uman rights campaigner Sir Geoff Palmer has criticised a Scottish school’s decision to scrap To Kill A Mockingbird from the classroom- your views online

"Banning books and taking down statutes is a slippery road in the wrong direction. Let's all work together to educate ourselves and not further divide”

Gregory Peck appeared in the film version of Harper Lee's book

Book ban

Human rights campaigner Sir Geoff Palmer has criticised a Scottish school’s decision to scrap To Kill A Mockingbird from the classroom

Pete Thomson

Consider the experience of a young black teenager in class whose only experience of racism in literature is TKAMB. It has little relevance to the life they live now and does little to contribute to their positive sense of self. It’s a progressive decision to update the curriculum.

Shiv Das

Decolonising the curriculum is about expanding horizons, providing voices to the marginalised (women, disabled, ethnic minorities etc). It is not about banning, it is about education. Children need to learn about the historical racist context of statutes, terminology and novels. It expands their knowledge and allows them to become better rounded citizens. Banning books and taking down statutes is a slippery road in the wrong direction. Let's all work together to educate ourselves and not further divide.

Margaret Ferguson Burns

It's often the first time someone will become aware of racism and what it does to folk - and then go on to discuss it more widely - and then be part of the solution, for the rest of their lives.

Martin Clubber Laing

I agree with Sir Geoff Palmer. The novel is legendary and the teacher who has taken the personal and singular decision on himself to ban it does not deserve to remain a teacher. He needs to take a long hard look at himself.

Kate Campbell

How awful, this is a true classic. What idiot thought this one up? Leave it where it is, all kids should get the chance to read this book, I loved it.

Susan Crook

Perhaps a mixture of the older literature and the more modern texts that would better reflect diversity would help teach children more about racism and gradual developments. It might encourage children to become more actively anti-racist.

Jim Proudfoot

Reading can seriously damage your ignorance! Bet they still read the bible.

Alexander Thomson

Let's go the whole hog. Noddy in toy land – racist; books written by certain authors – ban them; bonfire of books in Germany in the 30s. If you don't want to read it, don't, but telling others it is banned – certainly not.

May Moss

How disappointing, Gillespies.

Lorraine Landles

Well said, Sir.

Flash floods

Edinburgh would see less flooding after torrential rain if drains worked properly

Lynne Cumming

My husband and I cannot remember seeing a drain cleaner at the drains as regular maintenance for years. They used to come regularly when we were young and clean the drains.....we never had flooding!

Michele Liston

I have been dealing with flooding in my street and house for the last 15 years and report this every time. A specialist was asked to review the general infrastructure two years ago and confirmed our suspicions that due to continual building on natural flood plains and not upgrading the drainage system in place, flooding will occur. Add in no maintenance to gullies, drains and the waterways, we will flood. The council and Scottish Water need to start working together more too, as we are constantly passed from one to the other.

Scotty Malotty

I’m Stockeree born and bred - lived there for years until the late 80s. There were numerous downpours as heavy if not heavier and prolonged as the one this week and not once did flooding happen on that scale. Look at all the weeds growing high at the edge of the pavements in the area now also - it’s neglect. Will Smith - If you fancy reprising your role in a sequel to I Am Legend, there’s a ready made movie set for it - it’s called Edinburgh.

Ken Johnston

A monoblock laid properly allows drainage, providing the subsurface has been properly and adequately laid. The patterned concrete drives are the ones that don't allow water to permeate.

Robert Bald

If the clowncil spent money on maintaining roads and drainage rather than wasting it on painting stupid lines and putting spaces for people up, then maybe we wouldn’t have had the flooding.

Ian MacLachlan

If this is the Future to Come, maybe we need storm drains, as in the tropical cities?

Mick Hampton

They're probably blocked up with face masks.