Letters: Trashy state of Capital makes me hang my head in shame

I have just returned from a trip to Moscow and St Petersburg and cannot help but be impressed by the beauty of these cities. They are clean, pretty and spectacular! The tourist trade is their main industry and Russia is certainly geared up for this.

When I compare our once-beautiful city to St Petersburg I am ashamed and sad. I was always proud of my city and could boast about it but now I feel I have to apologise all the time about the state of it.

This city is a mess! It’s dingy, dirty and nearly every road is dug up and potholed. I have stopped coming into town because of the mess.

Why can’t our city fathers see Edinburgh’s natural beauty and heritage and build on these strengths instead of pumping endless amounts of money into a useless tram line which is of no use to most people in Edinburgh. Not to mention the ugly cables along Princes Street which will mar views of The Castle. Just imagine the number of roads which could have been resurfaced with this money.

I am so sad and annoyed that our city is in such a mess and there seems to be no end to the destruction. The Royal Mile should be the jewel in Edinburgh’s Crown but it too is sad, with all the cheap tartan tat shops lining the street.

Why don’t we build on the quality and heritage of Edinburgh and make this a first class city to be proud of?

Mrs M Quade, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh

Time officials held to account

With the new city councillors now in office, is it not time one of the real reasons for this city’s decline – incompetent council officials – were held to account by the public?

With all the talk of making the council more accessible to the public, more answerable to the public, would this not be the right time to have a series of Q&A sessions with a director of each of the council departments? This would give the public the opportunity to put forward their views on how that department was operated and what we thought of the service they provided. We are after all the ones who are paying for the service.

Whilst past administrations have been inept, these officials are equally to blame for the state the city is now in. The article published in Monday’s News regarding the shocking state of the roads, the fact Edinburgh is the dirtiest city in Scotland and much more, make these officials equally as culpable as past councillors.

They cannot be allowed to keep their heads below the parapets forever, they must justify their actions.

David Black, Kenmure Avenue, Edinburgh

Gardens are perfect for Jubilee concert

I wonder how many people like myself sat at home and enjoyed the wonderful concert for the Queen’s Jubilee in London.

On a fine evening like this in Edinburgh we could have had our own tribute in Princes Street Gardens if it had been encouraged, showing Scotland’s respect for the Queen.

Is this a ploy by the Scottish Parliament and the media to brainwash us into thinking Scotland has no place in the Union?

Long may you reign, Ma’am.

Mary Coombs, Edinburgh

Immigration policy needs to get strict

Should Greece leave the euro and go bankrupt, millions would lose their jobs and look for work abroad. Which country will these unemployed people want to go to?

Here is a clue.

One with a generous welfare system, a health system that cares for all even although they are health tourists, a child benefit system which has no cap on the number of children and a social housing system which allows foreigners with large families to jump to the head of an already long queue. Add to that the education system, already stretched.

Politicians of all parties should unite and tell Theresa May to immediately bring in emergency immigration controls to close our borders to this destructive tsunami.

The EU will not like it?

Advise them that we will leave the EU and cancel our £51 million a day contribution.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow