Margo welcomes landmark assisted suicide ruling

By Rory Reynolds

RIGHT to die supporter Margo MacDonald MSP has spoken of her delight at the success of assisted suicide campaigner Debbie Purdy who has been leading calls for change to the law in England and Wales.

The Independent Lothians MSP has headed up Scottish efforts for the law on assisted suicide to be changed, and praised the decision by five law lords last Thursday to review existing laws in England and Wales.

Supporters hope that a change in legislation will prevent those who travel to Swiss ‘death’ clinics with terminally ill relatives from being prosecuted for involvement.

Mrs MacDonald said: “I was very pleased with the decision. Firstly, for Debbie and her husband, this is great – it must have lifted them.

“The decision will give her a better life and she will most certainly be more relaxed – as will her family.

“Secondly, this decision was very decisive. All five law lords agreed – there was no ambiguity.”

But the Parksinson’s sufferer, who says she wants to chose when she dies, insists that Scotland is “well ahead” on assisted suicide laws and has still “led the way”.

She said: “I was a bit annoyed that the Scottish Bill wasn’t given much mention in most of the coverage – in terms of the development of the idea, and the law, we are well ahead of England.

She added: “I can fully understand what Debbie Purdy is feeling, and she will be able to understand what I’m thinking.”

Mrs MacDonald believes most Scots support a change in the law and last year made a BBC Scotland documentary on assisted suicide called My Right To Die.

Ms Purdy – who sufferers from Multiple Sclerosis – sought clarification in the Lords as to whether her husband would be prosecuted for helping her end her life.

She was confronted with the dilemma that she may have to end her life on her own at a Swiss clinic.

Her husband, the Cuban violinist Omar Puente, was said to be “ecstatic” at the decision.

He said: “I am eagerly awaiting the Director of Public Prosecutions policy publication, so that we can make an informed decision to make sure what we do does not risk prosecution.

“I feel like I have my life back.”

Schoolkids paying for their school to keep open

Laura Thomson, 9 and Iain Jackson, 7, are chipping in

By Cara Sulieman

CHILDREN at a Scots primary school facing the chop are donating their own pocket money in a desperate bid to save it from the axe.

Pupils at Drumbrae Primary in Edinburgh bandied together to try and win over education chiefs who say that they do not have the resources to keep it open.

The children including Laura Thomson, nine, and Iain Jackson, seven, decided to donate their own cash in the hope it would help.

Their coins have been sent to the three councillors representing the area – Colin Keir, Robert Aldridge and Jenny Dawe – along with a letter saying what the cash is to be used for.

STRUGGLING ZOO BACK IN THE BLACK: Five Sisters Zoo Numbers Soar As Easter Holidays Fast Approach

By OLIVER FARRIMOND

A STRUGGLING Edinburgh zoo has seen visitor numbers rocket after a successful few months of fund-raising.

The Five Sisters Zoo, in West Lothian, found itself on the brink of closure at the start of this year, following disappointing summer weather and the effects of the recession.

However after a profile-raising campaign of fund raising, the Polbeth zoo received a “huge” amount of public support.

And now the zoo has received record numbers of visitors for February and March – almost four times as many as last year.

Steven Dickie, education officer at the zoo, said: “The visitor numbers have almost been on par with those we usually get in the summer holidays.

“So barring bad weather in the coming months, we’re going to be around for a while yet.”

Scots’ wasted food costs millions

By Oliver Farrimond

FAMILIES in Scotland are throwing away almost ten million pounds worth of food every year.

According to government report, the average Scottish household wastes hundreds of pounds by throwing away food that could be eaten.

Environment secretary Richard Lochhead said that the figures were staggering.

He said: “This is particularly relevant with Scotland being in recession and many hard-pressed families feeling the pinch.”

“There is an environmental cost to wasted food ending up as landfill – it releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and should not be underestimated.”

The environmental impact of Scotland’s wasted food is equivalent to an extra half a million cars on Scottish roads – and half of it could have been eaten.

The Scottish government has launched a campaign, headed by environmental mascot Mr Earth, to help families make better use of their food.

The ‘Go-Greener’ campaign promises advice for Scots on how to make better use of the food that they buy, to the benefit of both their pockets and the planet.

Mr Lochhead added: “We want to see a fresh drive to raise awareness of the benefits of ensuring food isn’t thrown away.

“There are a number of easy ways to save food from the bin, including proper storage, thinking about portion sizes, planning meals and using leftovers to make another meal.

“Unless we take decisive action now to protect our environment there is every chance that we will have to explain to our children why we ruined it.”

Record number of kids call Childline over sex abuse claims

By Karrie Gillett

DESPERATE children in Scotland are speaking out about sexual abuse more than ever before.

Worrying new figures have revealed that the number of calls from kids to a charity helpline has nearly doubled in the last three years.

And the shocking statistics reveal that 127 cries for help to Childline regarding sexual abuse are made by children under seven years old.

The figures from the NSPCC show that a record 2,849 children were counseled about sexual abuse in the last three years – the highest number in the charity’s 18-year history.

The service said that recent storylines in TV soaps had helped to make more children aware of what sexual abuse is.

Elaine Chalmers, head of ChildLine in Scotland said: “We believe calls have gone up partly because of awareness campaigns targeted at children like the NSPCC “Don’t Hide It” campaign.

“Child sex abuse storylines on programmes such as Eastenders also encourage children to speak out.

“As a result, more children now understand what sexual abuse is and are increasingly willing to turn to ChildLine for help.”

The telephone lifeline-– which has 14 bases around the UK –  is currently able to answer two-thirds of the 2.3m calls it receives every year.

Last year, the NSPCC launched a three-year appeal to raise £50m to expand the 24-hour service with the aim of ensuring every call gets answered.

The latest figures are a great cause for concern as they show an increase of 49 per cent in calls made about sexual abuse since the last figure of 1,908 in 2004-5.

Across the UK, the charity said 13,237 calls about sexual abuse were made to ChildLine – an increase of 53 per cent over three years.

And of this figure, the majority of children were being abused by someone they knew well – with 59 per cent claiming they were suffering at the hands of a family member.

A further 29 per cent said they had been sexually abused by someone else known to them, and of the thousands of children counselled, 61 per cent were aged twelve to fifteen.

Ms Chalmers added: “Every day, ChildLine receives dozens of harrowing calls about sexual abuse from children, some of whom are very young indeed.

“Children phone to talk in confidence about suffering different kinds of sexual abuse, the vast majority of the abusers being people they know, either within their families, or the wider family circle.

“ They dare not speak about it, or ask for help, for fear of the consequences. Many of them have been threatened or intimidated into silence. ”

The charity said the need for the helpline service has never been more obvious with the rising demand in kids who feel ready to speak out.

The NSPCC Child’s Voice Appeal hopes to raise enough funds to introduce new technology and more trained volunteers to man the phone lines.

Esther Rantzen, ChildLine founder and President, said the service urgently needed to be expanded so that every child could receive help.

She said: “These tragic calls come from children who have found the courage to ring a ChildLine counsellor. Yet there are many children whose cries for help cannot be answered because ChildLine simply does not have enough resources to answer every call.

“Our nightmare is the child who plucks up the courage to ring, fails to get through, and never dares try again.

“As a ChildLine counsellor, I have experienced first-hand these heart-wrenching calls from children who feel utterly alone until they make the call, I know the hope we provide these children literally saves precious young lives.”

SNP by-election campaign launched in Glenrothes 261

Pics by Lorenzo Dalberto

The SNP  formally launched its campaign for the Glenrothes by-election today.
 
The party’s candidate for the November 6 ballot is Peter Grant, the leader of SNP-controlled Fife council.

He will call for the political focus to switch from bailing out the banks to easing ever-tighter family budgets.

First Minister Alex Salmond joined Mr Grant on a visit to a local paper maker which is leading the way in adopting renewable energy.