WHEN can a well-known name saying nothing very remarkable cause much controversy? When the well-known name is Sean Connery and he's talking about his native Edinburgh.
You see, Sir Sean has written a memoir in which he criticises one or two things about his home town. Sir Sean no longer lives in Edinburgh. This seems to be his principle crime. This shouldn't matter. Many of us spend a lot of time talking about plac
es we've never lived in and in particular what is wrong with places we've never lived in.
I don't think many of those who have been talking about whether or not the air quality in Beijing is up to scratch have ever strode The Forbidden City, let alone breathed its toxic smog. A lot of those who sit at home with a tray in front of the television debating how to improve the security situation in Iraq have never come closer to that country than a midnight dash to the Baghdad Kebab Shop.
So it seems clear that whether you lived or live in a place or not has nothing to do with your right to criticise it. If Sir Sean is some sort of armchair expert he's in good company. How many of those talking about what a brilliant cyclist Chris Hoy is can say anything insightful about his sport beyond "look at his wee legs going!"?
Another problem for the "he doesn't even live here" crowd is that if they cared to check they'd discover that Edinburgh is a city of international renown – there are people all over the world who are interested in its care. Some of those people work for organisations like Unesco, others are tourists who once visited, others might be people who have simply heard of the city's beauty And others might just be Sir Sean Connery, a wealthy bloke who used to live here. Well, obviously he shouldn't be allowed to say anything
Unesco inspectors snoop around. They have some powers to do things. I don't think it's commonly known what nationality these Unesco people are, whether they are rich or poor or whether they have ever delivered milk in Edinburgh. But if you're fine with them passing comment on our twisty streets then you should be fine with Sir Sean saying whatever he wants.
So what does he say? Apparently Sir Sean doesn't think much of contemporary architecture in Edinburgh – an opinion we can say with confidence he does not hold alone. He also doesn't like the cobbled streets becoming less cobbled. Same as most people. He also criticises some of the twee tours of Olde Edinburghe – same as anyone with an ounce of intelligence and a sense of shame.
In short, much of what he says is, well, ordinary. And he has every right to say it. Or rather write it and publicise it. Same as you or me – only with people listening. Of course, the fact that he has been successful in life and can do a lot of the hard work of writing in hot, sunny exile – the same hot, sunny exile most of would seek if we'd made his money – annoys some.
If you don't want to live in a city that Sir Sean and a lot of other people the world over feel affection for then you can leave. It is part of Edinburgh's success that it is much admired and observed. So if you don't like being internationally cared for, take a hike. Glasgow is only down the road.
Fergie the token ScotClever of them to ask Sir Alex Ferguson to manage the UK football team at the 2012 London Olympics. They know that regardless of whether the SFA agrees to Scots being in the team there is as much chance of anyone from our national squad making the bench as there is of Hazel Irvine being a half-time cheerleader.
By appointing the foremost footballing Scot, they give the team a Caledonian core that should be enough to satisfy most Scots needing a reason to support the otherwise entirely English team. They could make Charlotte Church a physio to get the Welsh onside too.
No future for DougLast chance tonight to see brilliant US comedian Doug Stanhope on his short tour of Edinburgh, a tour which in two short nights has taken him from the Jazz Bar on Chambers Street to the Jazz Bar on Chambers Street.
His now much-quoted joke about the UK that "I come to this country and I see a lot of history but I don't see much future" was coined in Edinburgh. What's funny is that lots of cities and places are now claiming it or using the comment in their publicity for his shows, including Oslo and Bergen in Norway. Why would people want this to be said about themselves?
