2003 in Scotland
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See also: | List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 2003 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 2002–03 • 2003–04 2003 in Scottish television |
Events from the year 2003 in Scotland.
Incumbents
- Monarch – Elizabeth II
- First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal – Jack McConnell (since 22 November 2001)
- Secretary of State for Scotland – Helen Liddell until 13 June; then Alistair Darling
Law officers
- Lord Advocate – Lord Boyd of Duncansby
- Solicitor General for Scotland – Elish Angiolini
- Advocate General for Scotland – Lynda Clark
Judiciary
- Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Cullen of Whitekirk
- Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Gill
- Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord McGhie
Events
- 29 January – Nat Fraser is found guilty of murdering his wife, Arlene, who went missing almost five years earlier, and is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation to serve a minimum of 25 years.[1]
- 15 February – up to 100,000 people march in Glasgow to protest against the looming Iraq War.
- 25 February – the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 receives royal assent.
- 3 May – Scottish parliamentary election, 2003: the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition led by Jack McConnell win a majority of the seats and remain in power. The Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party significantly increase their representation and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party gains one seat.
- 19 July – Scotland's first cardinal for nearly 400 years, Cardinal Gordon Gray, dies aged 82.
- 9 August – temperatures at Greycrook in the Scottish Borders reach 32.9 °C, the highest ever recorded in Scotland.
- 25 August – Glasgow Zoo closes.[2]
- 1 September – Cairngorms National Park created, Scotland's second national park.
- 21 October – Cardinal Keith O'Brien is proclaimed a cardinal by John Paul II.[3]
- 24 November – the high court in Glasgow imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.
- Ownership of the Barra Estate is passed by the owner, Ian MacNeil, to the Scottish Government.
Deaths
- 26 January – George Younger, Conservative politician, former Secretary of State for Scotland (born 1931)
- 14 February – Dolly, cloned sheep (born 1996)
- 30 July – Steve Hislop, motorcycle racer, killed in helicopter accident (born 1962)
- 25 September – Alastair Borthwick, broadcaster and mountaineer (born 1913)
The arts
- 7 April – James Robertson's historical novel Joseph Knight is published.
- 22 November – Two Lochs Radio begins broadcasting.
- Lin Anderson's first "Tartan Noir" novel Driftnet is published.
- Anne Donovan's first full-length novel Buddha Da is published.
- The folk band Harem Scarem is formed.
See also
References
- ^ "Husband guilty of Arlene murder". BBC News. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Cash crisis closes zoo". BBC News. 25 August 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Cardinal O'Brien". www.catholic-pages.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.