Holyrood, despite opposition from
:00:25. > :00:34.the Kirk and Catholic Church.We'll have the latest from the debate.
:00:35. > :00:43.We are stopped from having any religious celebrant there. And we
:00:44. > :00:45.want that as an option. We will have the latest from the debate.
:00:46. > :00:48.Also tonight: Scotland's most senior judge tells MSPs that corroboration
:00:49. > :00:50.should not be abolished in criminal cases.
:00:51. > :00:54.Dundee takes it on the chin - disappointment as it fails in its
:00:55. > :00:57.bid to become UK City of Culture. They've been a familiar sight on
:00:58. > :01:01.streets for two centuries, but now the makers of the traditional cast
:01:02. > :01:10.iron post box say orders have dried up.
:01:11. > :01:13.A great pleasure for us to welcome The Black Watch.
:01:14. > :01:16.And we meet the former Black Watch piper who met President Kennedy just
:01:17. > :01:28.days before his assassination and then played at his funeral.
:01:29. > :01:31.MSPs are this evening taking part in an impassioned debate over proposals
:01:32. > :01:33.to legalise same sex marriage in Scotland. The Marriage and Civil
:01:34. > :01:37.Partnership Bill is expected to clear its first parliamentary hurdle
:01:38. > :01:40.in a free vote. But both the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church
:01:41. > :01:52.oppose the legislation. Here's our Political Editor Brian Taylor.
:01:53. > :01:57.Ian and Drew run a Glasgow gallery. They are partners in work and in
:01:58. > :02:00.life. They could get a civil partnership, but they are holding
:02:01. > :02:07.out for marriage. For better or for worse, in any
:02:08. > :02:14.relationship. And also for the right to refer to each other as husband.
:02:15. > :02:16.And they want the option of a religious blessing.
:02:17. > :02:24.We are stopped from having God or any religious celebrant is there,
:02:25. > :02:26.and we want that as an option. Supporters of change outside
:02:27. > :02:32.Parliament today say it is about equality. They say that some faith
:02:33. > :02:39.organisations are ready for same-sex marriage.
:02:40. > :02:47.Some churches face -- favour traditional marriage.
:02:48. > :02:52.They have got to opt into the process, they cannot be forced to do
:02:53. > :03:00.it. It is a guarantee. But some MSPs doubt that and want
:03:01. > :03:07.guarantees for teachers who might speak out on the issue. For a
:03:08. > :03:13.conservative leader who is gay, she wants it to be about fairness.
:03:14. > :03:17.I wanted to extend across Scotland to those who told it says no.
:03:18. > :03:21.Others are worried that it is moving too quickly.
:03:22. > :03:27.We have people in a relationship who believe that these changes could
:03:28. > :03:32.devalue their relationships. For people like myself, who have a
:03:33. > :03:41.relationship with Jesus and want to show my love for him.
:03:42. > :03:48.Marriage has always been about a man and a woman. The purpose is to
:03:49. > :03:54.provide a context in which children are born and raised. For Ian and
:03:55. > :04:01.Drew, it is simple. I want to marry him.
:04:02. > :04:08.The vote is expected to take place soon. How was it looking?
:04:09. > :04:15.I think the vote will be yes. I think that Parliament will give
:04:16. > :04:18.approval. I think those who have concerns may abstain, rather than
:04:19. > :04:27.voting against. I think there will be more stages of this bill, to
:04:28. > :04:32.provide guarantees. I think that MSPs will look for guarantees about
:04:33. > :04:37.teachers who might offer ideas in class. I think that this will go
:04:38. > :04:44.through and will become the law of the land.
:04:45. > :04:46.Scotland's senior judge and the bulk of the legal establishment versus
:04:47. > :04:49.the Scottish Government. That's not how the legal system usually works,
:04:50. > :04:53.but the government's proposals to abolish the rule of corroboration
:04:54. > :04:55.has put the two on opposing sides, and today the controversy
:04:56. > :04:58.intensified. Our home affairs correspondent Reevel Alderson
:04:59. > :05:01.explains. Scotland's legal system is unique in
:05:02. > :05:04.requiring corroboration. That is to say each piece of evidence must be
:05:05. > :05:06.supported by another, either eye-witness or forensic material.
:05:07. > :05:10.The government and prosecutors want to abolish it. One effect, they say
:05:11. > :05:13.would be to improve the conviction rates in rape and domestic abuse
:05:14. > :05:16.cases. More than 2800 allegations of
:05:17. > :05:22.domestic abuse couldn't be taken to court last year because of a lack of
:05:23. > :05:26.admissable evidence. In the past two years, 170 rape cases were also
:05:27. > :05:31.dropped. The rape conviction rape stands at around 50%, according to
:05:32. > :05:34.prosecutors. They say abolition of corroboration would be in the
:05:35. > :05:37.interests of victims, particularly the sort of crime committed when
:05:38. > :05:48.only the perpetrator and the accuser are present.
:05:49. > :05:55.Police have a duty to gather as much evidence as is available in
:05:56. > :06:00.investigation. This includes trying to find corroboration, made much
:06:01. > :06:05.easier in the advent of DNA technology.
:06:06. > :06:10.If you sort your partner, it often goes unseen.
:06:11. > :06:15.Domestic abuse campaigns have been launched by many governments, but it
:06:16. > :06:22.it can be difficult to get convictions. Despite the widespread
:06:23. > :06:28.proposals to abolish corroboration, others are forging ahead.
:06:29. > :06:36.Everyone has an opinion on this. What they are not seeing in the
:06:37. > :06:39.cases which cannot be taken up because of the requirement for
:06:40. > :06:44.corroboration. Overwhelmingly, the Labour
:06:45. > :06:49.profession wants to keep corroboration. A judge said that it
:06:50. > :07:01.was not in antiquity and said that the legal changes were not useful.
:07:02. > :07:04.If there is a solid case for abolishing corroboration, then there
:07:05. > :07:08.should not be safeguards. As soon as you say that there needs to be
:07:09. > :07:13.safeguards, you are conceding that it is going to create a risk of
:07:14. > :07:21.miscarriage of justice, which, in my view, it will.
:07:22. > :07:28.The man said that the old rule had been found to be good. This has been
:07:29. > :07:34.a major legal controversy, with people deeply entrenched.
:07:35. > :07:36.But there could be a way out for the government. A Tory MSP suggested
:07:37. > :07:39.corroboration could be retained until a proper review was carried
:07:40. > :07:48.out. The Lord President said that would be the path of wisdom.
:07:49. > :07:51.You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on the
:07:52. > :07:54.programme: Building firms are warned they face being banned from winning
:07:55. > :07:57.public contracts if they're involved in blacklisting workers.
:07:58. > :08:02.In sport: A recall for Scotland's captain and some words of wisdom
:08:03. > :08:05.from the coach in the run up to the final autumn rugby test.
:08:06. > :08:08.And a man for all seasons - we reflect on Gordon Strachan's first
:08:09. > :08:16.ten months in charge of our national football team.
:08:17. > :08:20.Almost but not quite. Dundee woke up to the news that it had failed in
:08:21. > :08:24.its bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2017. The coveted title
:08:25. > :08:28.went to Hull. But the bid team say they'll press ahead with some of the
:08:29. > :08:30.big events they'd planned. Andrew Anderson's report contains flash
:08:31. > :08:35.photography. This was decision day for Dundee.
:08:36. > :08:41.The bit's backers came together to hear the result.
:08:42. > :08:49.I am delighted to announce that the City of Culture 2017 is Hull.
:08:50. > :08:59.It took a moment to sink in. A long road ended in disappointment. But
:09:00. > :09:04.then applause for Hull. The people wish to make a change,
:09:05. > :09:11.and perhaps in Hull's case, they saw that the need was greater. It was
:09:12. > :09:16.further along the line. Dundee was offering a huge package
:09:17. > :09:22.of events for 2017, designed to attract many visitors and create new
:09:23. > :09:27.jobs. They were the only Scottish finalist in the competition, and
:09:28. > :09:34.Scotland votes next year in the independence referendum. So there is
:09:35. > :09:40.the possibility of not being in the UK by 2017. Was that a factor?
:09:41. > :09:44.I don't know. You would have to ask them. I know the question has been
:09:45. > :09:54.asked, and the formal answer we have had is that it was not a factor.
:09:55. > :09:57.Despite the outcome, Dundee's has continued its regeneration. The
:09:58. > :10:01.museum will still be built. And other events from the unsuccessful
:10:02. > :10:07.bid will still go ahead. We need to get the positive
:10:08. > :10:10.thoughts, and be glad for what we've done.
:10:11. > :10:15.It has brought a lot of people together. I think that many projects
:10:16. > :10:19.will come out of this. Dundee won't have the City of
:10:20. > :10:27.Culture title, but it is taking it on the chin.
:10:28. > :10:30.Building firms are being warned they face being banned from winning
:10:31. > :10:32.public contracts if they're involved in blacklisting workers. The
:10:33. > :10:34.Scottish Government's unveiled new guidelines which will require
:10:35. > :10:37.suppliers to disclose whether they have breached laws against the
:10:38. > :10:46.practice. Steven Godden reports. We want no more blacklisting! We
:10:47. > :10:51.want compensation. Protesters outside Holyrood,
:10:52. > :10:57.campaigning against blacklisting. People say that it has been around
:10:58. > :11:00.for decades, stopping these men from working.
:11:01. > :11:06.I knew there was something not right. I have applied for jobs, and
:11:07. > :11:15.my friends got jobs, but I did not get one, for no reason. For years,
:11:16. > :11:18.the existence of a blacklist was denied.
:11:19. > :11:27.But then, if you years ago, a list was found, and some Scottish names
:11:28. > :11:29.were found, on the list made by big firms.
:11:30. > :11:34.Today, the Scottish minister said that there would be action.
:11:35. > :11:41.We know that some companies who have admitted being involved in
:11:42. > :11:48.blacklisting have now said that there was no evidence of the being
:11:49. > :11:51.blacklisting. But we need to look to the future.
:11:52. > :11:57.From now on, companies bidding for public set to contracts will be
:11:58. > :12:01.asked if they have ever breached blacklisting laws, and they will
:12:02. > :12:07.have to show that they have changed their ways. If they found to have
:12:08. > :12:15.blacklisted people, their contract will be ripped up.
:12:16. > :12:18.I think people have been losing their reputations. I think some of
:12:19. > :12:25.the companies have had their reputations rightly tarnished
:12:26. > :12:29.because this is unacceptable. A welcome development, say those who
:12:30. > :12:36.are affected. It has emerged that letters will be sent to 1200 workers
:12:37. > :12:45.across the UK who do not know that they were blacklisted. The
:12:46. > :12:48.challenging legacy is clear. Other stories from across Scotland
:12:49. > :12:50.this Wednesday: Almost 50% of Edinburgh council tenants facing the
:12:51. > :12:54.under occupancy charge, or bedroom tax, haven't applied for extra help
:12:55. > :12:57.to pay their rent, despite growing numbers being in arrears.
:12:58. > :13:00.The City Council is urging people to get in contact, as help is
:13:01. > :13:03.available. The council estimates it is owed ?1.25 million in rent
:13:04. > :13:14.arrears caused by the recent changes to housing benefit.
:13:15. > :13:19.People have a payment, and as of this week, we have allocated some
:13:20. > :13:24.money, but there is still ?2 million to be allocated. People need to make
:13:25. > :13:27.contact with our offices so that we can give them support.
:13:28. > :13:30.Police say a major blaze at a disused Aberdeen hospital is being
:13:31. > :13:32.treated as wilful. Dozens of firefighters were called in to
:13:33. > :13:35.tackle the incident at Royal Cornhill Hospital on November 6.The
:13:36. > :13:38.investigation was delayed as the building suffered structural damage,
:13:39. > :13:41.and experts waited until it was safe.
:13:42. > :13:44.Dumfries and Galloway Council's new Labour-led administration is set to
:13:45. > :13:49.abandon plans for a so-called "super school" in Dumfries. The first of
:13:50. > :13:52.its kind in Scotland, it would have taken all the town's senior
:13:53. > :13:55.secondary students from S4 to S6. The council will now lay out
:13:56. > :14:08.alternative plans to re-build two of the existing Dumfries secondary
:14:09. > :14:12.schools and refurbish the other two. Scottish Borders Council is offering
:14:13. > :14:16.to make available its desks for police Scotland for members of the
:14:17. > :14:23.public to report crime. People across the border could go, as part
:14:24. > :14:26.of a cost-cutting programme. More than ?5million has been spent
:14:27. > :14:28.on a marketing campaign to attract visitors to Scotland next year. The
:14:29. > :14:32.Brilliant Moments' initiative includes a ?3 million advert
:14:33. > :14:36.designed for the internet as well as television.
:14:37. > :14:39.The staging of The Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games and Homecoming
:14:40. > :14:43.events are described as a once in a lifetime opportunity for the tourist
:14:44. > :14:57.industry. And there are more stories from your area, and all the latest
:14:58. > :15:02.news, on BBC Scotland's website. The classic red post box could be under
:15:03. > :15:08.threat. The Scottish firm which makes the boxes says it has had no
:15:09. > :15:11.new orders since Royal Mail was privatised. And there's concern
:15:12. > :15:15.their traditional cast iron versions are being replaced by lighter boxes
:15:16. > :15:17.made of stainless steel. Here's our business correspondent David
:15:18. > :15:23.Henderson. Every postbox starts life in a
:15:24. > :15:30.shower of sparks. For years, they have lit up this factory in Denny,
:15:31. > :15:36.but staff here are asking for how much longer? Among the team are
:15:37. > :15:42.father and son who work side-by-side. I take a lot of pride
:15:43. > :15:49.in making them. They are beautiful. If I can make them look like they
:15:50. > :15:53.are supposed to look, I have done my job.
:15:54. > :16:03.The spokes -- these postboxes are cast iron, but face competition from
:16:04. > :16:10.firm which makes them in stainless steel. The quality of them, you
:16:11. > :16:17.cannot beat it. But we will have to wait and see. Wait and see. Everyone
:16:18. > :16:22.here is doing just that. For the last 30 years, this company has been
:16:23. > :16:27.making some of the most iconic street furniture that you can see
:16:28. > :16:33.all stop as well as these telephone boxes, it is still producing 600 of
:16:34. > :16:41.these every year, as well as 60 of these. As you can hear, it is built
:16:42. > :16:47.to last. But will demand last? Managers see a long-term contract
:16:48. > :16:50.with Royal Mail has now lost and since the postal giant was
:16:51. > :17:00.privatised last month, orders have dried up. I do not think it is fair.
:17:01. > :17:08.It is not fair to the boys in the factory or my suppliers. It is as if
:17:09. > :17:20.we do not exist. In a statement tonight, Royal Mail said...
:17:21. > :17:29.But piecemeal work may not be in. Without regular orders, jobs are set
:17:30. > :17:41.to go and a proud tradition could be lost.
:17:42. > :17:47.Let's get the sport now. Kelly Brown has been be called the
:17:48. > :17:51.Big Yin against Australia. The headquarters given his team
:17:52. > :18:05.something to think about with what could be Scottish sport's quote of
:18:06. > :18:14.the year. -- called in for the big game.
:18:15. > :18:20.The manner of the tries we give away was really disappointing. And they
:18:21. > :18:26.took them which is why they are the second best in the world. Changes
:18:27. > :18:35.are now being made. What is the reaction to the South Africa game?
:18:36. > :18:41.There is a lot to acknowledge. A lot we need to do better. Endeavour and
:18:42. > :18:54.good personal performances reap rewards. I have realised the
:18:55. > :19:01.enormity of the match this week. It is the aim for everyone this
:19:02. > :19:13.weekend. I have spoken at length about this process. We have got
:19:14. > :19:19.really good competition. When the tide goes out, we are going to find
:19:20. > :19:26.out who is swimming naked. They do not want to get caught out a second
:19:27. > :19:28.time. The Scottish Professional Football
:19:29. > :19:34.League board is considering pursuing Rangers for a quarter of a million
:19:35. > :19:38.pounds. It is for a fine imposed by an independent SPL commission on
:19:39. > :19:42.Rangers Football Club PLC's use of a tax benefit scheme. Meanwhile the
:19:43. > :19:45.club have appointed a new chief executive. He's Graham Wallace, a
:19:46. > :19:47.chartered accountant who was previously chief operating officer
:19:48. > :19:51.of Manchester City. Now, a look at what else is
:19:52. > :19:54.happening across Scottish sport. Meet Celtic's new Icelandic striker
:19:55. > :20:01.Holmbert Fridjonsson. He's got the strip, two of them, to prove it. But
:20:02. > :20:07.what can the club expect from him? I can hold up the ball well and link
:20:08. > :20:12.players to the game. I have good technique and I am good in the air.
:20:13. > :20:17.Scotland international Kim Little has left Arsenal for Seattle Reign
:20:18. > :20:21.in the United States. Little, who has been with the Gunners for five
:20:22. > :20:24.years, is English football's player of the year.
:20:25. > :20:28.They're just watching today at the Scottish Open, but two of our top
:20:29. > :20:32.badminton players Imogen Bankier and Kirsty Gilmour will team up for
:20:33. > :20:35.doubles at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
:20:36. > :20:38.We have to hit the ground running from the very start. It is going to
:20:39. > :20:41.be hard. Bookmakers William Hill have
:20:42. > :20:45.extended their sponsorship of racing's Ayr Gold cup till 2016. It
:20:46. > :20:49.is Europe's richest sprint handicap with a prize of ?100,000.
:20:50. > :20:55.And there are more sports stories plus all the latest news, 24 hours a
:20:56. > :20:59.day on BBC Sport Scotland's website. The Scotland manager Gordon Strachan
:21:00. > :21:03.and his squad will go into an international hibernation of sorts
:21:04. > :21:12.having finished off their year with a win in Norway. They won't have any
:21:13. > :21:17.games now until the spring. It's been ten months since Strachan took
:21:18. > :21:20.over the national team and, as David McDaid reports, Scotland's fortunes
:21:21. > :21:25.under him have changed with the seasons.
:21:26. > :21:30.Victory in Norway and a good end to is Gordon Strachan's 2013. How would
:21:31. > :21:39.you assess your ten months in charge? I am still in a job. Here is
:21:40. > :21:51.why. It is February and the new man begins. When over Estonia.
:21:52. > :21:56.The following month brings defeat to Wales and Serbia. Scotland's World
:21:57. > :22:12.Cup hopes Peter out. In June, Gordon Strachan's Scotland
:22:13. > :22:21.click. An unlikely win over Croatia is followed by a narrow defeat by
:22:22. > :22:29.England. As the International year comes to a close, three wins from
:22:30. > :22:35.four matches. Five victories from ten games. How does it great? To
:22:36. > :22:41.start with, I was a little bit worried. He was testing players, did
:22:42. > :22:46.not know what is best team. Then they beat Croatia away and it has
:22:47. > :22:52.gone from strength to strength. I think he will be pleased with the
:22:53. > :23:04.way it has gone. The next cycle begins again in February. I can
:23:05. > :23:08.hardly wait. Friday marks 50 years since the
:23:09. > :23:12.assassination of US President John F Kennedy. A former Black Watch piper
:23:13. > :23:17.has been recalling how he met President Kennedy and then nine days
:23:18. > :23:19.later took part in his funeral procession through Washington.
:23:20. > :23:22.Steven Duff reports. It's a great pleasure for Mrs
:23:23. > :23:28.Kennedy and myself to welcome the Black Watch to the White House.
:23:29. > :23:32.The massed bands of the Black Watch perform on the White House lawn.
:23:33. > :23:37.Newsreels show a contented Kennedy family watching from the balcony.
:23:38. > :23:43.Bruce Cowie was one of the pipers. 50 years on, he remembers his brief
:23:44. > :23:49.meeting with President Kennedy. He came round and he shook hands with
:23:50. > :23:54.everyone on the bus and then he went back to the other bus and did the
:23:55. > :23:58.same thing. That made our day. It really made our day.
:23:59. > :24:01.From the high window rings out the shot...
:24:02. > :24:06.Nine days later in Dallas, Texas, President Kennedy was shot dead.
:24:07. > :24:09.Never in the history of the American Republic has there been anything
:24:10. > :24:12.like this. On November 25, Black Watch pipers
:24:13. > :24:19.led the President's funeral procession through Washington. Bruce
:24:20. > :24:28.Cowie was one of the nine pipers. It didn't sink in. The way it
:24:29. > :24:38.probably should have. It was part of the job I suppose. It was only
:24:39. > :24:42.later, in a sense, I realised. Today's Black Watch pipe major is
:24:43. > :24:45.heading back to Washington, taking part in events commemorating 50
:24:46. > :24:49.years since President Kennedy's assassination. Why did pipers from a
:24:50. > :24:55.Scottish regiment play such a prominent part in this bit of
:24:56. > :24:59.history? The reason why Mrs Kennedy asked for
:25:00. > :25:04.this is that she felt herself the last time the president was relaxed
:25:05. > :25:08.and fully enjoyed himself was the Sunset Beating the Retreat that the
:25:09. > :25:14.Black Watch performed at the White House.
:25:15. > :25:17.50 years on, Bruce Cowie is the last remaining Black Watch paper who led
:25:18. > :25:35.off President Kennedy's funeral. Good evening. It was a windy day for
:25:36. > :25:38.some. Around the West Coast, especially. Showers pushing down
:25:39. > :26:01.eastern another warning for snow showers
:26:02. > :26:05.continuing. Away from the East Coast, largely dry, clear, cold and
:26:06. > :26:11.frosty. Temperatures close to freezing. Tomorrow morning, it will
:26:12. > :26:17.be a cold start. But high pressure is coming our way, settling things
:26:18. > :26:24.down and staying with us until Sunday. A cold start tomorrow, a
:26:25. > :26:30.frosty start. Showers continuing on the east coast. But through the
:26:31. > :26:44.afternoon and into the evening, largely dry for many of us. It will
:26:45. > :26:57.be colder than today, but without that winter, feeling better. Later
:26:58. > :27:06.wins in the North -- lighter winds in the North. Thursday night will be
:27:07. > :27:16.really called, and a cold and frosty start on Friday. A cold and frosty
:27:17. > :27:23.start to end the week, but there will be some from around -- fog
:27:24. > :27:38.around. Thank you. MSPs are taking part in a
:27:39. > :27:42.debate to allow same-sex marriage in Scotland.
:27:43. > :27:45.The government is to order an independent inquiry into why the
:27:46. > :27:49.disgraced Methodist minister Paul Flowers was deemed a suitable
:27:50. > :27:52.chairman of the Co-op Bank. It follows allegations that Reverend
:27:53. > :27:56.Flowers bought illegal drugs and used a male prostitute.
:27:57. > :28:00.The Prime Minister has ruled out an amnesty in Northern Ireland for
:28:01. > :28:03.people responsible for killings during the Troubles. It follows a
:28:04. > :28:07.proposal from Northern Ireland's Attorney General, John Larkin, that
:28:08. > :28:10.all inquests, inquiries and criminal prosecutions linked to the conflict
:28:11. > :28:16.prior to 1998 should be halted. And that's Reporting Scotland. I'll
:28:17. > :28:17.be back with the late bulletin just after the ten o'clock