Johnnie Walker is the world’s leading brand of Scotch Whisky, with Johnnie Walker Red Label being the world’s best selling whisky.

Johnnie Walker was established in Kilmarnock in 1820 and has been connected with the town ever since. Every bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky sold around the world bears the town’s name.

Diageo does not deny that the Kilmarnock plant is profitable. Its focus is on making greater profits by restructuring its operations in Scotland.

History plays a major part in the appeal of whisky but it would appear that Diageo places no value on that history or on the loyalty shown to the Johnnie Walker brand by the Kilmarnock community for almost 200 years.

It will be a hammer blow to everyone in Kilmarnock if Diageo goes ahead with these closures.

Please support the petition.

A campaign to retain the plants has been established, led by East Ayrshire Council. For news of the campaign, please visit the website at:

http://www.keepjohnniewalkerinkilmarnock.com

“The Council's aim is to secure its long term future, and to do so in the most financially efficient and effective way, given the severe financial pressure on the Council by exploring all possibilities and options.

“The Council propose to engage the Scottish Government, West Highland College and other interests in further discussions exploring how the Centre may play a role in supporting wider potential development in traditional music within the region.”

Pressure must now be brought to bear on the Council to make good on this statement.

The Highland Council has targeted the National Centre for Excellence in Traditional Music, based at Plockton High School, in its proposed cuts package. http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2115087

If the cuts are voted through at the Highland Council meeting on February 10, the Centre could close as soon as July next year. Director Dougie Pincock was interviewed on the BBC this morning and said that while he expected the Centre to take its share of any cuts he 'hadn't anticipated it would be all of it.'

Plockton has been an integral part of Scottish Traditional Music for the past 10 years. It has started many of our best young musicians on the road to their career and provided training in traditional music and groupwork from some of Scotland's finest musicians. Our young folk could not have gained this level of training anywhere else.

Many of my constituents are deeply unhappy about BAA’s decision to charge drivers £1 to simply drop someone off at the airport. I believe that this charge is just plain mean. For a lot of people getting public transport to the airport is not a viable option. I have been contacted by elderly residents and constituents with young children who don’t have an alternative way of getting to the airport.

I am calling on BAA to reverse this decision as soon as possible.

I have also lodged a Parliamentary motion on the subject:

Date of Lodging: 2 July 2010

Short Title: Drop-off Rip Off at Edinburgh Airport

S3M-06704 Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): That the Parliament regrets the decision by BAA to introduce a £1 drop-off charge at Edinburgh Airport; considers that BAA failed to consult widely with passengers ahead of its decision; further considers that for a lot of people, including elderly residents and those with young families, taking public transport to the airport is not a viable option, and urges Edinburgh Airport to abandon the introduction of this ill-thought out charge.

You can follow the campaign on my twitter: http://twitter.com/GavinBrownMSP

First known as the New Victoria, the cinema was built by William Trent in 1930. It houses a magnificent auditorium with Scotland’s largest and grandest proscenium arch. The sidewalls have niches with sculptures of the muses of art, music and drama (designed by the artist Beattie), and the ceiling is studded with stars that represent the Milky Way.

This beautiful building is ‘the best surviving example of architecture of its time’ in the UK, according to the Cinema Theatre Association.

The present owners, a property development company called Duddingston House Properties, want to demolish the auditorium to convert the building into a boutique hotel. In December 2008, they received permission from the City of Edinburgh Council for their plans. They are now waiting for the go-ahead from Historic Scotland.

This building is B-listed and on the Register of Buildings At Risk. The Edinburgh Council were considering an A-listed grading when DHP put in their planning application, which put a halt to the upgrading process.

Historic Scotland has confirmed that they will pass their decision over the next few days. If Historic Scotland passes DHP’s plans, we risk losing a national treasure.

Historic Scotland has been informed by DHP and Edinburgh City Council that ‘there is no sustainable economically viable use for the building assuming retention of the auditorium’. This is quoted from a report prepared by Montagu-Evans for Edinburgh City Council. However, nobody interested in acquiring and restoring the building was consulted in the preparation of this report. No feasibility study has been carried out to test the viability of retaining the auditorium as either a theatre or a cinema.

The building itself is enormous. Alongside the cinemas, there is masses of useable space within the existing building, as well as land behind the building (where the original queue shelter stood), backing onto Buccleuch Street. This space can be converted into a major digital media access centre, a digital film library, and a Scottish art gallery. With a café-bar and restaurant, this could turn into an economically viable and vibrant space for the community and a nationally important creative hub for artists and filmmakers.

Please help save the old Odeon cinema. Please sign the petition or write directly to Historic Scotland at: Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh
EH9 1SH. Or phone Historic Scotland at 0131 668 8600. Please pass on this petition to as many people as quickly as possible, because we are battling against time.

See 'Minister calls in plans for Odeon' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Minister-calls-in-plans-for.5333682.jp

See 'Historic Edinburgh cinema wins reprieve' at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Historic-Edinburgh-cinema-wins-.5332706.jp

See 'Cinema's fate in ministers' hands' at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8081653.stm

See 'Ministers Urged to Save Historic Cinema' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Ministers-urged-to-save-historic.5310524.jp

See 'Don't let city's planners lose the plot over Odeon' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/opinion/Don39t-let-city39s-planning-lose.5297216.jp

See 'Hopes Raised Odeon will not be Razed' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Hopes-raised-Odeon-will-not.5289432.jp

See 'Cinema Report Against Demolition' at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8059054.stm

See 'Inquiry Call Over Odeon Demolition' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Inquiry-call-over-Odeon-demolition.5202763.jp

See article in The Skinny magazine 'Petition to Save Edinburgh's Old Odeon' at http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45723-petition-to-save-edinburghs-old-odeon

See 'Save the Odeon' at http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/letters/Save-the-Odeon.5174750.jp

See 'Heritage group urged to stop final curtain falling on Odeon' at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Heritage-group-urged-to-stop.5165263.jp

See 'Petition Grows to Save Edinburgh Cinema' at http://www.edinburghguide.com/story/film/3162. Contains link to 'Thomas Crowne Affair' Premiere video footage filmed at the Odeon.

Listen to Ewen Bremner being interviewed about Edinburgh's old Odeon cinema on the Movie Cafe show on BBC Radio Scotland, aired on 2nd April. The programme will be online until 9th April at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hml

See article in Scotsman: http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Thousands-sign-up-to-save.5127726.jp

See article in Evening News:
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Trainspotting-star-backs-film-hub.5115900.jp

So please keep sharing and signing!

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Engagement meetings were held across Fife in November 2014 so that Fife Council’s Education and Children’s Services Directorate could put forward their plans for improving the Education & Learning experience of Fife's children. One of these idea's is to cut schools hours by 10%.

The Directorate wants to make a set of proposals to Fife Council on 12th Feb 2015 relating to primary and secondary school provision. There are a few factors involved covering both cutting hours of teaching time, amending timetabling plus changes to the way Head Teachers are allocated (ie. sharing a Head between 2-3 schools).

One of the main "ideas" is to cut school hours for primary pupils by 2.5 hours a week, i.e. reduce your child's education by 10%, equating to an entire year less of education for your child over their school career!!! This may be in one day ( i.e. finish at 12.30 on a Friday) or finish at 2.30pm every school day. The teachers would still be in school until normal hours doing extra training and planning, PLUS there would still be the same number of in-service days over a year. Secondary Schools would face similar cuts in hours plus increase in class sizes from 25 to 30. There are also further proposals that have not been made public involving making cuts to other areas such as additional support hours.

They believe these proposals will do two things, improve outcomes for children and be cost effective. Although they said they have evidence that shorter hours actually improve children's educational outcomes, when the evidence was finally produced at the end of Jan 15 it has been rejected by many experts and parents as it is completely flawed. To see our rejection of the evidence see our FB page.

They did not at any stage even acknowledge the problems these cuts will cause for families, and no suggestions were made as to what provisions would be made for children in the 2.5 hours per week to be cut. They also made no mention of the extra provisions that would be put in place for vulnerable children, for example, by finishing at 12.30 some vulnerable children may not eat a hot meal from Thursday lunchtime until Monday lunchtime. How will the Council deal with the extra social problems of every child in Fife leaving school at 12.30 on, for example, a Friday? How will they encourage children who often do not stay in school during a normal week, to even bother attending on a half day at all? None of these questions were answered.

We as parents and members of the wider community have serious concerns regarding these proposals and do not believe they would improve our children's education and while Fife Council believe it will save £6 million they had no figures at all for the extra costs this will produce for the Council, in extra childcare provision, social work and support for the vulnerable children, and policing and crime costs etc if the proposals come in. They do not seem to have considered that although it may save them £6 million, they will be passing these cuts directly to parents who will have to pay for extra childcare. This, conservatively, could be £8.2 million a year! This will mean more parents are forced out of work, as childcare will be too expensive and not available, therefore leaving less working people paying taxes, which fund Fife Council. It may even lead to families moving out of Fife and across into Kinross/Perth/Tayside to ensure their child gets the same level of education as the rest of Scotland.

The last date for submitting your feedback was 31st Jan but if you want to have your say you can still make your feelings known by emailing the Council directly on Servimp.ecsd@fife.gov.uk.

WE WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO SIGN THIS PETITION!

If you want to read more about their proposals and see some example timetables showing the potential cuts in school hours see http://tiny.cc/8j20px

I am sure, like myself, you would happily be prepared to discuss sensible improvements we can make to Fife's Education process, as we are all used to making budgetary cuts and know that Fife Council need to save money somewhere, but surely the education of our children is the one area that should not suffer? Unfortunately the proposals have not been as widely publicised as the Council may have wished and I am sure most of you will have had no idea these proposals have been put forward.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GET INVOLVED AND SIGN THIS PETITION and share it with as many people as possible. If enough of us make our concerns heard they will at least have to acknowledge them, and may perhaps allow a sensible consultation with parents, teachers and pupils to begin. This will impact every child & family in Fife from 0-18, and for years to come, both in terms of the children's education, but also in financial, practical and emotional terms for their parents and carers.

Highland Council were recently forced to postpone their proposals for similar cuts and West Dunbartonshire Council have today (6th Feb 15) reversed their decision to make Primary school cuts because of the feedback from parents, so we can hope that they will listen to our concerns.

FOR UPDATES: If you want to follow us on our Facebook page you can keep up to date with any developments: http://tiny.cc/dm20px

Make sure you get as many people as possible to sign!

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2009763

The consequences of such proposals will be felt by many both across the city and nationally. The skills obtained through learning a musical instrument extend far beyond the world of music. Young people learn the self-discipline required for practising, improve their concentration, build up their confidence, develop their team working abilities and gain a sense of achievement through the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of others. Their performances are immensely enjoyed throughout Aberdeen, and the city has earned a reputation throughout Scotland and beyond for producing many high calibre musicians.

However, there is still time to save our music tuition services which have been instrumental in Aberdeen’s development into today’s rich cultural centre. L.M.E (Life, Music, Education) is a student-run campaign which is fighting to save these services. Music is something that everyone, no matter who they are or what their background is, should be able to access and enjoy. If these services go they will never return.

Please extend your support to this cause by putting your name to this petition. Thank you.

i.e If Celtic played Hearts at Tynecastle last season. Hearts sent tickets to Celtic and Celtic sold them. The money for these tickets then went back to Hearts.

This season Celtic would only send 95% of that money back.

All of the SPL clubs disagreed with these plans.

This morning (1st August 2008) Dundee United have stated that they have had to accept this 5% charge as Celtic have told them "If you don't pay, we don't take ANY tickets!" which stands to cost United £100,000.

In other words. The two biggest clubs in Scotland are now standing together to BULLY the smaller teams out of money that most of them can ill afford.

It's time for the 10 other clubs to test the resolve of Rangers and Celtic. If they threaten to send no fans. Fine! Sell those tickets to your own fans. Create an atmosphere that is as biased as the ones you face at Ibrox and Parkhead. Or close those areas of the ground that they normally take up saving money in policing and stewarding costs.

Glasgow council wants to sell the land for flats, but local people feel strongly that it should remain a community space and do not want these flats on the land. Local authorities are required by law to provide allotment sites and Cosla, the umbrella body for Scotland's councils, has compiled a report which urges local authorities to acquire, manage and develop more land for allotments.

Currently the waiting list for allotments in the area is eight years. Please support us by signing the petition and writing to your MP, MSP and Glasgow Council about it! Thanks.

The airport's position should be known internationally, as it is situated near Robert Burns' birth place, in what is known as Burns Country; in the south west of Scotland.

The airport sits about halfway between Glasgow and Turnberry (where the Open golf tournament is was held in 2009). The owners say that the word Glasgow is included so that businesses know where abouts in Scotland the airport is situated. In other words no-one knows where Burns Country is situated. Then isn't it time people did know where Burns Country is?

Forth Energy stand to make millions of pounds in public subsidies. But this giant incinerator would be situated just 200 metres from local housing, with a 120m high chimney, burning millions of tonnes of imported wood 24/7 and generating increased lorry traffic in an already congested and polluted area.

On our website www.noleithbiomass.org.uk we outline our objections and provide evidence from research articles showing that cutting down trees and transporting them across the world in order to burn them, is far from 'green', sustainable, or truly renewable.

You can follow the campaign on Facebook