Fortunate we still have a strong press - John McLellan

As Alan pointed out in his Evening News column this week, it was strange that journalists close to the story were not called to give their insight.

The Evening News, or rather Alan, did what good newspapers do in doggedly challenging authorities and holding them accountable for their actions, just as Ian Swanson had done as the Scottish Parliament construction descended into chaos.

From both the tram and Holyrood experiences there were two lessons, firstly that those presiding over the mayhem will do all they can to deny reality and culpability, and instead blame irresponsible and inaccurate journalism until the truth can no longer be avoided.

The second is that without a robust and reliable Press, those responsible for catastrophic and sometimes wilful blunders have a much better chance of living to blunder again if it can all be brushed aside.

We are fortunate a strong Press still exists in Scotland, but from the Edinburgh Council administration’s bizarrely laid-back reaction so far, there is still every chance the Hardie Report will simply gather dust on a shelf marked Edinburgh history alongside Lord Fraser’s Holyrood Report and the Abercrombie Plan.