FOR months one man has plagued the city's leading councillors with an incessant attack on how they run the Capital.
Hiding behind the pseudonym of The Basa, he has used the anti-establishment website
EdinburghSucks.com to publicise every negative story he can find involving the city's local politicians.
But now the Evening News has uncovered the identity of the man behind the mask, and we can reveal he is a former TV presenter who lives in New York.
Jan Duffy-King appeared alongside Jools Holland and Paula Yates on Channel 4 TV show The Tube in the 1980s, interviewing the biggest pop stars of the decade.
As the owner of eurotrash.com, he is now one of America's most sought after internet experts, and was even asked to advise former First Lady Hillary Clinton on new technology.
But the Leith-born entrepreneur still finds time to monitor what is happening in Edinburgh, and posts his own spin on the day's stories to his growing legion of fans.
The EdinburghSucks website is attracting up to 1400 "hits" a day and even has its own merchandising brand.
Mr Duffy-King's gripe with the city council began exactly four years ago when he submitted a planning application for a two-storey extension on his elderly mother's home in Portobello. The application was refused by the council on the grounds that it would block neighbours' sunlight, even though there were no formal objections from the public.
"I have intended to bring my successful business into Europe and move its HQ to Edinburgh," he said.
"But after the planning committee refused my application I decided not to boost the city's economy. The only people who disagreed with the application were the council employees.
"So I bought the website domain name EdinburghSucks.com to expose how the politicians are screwing our city.
"I don't have a gripe with the city, I love Edinburgh, and I hate to see what these incompetent councillors are doing. There doesn't seem to be any accountability.
"That's why I'm exposing them. Councillors should watch out, because I'm going to report all their cock-ups and I have the ability to get each story onto the front page of every internet search engine."
Mr Duffy-King made headlines last month, when he exposed links to pornography on the city education leader's community website. Ewan Aitken was forced to close the site, and admitted he was "internet illiterate", sparking a barrage of criticism.
And three weeks ago, Mr Duffy-King revealed he had purchased the website InspiringCapital.com, which is the new logo for the Edinburgh "brand". He has offered it back to Interbrand, the agency responsible, in return for a £8800 donation to the Patients Fund at Findlay House.
Council leader Donald Anderson today said he was "sad" about the growth of EdinburghSucks.com.
"An individual decision by planning has no political whip and it's regrettable that some people take their decisions very badly," he said.
"There's nothing we can do about it now and I wish we could all put it behind us, but this gentleman seems determined to campaign against us and we will have to deal with that."
Internet tycoon with his finger on the buttonJAN DUFFY-KING grew up in Portobello before launching himself into the world of entertainment and technology.
Born as John Wallace into a working-class family, he joined the army after school and then worked for a London record company before becoming a music journalist for teen magazines and presenting on Radio Luxembourg.
He became known as Jan Duffy-King and ended up working on The Tube alongside Jools Holland and Paula Yates. He also became friends with Bob Geldof and interviewed the biggest pop stars of the 80s.
Mr Duffy-King then moved to Holland where he presented a music show. An urge to travel led him to Seattle, where he spent a year learning to fly helicopters. He then got a job with the Thomas publishing firm in New York and later formed his own company, eurotrash.com.
The internet tycoon owns EdinburghSucks.com, InspiringCapital.com, EdinburghLucks.com- which tells the positive side of the city - and a host of other sites.
Home is now a luxurious apartment on Roosevelt Island, New York, where he lives with his American wife Laurie. Neighbours include Janet Jackson and Meatloaf.
