Latest news with #Bannockburn
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Crook who wanted to sell Scottish tea to China is like Ealing comedy
Here's how the synopsis runs. Act 1. Cheeky, confident, former professional rugby player, army officer and acclaimed polymer scientist Tam O' Braan sets up home in a cosy Perthshire village where he establishes a tea-growing estate, The Wee Tea Plantation, on which his home-grown plants are encouraged to rise in defiance of the Scottish climate by a special biodegradable polymer and controlled UV light. This pioneer of our very own tea empire, who once worked for Barack Obama's US government on a major maize project, then produces a very special Scottish tea, a fragrance which hints at Bannockburn, Oor Wullie and indeed the spirit of Muriel Spark. O'Braan then proceeds to sell his home-grown plants onto many other hopeful growers, whom he convinces that the world will embrace their Scottish tea in the way it has whisky, Billy Connolly, and anything with a Tunnock's label attached. But O'Braan doesn't simply sell plants. He takes examples of his heather and thistle infused blends – with names such as Scottish Antlers Tea and Highland Green, and sells the leaf tea to a huge range of upmarket clients such as the Balmoral Hotel and The Dorchester in London, while describing his tasty cuppa as 'the Queen's favourite'. And he makes an absolute packet. The tea man doesn't stop there. The hob kettle that is his publicity machine almost boils over; BBC Scotland offer coverage; John Swinney views his product. More and more hopeful growers buy up his plants. The story has all the hallmarks of Passport to Pimlico independence and defiance. It's as cleverly organised as whisky capture in Whisky Galore. O' Braan's enterprise suggests the precision and wonder of the string quartet who took over Mrs Wilberforce's home in The Ladykillers. He even announces plans to sell his tea to China. Act 2. O'Braan becomes a celebrity, and sales rocketed. Between 2015 and 2018 he supplied 22,000 plants to growers in Scotland at £12.50 each. His loose tea was gulped down by the rich and famous. Tam O'Braan was brewing up to becoming Scotland's first tea millionaire since Thomas Lipton. This was the stuff of Ealing movies indeed, with themes such as community, dreams and ordinary people having the option to create extraordinary lives. However, Ealing stories never, ever turn out how as expected, the initial cosiness often turning dark as a winter's night on Lewis. The new community of tea growers discovered that Scotland isn't the easiest place to keep his plants alive; after battling for seven years, one Perthshire family managed to harvest less than 4oz of finished tea. This was now a Kind Hearts and Coronets tale. Dreams were being murdered one by one. Suspicions arose. A wily Food Standards detective – a Mrs Wilberforce figure (but without the Victorian frock coat and the flat hat with flowers attached) – began to investigate the tale. A tea expert was brought in, who confirmed that tea plants deprived of UV light would in fact die like orchids in a desert. The Ealing Comedy classic The Ladykillers (Image: free) And when the Scottish Mrs Wilberforce attempted to ascertain the provenance of the original plants – and indeed O'Braan himself – he claimed certificates were lost in a flood of near biblical proportions which washed away part of his cottage. Eventually, the 55-year-old did admit the original plants (bought for £3 each) may have originated from Italy. But they became Scottish he argued, as the roots had been sunk into Scottish soil. It was argument not even the most desperate failed asylum seeker has ever made. With their plants wilting like an end-of-season football team in the final seconds of injury time, angry purchasers demanded the Wee Tea plants be tested. Incredibly, O'Braan sold a story to the local press saying thousands of plants had been stolen. (A series of tea leaves with a fleet of tractors perhaps?) And his digital records were destroyed when his IT advisor mistakenly switched off his account. When Mrs Wilberforce investigated further, he discovered that the special polymer conversion kit was little more than a black bin liner. Going into overdrive, the agency detective discovered that O'Braan was a 'stage name'. was in fact Thomas Robinson who sometimes called himself Tom O'Brien or Thomas James. And he wasn't Irish at all but was born in Greenwich, England. Robinson had in fact imported the tea plants from Italy, before showing them on to the likes of buyers for Fortnum and Mason of London. Read more Meanwhile he sold more than a tonne of his loose tea, bought from Malawi and China for 100 times more than cost. And didn't Ealing comedies always satirise greed? But in a way, the Wee Tea company tale reminds us we need stories such as this to spring from the ground. They are a fantastic warning that we can all so easily be conned. It's a story that confirms we shouldn't be sold on Scottishness alone. On hope. Yet, while we felt an element of sympathy for most of the Ealing villains, (even murderer Denis Price in Kind Hearts and Coronets) what of Robinson, the charismatic fantasist, the pathological liar and conman who received a lengthy custodial sentence? Not at all. He hurt the Scottish tea industry and propagated nothing more than wrecked dreams. 'I wanted to leave something that would stand in the history of tea,' he said in the dock. And he has. The history of tea in Scotland now has an Ealing of a story. And I fancy Alan Cumming for the lead role.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Horse racing track near Bannockburn site refused
The Scottish government has refused planning permission for a horse racing track next to the historic Bannockburn battlefield Council had approved the proposal, which would have seen a trotting track for harness racing built on land at Chartershall on the outskirts of the ministers ruled the proposals would "introduce new development and urbanisation in one of the few remaining undeveloped parts of the battlefield".The Scottish government formally "called in" the decision in August 2024, with ministers now overturning the council's original determination. Ministers ruled the development would have a "significant adverse effect on the character of the battlefield, its setting and sense of place".The Battle of Bannockburn, fought in June 1314, saw Robert the Bruce and his Scots army defeat the English troops led by King Edward proposed development would have had parking for more than 200 cars and access roads within view of the battle Council approved plans for the development in July last year, with conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) saying it was "shocked and disappointed" at the acting director of conservation and policy Diarmid Hearns said: "This is very welcome news for the trust and all who care about Scotland's heritage and history."He said the ministers' conclusions "closely accord with our stated views that this development was simply in the wrong place and would have badly impacted upon the setting of the battlefield". Impact on Bannockburn as a nationally significant battlefield Ministers said that while they were "sympathetic" to points made in support of the application, their ruling stated they "do not consider that the benefits of the proposed development would outweigh the adverse impacts on a nationally significant battlefield and its associated listed buildings".The Scottish government also refused a separate application for a golf driving range to be built in the area, saying: "The proposed development does not effectively protect the cultural significance or the key landscape characteristics of the battlefield."Stirling Council has been approached for comment.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Development on Bannockburn battlefield site refused planning permission
Scottish ministers have refused planning permission for a development on the historic Bannockburn battlefield site. Turning down plans to build a trotting track for harness racing, the Scottish Government ruled the proposals would 'introduce new development and urbanisation in one of the few remaining undeveloped parts of the battlefield'. As such it ruled the development 'would have a significant adverse effect on the character of the battlefield, its setting and sense of place'. The site is where in June 1314 Robert the Bruce and his Scottish army famously defeated English troops led by King Edward II. Stirling Council approved plans for the development in July last year, with conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland saying was 'shocked and disappointed' at the decision. The Scottish Government formally 'called in' the decision in August 2024, with ministers now overturning the council's original determination. While ministers were 'sympathetic' to points made in support of the application, their ruling stated they 'do not consider that the benefits of the proposed development would outweigh the adverse impacts on a nationally significant battlefield and its associated listed buildings'. Ministers added the part of the battlefield where the development was to be sited is 'especially sensitive and remains undeveloped' – adding this 'greatly assists an appreciation of its role in the battle'. Diarmid Hearns, acting director of conservation and policy at the National Trust for Scotland, said: 'This is very welcome news for the trust and all who care about Scotland's heritage and history.' He said the ministers' conclusions 'closely accord with our stated views that this development was simply in the wrong place and would have badly impacted upon the setting of the battlefield'. He added: 'We hope that this decision brings this matter to an end and that the developer withdraws to a new site elsewhere that will not impinge on places of historical importance.' The Scottish Government also refused a separate application for a golf driving range to be built in the area, saying: 'The proposed development does not effectively protect the cultural significance or the key landscape characteristics of the battlefield.' Ministers said these plans 'would have a significant adverse impact on the landscape features, character and setting of the battlefield and that the overall integrity and character of the battlefield area would be compromised by the proposed development'. A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed: 'Scottish ministers have refused planning permission for a golf driving range and trotting track within the Bannockburn battlefield.'
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Market chaos signals 'sell America' trade as Trump tariff whipsaw threatens to upend the US economy's soft landing
It was a chaotic week for markets as Trump's tariff whipsaw sent US equities on a volatile ride and investors fled traditional safe-haven assets, escalating concerns over the stability of the US economy. Risk-off investments aggressively sold off, with long-term Treasurys logging their biggest upside swing since 1982 while the US dollar sharply weakened against foreign currencies. It's an unusual development as concerns over stagflation, where growth stalls, inflation persists, and unemployment rises, have kept Wall Street on edge that shifting trade dynamics could induce a self-inflicted recession. In that scenario, investors would typically flock to safe havens like bonds or US currencies in order to hedge themselves against volatility. Quite dramatically, that hasn't been the case — and it could signal an unsettling fundamental shift across global financial markets. "I do think it's severe," Marc Chandler, global foreign exchange chief market strategist at Bannockburn, told Yahoo Finance when asked about the sell-off in the US dollar and bond market. "People are concerned that maybe we're seeing a capital strike against the US, where large pools of capital are selling US assets and taking their money home." Evercore ISI's Krishna Guha described recent trading action as a "rare, ugly, and worrying combination of market moves" that reflects "evaporating US growth exceptionalism." Kathy Jones, chief rates strategist at Charles Schwab, added in a post on X that the double drop in Treasurys and the dollar "suggests foreign and domestic investors are concerned about US economic outlook." In other words, a possible "sell America" trade could be brewing. "All of these [moves] really point to a coordinated move away from US assets," Mike Dickson, head of research and quantitative strategies at Horizon Investments, told Yahoo Finance on Friday. "That is a trend that is likely to persist here in the short to medium term." Trump's trade war has largely been blamed for the chaos. "Whipsaw is definitely the right word for this," Michael Darda, chief economist and macro strategist at Roth Capital Partners, told Yahoo Finance's Market Domination in an interview on Thursday. "Financial markets are being whipsawed, and that's due to public policy being chaotic." To recap: Trump pivoted Wednesday on enacting reciprocal tariffs on non-retaliatory countries. Markets initially praised the development before sharply reversing course as Trump doubled down on his trade war with China. The tariff increase on China has pushed the overall US average effective tariff rate to 27%, the highest level since 1903. That run-up will likely trickle through to the prices consumers pay. "If, in the short run, we have a big pullback in the supply of goods, that could show up in higher consumer prices," Claudia Sahm, former Federal Reserve Board economist and current New Century Advisors chief economist, told Yahoo Finance's Morning Brief on Thursday. "T-shirts could be the new eggs here shortly." Darda placed the odds of the US entering a recession this year at a 50/50 probability, adding, "It's a shame because it looked like the Federal Reserve essentially had this soft landing in the bag." "But this huge tariff disruption, which is not over, has really thrown a monkey wrench into the soft landing," he continued. "It puts the Fed in a terrible position where now they have to worry about downside risks to growth. At the same time, there are short-term upside risks to inflation." All of these risks have kept the Fed in "wait-and-see" mode when it comes to interest rates, which remain at restrictive levels following an easing pause at the start of the year. "If the Fed is sort of paralyzed here and the economy's weakening," Darda warned, "that really does increase the risks of a downturn." Alexandra Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at
