Only one way for culture director to go and that was out the door

I, like so many others, was dismayed to read that, not only was The People’s Story Museum’s future uncertain, but that it had also been closed for the last two months due to staff shortages without city councillors being alerted.

Now I read in the Evening News that Edinburgh City Council’s Director of Culture and Wellbeing, Joan Parr, is packing her bags “to pursue other interests”.

Pull the other one! The fact that councillors and presumably the convener of the Culture and Communities Committee, Councillor Val Walker, were kept in the dark displays breathtaking contempt for elected members and if Ms Parr was in any way responsible for this sorry state of affairs, there was only one way for her to go and that was out the door.

Not only that, but the decision to close the museum displays a mind-boggling lack of understanding about the importance of the collection and its significance to the city.

I well remember attending the opening of the museum which was met with glowing admiration for the way it set out to tell the story of the “ordinary” folk of the city rather than royalty and aristocracy exhibitions elsewhere in the town.

The exhibit of the two men who supported opposing teams, discussing the forthcoming derby they were about to attend (only one was a dummy) was amusing. Other exhibits showed the womenfolk imbibing their hot refreshment in Jenner’s Tearooms and trade union and campaign banners being donated highlighting the role that working class organisations played in the city. These took pride of place on the museum walls.

So, given the furore that has been witnessed due to the museum’s closure, councillors must be well aware of the need to reopen the museum as soon as possible and take the appropriate steps to secure its future.

Only one way for culture director to go and that was out the door - Steve Cardownie