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Now, by diverse means, comes documentary evidence of the unsisterly squabbles.

Dissatisfaction over some of the actions of former vice-president and PR secretary Jo Lloyd, who runs marketing and PR company Gap Communications, spiralled into a series of rows that created business for one accountancy and two law firms.

Lloyd hired Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie to write to then-president Anne Christie, a former associate with J Rothschild Assurance. Nine days later nine committee members passed a vote of no-confidence in Lloyd succeeding to the presidency, with two opposing.

A month afterwards the women failed to finish their annual meeting, in spite of being chaired by solicitor Elizabeth Dingwall.

All seven past-presidents of the club voiced concern at the running of the club.

A vote of no confidence in the committee, proposed by past-president Eleanor Smith of Bank of Scotland, was defeated, but only narrowly, say its proposers, with the committee itself voting against - no, by three to one, say the committee.

The meeting was adjourned for six weeks with the voting in of the new committee unresolved.

The adjournment motion called for the Association of Scottish Businesswomen to verify the paid-up membership list.

ASB is made up of six Scottish businesswomen's clubs - WSBC and its counterparts in the east, Central, Highlands, Aberdeen and the Borders.

According to president Tessa Simpson, whose sense or otherwise you can judge yourselves in The Herald magazine's problem page every week - its representative was prevented from fulfilling her remit.

The club thought otherwise and brought in solicitors McGrigor Donald to challenge the ASB over its failure and to warn of proceedings if alleged remarks by members about other members did not cease. Still with me?

Accountant Kidsons Impey was then hired to verify the paid-up membership. When the annual meeting reconvened it took just 17 minutes to vote in the new committee of 12. One post remains vacant, though: PR secretary.

As new president Sheila Thomson, a company director, explained to members: ''We will look at the standing orders and move that the club rename the public relations secretary position to that of strategy secretary. The responsibility of this new position will be to advise on the future strategic direction of the club.''

And there was me thinking strategy had something to do with warfare.

Ref needs glasses

FOOTBALL fans heading for France this summer have scored with NatWest offering French francs commission-free throughout June and Halifax waiving commission during June and July.

Is it really wise, though? With the Government trying to deter ticketless fans from travelling, the two banks would have been better offering commission-free currency to anywhere except France.

Risky business

HER Majesty, through her Government, is also advising Britons to quit Indonesia, with good reason.

Yet the chairman of Dragon Oil, Arifin Panigoro, is putting his money into that country.

He is selling his 46% stake in the oil company, whose net current assets stand at $72m and whose main interest is in a Turkmenistan production licence in the Caspian Sea.

''Given the current conditions and opportunities emerging in Indonesia, I wish to focus my efforts and resources on my business interests there,'' said Panigoro.

He is doubtless banking on the Suharto family disposing of the business interests acquired through nepotism and the abuse of power - a sort of privatisation of a privatisation.

But most observers believe the country has a way to go before achieving stability, let alone normality.

Alma mutter

WHEN not helping football fans to ship out, NatWest is surveying the causes of student debt.

Three of the top seven causes given by recent graduates were expensive social life (21%), enjoy now pay later attitude (18%), and didn't budget (11%). And these were the ones who graduated, remember.

A regional breakdown shows that the figures for those causes were greater at 30%, 19% and 15% respectively in Scotland and Northern Ireland, both areas known for the quality of their education. Shome mishtake, shurely?

Bad company

AIRTH Castle's new dining room is very pleasant by all accounts, but its waiting staff are a little inexperienced in the ways of business.

Douglas Kinnaird of MacDonald Kinnaird chose to lunch there with Paul Dolman, finance director of William Grant Distillers.

Only two other diners graced the large room but the waitress seated them at the very next table. They were about to object when Kinnaird noticed a large leather bound book on their neighbours' table.

A Bible denotes clergy, thought Kinnaird, we'll be safe from eavesdropping.

Either that or it was a very large Filofax.

Still, it sounds safer than Bar Sauza which opened this week in a basement in Glasgow's Queen Street. Its decor includes a tank of 20 live piranha fish.

Presumably the tequila bar is aiming to attract lawyers.