Southsider Maggie Wilson dies

Pic from Evening News 2002

On Tuesday this week Southside stalwart Maggie Wilson passed away.

I searched the archives and came up with this quote from a 2002 article in the Evening News, which gives a flavour of just some of the activities in which she has been involved over the years.

As chair of the South Side Association, a community organisation based in the Nicolson Centre on Clerk Street, she’s been at the coalface of voluntary work for 30 years.

She first helped out in a campaign against a proposed ring road which would have demolished thousands of houses in the area. Caught up in the success of that campaign she pledged to spend as much time as she could trying to help her area benefit from better facilities.

"I started volunteering after I had major surgery and all my hair fell out", Maggie says candidly. "I was at a low ebb but I decided to get on and do something positive instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself. The first campaign against the ring road was a success and very invigorating. Then I started doing youth work and things just grew from there. Young people need somewhere to meet and gather with friends. Bringing young people in off the streets and getting to know them is the way to combat vandalism."

 She was awarded an MBE for community service in 2003 as the article at this link explains. More details on another campaign she was involved in here.

Maggie was, I think, seventy five.

Recycling incentive scheme

There is a small incentive scheme to encourage the use of your red and blue recycling boxes coming up in October.  This involves Palm Recycling Ltd who carry out these collections.  More details here. 

And this comes with a reminder that you can check whether you should have red/blue boxes collected in your street and get a reminder email.  If you are like me and can never remember what coloured box is due for collection, the email reminder can be helpful.  Check out the Greenboxday website.  All you need is your postcode.

Al Gore juggernaut in town

I attended a bravura performance in town this morning from Al Gore who was here to broadcast his message on climate change.

As you will see from this post on my other blog I presented myself to be flattened into the ground by his juggernaut.

Indecent images - teacher sentenced

28 year old local resident Colin Chisholm has been sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for possessing indecent images of children.

He was a teacher at St Cuthberts RC Primary School in Hutchison Crossway.  Needless to say he resigned after being arrested.  He was sentenced this week to a 3 year community payback order.

• Report from Deadline News Agency
• BBC report from earlier court appearance

Engine Shed history and recipies

The Engine Shed has published a book which combines some of the recipies used in their cafe and kitchen along with some of the history building and organisation (it was the shed at the end of the Innocent railway line).

The Engine Shed is a Bakery and a cafe and has provided innovative employment for people with learning disabilities since 1989.

Details of the Engine Shed here and of the book here.  Mrs Rose tells me the recipies she has tried so far are excellent.

Statutory Notice Owners meeting

The Minto Hotel has been booked for a meeting on Thursday this week (29th September) for owners of premises affected by a Statutory Notices.   The meeting is to be held at 6pm.   Details can be found here.  There is also a Facebook Group.

In another development here is a report of a further four council employees being suspended in the last five weeks.  (For those wishing more information on the background here are a few earlier posts.)

Why I'm supporting Murdo Fraser

Murdo Fraser.

Much has been written in the Scottish media about the leadership election for the Scottish Conservatives.  Some have asked for my views. Here is an extract from an email conversation I had recently with a local Conservative.

I have warmed to the Fraser proposals.

First, there was a new element of leadership about this.  He was well placed to win - to coast into a position of modest esteem in Scottish society.  The very act of taking the risk to his sinecure suggests to me two things.  Vision and boldness. 

As to vision, it suggests to me he is serious about searching for and seeking the environment for electoral success.  It suggests he is looking for the bigger prize of a right of centre representation at the Scottish decision making it to the table.  That ambition is attractive to me.

As to boldness;  "Who dares wins".   I admire someone who puts vision above personal security.But what of the issues.  (The change of name, whilst not of no moment, is certainly a minor consideration in the issues at stake.)  Such management/ governance experience as I have makes me warm to the break from our London based party.  It is healthy to cut the umbilical cord of life-support from London. Because, actually it suffocates rather than supports. He who pays the piper calls the tune and the situation in a devolved, SNP dominated Scotland,  requires a nimble and self confident party of Scottish Conservatives to take the cut and thrust to the enemy.  You do not engender either of those qualities by looking over your shoulder to a big brother or paymaster for every decision.  Rather be joined by common principles.

What of finance?  Financial dependence often paralyses.  It has been a contributory factor to our demise.  If we cannot raise money here in Scotland  I doubt we are worthy of anything.  In any case, there are potential supporters aplenty who have not given to the Scottish Conservatives or who have given their money to other parties.   Some have given their money to the SNP to break the oppressive Labour hegemony in Scotland. If the argument was that the SNP are a lesser evil, then they have succeeded.   Some, I suspect, will be more than happy to come back to a party of conservative principles.

And let's talk of coming back to the party.  Rather than the gradual haemorrhage of membership and support that has been seen over the last generation, the Fraser proposals offer an intriguing invitation.  It is to those (languishing) Lib Dems who are unhappy with their party.  It is to those tartan Tories who have uncomfortably sidled over to join the SNP.  I say invite them back and give them a say in the big tent and in shaping our right of centre policies.  This is an opportunity to bring in new blood we have kept out of our Conservative club in recent years.

Update 1400hrs: Apologies that the full article did not show when originally posted. 

Charity saga goes on

Elaine McGonigle

The case of the New Pyjamas charity appeal at the Sick Kids which collapsed some time ago lingers on.

This article notes that Elaine McGonigle is facing a fraud charge and is also being sued over unpaid legal fees.

Open Doors weekend

The Anatomy Lecture Theatre
in Teviot Place will be open to the public

A reminder about free access to a range of buildings in Edinburgh, many of which are not otherwise available to the public.

See this post for details of the premises and programme.

That red bus is a student bus

That big, old red bus touring charities in Edinburgh, is a student bus encouraging students to be involved in volunteering.

More details in this STV report and on the Edinburgh University Students Union web page.

Clerk St assault: further police appeal

Police believe a taxi driver picked
the victim here after the assault 

Police have made a further appeal for witnesses to the serious assault which took place in the early hours of Saturday 10th September in Clerk Street.  They especially want to contact a taxi driver who is thought to have picked up the victim,  who is a 34 year old Chinese man, in Minto street after the assault.

The police press release contains detailed descriptions of the male (described as 17-18yrs and blond hair) and the female (wearing pink top and light coloured jeans) suspects and calls for anyone with information or suspicions to contact them.

The press release is here and previous posts can be found here and here.

Fly posting revisited - part 2

The story so far.  A group who are responsible for a considerable amount of illegal fly posting in central Edinburgh told lies when challenged by the manager of a venue where they planned to do a fund raising concert.

When informed that the group had not taken down their illegal fly posting as they had claimed, the venue manager went out to check for himself and found 47 posters which he duly took down  himself.  He was furious and contacted a member of the Zapatista 'charity'. 

Later in the day I took a telephone call from Michael, a representative of the Zapatista benefit group.  He profusely apologised for the illegal display of the posters and stated he had personally been out taking them down.    We shall see if they are all down.

I am assured by the venue manager that if they are not, the gig, due later this week, will be cancelled!

Thank you to the venue manager.  The co-ordination is a benefit of the Unight arrangement. The Zapatista support group, serial offenders in illegal fly posting, have now removed at least some of their unsightly posters.

Flyposting revisited - part 1

Bear with me as I recount a small success against fly posters.

Last weekend a large number of  'Zapatista' posters appeared in the ward and around the University advertising a 'charity event' at a  club venue in Edinburgh this week.   The Zapatistas are a revolutionary leftist group based in Mexico who have declared "war against the Mexican state".  There is an Edinburgh based support group who claim to be supporting 'health and education" projects in Zapatista communities.  Does that ring alarm bells with you as it did with me?

As usual I ripped down a few of the posters and contacted our community wardens who have an excellent arrangement with club venues to deal with groups who advertise their gigs with illegal posters.  In turn they contacted the venue whose manager immediately contacted the 'charity' who had arranged the gig. 

Representatives from the Zapatista benefit group responded promptly by saying they had been out and removed all the posters.  This, of course, was simply untrue. 

What happened next is a small success against fly posting with the total co-operation of the club venue concerned.  I will post the second part of the account in the next day or so when I get a minute.

Conservative leadership election

Murdo Fraser

I understand leadership contender Murdo Fraser will be visiting in the area in the coming days.  Any Conservative party member who wants details of an opportunity to meet him locally should contact me for further details.

Statutory notices

You can see today's BBC programme Scotland's Property Scandal here.

I have previously posted on this subject here and here.  In the first of those posts (in October last year) I drew attention to a Council report which highlighted an internal audit review which concluded there were serious problems with the statutory notice implementation in Edinburgh.  A police enquiry was subsequently set up as was an external review by consultants. We await the results of the external review and the police enquiry.   

The situation is very serious. Many people in the Southside and Newington ward and throughout the city are affected and there are many people who have scaffolding on their properties who are now  in limbo as the Council has suspended all but essential work under this system.  Doubtless there will be substantial costs to the public purse for Edinburgh as the extent of the  scandal (for that is what it is) unfolds.

Although the BBC report has given a few more details I did not see anything beyond what I understand is already subject to investigation.  We await the police and external reports to give further indication of the scale of the issue.

Like many residents who have come in contact with the statutory notice system in Edinburgh in the last few years, events have led us to examine our dealings with the department and its council officers in a revised light.

In particular, I recall Cllr Alastair Paisley was the first person persistently demanding answers about the department and its officers several years ago.

Updated 220911 to correct the link to the programme.

Edinburgh Doors Open Day

The Anatomy Lecture Theatre
in Teviot Place will be open to the public

Doors Open Day takes place this weekend over two days (Sat 24th and Sun 15th) when many local buildings, not usually available for public access, will be open.

The brochure listing over 75 premises in Edinburgh providing free access can be found here with the website here.   There are last minute updates here.   Edinburgh University properties are also listed in its own brochure which can be found here.

George Square occupation

Some students are currently 'occupying' George Square Lecture Theatre.

More details from STV here.

Local school employment case

In January I reported on an employment tribunal case brought by a Kamaljit Kaur, who taught English as an additional language at Sciennes Primary School.  I understand that case has yet to be resolved.

However, the former Sciennes teacher is now taking legal action against the Educational Institute of Scotland and some of its employees for the way they handled her case.  Details from Deadline News Agency here.

Pioneering keyhole surgery at Sick Kids

Rowan Crombie (18 months) was the first person to benefit from pioneering new equipment in dealing with a cyst near her liver.  The surgery took place at the Sick Kids  Hospital two weeks ago.

 More details here.

Ex Sciennes head teacher in government!

Lindsey Robertson with Princess Anne
(from Castleview School website)

Lindsey Robertson, one time head teacher at Sciennes Primary School, is now a policy wonk!

She is now an advisor to Mike Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education on attainment as this BBC report records.

Cadenza - Auditions available

A well established and prestigious choir in the Newington area is holding auditions later this month.

The auditions are on Wednesday 28th in the halls of St Peter's Church, Lutton Place.  For the type of music and other such details click here.

Cameron House community gardening

OK, a silver medal was won locally
but this Rosebowl went to Linlithgow

A silver medal was awarded to the Prestonfield and Cameron House Community Gardening Group in the Keep Scotland Beautiful awards earlier this week.

Details here and the STV report is here.

Son of cycle superhighway - the details

From the London version

OK rather than a title like Boris' Bike Superhighway, Edinburgh's toned down version of this generally successful concept is called a Quality Bike Corridor.  It is to run from the King's Buildings to George Square.

The detailed proposals are now published for statutory comment and you can find TRO/11/35 on this page with maps and the statutory notice.  It is open for comment until 7th October.

Clerk Street assault details

The victim of the assault in Clerk Street on Saturday morning (earlier post here) was a Chinese visitor to the city.

More details of what was an appalling incident can be found in this article.  Anyone with information which might help police with their investigation should use the contact details here.

Indebted to St Margaret's

A number of parents with children at the former St Margaret's School are still owing fees.

The money is being claimed by the administrators. 

This article also notes that the sale of the buildings has raised £4.3m.

For those not familiar with the story previous posts can be found here.

Witnesses wanted for Clerk St assault

Police are appealing for witnesses in relation to an assault which took place in Clerk Street near to Nicolson Street in the early hours of Saturday (10th September).  The assault took place between 2am and 3:30am.

Full descriptions of the those involved, two men and a woman, can be found in the police press release here.    One of the males is described as having medium length blond hair and wearing a green top.

Ringing denunciation of terrorism

Guests with the ribbon festooned
peace pole in the background

Over 100 people attended the Southside ceremony to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Those present heard a ringing condemnation of terrorism from Imam Muhammad Sajjad from the Edinburgh Central Mosque.

In addition, there was a prayer (in Hebrew and English) from David Goldberg of the Edinburgh Hebrew Community, as well as contributions from local politicians, church leaders and the Southside Community Council.

The event was organised in Lutton Place Episcopal Church by Newington Churches Together

Ian Murray MP, myself, Jim Eadie MSP,
Revs Jared Hay and Colin Symes,
David Goldberg

Remembering 9/11 locally

There will be a short commemoration in the garden of Lutton Place Church at 1:30pm tomorrow.  It will provide opportunity for our community to pause, reflect and express hope.

Organised by Newington Churches Together, the event is open to people of all faiths and none and to all nationalities.

More details here.

MacDowall Road street party tomorrow

I understand there is a street party taking place in MacDowall Road tomorrow.

The road is closed between 10:30am and 8:30pm.

Update 1630hrs:  The street party is between 11am and 8pm and the road between Savile Place and Langton Road will be closed

Cardinal at launch of chaplaincy extension

Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien attended a service to mark the laying of the foundation stone of a new chapel at the Catholic Chaplaincy in George Square yesterday.  The new chapel will be built in the rear garden.

The George Square Chaplaincy now covers Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret Universities (as well as Edinburgh).

Guests at the service included Sir Tom Farmer, the Edinburgh University senior chaplain Rev Dr Harriet Harris and former Lord Provost Eric Milligan 

Chalmers Crescent murder: 'Guilty'

Frank Moore

Frank Moore(43) has been found guilty by a jury of the murder of Stewart Taylor and the attempted murder of Lyndsey Methven at 18 Chalmers Crescent in the Grange on 7th February.

Links to the history and to trial reports can be found here.

Moore will be sentenced later.  Here are the BBC and the STV reports - with the latter giving more background evidence on the period leading up to the murder.

Leadership bid launch from ward

Dynamic Earth

This afternoon I attended the Conservative leadership campaign launch of Ruth Davidson.  She is one of the three declared candidates in a contest which was animated by the frontrunner Murdo Fraser last week end.

The launch took place at Dynamic Earth - which is at the northeastern corner of the Southside and Newington parish.

Ruth's message was that she will defend the union and that she is competant and capable of taking the fight to the SNP.  There were no fireworks with this launch.  In the coming days I will share my thoughts on the three candidates so far declared - Jackson Carlaw, Ruth Davidson and Murdo Fraser.

Here's the BBC report on the launch and here is comment from the Holyrood Magazine.

Gas main replacement due in Southside

Minto Street

Beginning in the next couple of weeks in Minto Street, Scottish Gas Networks will start replacing some new gas mains running northwards from Minto Street. 

I'm afraid there will be considerable road disruption over the period between now and March 2012.

Shocking attack on Mayfield Road firm

Postcode Plumbers, who have recently occupied the old Bank of Scotland building in Mayfield Road, suffered an attack costing an estimated £20,000 worth of damage in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The attack on the windows of the newly fitted out premises is thought to have taken place around half past midnight on Tuesday morning.

". . . it will be business as usual and whoever did this will not deter us." Owner, Postcode Plumbers

More details here.

Murder trial: jury's out

The jury in the Chalmers Crescent murder trial has retired to consider its verdict this morning.

Brief details from the BBC here.  previous coverage on this blog can be accessed from this post.

Priestfield Road traffic calming

Residents and users of Priestfield Road should look out for notification of proposals for some traffic calming in the next few days.  Leaflets to homes will be delivered and street notices will be put up. The proposals will also soon be available at the Edinburgh Council consultation page on its website.

Council statistics show there have been three injury collisions in the last three years compared to none in the previous ten years.   That increase has been accompanied by increasing pressure from local residents for measures to slow traffic which, according to speed surveys, has shown a marked increase in speed.

I understand the proposals are for 11 x 75mm full width road humps over the full length of Priestfield Road.

Views to iain.peat@edinburgh.gov.uk at the Investigation and Prevention Unit also at Freepost NAT 18051, Edinburgh EH1 1BR.

Justin Beiber move over - for our Danny

Keeping up with the career of stunt bike performer Danny Macaskill, last month I pointed you to his new release video which was as dramatic as ever (though not this time filmed in the ward area where much of his early work took place).

With your help, the video has been viewed on YouTube over 2.4 million times which puts him some way ahead of teenage international singing sensation Justin Beiber.  (More details here.)  If you haven't seen Danny in action here is another opportunity to see his latest video Industrial Revolutions.

Posts following the career of Danny going back to April 2009 can be found here.

June armed robbery was one of six

In June I reported an armed robbery at Meadows Wine in Melville Terrace.  Following five other similar robberies over the city police have dedicated a squad to tracking down the culprit(s).

More details here.

Quartermile for sale

Quartermile from Middle Meadow Walk

Gladedale has announced that the 'time is right' to sell their development of the former Royal Infirmary site known as Quartermile.

More details here.

Chalmers Crescent murder trial update

Here are a report yesterday from the trial.  I will update if I see any others with additional information.  Previous reports can be accessed from this post.

• 1st Sept:  'fire probably not lit deliberately'

Buttercup Dairy Co feature

A few weeks ago I posted on the Buttercup Dairy Company and its remarkable founder Andrew Ewing.  There was quite a bit of interest in the story and I note the Scotsman had a feature on Bill Scott's book yesterday.

See here.

Hat tip to Bilko.

Trams: Here we go again

The story so far.  In 2008 Edinburgh Council signed a fixed price contract for £512m to deliver a tram from the Airport to Newhaven (including moving the underground utilities).  The qualification was that the cost was 95% fixed.  Indeed, the £512m included extra payments to the contractor to bring the risk down to 5%. 

Well,  here we are in 2011 and Edinburgh has today approved a tram from the Airport to St Andrews Square at an estimated cost of £776m .  The report on which today's decision is based makes it clear that this time there are no such guarantees that £776m will be the final figure.

Let me summarise my position.

First, I supported (and still support) the principle of trams.  Edinburgh is a growing city with both resident population and visitor numbers increasing. Improvements in our transport infrastructure are to be welcomed.  Trams improve efficiency where there are large numbers of people to be moved.  (There was a record of almost 1 million passengers through Edinburgh airport in July).

Second, I have supported the project.  There are however, three key issues which bring us to the current position.

1. It is widely accepted that the contract governing the project is full of holes and in the disputes over its implementation, the Council has been on the wrong side of many of the judgements.  The contract is widely regarded as a liability.  
2. The project management has been a disaster (the delivery arm Transport Initiatives Edinburgh is already all but closed down).  
3. The project has suffered from a lack of leadership.  Councillors were unable to maintain effective oversight and a divided administration sent the wrong signals

With the current figure of £776m to take the tram to St Andrew Square only, there is not even a '95% guarantee' that costs will not escalate further.  So what to do?

On offer have been three broad options.  The first is the current decision to plough on to St Andrews Square. The second is to get out of the contract (broadly in agreement with the contractor) after delivery of the line to Haymarket (about 60% of the full line distance).  The third is to terminate the contract with a view to total cancellation or re procurement.  This would have been subject to negotiation.

Last week in the final vote I voted for the Haymarket option because it offered, with little risk, a clean end to the contractual disputes and ownership of a working asset.  Comparisons of revenue losses for that option against predicted revenue profits for the the St Andrews Square option suffered from a problem with the credibility of the figures.  In any case that annual deficit, had it materialised, needs to be considered against the very considerable uncertainties of the costs of the St Andrews Square option which still seems too much like a blank cheque. And the extensive borrowing that entails.

Today I voted for negotiation for termination of the contract.  Certainly there are unknowns with what that figure would be after negotiation.  But they are likely to be a much lower figure than the current course to St Andrews Square with all its uncertainties.

Actually, I hope I was wrong and that a line from the Airport to St Andrews Square is up and running in short order for less than £776m.  But the history of the project and the evidence before us now doesn't look promising.  

Tram to Haymarket decision overturned

Seen that headline before?  Well not quite.  Last week the decision was to go remove the high risk Haymarket to St Andrews Square section for the time being and to get out of the disastrous contract.

Today, the Council, following John Swinney's withdrawal of part of the funding - and the change of mind by the SNP councillors - voted, by 28 - 15,  to plough on to St Andrews Square.

I certainly hope I am wrong and that it can be done within the £776m figure - though the decision carries no certainty on that point.

I'll give more details later.

Victor's back!

Remember this post from May 2010 showing pavement artist Victor Fraser's Celtic weave on the surface of Middle Meadow Walk?

Victor at work earlier today

Victor is back in Edinburgh (he's Canadian).  His current work is to be similar to last year's in this spot.  It is water based and of very high quality.

The finished article in May 2010