Readers' letters: It's time to move the Tattoo to Murrayfield

I took a trip recently up the Royal Mile from George IV Bridge, hoping to get a certain picture for my tour guiding business’ new leaflet. Between scaffolding, road works, “street furniture” and Tattoo construction, that section of the Old Town looked an absolute mess. I felt both embarrassed for and ashamed of what is supposed to be one of the world’s great visitor cities.

No doubt the Castle backdrop helps the Tattoo be a spectacular and memorable show, but having to sacrifice the appearance and atmosphere of the massively important Castle Esplanade for the five central months of the visitor season seems a huge price to pay. Also, why does Edinburgh still punish itself by cramming the Tattoo into August with the Festival, Fringe and all the rest? It seems to me crazy to compress the season like this, when businesses need steady trade over more of the year.

Here’s my suggestion: move the Tattoo to October, and to Murrayfield. This would give a bigger capacity and revenue potential, a better all-weather customer experience, and a bigger, more flexible show space. The darker nights and professional lighting will allow a “lone piper” experience that will be the equal of the current one.

The Tattoo could generate even bigger audiences at Murrayfield

Between this bigger, better Tattoo, removal of needless street furniture, improvement of photographic viewpoints, and provision of some public toilets worth the name, perhaps one day we might again have a Royal Mile to boast about!

Moray Grigor (Dr), Edinburgh

You can’t uninvent the family car

No matter the successive hare-brained policies dreamed up by the anti-car brigade, the simple truth is that they cannot uninvent the car. Henry Ford’s creation, affordable to the masses, is widely credited with opening up the United States and then the world.

The uncomfortable truth, for the aforementioned lobby, is that most people like cars. Visit any modern housing development across the UK and you will see households with, often, two SUVs parked outside. The freedom to go where you want, when you want without relying on uncomfortable, unreliable, and scarce public transport, in the company of people you may wish to avoid, is as important to most people as owning their own home.

By all means force the production of cleaner vehicles which may become popular if they become cheaper and more reliable, but you cannot uninvent the family car.

Legislators should accept that and focus on making our poorly maintained roads and streets safer and reducing the current massive financial burden on motorists.

Kit Fraser, Dunbar

Does Nicola care?

Does our First Minister truly understand how people in Scotland are really struggling just to feed their family and pay their bills.? It certainly doesn’t seem like it if she is prepared to fritter away £20 million on Indyref2.

Most of the SNP’s promises have not come to fruition. Our education system is at breaking point, as is our health service. Our transport systems are failing and our public services are being short-changed. She wasn’t shy in asking and taking all the money she got from Westminster but at the same time any time the SNP is taken to task about anything she blames Westminster. We are now starting to see the real persona of our First Minister and its not looking good.

Show that you really care about the people of Scotland and use that money to improve the lives of the people you serve.

Susan Smart, Penicuik

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