2012 in Scotland

Incumbents

Monarch — Elizabeth II

First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal — Alex Salmond (since 16 May 2007)

Secretary of State for Scotland — Michael Moore

Law officers

Lord Advocate — Frank Mulholland

Solicitor General for Scotland — Lesley Thomson

Advocate General for Scotland — Lord Wallace of Tankerness

Judiciary

Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General — Lord Hamilton until 8 June; then Lord Gill

Lord Justice Clerk — Lord Gill, then Lord Carloway

Chairman of the Scottish Land Court — Lord McGhie

January

6 January — The SNP takes control of Clackmannanshire Council, after a vote of no confidence in its Labour administration.

8 January — Mike McEwen of Canada wins the 2012 Mercure Perth Masters event, part of the 2011–12 World Curling Tour.

10 January — The Scottish Government announces that it plans to hold the independence referendum in the autumn of 2014.

17 January —

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill is introduced to create unified Scottish police and fire services (Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service).

The Commission on the Consequences of Devolution for the House of Commons is established by the UK Government, with the remit of addressing the West Lothian Question, possibly removing some voting rights from Scottish MPs; it is expected to report in the Spring of 2013.

22 January — Greenock-born kicker Lawrence Tynes scores a 31-yard field goal in overtime that wins a place in the Super Bowl final against the New England Patriots in the United States.

25 January — Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, sets out the question - "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" - that he intends to ask voters in the 2014 referendum.

February

14 February — Rangers Football Club enters administration

16 February — Prime Minister David Cameron has offered to consider more powers for Scotland, in the event of a vote against independence.

19 February — Sectarian chants and songs marr the first match Rangers play following the club being put into administration.

24 February — Falkirk MP Eric Joyce is charged with three counts of common assault after a disturbance at a House of Commons bar.

27 February — The last surviving Scot who volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War has died at the age of 99.

March

4 March — Paul McBride QC, Scotland's most senior lawyer, is found dead in a hotel room while on a visit to Pakistan.

9 March — MP Eric Joyce is given a bar ban and a £3,000 fine over his Commons brawl.

14 March — Perth is granted city status in the United Kingdom following competition amongst candidate places to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, becoming the seventh Scottish city at this date.

23 March — Diageo ceases production of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky in Kilmarnock.

25 March — Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announces that the Scottish Government is moving ahead with its plans for a rural parliament, as outlined in Programme for Scotland 2011-2012.

27 March — A gas leak at the Elgin-Franklin fields forces the evacuation of 238 workers.

April

8 April — Scotland win the silver medal at the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship

18 April — In a rare move, television cameras are allowed into The High Court in Edinburgh to film the sentencing of David Gilroy for the murder of Suzanne Pilley.

May

1 May — Scotland Bill becomes Scotland Act (2012) after Royal Assent

3 May — Local elections held across all 32 local authorities.

4 May —

Local elections result in the SNP making 61 gains and winning the largest number of councillors in Scotland, as well as gaining control of Dundee and Angus. Labour made 48 gains and gained control of West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire. The Liberal Democrats lost over half of their councillors allowing the Conservatives, who also lost councillors, to end the day as the third largest party in local government.

18 May — the first all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final in 106 years is won by Hearts

19 May — the National Trust for Scotland announce that the first cursing stone to be found in the country, dated to circa 800, was discovered on Canna

25 May — The Yes Scotland campaign for the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence is formally launched.

27 May — Dario Franchitti wins his 3rd Indianapolis 500

June

14 June — A proposed CVA to get Rangers FC out of administration is rejected meaning the club will now enter liquidation.

25 June — The No Campaign for the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence is formally launched.

July

4 July — An application by the Rangers to transfer their membership share in the Scottish Premier League to a new company is rejected.

6 July — Andy Murray makes it to the final of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles, becoming the first Briton to do so in 74 years. He is defeated at the final two days later by Roger Federer.

September

10 September — Andy Murray wins the US Open Tennis Championship, the first British man to win a Grand Slam tournament since 1936.

October

15 October — British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond sign the Edinburgh Agreement - a deal setting out the terms of a referendum on Scottish independence.

December

8 December — A Rangers supporter throws a coin at an opposing fan during a fixture against Stirling Albion at Ibrox Stadium.

Predicted and scheduled events

Keep Scotland in Britain, the cross-party group that will be campaigning for a no vote in the Scottish independence referendum will be launched in early 2012

20–22 January — 2012 Glynhill Ladies International at Braehead, part of the 2011–12 World Curling Tour

22 June — release of Brave, a 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure film set in Scotland

6–8 July — T in the Park 2012, a music festival at Balado

3 August — Quarter-final of the women's football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics, at Hampden Park, Glasgow

21 December — release of World War Z, a post-apocalyptic horror film partly shot in Scotland

Deaths

2 January — Ian Bargh, composer, (born 1935)

4 January — Kerry McGregor, singer-songwriter and actress (born 1974)

6 January — Louise Gibson Annand, painter and film-maker (born 1915)

9 January — Bill Dickie, president of the Scottish Football Association (born 1929)

14 January -

Janey Buchan, Labour Party Member of the European Parliament for Glasgow 1979–94 (born 1926)

Pearse Hutchinson, poet, broadcaster and translator (born 1927)

24 January — Moira Milton (née Paterson), golfer (born 1923)

26 January — Alex Eadie, Labour MP for Midlothian (born 1920)

14 February — Tom McAnearney, football player and manager (born 1933)

4 March — Paul McBride, criminal lawyer (born 1964)

21 March — Derick Thomson, Gaelic scholar and poet (born 1921)

24 March — Jocky Wilson, darts player (born 1950)

6 April —

Larry Canning, footballer (born 1925)

Janet Roberts, supercentenarian, oldest person in Scotland at time of death (born 1901)

7 April — Alexander Leslie-Melville, 14th Earl of Leven, soldier, councillor, Lord Lieutenant of Nairn (1969–99) and president of the British Ski and Snowboard Federation (born 1924)

28 April — Tom Spence, football player and manager (born 1962)

15 May — George Wyllie, artist (born 1921)

30 September — Bobby Hogg, last native speaker of the Cromarty dialect of North Northern Scots (born c.1920)

The Arts

September — Kathleen Jamie's collection The Overhaulis published; it wins the Poetry prize in the 2012 Costa Book Awards.