29/01/2014 Reporting Scotland

independent Scotland. That is all from the News at six,

Tonight on Reporting Scotland: The Governor of the Bank of England says

an independent Scotland would have to give up some economic powers if

it wants to share the pound. A dourable, successful currency union

requires some ceding of national sovereignty. We'll examine what his

intervention might mean for the referendum debate. Also in the

programme: The TV ad that's been banned because this cyclist isn't

wearing a helmet. Join me and a million items of

clothing to discover the hi-tech secrets of Scotland's biggest dress

hire company. Revealing the line up for Scotland

in the Six Nations opener, this weekend.

Good evening. The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, says

an independent Scotland would need to give up some economic power if it

wanted to keep the pound. In a speech in Edinburgh, he says the

eurozone crisis showed the dangers of a currency union without firm

foundations. The Scottish government said it was prepared to agree some

constraints in exchange for the freedom to set tax rates.

In Scotland's capital, the governor of the UK's Central Bank stepping in

to the debate over Scottish independence. Good morning. He

started the day meeting the man who heads the campaign for Scotland to

leave the UK. Mark Carney spoke privately with Alex Salmond for more

than an hour. Later in the heart of Edinburgh, the Bank of England's

governor considered the implications of independent countries sharing a

currency. The benefits, he said, included the ease the doing

cross-border business. The risks... Those risks have been clearly

demonstrated in the euro area over recent years. Sovereign debt crises,

financial fragmentation and large divergences in economies. So what

does that mean? Clearly, the governor thinks if you want a

successful currency union between independent states you don't look to

the eurozone as an example. Instead, he thinks member countries may need

to agree rules on taxation, spending, risk sharing in order for

the currency union to work. Pro-union campaigners say that's not

financial independence and not worth trading for what we have now. Today,

we have a common currency and we've got a very integrated social,

economic and political system. Now, the Nationalists say they want to

get rid of that, bup at the same time -- but at the same time

re-enter a currency union where they'll be told what to do in terms

of tax and spending. That's a funny form of independence. At no point

did the governor rule out the currency union. Could you make a

currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of

the UK work? If the Bank of England, which is an impartial technocratic

institution would implement whatever monetary arrangements were decided

to the best of our ability. The Scottish Government welcomed that

and said it was prepared to share some economic decision making.

Definitely not tax rates. Once you've agreed the level of borrowing

that's undertaken by an independent Scotland, once you've agrowed the

level -- agreed the level of debt, we would have flexibility to

undertake the approaches that were right for Scotland to strengthen our

economy, create employment and ensure the Scottish economy was more

successful. Others in the campaign for independence think currency

union could be more constraining Yes, of course, there would need to

be agreement about the level of borrowing, the level of taxation,

perhaps some elements of taxation as well. The governor's word is not the

last in the referendum debate. That's it, it's over. Is notable,

not least because it's been welcomed by both sides in the argument over

independence. Well, for an assessment of what that contribution

means for the independence debate, let's cross to Holyrood and our

political editor, Brian Taylor. What impact will this have? It draws

together several threads of the argument that have been there

already. Many of the issues raised by the governor are familiar. He

adds the weight of the Bank of England behind it, speaking as Glenn

says, as a technocrat, rather than one condemning or praising

independence. If you listen to the supporters of union, you will say he

has highlighted the potential risks, the relative stability of the UK

system with the crisis, which he said in the euro and saying there

would have to be rules attendant upon the UK system rather than the

relative intact of the eurozone. He is stressing the risks buff saying

perhaps -- but saying it ises doable -- it is doable but with difficulty.

The SNP say they got in first, they anticipated the challenges and were

ready with a fiscal Stability Pact whereby they agree to maintain

clamps on spending and the deficit in returns for debt. The big

question is why would the voters of England endorse such a pact when it

would be propping up Scottish banks. The Nationalist answer is to say

because it would be in the interests of both, in the interest of

stability on both sides ever the border after independence. Thank you

very much. Other news now: Scottish prosecutors

and American law enforcement officers have been to Libya, as part

of the continuing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. The

delegation by the Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, met senior members

of the Libyan Congress in Tripoli. Mr Mulholland describes this week's

talks as "extremely positive". A TV advert encouraging drivers to

give more consideration to people on bikes has been banned for showing a

cyclist without a helmet. The adder tiring standards authority -- the

Advertising Standards Authority said it was irresponsible. But helmets

are not required by law and it's a personal choice, say the ad maker.

The ad was aiming to encourage motorists to take care when driving

near cyclistsment Give them their space on the roads. Complained about

the use of this shot, a woman with no helmet in the middle of the road.

The Advertising Standards Authority said the add was socially

irresponsible, it says it undermind the Highway Code and should not be

broadcast again in its currents form. Cycling Scotland says wearing

a helmet is not a legal requirement in Scotland, a fact that was

reflected with shots of cyclists with or without helmets. Cycling

campaigners say the ruling is out of step with more cycling-friendly

countries. Copenhagen, Amsterdam, you can picture hundreds of

cyclists, cycling along without wearing a helmet. For some reason,

the UK is saying well cycling you must be helmeted. Must be wear body

armour? Where does it stop? I know people who don't, they have done

research who says, it can do more harm than good. There's a debate

about it. I prefer a hat. It's more comfy. Cars are really dangerous,

yeah. I think it's a good idea, definitely. I'm going to get a bike

helmet this week for safety reasons. If you get knocked offer a bike,

it's your life. Cycling Scotland said it made the ad with an

experienced cycling instructor who considered the safety equipment

needed and the positioning on the road. It intend to pursue the matter

through the review process. You're watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come: Suits you Sir. The Scottish company using

the latest technology to transform the clothing-hire business.

In sporter why choosing the team -- sport, why choosing the team for

Scotland's Six Nations opener was the toughest decision of the coach's

life and we hit the slopes with Ben Kilner.

A student who was subjected to racial attack in Glasgow said police

haven't taken his case seriously. Sonoo Yaqoob was walking through a

park, when he was racially abused, beaten up and stabbed.

This is how a walk in the park ended for 19-year-old Sonoo Yaqoob. He was

with two friends last June when he was racially abused, beaten up and

stabbed by a gang of youths. Just turned around, all my friends were

gone and I'm just getting attacked. I was kicked, punked -- punched.

When they started saying, "We will kill you. You killed our soldiers."

I was like, hold on, this is proper racial. The gang fled as soon as

police arrived. Sonoo Yaqoob and his two friends gave witness statements

and the police took away his clothes for DNA testing. More than six

months later, the only contact he's had from police is a letter saying

they'd be in touch. He doesn't know what, if anything, has been done to

catch his attackers. The timing of the attack has raised concerns. It's

happened only a month after Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in London. One

of Yaqoob's attackers said, "You think you can kill our soldiers? We

will kill you." Police Scotland said they've tried to contact Sonoo

Yaqoob several times. But his family say they've never received a single

call, visit or letter. Police Scotland said: It's not my job to

chase the police. It's the police job to come up to me. They've taken

this as a light matter. Ive could have been killed. Since the attack,

Sonoo Yaqoob has been anxious and paramiowed. Noid. He wishes the

police had done more to catch those responsible. Vment Other stories

making the news: The Super Puma crash that killed 16 men in the

North Sea in 2009 was not survivable. The Fatal Accident

Inquiry into the 2009 crash off Peterhead has heard from air

accident investigators that there was nothing the two pilots could

have done to save the helicopter after it suffered a catastrophic

gearbox failure. The inquiry continues.

A woman has been jailed for life for murdering a woman in front of her

two teenage daughters. Tracy Meekal stabbed Lorraine Foy five times on

the neck and body following a neighbourhood dispute last year.

The new MSP for Cowdenbeath has been sworn in at the Scottish Parliament.

Family and friends looked on as Alex Rowley took up the seat he won in

the by-election caused by the death of Helen Eadie.

Revived plans to develop a derelict site in central Edinburgh have been

approved. A ?150 million mix of leisure, retail and offices linking

New Street and New Market Street will fill the space.

The Scott pine has been chosen as the national tree. More than half of

the people surveyed by the Forestry Commission chose the Scots pine. It

is a symbol, I suppose, which is identified with Scotland. Like the

thistle, and it's one that we can use to promote the importance of

trees and forests and the natural environment to children, but also to

wider society to get some sort of linkage in their minds between the

importance of an environment we all enjoy and the health of our trees,

like the Scots pine. It's a town described as down at heel with a

centre with an abundance of empty shops. Now paisley wants to be a

focus of tourism, focussed on the textile heritage.

The Education Secretary, Mike Russell, has described the UK's

immigration policy as xenophobic. He says it's putting students from

overseas off the idea of coming to Scotland. He blames it for a big

drop in the number of ind yand students in -- Indian students in

Scottish universities. The big Scottish universities all

try to attract students from across the globe. They're an important part

of the community here, where overseas students bring in money and

prestige and the students themselves benefit too. Having been here for

four years, I've experienced an entirely new culture, a new way of

thinking. I'm taking a course on American foreign policy and from a

British perspective is eally enlightening. But is the poll

significance on -- policy on immigration making it hard to

attract these students? Regrettably it's driven by fear of you've kip.

It's a policy which others have described and I can't afford the

word as a xenophobic policy. It's having a very bad effect on Scottish

higher education. The UK Government came out fighting. What we've seen

today from a Scottish Government minister is a shameful attempt to

create false divisions in values between Scotland and other parts of

the United Kingdom. The number of students at Scottish universities

from outside the European Union is near a record. At the last count

there were more than 28,000, a small drop on the year before. The numbers

vary wildly from country to country, some are up. The number from India

has halved since 2010. This student, who grew up near New Delhi, thinks

immigration policy might be a factor. I go around India giving

speeches to attract prospective students to join universities over

here. It's disappointing when immigration laws are such. It makes

my work difficult to promote this country. The party that represents

Scottish universities thinks current immigration policies is wrong for

universities north and south of the border, but it isn't getting

involved in today's political spat. Hiring a kilt or a dinner jacket

might seem simple. Go to a shop, get measured and order what you want.

Now the latest technology is transform clothing hire.

There are moments in life to celebrate, to dress up smart and

enjoy the day. That often involves hiring an outfit. Where did it come

from? The chances are right here, from this vast centre near Glasgow,

ACS Clothing supply High Street chains up and down the UK. They've

set up miles of conveyor belts, miles of hanging rails and computers

to control it all. This is dress hire on an enormous scale. There are

upwards of a million items of clothing here, ready to go. But that

presents a huge challenge, how do you actually find what you need?

They've developed a system to do just that. Each of the garments that

we have, they all have a unique barcode. They are on these adaptors

here just now. Each of them has a chip, which tracks them around the

building. The orders are compiled and then the suit bag for the groom,

then the best man, the ushers. This company is looking to meet the

growing demand from online shoppers, who want to order their wedding

outfit from home or on their smartphone. But the systems involved

don't come cheap. They've secured over ?8 million in new investment.

This will allow the business to grow in the UK and elsewhere. I suspect

Richard may have got through over time through his own resources. But

this kick starts that and allows him to grow and capitalise on the

opportunity in front of him. This firm aims to keep up with the

changing demands of customers. They've no time to waste. All this

has to be ready for the summer, wedding season, its busiest time of

the year. A few kilts in Dublin on Sunday, no

doubt. Not too many dinner jackets though.

Scotland rugby coach Scott Johnson says picking a team for the Six

Nations opener was the most difficult selection decision he's

ever made. Four players make their tournament debuts away to Ireland on

Sunday. All this when Scottish rugby remembers one offists greatest

moments. Hanging on the last three minutes or so. Things are very

different nowadays for Scotland from the Grand Slam win in 1984. Interim

head coach Scott Johnson believes the side he's picked for Dublin this

weekend, well, it can do the business. There's changes since the

autumn Test. Some because of injuries. But not in Jackson's case.

A lot of discussion of who starts in the ten position. We feel Duncan's

skill set suits this and what we're trying to achieve against Ireland.

Duncan We're starts at ten. The fat little kid, Johnson once described,

seemingly all grown up. I was probably carrying a wee bit of puppy

fat. But now I'm developed into a man, as you would say. Also

travelling to Dublin is a new centre pairing of Dunbar and Taylor. Stuart

Hogg returns at fullback. In the pack, Wilson, Swinson and Low come

in for Sunday's game. Domestic form is back as much as we canment and we

think it will be a fast game. We think we have the side with the legs

to carry us off. That would be a nice nod to one of Scotland's

greatest moments, which you can relive tonight, Grand Slam '84, 10

ph, BBC Two Scotland dd -- o 10pm, on BBC Two Scotland.

Premiership leaders Celtic are aiming for their 12th consecutive

league win tonight at home to Kilmarnock. We know how hard a task

it's going to be. Everybody has to be a nine out of ten to get any sort

of result. After their away win on Saturday, Hearts are hoping to make

it two wins in a row. The bottom club are at home to St Mirren.

Coverage of tonight's matches on BBC Radio Scotland:

Scotland's best amateur boxers have a new high performance centre. It

will be the base for the national squad as it prepares for the

Commonwealth Games. You could see by the boxers, like, everybody's

looking forward to coming in here and getting their training done.

Ryan Mania won Grand National last year on Aurora's Encore. The horse

has been retired because of injury, though.

Now from Banchory to Sochi in Russia, that's the journey Ben

Kilner is about to complete with just over a week to the start of the

Winter Olympics. He's been home to round off his preparations. Our

Games reporter has been on his trail.

I've come to the freezing Cairngorm mountains to catch the glimpse of a

beast that's rarely spotted around these parts these days. It's not so

much Winterwatch as Winter Olympics watch. The creature in question is

the Kil-dog, or Ben Kilner. He's from Banchory but migrate to

Colorado for most of the year to train as a half-pipe snow border.

Kilner is representing Team GB at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It

makes me really, really proud. I'll do everything I can to make everyone

else proud, my friends and family and the nation, I guess. It's a

half-pipe dream that almost never happens. I was at theical Gary World

Cup. I landed really heavy. My knee dislocated. I had to make the

decision to go and get it inspected and when I did, they ended up going

in, putting in wires to put it all together and snowboarding wouldn't

have continued for me if I didn't get to see the specialist. This will

be the 25-year-old's second Olympics. He came 18th in Vancouver

four years ago. If you were to get on that podium, what would that be

like? It would be a massive thing. I'd hope that it would inspire

future generations to come through. If that happened, it would be mint.

Control your emotions, Jackie, you can see more of Ben Kilner in action

in Sport XIV on Friday night at 7pm. That's all from me. We might get to

practice on some of the white stuff ourselves.

That's right. Snow to come on Friday, before then, decent

brightness. Tomorrow is looking like the brightest day of the week, but

the coldest too. Good evening, tonight is shaping up to be a cold

one too, with a widespread frost and the Met Office warning of a risk of

ice on untreated surfaces. Through tonight we keep a feed of showers

coming in through eastern Scotland and the Northern Isles driven in on

strong winds. The showers turn increasingly wintry because it will

be a cold night everywhere, temperatures down to freezing in the

towns and cities, as low as minus four Celsius in some parts of the

countryside. Tomorrow we start out with the risk of ice, but plenty of

dry, bright, sunny weather to go with it, certainly more than we've

had of late. Some of the best sunny spells in the North West. So a fine

day for the Murray coast, though it will be cold. We keep a feed of

showers into Orkney and Shetland, as well as parts of the Aberdeenshire

coast of the driven in on strong winds. Those showers are wintry at

times. It will be cold. Temperatures no higher than three or four Celsius

for many of us. For most of the country, a lot of dry and bright

weathers, good spells of sunshine. Tomorrow evening, it will be cold

and we will start to see cloud increasing from the west. That

heralds the arrival of the next system, a deep area of low pressure

swinging in off the Atlantic for Friday. We have an early warning

from the Met Office, it's yellow. Be aware, it's for snow. The rain push

it's and meets the cold air and it turns to snow. Neshly to low levels

for a time. It remains as snow on high ground above 400 metres.

Especially for the high ground to the north of the central belt, poor

conditions with strong to gale-force winds. Thereby -- there will be

drifting, by the end of Friday gusts of 80mph and poor conditions

continue into Saturday. We could have coastal flooding as high tides

combine with strong winds. Make sure you keep up to date with the

forecast. Time for a reminder of tonight's

main story: The Governor of the Bank of England says that if Scots vote

for independence and want to keep the pound, they'll have to lose some

of their control over tax and spending. That's Reporting Scotland.

I'm back with the main evening bulletin just after the Ten O'Clock

news. Until then, from everyone in the team, right across the country,

enjoy the rest of your evening. Goodbye.