I HAVE been disgusted by recent negative responses to pipers from certain businesses and some Old Town inhabitants but the letter "Surly staff are bad advert for Capital" (August 9) was the final straw. I am appalled, but not surprised, by behaviour of staff and management at the White Hart.
It is an attitude that infects too many in our city. Far from being proud of our historical and cultural heritage, the tourism it attracts, and the income to the city it generates, these narrow-minded ingrates seek to remove one of, if not the, great
est icons – the bagpipes – from the city.
Until this year I served as band secretary with The Royal Scots Association Pipe Band and as such was privileged to witness at first hand the wonderful job they did as volunteer ambassadors for their country and their regiment in Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Italy, and the Republic of Belarus.
In Belarus, not noted for its social freedoms, band members were regularly to be found entertaining the general public at street fairs, restaurants, cafes, and refreshment tents, with impromptu sets on pipes and drums without hindrance from authorities, businesses, or local inhabitants. At every turn we were met with courtesy and warmth.
In Genoa, a city of considerable history and restricted public spaces, a request for the band to be allowed to perform a Beating Retreat was readily agreed to by both city and regional police officers on duty in the Old Harbour area. After a performance at a gala dinner in the world famous opera house, Teatro Carlo Felice, most of the band members, as leaving and at the insistent request of passers-by, were persuaded to stage a similar impromptu performance in the square outside. Far from being moved on by police, being complained about by local businesses, or objected to by drivers and pedestrians, they were simply asked to move a few yards towards the fountain where police could then more easily direct traffic round the gathered throng of appreciative spectators.
How different to the reception our capital city, its authorities, and its businesses extend to pipers.
David Anson, Saughton Mains Street, EdinburghControlled parking is just the ticketI WOULD like to give my support to controlled parking in Craiglea Drive in Morningside. As a resident, I have seen a flurry of mis-guided petition gathering and "window postering" from people who either do not have cars or do not use them at times when the majority do.
The situation has got worse over the last six months and despite the inconvenience of not being able to park within half a mile of your own front door (unless you are very lucky), the over-crowding results in illegal and unsafe parking which is a danger to children and old people crossing roads.
To assert that there is not a problem is simply misleading and having come from another area where controlled parking was introduced to great success it's time this was implemented in other parts of Morningside.
D Robinson, Craiglea Drive, Morningside Chinese would have had trams finishedI APPRECIATE that the logistics involved doing the prep work for the Edinburgh tram system must be overwhelming, given the volume of traffic on the roads today, that was not present when the original tram system was introduced in the early 1920s. But having watched the progress of the work or lack of it in the Leith area over the last few months leaves me with a heavy heart.
The following observation of the work force is as I see it on a daily basis. Squads of workmen all over the place, the bulk of whom are either looking into holes in the ground, leaning on brushes or sitting on immobile heavy plant vehicles. There seems to be no sense of urgency.
When you consider the massive effort, dedication and work ethic the Chinese put in the preparation of the Olympic Games, we should blush with shame. Perhaps we should have outsourced the contract to them. We may have been using the new tram system by now.
One with minimum inconvenience to the general public and fewer businesses going to the wall because of the lack of progress
Frank Ferri, Newhaven Main Street, EdinburghNo gain for voters means no tax paidTHE council has complained that a number of its citizens have not paid their taxes. Surprise, surprise! Can anyone blame them? People do not mind paying taxes , if they see the money being put to good use, be it transport, health, education and defence.
But when the money is wasted on non-essential services or we see vital services such as Post Offices disappearing on a lame excuse, then the voters will consider the money is better in their pockets. When the voters are allowed to keep more of what they earn and they benefit from their efforts, then the fireworks will start , and we can hope for a modern Guy Fawkes who will light the blue touch paper
CJR Fentiman, Polwarth Gardens Edinburgh Ugly building likely to generate troubleLET'S hope the proposed Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine gets the thumbs down from the city council's planning committee (News, August 8).
Going by the artist's impression, anyone in poor health coming across this monstrosity by accident would probably have a relapse.
Mr K Welsh, Easter Road, EdinburghThe full article contains 901 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
