THERE is “generalised hostility to the Barnett formula” in Whitehall and Westminster over the “excessive levels” of public spending it provides Scotland, a leading academic has told MSPs.

Professor David Heald issued the stark warning about the controversial formula, which sees Scotland given £1,400 of extra funding per person compared to the rest of the UK, in a submission to Holyrood’s finance committee.

The Aberdeen University professor of accountancy also said that having a Scottish MP of cabinet rank at the Treasury since 1997 had “protected Scotland’s political clout” in the UK government over its funding deal.

• {http://bit.ly/1kZDON3|Get the latest referendum news, opinion and analysis from across Scotland and beyond on our new Scottish Independence website|Link to website}

David Cameron has said there are no plans to change the Barnett formula, with the Prime Minister stating that reform of the arrangement is “not on the horizon”.

However, the SNP has warned that Scotland’s public spending could be cut by £4 billion in the event of a No vote in the referendum on 18 September.

Prof Heald said there was widespread hostility at Westminster and in the UK civil service about the Barnett Formula delivering extra cash to Scotland and Northern Ireland, in his submission to MSPs ahead of a finance committee hearing on Tuesday.

He said: “Since 1997, there has always been a Scottish MP of cabinet rank at the Treasury and this has protected Scotland’s political clout.

“There is generalised hostility to the Barnett formula in Whitehall and Westminster, on the basis of what is perceived as excessive levels of public expenditure in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

However, Prof Heald claimed the formula had survived since the 1970s as there is “no compelling support for an alternative” funding arrangement within the UK.

The committee also heard objections from other parts of the UK to the Barnett Formula, with a Welsh finance expert suggesting that it shortchanged other devolved administrations.

Gerald Holtham, an adviser to the Welsh Finance Minister, also claimed that the formula was “entirely arbitrary and without any reasoned justification” as he stated that a shake-up of the arrangement would be “appropriate” in a submission to the committee.

Mr Holtham, who is also a visiting professor at Cardiff Business School, went on to state that the formula is “democratically invalid” with growing numbers of people across the UK aware of its “existence and operation”.

SNP MSP John Wilson said the claims at the finance committee showed Scotland would face cuts to its funding if independence is rejected.

He said: “Once again it clearly gives an indication of Westminster’s intention to reduce the Barnett Formula and Scotland’s finances.

“Scotland punches above its weight in financial terms and these interventions highlight the consequence of a No vote on 18 September.”

SEE ALSO

• Peter Jones: Counting the cost of independence

• The Scotsman cartoon: Independence and shipyards

LORRY drivers are considering creating a rolling roadblock on the A9 in protest over the installation of average-speed cameras.

Vehicles would participate in a go-slow protest, it is claimed.

The first of the controversial cameras are already in place on the A9 between Inverness and Perth and motorists have started reporting longer journey times on the route, despite the devices having not yet been turned on.

Lorry drivers claim the cameras are leading to more dangerous manoeuvres on the notoriously accident-prone road.

Truck driver Connor McKenna, from Inverness, said motorists were slamming on their brakes when they first glimpsed the speed cameras, known as “yellow vultures” due to their colour.

He said drivers were ready to back the plan and added: “It is only a matter of time before there is an accident. People don’t understand the cameras.”

The 29-year-old led a successful campaign to increase the speed limit on the road for heavy goods vehicles from 40mph to 50mph.

It involved organising several rolling roadblocks to highlight the problem, including the threat of hitting Christmas deliveries, but that protest was dropped after progress was made.

Mr McKenna and other northern truck drivers are now considering holding another go-slow protest on the road.

He said: “We are looking at a go-slow but I need to speak to more drivers about what is happening.”

However, the latest roadblock plan has come under fire from Highland SNP MSP Dave Thompson.

He warned a go-slow on the road would be “utterly irresponsible” and added: “It will not do anyone any good.”

Mr Thompson said he did not think cameras would cause motorists to drop their speed drastically and cause danger.

He said: “Average-speed cameras will ensure that people stick to the limit.”

The £2.5million scheme to install around 100 cameras between Dunblane and Inverness has proved controversial since it was first announced by the Scottish Government last year.

Ministers claim the cameras will cut the toll of deaths and serious accidents on the road, which has been dubbed the most dangerous in Scotland.

But opponents claim the cameras will increase frustration, lead to even more risky overtaking manoeuvres and cause a higher number of crashes.

Mike Burns, of Foyers, Inverness-shire, organised a petition with thousands of signatures calling for the scheme to be scrapped in favour of speeding up the plan to dual the whole road, which is backed by Highland MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

The first cameras were recently installed north of Perth and Scottish Government transport agency Transport Scotland said they are already causing motorists to cut their speed despite not being on. Following tests, they are due to go live in October.

COMPUTER software that can diagnose rare genetic diseases from family photographs has been developed by scientists at Edinburgh University.

The software scans ordinary photographs of patients’ faces, using facial recognition technology - similar to that used by Facebook - to build a description of the face’s structure by identifying corners of eyes, the nose, the mouth and other features.

Many genetic conditions such as Down’s syndrome and Angelman syndrome are associated with changes in facial appearance. These occur because of the large number of genes that are involved in the development of the face and skull as a baby grows in the womb.

Scanning photos of different individuals who have the same genetic condition can identify distinctive facial traits that are associated with that particular disorder. The approach works even in very rare disorders that affect only a few people in the world.

The team of researchers who developed the app say doctors should one day be able to take a smartphone picture of a patient and run the computer analysis to quickly find out which genetic disorder the person might have - particularly helpful in countries without easy access to genetic tests.

The program itself was developed by software engineers at Oxford University. Experts from the Medical Research Council Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at Edinburgh University provided guidance on the clinical images used to develop the software.

Professor David Fitzpatrick, of the MRC Institute for Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Thousands of babies are born each year in the UK with errors in their genetic makeup which mean that they do not develop normally.

“Getting to a firm diagnosis as quickly as possible is very important but the extremely large number of possible disorders makes this very challenging.

“This technology will help doctors to pick up extremely rare disorders and may be able to identify new conditions. It brings hope to those families living without a diagnosis and the prospect of information and tailored support to help them face the future.”

The findings are reported in the journal eLife. The study was funded by the MRC, the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the European Research Council.

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/11-new-genes-linked-to-alzheimer-s-disease-found-1-3160798|11 new genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease found|Link to article}

CATCH up on the latest news, opinion and analysis on Scottish independence from around the world in this round-up from our dedicated referendum website.

TODAY’S MAIN NEWS:

Following the announcement that Alex Salmond will take on Alistair Darling in a live debate, the BBC have announced {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/scottish-independence-teens-to-take-on-politicians-in-hydro-debate/|a huge youth debate at Glasgow’s Hydro arena|Link to article}.

Up to 12,000 school pupils from across Scotland are expected to attend the event, which is scheduled to take place one week before the referendum itself. Writing exclusively for our independence site, the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament calls for {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/kyle-thornton-referendum-a-chance-to-engage-youth/|young people to turn out to vote|Link to article} in September to show the older generation that today’s youth are interested in politics.

In other news, Labour have launched a {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/scottish-independence-labour-warn-on-shipyards/|new poster campaign|Link to article} warning of the threat to Scotland’s shipyards posed by a ‘Yes’ vote. The SNP have dubbed the campaign “disgraceful”.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:

Our {http://scotsman.com/scottish-independence|Scottish independence site|Link to article} showcases some of the best comment, analysis and opinion from across the web; here are some of our favourites so far today.

• On Bella Caledonia, James Maxwell {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/james-maxwell-prozac-nationalism/|discusses the SNP’s continued focus|Link to article} on the positives of Scottish independence – and their refusal to countenance any negative effects it may have.

• Aileen McHarg, Professor of Public Law at the University of Strathclyde, looks at the {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/aileen-mcharg-analysis-of-draft-scottish-independence-bill/|Scottish Government’s proposed interim constitution|Link to article} for an independent Scotland.

• {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/professor-patrick-dunleavy-the-costs-of-scottish-independence/|Professor Patrick Dunleavy explains|Link to article} his findings that an independent Scotland could be set up for around £200 million, in a piece for the London School of Economics Politics and Policy blog.

• Lesley Riddoch delivers her verdict on the first episode of BBC Scotland’s controversial new political radio show Crossfire. {http://www.scotsman.com/scottish-independence/lesley-riddoch-bbc-caught-in-political-crossfire/|She wasn’t impressed|Link to article}.

• {http://bit.ly/SsMkxx|Get the latest referendum news, opinion and analysis from across Scotland and beyond on our new Scottish Independence website|Link to website}

Better prospects for the Chinese economy failed to lift the FTSE 100 index today as growing turmoil in Iraq continued to hurt sentiment.

Mining stocks were sharply higher after new figures showed Chinese manufacturing expanded for the first time this year.

But the Footsie index still ended 24.64 points lower at 6,800.56 after militants captured new territory in the west of Iraq.

With oil prices continuing to creep higher on the conflict, airline stocks were back under pressure as International Airlines Group fell 5.5p to 379.1p and easyJet dropped 25.5p to 1426.5p.

Housebuilders were near the top of the fallers board on expectations that Bank of England governor Mark Carney will announce new rules this week to clamp down on large and risky mortgage loans.

Barratt Developments fell 11p to 349.6p and top flight rival Persimmon dropped 2 per cent or 23p to 1207p.

Other fallers included Royal Bank of Scotland, which dropped 7.2p to 330p, while Lloyds Banking Group was 1p lower at 75.7p.

Elsewhere, the latest figures from the world’s second largest economy lifted hopes that recent stimulus measures by the Beijing authorities were starting to help growth.

The potential boost to demand saw Rio Tinto rise 50.2p higher to 3127.7p, while BHP Billiton climbed 32.2p to 1933.75p.

Outside the top flight, shares in financial services group WH Ireland said it was encouraged by revenue growth in both its private client and corporate broking divisions.

It said it expects to make further progress in 2014, pushing its shares higher to close up 4.5p at 113.5p.

A SMARTPHONE app which helps users boost their fitness and learn more about Glasgow has been officially launched one month ahead of the start of the Commonwealth Games.

The MyCity: Glasgow app has been developed by researchers at the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde and is backed by some Team Scotland athletes who will be competing in the Games.

It uses smartphones’ built-in technology to track how much players walk each day and sets daily goals for them based on their general activity levels.

The target increases each time players achieve their goals, steadily increasing their levels of activity.

Every time a goal is achieved, a “reward” is unlocked with the appearance on a map of one of 42 Glasgow landmarks, which players are encouraged to find out more about.

Through the app, users can also compare their performance with other people and they can share their progress on social networking sites.

Development of the product was led by Dr Cindy Gray, of Glasgow University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing, and Dr Marilyn McGee-Lennon, of Strathclyde’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences.

Dr Gray said: “We’ve worked hard to make MyCity: Glasgow a fun way for people to engage with the spirit of the Commonwealth Games by being more active, as well as finding out more about the host city.

“The app is focused on walking because it’s a low-impact form of activity that most people can participate in.

“MyCity: Glasgow allows people in Glasgow to gain a new perspective on the city by challenging them to visit landmarks, including the Games venues, for themselves.

“However, it’s also designed so that people can use it to learn about the city from anywhere around the world.

“All people need to benefit from the app is a mobile device and a willingness to be more active.”

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/visual-arts/revealed-glasgow-2014-commonwealth-games-souvenirs-1-2511334|Revealed: Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games souvenirs|Link to article}

The third British jihadist in a terrorist video widely circulated online attended school in Aberdeen, according to reports last night.

The man is believed to have been born in Bangladesh but moved to Scotland with his family as a young boy where he attended primary and secondary school.

According to reports, he left the north-east several years ago and is one of three British men who appear in a 13-minute video, There is No Life Without Jihad, that was posted online on Friday by accounts linked to Isis, the Islamic militant group currently sweeping across Iraq.

The video has been widely circulated and sparked fears over terror attacks in Britain. Last night, one member of the Muslim community in Aberdeen who knew the man in the video told The Scotsman he was “shocked” to recognise him. He also spoke of his surprise that a teenager with mainstream Muslim views would apparently go on to be “radicalised”.

Two of the six fighters shown in the film, which urges Muslims to join a holy war, have already been identified as Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan from Cardiff.

The footage was posted online in the wake of the military progress made by Isis in Iraq over the past few weeks.

The third man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is understood to be around 25 years old and to have been born in Bangladesh. He was later raised in Aberdeen where he is said to have attended Saint Machar Academy.

Two years ago, he was involved in fundraising in Aberdeen to send medical aid to Gaza but shortly afterwards left the city and may have moved to Leicester.

A member of the Muslim community, who did not wish to be named, last night told The Scotsman: “The community in Aberdeen is very cosmopolitan and integrated. If you go to the mosque, you will find students from the university and people who work for BP and Shell. You will not find al-Qaeda.

“This is terrible news but we must make it clear that he would not have been radicalised up here. I don’t know where it happened, but you don’t find this type of material in mosques in Aberdeen.”

He said that he remembered the man as being very boisterous and full of energy – “He was one of the naughty boys but not dangerous” – and also culturally well integrated.

“That is what is surprising. He didn’t strike me as someone who would become involved in this. Looking closely at the footage, you can see he has changed. He is a bit more muscular. I don’t know how this happened but what we don’t want to occur is for Muslims in Aberdeen to be made a scapegoat.”

In the video, he addresses his fellow Muslims back in Britain: “Are you willing to sacrifice the fat job you’ve got, the big car you’ve got, the family you have?

“Are you willing to sacrifice this for the sake of Allah? Definitely! If you sacrifice something for Allah, Allah will give you 700 times more than this.”

Later in the video, he said: “All my brothers living in the west, I know how you feel. When I used to live there, in the heart you feel depressed. The cure for the depression is jihad.”

Last night, a former acquaintance said he was shocked to see the man now holding a gun, sitting beside other jihadists and urging others to join their fight.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said that the man in the video had been in minor trouble as a teenager, but that he then calmed down as he grew older and became increasingly religious. He added that other former acquaintances could not believe the change that had taken place in him.

He told the BBC: “I was shocked. It seemed utterly mad. He came here when he was a younger child. He went to primary and secondary school here.

“After that he was around in Aberdeen. He was a bit arrogant, a bit ‘aggro’, maybe something to prove. He ended up in a lot of fights.

“To learn he’s accepted religion in such an extreme way is a bit shocking. Shocking because he’s a youth from Aberdeen who’s ended up somewhere like that.”

The man said that, when he was younger, the jihadist had enjoyed drinking alcohol and going to nightclubs. He said he had not seen the man for the past couple of years and believed that his family had moved to Leicester.

Yesterday, a Muslim leader spoke of his fears that widespread publicity given to the Isis video will encourage other “susceptible” young men to travel to Syria to fight.

Sheikh Zane Abdo, imam of the South Wales Islamic Centre, said: “I guarantee that many young people who are very susceptible to this type of message will have watched that video and maybe have been encouraged to now go and follow in the footsteps of Nasser and his brother, which is a real problem. A platform has been given to this video that really shouldn’t have been given.”

His fears were echoed by Sir Peter Fahy, Greater Manchester Chief Constable and lead on the counter-terrorism strategy for the Association of Chief Police Officers. He warned that the video made the young men’s trip look like a “Boy Scout camp” when the reality was “very brutal, very callous”.

“The government does have some funding and is putting material on the internet but we need the whole of the community to counter this narrative,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“The trouble with this Isis video is it makes it look like a Boy Scout camp going out there, when in fact what they are calling for is Muslims to go out to kill fellow Muslims, often in cold blood, with summary executions of conscript soldiers and police officers.

“It is a very, very brutal thing they are calling on fellow Muslims to go and do.

“We need to get this message across. The trouble with that particular video is it makes it look very glamorous, that they are going on an adventure, when the reality is actually very brutal, very callous.”

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/extremism-warning-to-britain-on-syria-fall-out-1-3452785|Extremism warning to Britain on Syria fall-out|Link to article}

SCIENTISTS at Abertay University have used a 3D printer to bring to life the complex inner workings of soil.

Led by Professor Wilfred Otten, researchers inserted fungi into the printed soil to observe how the fungi move around within the space.

Commenting on the research, Prof Otten said: “Soil is alive, with a handful of soil containing billions of microscopic organisms. Soil is much more than the dirt that sticks under our shoes or holds up our plants – it is a jungle of living organisms that break down organic matter to make the nutrients available for plant roots.”

OCCASIONALLY those of us living in the political bubble have to remind ourselves that there will be a general election in less than 12 months. Why is this? It’s because the three main parties who, in one way or the other, hope to form the government after May 2015 seem to be locked into a sort of death wish.

The travails of David Cameron and his constant fight with the eurosceptics is now entering its fifth season in terms of political soap operas, and the end of the affair between the Lib Dems and Nick Clegg has just become painful to watch. In both cases the parties detest their coalition existence and seem set on being drummed out at the next election.

But harder to fathom is the increasing crisis surrounding Ed Miliband’s leadership of the Labour Party. It seems now that a week does not go by without a senior colleague briefing against him.

Many of the attacks on him appear to be emanating from shadow chancellor Ed Balls’ circle, although Mr Balls himself will always claim total loyalty to his party’s leader.

Former cabinet minister and front-bencher John Denham has been up front. He said working-class voters “don’t believe they are in any story that Labour is telling about the future of this country … if they’re not part of our story I don’t know what the Labour party is for”.

Phil Taylor, a former Labour speechwriter said: “Miliband-Balls is just as bad as the Blair-Brown era. Everything has to be agreed by both of them. Miliband is too weak to stand up for himself. I fell out with Ed Balls because Labour’s economic policy is nonsense.”

Things are so bad that, over the weekend, former leader Lord Neil Kinnock had to be wheeled out to defend Mr Miliband from the growing chuntering within the Labour ranks.

The strange thing is that this is a party leading in the polls which should be expecting to win next year and form the next government. Yet senior figures on and off the record seem to be happy to confirm the image of Mr Miliband that the Tories want to portray, of a man who is incapable of leading a party, let alone a country.

And the stakes are high. If Labour lose next year they will be out of government for another five years, making it a decade out of office. No wonder former home secretary David Blunkett warned that they could be 15 years in the wilderness.

The problem with Mr Miliband, though, is that he was elected as a compromise because he was not his Blairite brother.

The last compromise was Michael Foot, who was not Tony Benn on the left or Denis Healey on the right. That led to a record defeat at the polls in 1983 for a party riven with division. History threatens to repeat itself.

Planning is to developers a source of delays and frustration to their visions for what people want. To people, planning is an important safeguard of their property, environment and rights.

The trick for government is to get the balance between the two sets of interests right. Has the Scottish Government achieved that with the latest sets of new policies now unveiled?

Some of the themes look uncontroversial. Scottish Natural Heritage has published a map identifying 42 areas covering just under a fifth of the country and which are described as having the “highest wildness in Scotland” and therefore to be protected from significant development, for which, read wind farms.

Walkers and landscape conservationists seem pleased that Scotland’s most scenic areas and National Parks are to be protected and Scottish Renewables, lobbyists for the onshore wind industry, appear to be happy too, although they did add a few cautionary footnotes. On this crude measure, the balance test seems to have been passed.

The map is part of a suite of documents lyrically called Scottish Planning Policy and National Planning Framework 3. The latter sets out areas such as Dundee’s waterfront and the former Ravenscraig steelworks site in Lanarkshire where regeneration and redevelopment have become a national priority. Again, this is largely uncontroversial.

It also sets out types of development which are also regarded as nationally important, such as the construction of high-voltage electricity transmission lines. These are a little more problematic. Everyone may agree Scotland needs an efficient and modern electricity system, but when it comes to particular lines of pylons, as has been seen with the long, drawn-out saga of the Beauly-Denny line, things can get controversial.

The aim of the document is not to rule out opposition to such projects, but to attempt to speed up the process so that the arguments get heard and decisions get made but in a shorter time-scale than the near decade it took to eventually approve the Beauly-Denny project.

It also seems to load the argument a little in favour of the developers by introducing a presumption in favour of development outside the Wild Land areas where there is a prejudice against development. The presumption is, however, carefully worded with emphasis on the word “sustainable”. This sounds fine, but “sustainable” can be a slippery concept. What is one person’s sustainability can be another person’s irreversible damage – the low-carbon versus landscape environmental conflict which is at the heart of controversies surrounding wind farms. How this will work out in practice, and whether it will actually speed up the planning process while giving people the protection they believe planning should afford them, will not be known until the new rules have been tested against some live proposals.

Small victory might end up a defeat

David Cameron has won a small victory in his struggle to prevent Jean-Claude Juncker from becoming the president of the European Commission. He seems to have persuaded European Council president Herman Van Rompuy to organise a vote on Mr Juncker at the next meeting of the council where the EU’s heads of government will decide whether he gets the job or not.

It is the right thing to happen. The process through which Mr Juncker came to be the top candidate was decided by the European Parliament. MEPs agreed that each of the main party leaders should be their preferred choice, with the outcome decided by the voters according to whichever party, or grouping of parties, won the most seats.

The process leaves a lot to be desired, not least because Mr Juncker, with his loud trumpeting of the fact that his party won most seats, was victorious. He seems determined to press on with a centralising agenda with which most European citizens are uneasy and many vocally oppose.

But Mr Cameron’s little victory may turn out to be as unmemorable as most MEPs if the council vote confirms Mr Juncker. Mr Cameron says that many European leaders share his concerns but it currently seems improbable that there are enough of them willing to overturn the democratic die cast by the parliament, flawed though it is.

In that event, this episode may turn out to be a signal defeat, used by Mr Cameron’s opponents as evidence that the prime minister has little influence in Europe and therefore stands little chance of success in securing the reforms he now needs to persuade Britons they would be better off inside the EU.

A THIRD runway at Heathrow will have only minimal benefit for Scotland, which would be better served by building a four-runway airport in London, according to the latest research.

It says a new airport would have a greater impact on jobs, flights and economic growth than expansion of either Heathrow or Gatwick by adding five flights a day for Edinburgh and four from Glasgow by 2050.

The report Making Connections by York Aviation and Oxford Economics, published today and commissioned by Transport for London, comes as the Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, is deciding which option to recommend for airport expansion in the south-east. Either Heathrow or Gatwick remains most likely to get the nod.

However, Oxford Economics says a new airport would mean more connections and in Edinburgh would add £451 million in gross value added (GVA) 
and create 2,590 jobs, mostly concentrated in financial and insurance services. Glasgow would gain 2,620 jobs in the same sector and £358m in additional GVA.

The authors argue that Heathrow serves the nations and regions of the UK poorly and suggest that only a new hub would ensure regular connections to London.

They say that if no expansion is undertaken, Edinburgh would lose nine daily flights and four if Heathrow was to construct a new runway.

Louise Congdon, managing partner at York Aviation, said: “There is no doubt that of all the options for expansion currently under consideration by the Airports Commission, a new four-runway hub airport would provide the nations and regions with the best connectivity to the UK’s main international airport.”

Ms Congdon added: “It might surprise some people that a third runway at Heathrow will do little to improve regional connectivity and [will] not 
support any new routes due to commercial pressures on airlines.”

Commenting on the new report, the Mayor of London’s chief advisor on aviation, Daniel Moylan, said: “The current expansion debate must not be allowed to become simply a matter of where to build a new strip of tarmac in the south-east.

The report nails the lie that a third runway would help the cities and regions that Heathrow has left behind. It won’t. It will be full within two or three years of opening and just as now airlines will be forced to concentrate on their most profitable long-haul routes.

“I hope the Airports Commission studies the report in detail and takes into account the economic needs of the UK as a whole when preparing its final report.”

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “Scottish businesses are looking internationally for growth opportunities and we need a sensible combination of direct air routes and access to hub airport capacity to realise our ambitions. Air infrastructure solutions for south-east England will be of little benefit to Scotland if we are not better connected to it.”

That scary, first step towards active living can go a long way towards reducing the risks of physical inactivity, says Lynne Irons

What will I wear? It’s the question we’ve all grappled with at some time when faced with a situation in which we want to feel confident, whether that’s a job interview, a party or a hot date.

It’s also one of the most common concerns of somebody about to start an exercise programme, possibly for the first time. Other concerns are – will everybody stare at me? Will I make a fool of myself? Will my health condition make me stand out?

For somebody who has been experiencing failing health, is possibly overweight or has very little time to themselves due to caring responsibilities, attending a fitness class is as alien as ET. Add the low self esteem which often accompanies poor health and obesity, and the thought of going to a gym is downright scary.

Which is why intervention on a compassionate, human level is so vital if we are to defuse the health time bomb which is ticking away in Scotland. With recent research revealing that as much as 10 per cent of the NHS budget is now spent on treating diabetes, the urgency to tackle obesity and inactivity has never been so great.

Edinburgh Leisure delivers a number of funded health programmes in partnership with government agencies, which have made huge strides in recent years. It is a not-for-profit trust which re-invests all monies into services, with the aim of helping communities get active, stay active and achieve more.

This ensures our huge resource of talent and expertise can deliver work which helps wider society in a meaningful way.

Through effective health partnerships with NHS Lothian, City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government, we deliver programmes in which caring fitness professionals work with people across all society who are experiencing or at risk of poor health associated with inactivity, and support and motivate them to enjoy the benefits of exercise through a range of fun, appropriate activities.

We are extremely proud that a group of these partnerships has recently been nominated for the prestigious Flame Awards, our industry’s “Oscars” if you like, in the Healthy Partnership Projects category.

These programmes include Ageing Well for over 50s, Active Lives for adults at risk of marginalisation, Steady Steps for older adults at risk of having a fall, Get Going for children at risk of obesity, and Healthy Active Minds for those experiencing mild to moderate anxiety or depression.

While these groups of people differ in their situations, they all share a health risk which evidence continually shows can be greatly reduced by increased physical activity.

Our objective is to increase participation in physical activity across communities, delivering a real boost to quality of life in Edinburgh and ultimately reducing the financial burden of poor health.

What we bring to the table through our partnerships is the capacity to intervene, motivate and make that scary first step towards active living accessible.

We actively meet with people to understand their lifestyles and the barriers to getting active, and identify what would motivate them.

It’s working. We help individuals feel supported by inviting them to a class with people in a similar situation and offering encouragement from a sympathetic instructor. They realise they are not alone, nobody is laughing at them and they begin to feel less isolated. The financial support also removes a huge barrier for many. At last, participants can start to enjoy the benefits of regular physical activity.

With increased fitness and social interaction comes boosted self esteem, often providing the motivation to make healthier choices about diet, alcohol and smoking.

Furthermore, evidence is gathering for the sound economic case for health partnerships. Edinburgh Leisure’s first-ever Social Return on Investment research into the Steady Steps programme concluded that for every £1 invested, there is a return of between £13–£19 in social, health and development outcomes.

Health referrals from GPs are on the increase, revealing a burgeoning need for such partnerships. In the year we welcome the Commonwealth Games to Scotland, it will take more than kindly advice from the GP’s surgery to turn the tide of inactivity. We have a collective responsibility across society to create an inclusive and accessible culture of sport and activity. This is vital to prevent the human and economic crisis of inactivity and poor health. Sometimes this starts with a sympathetic face advising somebody what to wear.

• Lynne Irons is head of projects & funding at Edinburgh Leisure. www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

SEE ALSO

{http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/opinion/comment/friends-of-the-scotsman-invitation-from-the-editor-1-2943334|• More information on becoming a Friend of The Scotsman |More information}

LABOUR leader Johann Lamont launched a new poster campaign focused on the impact of independence on Scotland’s shipyard industry.

She claimed the loss of thousands of shipyard jobs in Scotland would be one of the “real consequences” of a Yes vote in the independence referendum.

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Ms Lamont said that while the shipbuilding industry in Scotland had “come through really tough times”, she insisted: “There is a danger that if we vote Yes in September we won’t have a shipbuilding industry any longer, because we’re reliant on these defence contracts.

“These jobs are at risk if we vote Yes, people need to understand that, but for the SNP clearly that’s a price worth paying.”

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• Scottish independence: Labour warn on shipyards

The AA was valued at £1.4 billion yesterday when it joined the stock market but went on to endure the same lacklustre debut as former sister company Saga.

The motoring organisation, which has four million members, priced its shares at 250p in a flotation which has led to the exit of its private equity owners and allowed the company to raise £184.7 million.

Control of the business has passed to a management buy-in team led by former Green Flag boss Bob Mackenzie and backed by institutional investors including Aviva and Legal & General.

In conditional dealings, the stock fell as low as 229p in a performance echoing last month’s sale of shares in over-50s holidays and insurance company Saga, which was also part of Acromas Holdings.

They closed at 232p, down 18p or 7 per cent on the offer price.

Saga and the AA were combined in a £6.2bn deal at the height of the credit boom in 2007 to form Acromas, owned by private equity firms CVC, Permira, and Charterhouse. The business was funded by £4.8bn of bank debt.

Saga recently began trading on the London stock market with a value of around £2bn but shares are 15p lower than their opening price of 185p, having earlier been priced at the bottom end of expectations.

The AA offer was oversubscribed, allowing Acromas to sell all of its holding and the company to raise funds towards reducing its £3bn debt pile.

AA chief executive Chris Jansen, pictured, said: “We are delighted that we have seen such strong demand for shares in AA plc.

“It is no doubt driven by a combination of the core strengths of the business and the expectation of what we can do with the business in the future.”

Jansen added: “Everyone at the AA is delighted that we will soon be a public company and we are all looking forward to the next chapter in our 109-year history.”

More UK companies are seeking to list on the London stock market this year, and investors have become increasingly choosy about which companies they back and the prices they are willing to pay in recent weeks.

The AA is the UK’s biggest motoring organisation and roadside recovery service, with around 16 million customers. It also offers motor and home insurance and operates a driving school.

The firm, which says it rescues a broken-down vehicle every nine seconds, had earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £422.8m in the year to 30 January. Pretax profit was £214.6m, down from £312.7m a year earlier because of an increase in 
finance costs.

Proceeds from UK IPOs more than tripled in the year to date, with over £5bn raised across 33 listings.

A number of other private equity-backed companies have struggled after their market debuts. Spanish travel agency eDreams Odigeo, part-owned by Permira and Ardian, has lost almost 40 per cent since its April listing, while Charterhouse’s Card Factory has lost nearly 8 per cent.

Mackenzie, who has become the AA’s executive chairman as part of the flotation move, yesterday said London was “still a fantastic place to raise money”.

Scottish livestock producers deserve to be better recognised for the important role they play in sustainable food production and should not find themselves put at the wrong end of any knee-jerk reactions on cutting emissions.

Speaking last week, chairman of Quality Meat Scotland Jim McLaren said that the red meat industry, and ruminant production systems in particular, often found themselves in the firing line when climate change was discussed.

Referring to the fact that cattle feed-lot systems such as those used in the United States – which saw large quantities of grain used to produce beef –were often taken as the model by those who criticised the degree of sustainability in red meat production, he said that Scottish production systems were very different.

The reality is that Scotland is uniquely placed to capitalise on the ability of cattle and sheep to convert forage, which is inedible to humans, into edible red meat, especially so when 85% of the land simply isn’t suitable for growing crops. And although there was no denying the methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) production of ruminants regardless of production method, McLaren said that it was worth remembering that a similar level of the world’s methane production also came from rice paddies.

He said that the whole issue of sustainability was set to play an increasingly important role in ensuring market share for Scotland’s livestock producers and gave a hint that some means of assessing this sometimes hard-to-pin down quality might feature in the Beef 2020 package which is due to be launched later in the year.

McLaren said that many large-scale buyers, including McDonald’s, had pledged to source only sustainably produced meat by 2016.

With the grass-fed systems in Scotland which makes use of land which is incapable of realistically growing much in the way of crops other than herbage, we are already highly sustainable and doing what is being asked of us in all but name, he said.

It is essential that production on hills and grasslands is maintained if we are to avoid squandering the opportunity to utilise these precious resources, he added.

Speaking at a meeting with Cabinet secretary for the environment, Paul Wheelhouse, McLaren said QMS was working hard at assisting the industry to improve efficiency and reduce costs and waste through a range of industry development projects. These included a new network of grazing groups which will get under way next month and focus on the substantial potential benefits of improving the utilisation of grassland.

QMS knowledge transfer specialist Michael Blanche added: “The overall objective of the grazing groups is to increase the kilos of meat produced per hectare through better utilisation of grass.

“There is a lot of talk about performance per ewe or cow but stocking rate is a major driver of profit on any farm.”

Balfour Beatty said yesterday that it has won the contract for the £46 million NHS Ayrshire & Arran Acute Mental Health and Community Development project in Irvine.

Construction at the 6.5 hectare Ayrshire Central Hospital site is set to start next month, with the integrated mental health and community development expected to be operational in summer 2016.

It will have both out-patient and in-patient facilities, including 206 single en-suite bedrooms, and will cover floor space of approximately 16,000 square metres.

Funding for the project is coming from the Scottish Government’s non-profit distributing (NPD) model, with Balfour Beatty financing, designing and building the development, and operating the concession for 25 years.

Derek Lindsay, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s director for finance and the senior responsible officer for the project, said he was confident that the “best possible” facility will be delivered.

“Having the right facilities in the right place is important to the people of Ayrshire and Arran, so I am delighted that work will start next month,” he said.

Stephen Gordon, Scotland director at Balfour Beatty Investments, said: “Balfour Beatty has extensive experience in the PPP (public private partnership) health sector and we look forward to working with NHS Ayrshire & Arran to provide a high-quality healthcare facility for the local community.”

The news comes after Balfour Beatty last month issued a profits warning attributed to continuing difficulties in its UK ­construction arm.

The group is also mulling the sale of US project manager Parsons Brinckerhoff, which it bought in 2009, and it has been looking for a new chief executive after Andrew McNaughton stepped down, having been 
in position for less than 18 months.

An easily-available index of local resources can be a crucial asset to living well in the community, says Jane Ankori

Sir Harry Burns, former chief medical officer for Scotland, recently addressed international delegates at the “Community is the Answer” conference in Glasgow.

Referencing Aaron Antonovsky’s “Salutogenic” approach, which focuses on factors that support health and well-being as opposed to those that cause disease, he explored the relationship between community and well-being, asking the key question: what helps us live and remain well despite adversity?

Research on resilience has highlighted a sense of belonging to community as a protective factor for well-being, and with approximately 40 per cent of the Scottish population living with one or more long-term condition, it has never been more important to explore what our communities have to offer.

The report on the Christie Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services and the Scottish Government’s 2020 Vision emphasise the need for sectors to work together to prioritise preventative approaches: including empowering citizens to become active agents in their own health and well-being. Key to this, the Christie report states, is working with individuals and communities and across the third, public and private sectors to identify and maximise resources.

Yet crucially, information about sources of support available within our communities is difficult to find. Despite a plethora of online directories, information about more local and informal resources is often available only on paper or by word of mouth.

Information that is available to the public online is often duplicated and time-consuming to navigate, if indeed we know where to look, if we have access to the internet and if we have the skills to use it. The traditional model of the third, public and private sectors centrally maintaining information about local assets has proved challenging to sustain.

Without the knowledge of what local support is available, citizens are unable to benefit from it.

A welcome development in June was the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being, Alex Neil MSP, that proposals will be brought forward to ensure the citizen’s voice is the driving force within heath and social care.

Over the last few years, a key component of the work of the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) has been to ensure the voice of people who are disabled, living with long-term conditions and their unpaid carers is not only heard but is instrumental in service design and delivery.

Exemplifying this has been the approach taken to the problem of making information about local sources of support within our communities more findable.

In workshops held across Scotland during 2010, people with long-term conditions gathered with health, social care, information and community professionals to define what type of resources help keep them well; to consider the barriers to accessing these sources of support, and to develop solutions to overcome these barriers.

It was suggested that a different approach to collecting and sharing information about local sources of support was needed; moving away from a centralised, service-led model to one which allows communities to identify, collect, maintain and share information about their own assets.

The learning from these workshops became the blueprint for “A Local Information System for Scotland” (ALISS), a collaboratively maintained index of community assets.

The supporting technology was developed with people living with long-term conditions, health, social care and information professionals and others in pilots in local GP practices and libraries trialling the approach to gather, share and signpost others to sources of support.

Most recently, ALISS has been adopted by the Scottish Government-funded Links Worker Programme, which aims to explore how general practice teams can support people to live well in their communities by signposting to local resources, and an innovative Health Foundation-funded project led by Glasgow Royal Infirmary Intensive Care Unit, which seeks to improve outcomes for patients and their families.

ALISS continues to evolve under the direction of the Heath and Social Care Alliance Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government, and key to its success will be adoption by the communities it serves.

Sadly, the pioneer of the ALISS technology, Derek Hoy, passed away in November 2012. A fiddle player and talented software developer, he aimed to design a simple, free and useful tool for communities. With his vision for ALISS beginning to be realised, it will play an important role in fulfilling the aspirations of the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services and the Scottish Government’s 2020 Vision – leaving a lasting legacy for the people of Scotland.

• Jane Ankori is ALISS programme director at the Heath and Social Care Alliance Scotland. www.alliance-scotland.org.uk

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Events, birthdays and anniversaries for 24 June

Midsummer Day.

1314: King Robert the Bruce inflicted a crushing defeat on Edward II of England at the Battle of Bannockburn.

1348: The Order of the Garter was instituted.

1497: John Cabot, explorer and navigator, landed at Cape Breton Island.

1509: The coronation of King Henry VIII took place.

1717: The first Freemason Lodge in England was inaugurated, in London.

1722: Queen Anne ordered French people in Nova Scotia to take oath of allegiance to her government within one year or leave.

1840: The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway between Cheltenham and Bromsgrove was opened, a stretch that includes the Lickey incline, severest gradient on a British main line.

1859: Henri Dunant, a Swiss businessman travelling through Italy, saw the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino and was inspired to found the International Red Cross.

1887: The St John Ambulance Brigade was established by bringing under central control several local corps which had been formed by people qualified in first aid under the St John Ambulance Association (formed ten years earlier).

1917: Russian Black Sea fleet mutinied at Sebastopol.

1947: A series of flying saucer stories started when a pilot reported seeing nine disc-shaped objects over Mount Rainier, Washington.

1948: Russia began the blockade of Berlin, stopping all land traffic between the capital and the west.

1952: United States Air Force bombed hydro-electric plants in North Korea.

1953: The Honours of Scotland, Crown, Sword of State and Sceptre, were carried in procession before the Queen on her first state visit to Scotland after her accession. It was the first occasion that the regalia had been borne in public since the visit of George IV in 1822.

1970: Japanese students clashed with police in Tokyo in a huge demonstration against continuing US-Japan security pact.

1971: The first tube of the second Mersey road tunnel, linking Liverpool to Birkenhead, was opened.

1990: The Reverend Irene Templeton and the Reverend Kathleen Young became first women to be ordained as Anglican priests, at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.

1995: South Africa won the Rugby Union World Cup, beating New Zealand 15-12 in extra time.

2002: The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania killed 281, the worst train accident in African history.

2004: In New York state, capital punishment was declared unconstitutional.

2007: Gordon Brown vowed to deliver “power to the people” when he was confirmed as Labour Party leader at a party conference in Manchester, three days before taking over from Tony Blair as prime minister.

2010: John Isner of the US defeated Nicolas Mahut of France in the first round at Wimbledon in the longest match in professional tennis history, with a total of 183 games.

BIRTHDAYS

Dame Elish Angiolini DBE, former Lord Advocate 2006-11, 54; Jeff Beck, rock guitarist and composer, 70; Colin Blunstone, singer (The Zombies), 69; Stuart Broad, cricketer, 28; Billy Casper, golfer, 83; Anita Desai, Indian novelist, 77; Mick Fleetwood, rock drummer (Fleetwood Mac), 67; Prof Betty Jackson CBE, fashion designer, 65; Minka Kelly, actress, 34; Glenn Medeiros, singer, 44; Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer, 27; Curt Smith, musician (Tears For Fears), 53; Betty Stöve, tennis player, 69; Peter Weller, actor, 67; Levi Roots, British-Jamaican reggae singer and celebrity chef, 56; Michele Lee, actress, 72; Nancy Allen, actress and cancer activist, 64.

ANNIVERSARIES

Births: 1532 Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; 1777 Sir John Ross, Arctic explorer; 1795 Ernst Heinrich Weber, physiologist and psychophysicist, founder of Weber’s Law; 1825 William Henry Smith, founder of bookselling chain and politician; 1850 Earl Kitchener, army commander, administrator and statesman; 1895 Jack Dempsey, world heavyweight boxing champion 1919-26; 1911 Juan Fangio, world motor racing champion; 1912 Brian Johnston, broadcaster; 1912 Mary Wesley, novelist; 1915 Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and science fiction writer; 1927 Bob Fosse, choreographer-director; 1930 Claude Chabrol, film director; 1947 Clarissa Dickson Wright, barrister, cook and broadcaster.

Deaths: 1519 Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara; 1795 William Smellie, printer, author and naturalist; 1908 Grover Cleveland, US president; 1964 Stuart Davis, abstract artist; 1972 Gene Austin, composer (on his 72nd birthday); 1985 Valentine Dyall, actor.

Consumer safety needs a stricter approach, says Richard Lloyd

From obesity rates to mass food fraud and unnecessarily high rates of food poisoning, there are many problems with our food system that still need to be fixed. Plans for a new Food Standards Scotland (FSS) should be a chance to build on the work of the current Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Which? wants to see a strong, independent consumer champion put in place that can effectively tackle the problems facing consumers.

The horsemeat scandal last year showed just how complex and vulnerable our food system has become. Two-thirds of people in Scotland are overweight or obese, and diet-related diseases such as cancers, heart disease and stroke are the major killers. While we no longer have the food safety scares of previous decades, Scotland has high rates of food poisoning, including the particularly vicious form of E coli. Add to this concern about food affordability and wider issues about how we ensure more sustainable food production and it is clear that a more ambitious approach is needed.

The bill to create a new FSS is now being scrutinised by the parliament’s Health and Sports Committee. This provides a sound basis for the new body, but it is important that it is strengthened in several areas that relate to its remit, governance and powers.

It will have responsibility for food safety, labelling, composition and nutrition policy. This includes protecting the public from health risks, improving people’s ability to eat healthy diets and protecting “other interests of consumers in relation to food”.

This joined-up approach will be essential for it to work effectively. A complex mix of issues will determine what we eat and it is difficult to distinguish the many aspects that determine food choice and acceptability. Food fraud, for example, can easily lead to safety issues. Nutritional concerns have to be dealt with alongside safety issues. Social and ethical considerations can determine people’s views on food quality and production methods such as GM.

To be credible, the work of FSS must be independent, transparent and unquestioningly consumer-focused. It will be governed by a board, appointed by ministers. The people who sit on this must have a duty to act in the public interest, with strong consumer and public health backgrounds and declaration of any interests. The appointments of the first chair and chief executive will be key for setting the tone and ambition.

FSS will have the power to publish its advice, including that which it gives to ministers. It is important that FFS uses this power and is able to speak out if it feels that not enough action is taken to protect the public or its advice is being undermined.

Transparent working will be important for establishing its consumer credentials. As with the FSA, all board meetings should be open to the public. Any scientific committees it sets up should also meet openly and include consumer representatives.

Wider engagement with consumers and consumer organisations will be crucial to ensure that their interests are always put first. This includes conducting consumer research and holding public meetings. Engagement with other food chain stakeholders will also be important, but there must be no conflicts of interest in the way that FSS operates, its advice or the research that it commissions.

Improving food law enforcement will also be vital. FSS will be responsible for controls in meat plants and will oversee the work carried out by local authority environmental health officers. Better use must be made of resources and expertise to target the risks that are facing the food supply.

The bill contains important measures that will enhance its ability to do this. These include additional powers to seize and detain food that contravenes food information requirements, issue compliance notices, require food companies to report food information breaches and the ability to require mandatory display of hygiene ratings by businesses. The legislation should also enable the new body to require food industry testing and disclosure of the results.

Which? has provided evidence to the committee and will be working over the coming months to ensure that a strong consumer-focused agency is established that can really improve the quality, safety and health of our food supply.

• Richard Lloyd is executive director of Which?

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KEEP taking the tablets. That seems to be the strategy of international (particularly American) Big Pharma these days as the sector sees merger and acquisition activity as Route A out of its difficulties.

These pressures include major blockbuster drugs coming out of patent to be faced with cheaper, generic competition; expensive R&D programmes to bring the new generation of products along; tough regulation on both sides of the Atlantic; periodic improper selling techniques in the industry; and the fight for new international markets away from the traditional bedrocks of the US, Japan and western Europe with their ageing populations.

Shire, the Irish/British group that is the latest target in the crosshairs of the Americans, stepped up its defence yesterday against an unwelcome £27 billion takeover approach from AbbVie.

Shire says the terms fundamentally undervalue it. It follows swiftly on from a similarly rejected approach by Pfizer of the US for British/Swiss pharma giant AstraZeneca.

The unapologetic financial engineering behind some of these approaches jumps out immediately. Ian Read, Pfizer’s Scots-born boss, made no bones that a core attraction of taking over AstraZeneca was shifting to Britain’s lower tax regime (Barack Obama must have been thrilled).

Little was said about long-term British research plans. Similarly, AbbVie’s takeover of Shire would involve creating a US listed drugs company with a UK tax domicile.

Earlier this month US medical device maker Medtronic agreed to buy Dublin-based Covidien for £25bn and shift its HQ to Ireland.

There seems little obvious revenue synergies from such M&A action. So we must assume the key rationales are tax benefits and cost savings.

While fund managers in the target companies might rub their hands in glee at the turn of events, it does not allay longer-term concerns for the R&D health of a vital British (and Irish) industry.

It could be grim for taxpayers oop North

NOT content with trying to railroad through one vastly expensive and dubious rail scheme in High Speed 2, George Osborne has a notion for a little brother, HS3.

The latter could apparently run from Manchester to Leeds and help create an economic “Northern Powerhouse”. That, or the mother of all unnecessary Northern corporate conurbations. It looks a vanity project.

It is also no surprise the SNP is angry the project threatens to leave Scotland further in the infrastructure slow lane, which is already the case with HS2.

I doubt that Tokyo, Silicon Valley et al will be quaking at Osborne’s “Top of the world, Ma” routine from atop the Pennines.