Scottish craft distillery, Old Curiosity, has launched a new limited-edition Christmas Gin ahead of the festive period, perfectly capturing the essence of the season by blending classic aromatic spices, and naturally coloured with botanicals to create a fitting rosy red colour.
The Secret Garden Christmas Gin (50cl, 39% ABV) is distilled with botanicals grown in the distillery’s Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom are distilled to create a distinctly festive flavour, while hollyhock petals give the liquid a natural festive red colouring.
The Secret Garden Christmas Gin comes in three sizes to suit a range of gift ideas. Starting from a perfect stocking filler size of 5cl (£5.95), 20cl (14.95) to 50cl (£35.95), ideal for a gin lover’s present. The range also includes a festive gift set of a 20cl bottle of Christmas Gin paired with the distillery’s renowned Wild Gin (20cl, 40% ABV), priced at £29.95.
To create the perfect festive serve
Fill a Tall glass with ice
Add 50ml Christmas Gin
Top up with low sugar tonic
Garnish with Orange
Once the tonic is poured into the glass, the bright red Christmas Gin turns to a striking fluorescent pink.
Hamish Martin, Director at the Old Curiosity Distillery, commented: “We really wanted to explore a new range of festive flavours using traditional seasonal ingredients to make our Christmas Gin. We drew influence from medieval Christmas feasts by distilling the gin with cinnamon and aromatic cardamom, while the ginger gives the spirit an extra kick for warmth!
“We’ve proud to say that our Christmas Gin contains no preservatives, sugars, colourings or flavourings, only truly natural ingredients from our very own Secret Herb Garden in Midlothian. We hope gin lovers enjoy our festive tipple this Christmas.”
The botanicals used in the Christmas Gin carefully grown at The Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The Secret Garden is an award-winning herb nursery with over 600 naturally grown and tended varieties of herbs and flowers which are picked, dried and distilled by hand to deliver the pure essence of nature.
It is most renowned for the highly acclaimed and multi award-winning collection of premium, 100% natural, Secret Garden Gins which are stocked by some of the UK’s most prestigious retailers and now exported to 11 countries around the globe. The distillery also produces ranges of teas, soaps and hand sanitisers.
Shared Access, the wireless infrastructure operator that works with major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and the Scottish Football Partnership Trust (SFPT) have announced the next step of the investment plan that will benefit Scottish football clubs and aid the future connectivity of Scotland.
Since launching the investment scheme in September 2020, more than 250 new clubs have registered to host infrastructure on club property – adding to a database now in excess of 500 clubs. The geographical spread of clubs across Scotland maps out the potential network available to connect vast areas of Scotland.
The scheme builds upon the investment already made in Scotland by Shared Access over the last eight years.
To date, the infrastructure has been developed through the creation of new sites and the strategic acquisition of infrastructure locations, such as the deal with NATS to secure key sites.
Now, with more than 250 new clubs and subsequent sites registered to the scheme, the infrastructure opportunity in Scotland is now increased even further with the number of clubs spread across the country. Many locations are situated in rural areas, run in partnership with the local authorities, so the potential for infrastructure investment in these areas has been greatly increased by the scheme.
The Scottish Football Partnership Trust aims to bring more investment to Scottish football clubs through grant funding, allowing clubs to invest in programmes that could develop club facilities or improve on existing stadia infrastructure.
Clubs have the power to decide where to invest any funding received at the same time as playing a pivotal role in the communications infrastructure development in Scotland. The scheme aims to invest £5m over the next five years and comes at a time when club finances have been severely impacted by Covid-19.
Sam Jackman, Chief Development Officer at Shared Access, said: “Our strategy has always been focused on investing in grassroots sports. This year has highlighted this fact more than any year previously with the world of sport devasted by the continued impact of Covid-19 measures and restrictions.
“Whilst the scheme primarily aims to invest in Scottish sports clubs, it also broadens the infrastructure options available to MNOs as the development of wireless connectivity gathers pace in Scotland.”
Stuart McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer at the Scottish Football Partnership Trust, added: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the interest and response to the scheme so far from clubs spread across the length and breadth of Scotland since we launched the registration process two months ago.
“Our partnership with Shared Access provides a viable funding option for clubs at a time when football across every level faces difficult financial challenges in terms of sustaining, enhancing and improving facilities.
“It is critical for the long-term health of football and the nation more generally that we find innovative ways to bring investment into grassroots sport. Shared Access has a tried and tested model for helping clubs and we are excited to be part of something that is going to bring real benefits to clubs and communities in Scotland”.
AS a result of the current pandemic, a film studio for recording music performances has been set up in An Tobar, with the cameras being remotely controlled, recorded, and edited by operators in Perth and Linlithgow, without having to step foot in the venue.
Over the winter, Music For Winter Solitude, a series of music performances are being created with the first release by Whyte going out live on An Tobar’s Facebook page, Vimeo, and YouTube channels, on Thursday 3 December at 8pm.
For nearly 25 years, An Tobar has welcomed many great musicians to its tiny venue in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
With music from all genres, it has enjoyed concerts by Laura Marling with the singer saying that ‘An Tobar was her favourite venue’, John Renbourn, Amy MacDonald, Frightened Rabbit, The Scottish Ensemble, Tommy Smith, Dougie MacLean, Idlewild, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, Karen Matheson, British Sea Power and many more.
2020 was looking to be a good year for the venue, having won the ‘Venue of the Year’ award at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards and a great programme had been lined up to celebrate this accolade. Then Covid-19 hit, and everything stopped. After a month, it became clear it was going to be some time before gigs were possible in the way they had been before.
Gordon Maclean, director of Music, had an initial plan to aim for a period of documentation with musicians still being allowed to work in isolation at An Tobar.
The venue has a long history of producing remarkable records and the studio has always worked alongside the performance season. He thought, maybe it could film musicians working in the studio and sought advice from Gary Ebdy, a lighting designer for concerts and live events and Dr Tom Spink, a senior researcher in Computing Systems Architecture at the University of Edinburgh.
Gordon Maclean, director of Music at An Tobar said: “Having worked with Gary Ebdy from Lunas Live in the past, I was looking for some advice about setting things up and our conversation took a creative path until we arrived at the current set up where we use five remote-controlled cameras to record an in-studio performance.
“I’m upstairs in the studio control room and the band is in the live room so our interaction is minimal. Gary, Tom, and I complete most of the setup before the musicians arrive.
“The musicians live in local holiday houses in isolation and contact between them and local people is virtually non-existent. We all felt it was vital that musicians should feel safe working here and that the Mull population would feel safe having them on the island.”
He added: “This production facility has been made possible through generous support from Creative Scotland who have invested in their portfolio organisations to allow them to rethink how they produce work in a world with no audience.
“With the arts in a precarious situation, we are so grateful that it has allowed us to create opportunities for self-employed artists and crews.”
The design needed to be a robust system that worked within the constraints of the available broadband connection at the venue.
This involved developing an architecture that allowed access to the cameras and recording equipment remotely, and reliably – should they encounter connection issues. The system communicates with a cloud server down in London, which then relays information back to its operating locations in Perth and Linlithgow.
From there, they can watch live camera feeds, and adjust camera positions by sending commands back to Mull (again, via London). Effectively, when a keyboard button is pressed, the signal travels down to London, back up to Mull, and into their operating equipment – all in the blink of an eye!
The communication needs to be super-low latency so that they can effectively operate the camera equipment, and observe what’s going on. They’ve had to build on several technologies – from camera hardware, through to low-latency networking protocols to bring this together.
This new digital format will result in the following performances:
Thursday 3 December, 8pm: Whyte (FREE)
Thursday 17 December, 8pm: Duncan Chisholm (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)
Thursday 7 January, 8pm: Rachel Jack with her band (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)
Thursday 21 January, 8pm: Pete Harvey and the Pumpkinseeds String Quartet performing a new piece commissioned by An Tobar (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)
Thursday 4 February, 8pm: Roddy Woomble (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)
UK government has now secured 7 million doses of Moderna vaccine, which will be available in Europe as early as spring 2021
trials show vaccine is almost 95% effective
deal means the UK now has access to a total of 357 million doses of vaccines from 7 different developers
The UK government has signed a deal for a further 2 million doses of Moderna’s promising vaccine candidate, bringing the total to 7 million doses for the UK.
Following yesterday’s deal, the UK now has access to enough doses of Moderna’s vaccine candidate for around 3.5 million people.
To be approved for use in the UK, the Moderna vaccine must meet the strict standards of safety and effectiveness of the independent medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). If it is approved, 7 million doses could start to be delivered to the UK as early as spring 2021 – the same timetable as other countries in Europe.
The latest agreement is part of the government’s strategy to develop a diverse portfolio of promising vaccine candidates. The government has now secured 357 million vaccine doses from 7 different developers, giving the UK the best possible chance of protecting the public from coronavirus as soon as possible.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “It is essential that we continue to bolster our portfolio of vaccine candidates to ensure we’re in the best possible position to protect the public once we see that breakthrough.
“The UK was one of the first countries in Europe to sign a deal with Moderna, and I’m delighted we have been able to secure a further 2 million doses of their promising candidate for the British public.”
On 16 November, Moderna published initial data showing that its candidate is nearly 95% effective in protecting against COVID-19, with no safety issues identified to date. The safety data is still to be released by Moderna to show whether the vaccine is both safe and effective. Moderna is currently conducting phase 3 clinical trials of its vaccine and is using mRNA vaccine technology.
Until all the necessary stages are completed and a vaccine has been approved for use by the medicine regulator, the MHRA, the public must continue to take necessary actions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including following the Hands, Face, Space guidance and other public health advice in line with the area they live in.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Every week, we are getting more positive news about the range of vaccines in development, and thanks to the work of our taskforce the UK has pre-ordered hundreds of millions of doses from those companies most advanced in their work.
“This includes buying a further 2 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, on top of the 5 million we’ve already secured.
“With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines regulator, starting with those who will benefit most.”
Chair of the government’s Vaccine Taskforce Kate Bingham said: “Since its inception in June, one of the most important stated aims of the Vaccines Taskforce has been to secure access to the most promising vaccines across a broad range of technologies – thereby increasing the chances of having a safe and effective prevention as soon as possible against COVID-19.
“Moderna’s vaccine was an important addition to our portfolio and securing an additional 2 million doses further adds to the protection we can provide to the public to end the pandemic.”
Sunday’s deal follows the independent regulator’s confirmation this week that it has received the necessary data of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to progress their review into whether the vaccine meets the required standards. Encouraging results from the phase III trials of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca were also published this week.
The UK’s ability to respond to future pandemics will be strengthened thanks to a new £20 million fund to expand medicines manufacturing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today (Monday 30 November).
The Prime Minister will launch the government’s new capital investment fund, the Medicines and Diagnostic Manufacturing Transformation Fund, while visiting North Wales later today.
This will open up investment opportunities for medicines manufacturers in England, Scotland and Wales – improving our domestic medicine supply chains and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs in the process.
This will put UK companies ahead of global competitors in advanced medicines manufacturing, while helping them respond to future healthcare needs – and increasing the overall health resilience of the UK.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: This new £20m fund will significantly increase the capacity and resilience of our medicines and diagnostics manufacturing supply chains and equip us to fight future health crises.
Throughout the pandemic we have seen a coming together of British scientific industry and innovation and this new fund will enhance the UK’s manufacturing capabilities even further.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “The positive and timely response of our medicines manufacturers to the pandemic has been remarkable, but we want to ensure that the UK’s supply chains are even more resilient in the future.
There are huge opportunities for innovation in medicines and diagnostics, and this new fund will put the UK head and shoulders above others, boosting the UK’s capabilities and generating significant economic opportunities across the country.
The pandemic has shown the importance of having a strong domestic medicines and diagnostics manufacturing industry. This new fund has been established to grow and strengthen the UK’s capabilities, by encouraging companies to develop new technologies, build new factories and harness new advances, including bioprocessing, data and using greener manufacturing processes.
With two-thirds of life science manufacturing jobs already outside London and the South East, the fund will also open up economic opportunities in different parts of the UK, creating thousands of new, highly skilled manufacturing jobs while safeguarding existing jobs.
This fund will have an initial pot of £20 million, which will be available from next year, as part of the government’s 2021/2022 Spending Review announced by the Chancellor on 25 November.
Eligible manufacturing companies can bid for the fund to help with their capital costs.
More information will be made available over the coming months, ahead of the fund launching mid-next year. The fund will be run through a competitive process overseen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Are you celebrating? Perhaps virtually, this year.
Fitting for those who live around Newhaven, that Andrew was also the patron saint of fishermen. Did you know that the Newhaven fishwives were famous for their singing?
They formed two choirs and the village became known as “a nest of songbirds”.
Those who trudged up the hill to sell their fish in the city of Edinburgh used to sing as they went and they probably included songs by that famous Scottish songster and poet, Rabbie Burns.
Now you too can sing like Newhaven songbirds and celebrate Burns!
Heart of Newhaven Communityis collaborating with several local choirs and numerous individual singers to celebrate together by recording Auld Lang Syne.
Recorded individually in your own home, each recording will be melded together and the result will be a community choral work, ready in time for Christmas.
Check out Newhaven Sings on our website where you will find easy-to-follow instructions on how to download the accompaniment and send in your own recording.
Recordings should be sent in before the 13th of December and the final work is expected to be ready by the 23rd December.
BUBBLED-UP pensioners at a care home are proudly flying the Saltire flag as a week of dedicated activity culminates in a glamorous St Andrew’s Day Ceilidh Ball today (30 November).
Thanks to the hard work and creativity of its lifestyle and kitchen team, Edinburgh’s Cramond Residence has enabled a bumper week of patriotic activities in the lead up to the celebration of Scotland’s patron saint.
This has included heather and tartan broach making, bunting making, an interactive history presentation, Gaelic lessons and a ceilidh dancing tutorial and practice – all helping its community enjoy the ball while keeping stimulated, engaged and active.
The ball will feature a traditional haggis neeps and tatties lunch with ingredients from local suppliers, along with a dram of whisky – and a virtual ceilidh performance.
Lisa Sohn, Lead Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “In these times it is lovely to see our home pull together and really revel in the spirit of St Andrew’s Day.
“It’s been very educational too – and the residents feel great pride in their roots, the historic Scottish language, traditional dances – and of course the food and drink.
“The whole team are looking forward to the ball – a big celebration is something all of our residents deserve.”
Activities are resident-led and aim to make life as fun and fulfilling as possible. The Lifestyle Team are continually looking for new exciting and engaging activities to implement into each month’s carefully-planned programme.
The home has even recently arranged a Grand Tour of Scotland thanks to a tie-up with the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), bringing virtual tours of many of Scotland’s best attractions, including the National Galleries of Scotland, Rosslyn Chapel and the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum to the home over the coming weeks.
Cramond Residence offers high quality care for up to 74 residents utilising a small-group living concept in nine houses, with all residents enjoying an exceptional range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care from our highly-trained team.
Each resident enjoys a luxury room with en-suite bathroom facilities. The Care Home maintains a minimum ratio of 1:4 of care staff to residents during the day.
The official society studying the life and work of Winston Churchill has called for greater recognition of the former war leader’s links to Scotland.
Churchill’s birthday falls on St. Andrew’s Day (November 30, 1874). No greater or emblematic, and perhaps ironic, connection exists than Churchill’s close friendship with a founder and leader of the Scottish National Party, Andrew Dewar Gibb.
HGF9BY 1916.Churchill as Lieutenant-Colonel,commanding the 6th Battalion.the Royal Scots Fusiliers.Near Ploegstreert, Belgium.
Churchill commanded the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1916. He was a Lieutenant Colonel. Serving as his adjutant was Major Andrew Dewar Gibb, then a captain, who went on to become a founder and leader of the SNP (1936-40).
Dewar Gibb released a book in 1924 about his time with Churchill in the trenches. He published the book anonymously as Captain X.
The book was re-released in 2016 (With Winston Churchill at the Front, Winston in the Trenches 1916), this time with a foreword by Randolph Churchill, Winston’s great-grandson and an introduction by Dewar Gibb’s son, Nigel (now 88years old, who resides in Glasgow).
To mark the centenary, Randolph and his family returned with Nigel to Ploegsteert near Ypres, Belgium in 2016 to visit where his father and Winston served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the trenches of Flanders. The people of Ploegsteert gave them a reception, and also celebrated Nigel’s revised and enhanced edition of his father’s book.
Churchill’s connections to Scotland are plentiful and have recently been documented by The International Churchill Society (ICS), in their journal Finest Hour with a foreword by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Mr Randolph Churchill, Winston’s great-grandson, said:“The Churchill family is delighted that efforts are being made to bring together my great-grandfather’s relationship with Scotland. He not only had great admiration for Scotland but considered many Scots among his friends.
“Churchill had immense respect for the men under his command. This story is one of the many about Scotland that has fallen out of public knowledge.
“Whatever the political debates of today, they have no bearing on an objective view of history. My great-grandfather had a plethora of connections to Scotland, her politicians, her institutions, and her people. He was quite correct when he said he owed Scotland his wife, his constituency and his regiment.”
Mr Nigel Dewar Gibb said of his father and Winston Churchill:“I very much welcome efforts to remember this important chapter in the lives of both Winston Churchill and my father, Andrew Dewar Gibb.
“My father was very proud to have served with Churchill as his adjutant and prouder still of his country. My family and I are delighted at the efforts to bring this chapter to the fore of people’s minds.
“I hope it will serve as a starting gun for more discussion about Churchill’s connections to Scotland, as well as a happy remembrance of my father’s lifetime commitment to Scottish public life. Father went on to become Regius Professor of Law at Glasgow University from 1934 till 1958.”
Mr Andrew Dewar Gibb, MBE QC (1888-1974) said in his book: “I am firmly convinced that no more popular officer ever commanded troops. As a soldier he [Churchill] was hard-working, persevering, and thorough. He is a man who is apparently always to have enemies.
“He made none in his old regiment, but left behind him there, men who will always be his loyal partisans and admirers, and who are proud of having served in the Great War under the leadership of one who is beyond question a great man.”
The ICS is also launching an appeal for more information about Churchill’s many associations with Scotland to enable further study about how the famous wartime Prime Minister and the Scottish people affected one another.
Churchill said that the three most important things he received from Scotland were his wife, his constituency, and his regiment. During the First World War, he commanded the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front in 1916.
Churchill was the Liberal MP for Dundee for fourteen years. First elected in 1908, he was re-elected to the seat four times before finally losing (to a Prohibitionist candidate!) in 1922. The same year Churchill was elected to Dundee, he married Clementine Hozier, a granddaughter of the tenth Earl of Airlie.
In 1912, Churchill was among the first senior British politicians to call for Scottish home rule and UK federalism. He received his first government appointment from Scottish prime minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in 1906. He was close friends with the former Prime Minister Lord Rosebery, in his time a highly regarded Scottish politician.
Despite Churchill having had many other personal and professional connections with Scotland, there is little in the country today to mark his presence.
Two plaques to his time in Dundee were erected in 2008, and there is an outstanding portrait of him by Scotland’s Sir James Guthrie in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Otherwise, there are merely a handful of busts around the country including a miniature sculpture in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum.
Gordon Brown, former British prime minister (2007–10) said: “So much has been written about every aspect of Winston Churchill’s life that it is surprising that one important area—his relationship with Scotland—has commanded so little attention.
“That is why this set of essays in Finest Hour must start to rectify this and rescues Churchill’s Scottish connections from the condescension of posterity.”
David Freeman, the editor of Finest Hour, said: “The connections are innumerable and substantial, and we’re thrilled to be among the first to bring these together formally.
“Finest Hour, our subscription magazine, is free to view this month to kick start this conversation. If you’re sitting with old photos or other memorabilia from one of his many trips to Scotland, please get in touch.”
Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives, said:“Churchill is often thought of and referred to as a quintessentially English figure, but this overlooks a multitude of Scottish connections.
“I am certain that there is new material awaiting discovery in attics and basements that will shed more light on his reception, connections, and activities in Scotland.
“We’re delighted to start that process with our dedicated team of academics and enthusiasts, and this is a conversation that we’re delighted to begin with Scotland and, indeed, the world.”
St Andrew’s Day, 30 November 2020 is our national day and the perfect opportunity for everyone across the country to come together and celebrate the resilience, community spirit and shared goodwill that has helped us through these difficult times.
We may not be able to travel and get together right now but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to look out for each other. Whether you’re a Scot or a Scot at heart, at home or overseas, let’s celebrate St Andrew’s Day and make connections with others through acts of kindness, sharing a message of hope and positivity from Scotland to the rest of the world.
A St Andrew’s Day message from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon:
This year, we've been reminded of how important kindness, solidarity and compassion are.
So we're encouraging everyone to celebrate by reaching out to friends, family, neighbours and communities. 💙
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack celebrates how much we have collectively achieved, thanking everyone who has done their bit to help us all get through 2020 so far:
St Andrew’s Day is a chance for us to celebrate all that is great about Scotland, and Scots, and to reflect on what it means to be Scottish.
In 2020, St Andrew’s Day will feel very different.
We are living through a global pandemic. Our lives are almost unrecognisable from a year ago.
But I believe that, this year more than ever, we should take the time to mark just how much we have collectively achieved.
Over the past few months, we have risen to the challenge of the, frankly terrifying, virus. We have, and are, all doing our bit to defeat it. We have made huge personal sacrifices because we know it will save lives and protect our precious NHS.
Our frontline workers – from health care staff to supermarket workers, teachers and everyone in between – have been nothing short of heroic. Looking after the ill, supporting the vulnerable, and keeping the country going. You are an inspiration to us all.
So many others have also done their bit. From picking up shopping and prescriptions, to organising spirit-lifting video chats and amazing charity fundraisers – individuals up and down the land have gone out of their way to look after friends, relatives and neighbours, and also strangers in need.
We have much to be proud of. In 2020, it seems to me, being Scottish is about fortitude and kindness. And also optimism. With new vaccines on the way we are starting to see some light at the end of the covid tunnel.
So, this St Andrew’s Day, I ask you to join me in thanking everyone who has done their bit to help us all get through 2020 so far. I have never felt more proud to be Scottish.
Today, on this UN Day of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the TUC is standing side by side with our sisters and brothers in their struggle for peace, justice, equality and an end to the illegal occupation of their land.
Supporting Palestinian rights is a priority for the TUC.
The ITUC rates Palestine as one of the worst countries in the world for workers, with no guarantee of rights due to a breakdown in the rule of law.
Our work and policies in support of Palestinian rights and decent work are set out in an evidence-based report, ‘Justice for Palestine’ published today.
The TUC calls on the UK government to:
publicly support ending the illegal military occupation of Palestine;
take firm action to ensure annexation does not go ahead;
speak out in support of protecting all Palestinian human rights, including the right to collective self-determination and the right of refugees to return;
recognise the State of Palestine and support genuine efforts towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution, with Palestinians and Israelis participating as equals in talks.
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land has lasted for over 50 years, in violation of international law.
The human rights situation “deteriorates day-by-day”, according to the UN’s Special Rapporteur. Human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) include labour exploitation, home demolitions, forcible population transfer, excessive use of force and torture, and restrictions on freedom of movement.
In the first six months of 2020, 21 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) with at least half being shot.
The nation-state law, passed by Israel’s Knesset in 2018 enshrines discrimination, and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called on Israel to repeal the law or bring it into line with the relevant Covenant.
Israel has been allowed to act with impunity for decades, and it is now threatening to annex more Palestinian land.
Despite claims by outgoing President Trump and others that annexation is off the table as part of Israel’s agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that “There is no change in my plan to apply sovereignty, our sovereignty, in Judea and Samaria, in full coordination with the US. I’m committed to it, this hasn’t changed… This issue remains on the table”.
But arguably, annexation is happening on the ground anyway with, for example, Israel’s construction of the 700km-plus wall mainly built on Palestinian land.
We’ve written to the UK government stating our concerns about the annexation threat and called on it to publicly state that annexation would be met with serious consequences.
The occupation has suffocated the Palestinian economy.
According to the ILO, the occupation, settlements and restrictions such as checkpoints, roadblocks, the wall, metal gates, being unable to access natural resources and infrastructure “severely affect Palestinians’… right to non-discrimination, with regard to pursuing an adequate standard of living and decent work”.
The economy in Gaza, blockaded by air, sea and land for over a decade is near collapse. Poverty rates in Gaza are over 50 per cent.
Young Palestinian women face particularly bleak employment prospects, with 66 per cent out of the labour force in quarter two (April-June) of 2020.
Despite business having an obligation to respect human rights under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, many are complicit and profit from the occupation and violations of Palestinian human rights – with some of these listed in the UN’s database.
This complicity must end.
Faced with little alternative, around 130,000 Palestinians work in the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and in Israel, in exploitative conditions characterised by discrimination, low pay, insecurity, poor health and safety and few rights at work (see report for more details).
It’s good to hear that the Israeli government will finally make improvements to the exploitative permit system for construction workers in Israel, so that they will receive permits directly, rather than through their employer.
This looks like a step forward and should establish a direct relationship between workers and employers, rather than via profiteering labour brokers – but enforcement will be vital.
We’re still waiting for more information about this policy change, but we’d want to see all workers treated fairly and have their rights respected.
The Covid-19 pandemic has added further hardship and uncertainty for Palestinian workers and their families.
Despite a tripartite agreement being signed with the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), 52 per cent of workers did not receive their salary/wages during the lockdown period. The PGFTU has been supporting incomes and providing food aid.
Meanwhile, the illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory continue to expand – a move recently jointly condemned by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain as being in violation of international law and imperilling the viability of a two-state solution. Around 600,000 Israeli settlers now live in the occupied West Bank, with about one-third in East Jerusalem, in approximately 250 settlements.
The extensive appropriation of land and the appropriation and destruction of property required to build and expand settlements breaches international humanitarian law.
This injustice cannot continue
In solidarity with Palestinian people, the TUC supports a ban on trade with the illegal settlements, an end to arms trading with Israel, and suspension of the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement until Palestinian rights are respected.
We encourage affiliates, employers and pension funds to disinvest from, and boycott the goods of, companies who profit from illegal settlements, the occupation and the construction of the wall.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
For more information about the TUC’s policies and work on Palestine see:
Deacon Blue’s ‘Dignity’ has been named as Scotland’s Greatest Song. Ewen Cameron today announced the iconic tune was a clear winner on his breakfast show ‘Ewen Cameron in the Morning’ following the public vote.
Dignity was the first song ever released by the band in 1987 and the iconic tune has remained a firm favourite throughout the years. The signature song was also played by the band at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
In an interview with Ewen Cameron, Ricky Ross, said: “Thank you so much to everyone for voting for this song. I know that people take this song to their hearts and we are very grateful for that and on behalf of all of Deacon Blue I thank you for making Dignity Scotland’s favourite song.
“It is a lovely thing that people have taken it on board as it was never really a hit record. It was one of these songs that crept up and it got released and then re-released and eventually re-released and it sort of became a folk song in people’s hearts and it is lovely that it has stayed with people
“I phoned Dougie to tell him, he and I started this band 35 years ago and it funny that this is a song that we cobbled together in a wee rehearsal room one day.
“I lost my mum this year and it is the kind of thing that she would have loved to have heard. It’s an amazing story and I’m very, very proud.”
Ewen Cameron said: “There was an incredibly strong shortlist showcasing the best of Scottish talent and Dignity by Deacon Blue is a brilliant winner. I don’t think there can be anyone in Scotland who doesn’t know the words to this anthem or find themselves singing along when we play it.
“I have to say though, as much as I love The Proclaimers, as a Hearts fan, I was slightly relieved that ‘Sunshine on Leith’ didn’t take the honours. However, I have to confess that is a great song and a very worthy runner -up!”
The ten songs were selected by four judges including Jackie Bird, singer and actress, Clare Grogan as well as journalist and presenter, Gordon Smart and Aarti Joshi of DF Concerts after many hours of debate and discussion.
Head Judge, Jackie Bird, said: “It was wonderful to be part of a debate that took our minds off the rotten stuff around us all at the moment and gave us some fun and something to be passionate about. I know that during the voting various songs took the lead, but Dignity was always going to be one of the hot favourites.
“Like all the best songs it tells an authentic story and is ultimately an uplifting tale of hard work and hope. The song carries such a universal message, no wonder it’s hi-jacked by live audiences around the world. Well done to all our talented artists who made the top ten and to Ricky and Deacon Blue for giving us a classic.”
Dignity was selected from a shortlist of ten songs and the closely fought battle saw Sunshine on Leith by the Proclaimers in second place with Baker Street by Garry Rafferty in third. The other seven contenders on the shortlist were:
Whole of The Moon: The Waterboys
Loaded: Primal Scream
Tinseltown in the Rain: The Blue Nile
In a Big Country: Big Country
This is the Life: Amy MacDonald
Black Eyed Boy: Texas
Somewhere in My Heart: Aztec Camera
Victoria Easton-Riley, content director at Greatest Hits Radio Scotland, said: “Scotland’s Greatest Song has just underlined how passionate the Greatest Hits Radio Scotland listeners are about Scottish music and artists.
“It has been fantastic to see so many of them vote and interact with our stations and presenters on social media. Our presenters have loved being part of this campaign too.
“Thanks to Audio Frontier for pulling this exciting project together. And of course, a huge congratulations to our winner, Deacon Blue. A great choice from our listeners!”
The project is the brainchild of Glasgow-based audio specialists Audio Frontier, which has won a funding bid for the programmes through the UK Government’s Audio Content Fund.
John McInally, of Audio Frontier, said: “‘It’s been a real pleasure to work on this project alongside the Audio Content Fund. It’s been a great way to celebrate St Andrews Day and Dignity is a worthy winner, though I’m sure the debate will continue!”
