Lloyds TSB shareholders met in Glasgow to give their consent to a merger with HBoS, share values continue to fall on the London Stock Exchange and house prices are reported to be following suit.  Amid all the economic gloom it is natural that we should look for solace!

The great thing about being Scottish is our inherent optimism and faith that our football team are world beaters - no matter what the world rankings suggest.

Taking on Argentina at Hampden we took a 15 minute battering before Scotland’s players decided to share our optimism and to compete with the world’s best.  By then we were 1-0 down and although we failed to score the nation can take pride in their efforts and remain hopeful we can compete with Holland when they come calling next Spring.