The
Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch, is popular
because of its remoteness and privacy.
New
legislation being introduced could destroy the exclusive
nature of the internationally
renowned
estate. The Land Reform Bill would allow anyone the right to
walk through at will. Peter de Savary, who
developed
the 7,500 acre estate, along with many other landowners,
have
expressed
their concerns about the unfortunate impact of the
new
laws. They
say that it has already meant that investment in
new
developments
has declined and now de Savary says that it might mean that
he
would
close the Carnegie Club. He is concerned that he will find
it
difficult
- and expensive - to obtain insurance for the estate and
its
prestigious
visitors if he is unable to control access. The
entrepreneur
has two
estates in the USA and says that he does not have these
sorts of problems there. Other lairds affected by the new
law include Sir Tim Rice , John MacLeod of MacLeod , owner
of Dunvegan
Castle
, the Countess of Sutherland , the Duke of Argyll , owner of
Inverary
Castle
, and Mohamed al-Fayed , owner of Inverlochy
Castle
.
This week
Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled a statue of Scotland's
first First Minister Donald Dewar .
The statue is outside the Royal Concert Hall in Buchanan
Street , Glasgow . Dewar was praised for his important role
in bringing about the first Scottish parliament for 300
years .
Prints can
be ordered online . Pictures are available for purchase for
editorial purposes .
Scottish
Conservative MP Phil Gallie has suggested that Braveheart
William Wallace should be given a pardon for treason . In
1305 Wallace was tried in Westminster Hall , London and
brutally hung , drawn and quartered .
In a
motion to the Scottish parliament Gallie asks fellow MSPs to
officially recognise Wallace as a "patriot" before the 700th
anniversary of his death in August 1305. Mr Gallie said the
anniversary represented an opportunity to "right a wrong".
However
the Scottish National Party disagrees and says Wallace was
never guilty of treason .
Mr Gallie
also called for Wallace to be recognised as a "patriot,
loyal to his country in the days before the Union of the
Crowns and Parliaments".
"William
Wallace was somebody that Scotland can be proud of and today
he is an international name," the South of Scotland MSP
said. "Surely we would all agree that he was a great patriot
and he shouldn't have the stain of treason left over his
name. He wasn't a traitor."
Mr Gallie
said that a pardon could also bolster Scotland's tourist
industry.
Braveheart
picture gallery
Pictures
are available for purchase for editorial purposes
.
European
Champions League final
