Opinion

Without any irony, council leader Adam McVey has welcomed the Scottish Government’s intervention to sort out ongoing problems in Edinburgh’s building standards department.

To my knowledge, Philadelphia soul band The O’Jays never attended a meeting of the Edinburgh SNP but their 1972 hit might seem rather familiar to Councillor Gavin Barrie.

Save Meadowbank campaigners were out in force for their public meeting last week and us councillors, put up on the stage for the inevitable coconut shy, were left in no doubt about the depth of feeling as the decision about the new sports centre plans comes closer.

The world looks on as Palestinians die at the fence that has turned the Gaza Strip into an ‘open prison’, writes SNP MP Tommy Sheppard.

And another one bites the dust! Councillor Gavin Barrie’s resignation from the city council’s SNP group may not have been that surprising.

Two major digital infrastructure announcements have reinforced the belief that Edinburgh can become the data capital of Europe – with all the economic benefit and jobs that would bring.

Housing and homelessness are the absolute biggest challenge that we face as a city. And we have quite a few challenges. We are seeing more and more people becoming homeless because they can no longer afford the rent charged by private landlords. I’ll say that again. Many people in our city cannot afford a home.

Recently I was given the opportunity to take a guided tour around the new Northcare Manor care home at Meggetgate by William Sawers, a company director.

Jeremy Balfour, a Tory MSP, wrote in this paper, under the heading ‘Time to update pet welfare law’, that “it is vital that Scottish legislation ensures that no pet suffers or has its welfare compromised and that, in situations where issues arise, the relevant authority can take action.”

Being a regular columnist, it’s very easy to become the weekly whinger or Mr Angry.

Whisper it, but Spring is here, and it’s time for what has become an annual fixture on the Scottish Parliament’s calendar – Pedal on Parliament.

It is a big day for the Scottish Parliament tomorrow. The President of Malawi, His Excellency Professor Peter Mutharika, will address MSPs in a rare speech by a head of state.

I note another President is planning a visit to Scotland.

I am sure Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer meant well when she urged us last week to move away from our “doctor knows best” mentality.

IT is shamefully appropriate that the Windrush scandal – which has seen retirement-age citizens who arrived from the Caribbean as children between 1948 and 1971 being denied services and threatened with deportation - should coincide with the 50th anniversary of Enoch Powell’s notorious “rivers of blood” speech which symbolised a racism we hoped had been left in the past.

For many years now Brits have enjoyed the reputation of being a nation of pet lovers. Be they furry, fluffy, feathered or covered in scales, we are still as obsessed with our pets as ever. In Scotland, 20 per cent of households keep one or more dogs and 15 cent keep one or more cats. While there is not accurate data on the number of other species kept, we do know that animals like reptiles, birds and small mammals are kept or sold in their thousands in Scotland. In recent years, the pet market has increasingly diversified with high street pet shops selling a varied and diverse range of species, from hamsters to boa constrictors.

EDINBURGH is incredibly fortunate to be famed for its tourism as well as being regarded as a bona fide shopping destination.

Let’s start with some great news for the city: the council has managed to purchase the former National Grid site in Granton – opening the door to fantastic opportunities for much-needed new housing.

TEN per cent of millennials would rather break a bone than give up their smartphone for the day. They probably think all over-60s are thick Luddites who can’t cope with change.