Jubilee joy?
Scots urged to party like Wallace and
Gromit
Scotland's leader, Alex Salmond, has praised the Queen and
called on all Scottish people to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
Schools will be closed and many workers will enjoy an extra bank
holiday on 4 June, to celebrate the Queen's 60-year reign.
Mr Salmond said the celebrations will be a chance for everyone
in Scotland to reflect on the Queen's hard work and
achievements.
Cut-price events have been promised, while some people are
organising their own street parties.
A new free smartphone app has been designed in Scotland to let
users look back over some of the highlights of Elizabeth II's time
on the throne.
Even Wallace and Gromit are getting involved! The plasticine
pair will feature in a special mini film called A Jubilee
Bunt-a-thon. The one-minute animation includes scenes with Gromit
sitting at his sewing machine making miles and miles of bunting for
the celebrations.
Meanwhile, Lego have created a special figure of the Queen which
has 48 real diamonds in its crown.
The Queen and Prince Philip will be touring Scotland during a
week-long visit in July.
Are you at primary school in Glasgow or the West of
Scotland? See page 37 of today's Evening Times for details of how
you could win an iPad by creating a picture of the
Queen.
Click
here to try our Queen Elizabeth II quiz.
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Jubilee joy?
First Minister urges us to party as Jubilee spirit fails
to catch on in Scotland
Thousands of people are counting down the days to the Diamond
Jubilee celebrations. Multitudes will enjoy street parties and
cucumber sandwiches as the Queen marks 60 years on the throne this
June.
In England, that is.
In Scotland, it is a different story. The mood surrounding the
Jubilee here has so far been hushed, in stark contrast to our
counterparts south of the Border.
By mid-April local councils reported that just three street
parties had been planned, all in Edinburgh.
Perhaps it is this lack of obvious enthusiasm that has prompted
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond to urge all of us to get
involved in the official celebrations. He said:
"The official celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee will present a
fine opportunity for all here in Scotland to celebrate the Queen's
reign and reflect on Her Majesty's hard work and achievements while
marking this outstanding service."
So why are Scots not reaching for the bunting the way the
English are?
Royal expert, Professor Tom Devine, of Edinburgh University,
said the lack of activity showed that things had changed since the
Queen's coronation in 1953, when many took to the streets to wish
their new monarch well.
He said: "2012 is different: Unionism is in retreat and there is
a sense of Scottishness that is becoming much stronger than
Britishness … The Queen is still respected but the status of the
institution of monarchy has declined."
One Herald reader puts it more bluntly. Morag McKinley, from
Falkirk, writes:
"I can't think why it is expected of me to respect the Queen,
head of an establishment of wealth and privilege, whose "work"
appears to me to be signing documents, hosting dinners and walking
endlessly along red carpets, while accepting bouquets of flowers.
In what way this aids the country I don't know. But this Scot will
not be waving any Union Jack for a woman who owns land, castles and
palaces but had to be forced to pay her taxes."
Alex Salmond has promised that the Scottish Government will play
a full part in official celebrations on June 4, insisting there
will also be a range of cut-price events so that everyone in
Scotland can join in.
Are you at primary school in Glasgow or the West of
Scotland? See page 37 of today's Evening Times for details of how
you could win an iPad by creating a picture of the
Queen.
Click
here to try our Queen Elizabeth II quiz.
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Join the Daily What News Facebook group
*NEW* Watch us live on Glow
TV