A new dawn for Scotland as Dewar unveils blueprint for future of nation

Tweek in 1997, the bill to establish the Scottish Parliament was unveiled by Secretary of State for Scotland Donald Dewar, who revealed his blueprint for the future of Scottish politics and called on the House of Lords not to delay or disrupt its passage into law. “In well under 300 days we have set in train the biggest change in 300 years of Scottish history,” he said. Elections to the Scottish Assemblies were held in May 1999, which resulted in Dewar becoming First minister of the first Scottish Parliament in almost 300 years. In other news, pop star Elton John handed over a cheque for £20million, the first instalment of proceeds from the sale of his hit, Candle In The Wind, to the Princess of Wales’ Memorial Fund. The song, sung at the princess’s funeral at Westminster, sold 33 million copies worldwide in just five weeks after Diana’s death. On the other side of the pond, America’s First Lady hit the headlines after she was kicked out of an exclusive New York club. The incident happened after Hilary Clinton’s friend, the gossip columnist Cindy Adams, broke strict club rules by using her mobile phone. A porn actress and her costar, seen having sex on a car bonnet, were conditionally discharged for 18 months. Their activities were part of a film called Sex In Public Places IV. But the action was interrupted when airport staff walked on to the impromptu film set in Terminal 4’s short-stay car park and ordered them to leave. Seconds later they were arrested by a fully-armed anti-terrorist police patrol. Richard Branson’s attempt to complete the first roundthe-world balloon flight ended in farce when it took off without him. The head of the Virgin empire had been finishing with his packing when a freak gust of wind ripped the unmanned balloon from its moorings at a military airbase near Marrakesh. It then drifted off into the Moroccan desert.

Donald Dewar is confirmed as First Minister in an audience with the Queen