Letters: Seats should be for legends only, and not permanent

Like the Tattoo, seating arrangements will be temporary. But the Accies want to construct a permanent grandstand fronting an even larger commercial development on about a quarter of their greenfield site.

Plans to build a permanent stadium on the Castle esplanade were proposed and eventually rejected many years ago.

What is wrong for the Castle would be equally wrong for Stockbridge. Some things are worth conserving. The Accies’ proposals should be rejected.

Thomas Manderson, Brougham Place, Edinburgh

Park group keeps changing position

Alison Connolly (Letters, October 26) infers that I have completely misunderstood Portobello Park Action Group’s position. It would not be difficult, they have adopted more positions than the Kama Sutra.

She says they have at no time stated a preference to build on any other park. Did their chairperson, no less, suggest “a flat, featureless area of Figgate Park”?

They have used traffic dangers as an issue and yet suggest a site in Baileyfield which is hemmed in by Portobello High Street, the Harry Lauder bypass and is on the corner of a five-lane junction.

She mentions time delays and yet they are pushing the council into further hold-ups by taking the slower options.It would take four to five years to rebuild on the extended site, which would force St John’s into relocating, potentially to a greenfield site. A phased rebuild has been championed by their supporters. The same council report quotes 73 months for this option.

PPAG continually harp on about the increasing costs and yet totally ignore the costs related to a decant which would be far more expensive than the park option. What is there to misunderstand?

William Wilson, Portobello High Street

The real lies come from Westminster

Donald McBride (letters, October 30) claims that the SNP misled Scotland over continuing membership of the EU.

However, an internet search reveals that Eamonn Gallagher, former director general of the European Commission, Emile Noel, one of Europe’s founding fathers and long-serving secretary-general of the European Commission and Lord Mackenzie-Stuart, former president of the European Court of Justice all stated that Scotland and the remainder of the UK would be entitled to continue the existing full membership of the EU.

The “lies” alleged by Mr McBride are of nothing compared to successive Westminster governments’ lies over the McCrone Report in 1974 which was kept secret for 30 years as it conceded that the SNP had vastly underestimated the true value of North Sea oil or the dodgy legal dossier under which the UK went to war in Iraq and resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 civilians and of 180 British military. These are real lies by UK governments which we no longer trust to take decisions for Scotland.

Janice Thompson, Walter Scott Avenue, Edinburgh

Help from people eased pain of visit

ON October 23 my daughter and I arrived in Edinburgh for a three-night stay.

On arrival my daughter slipped on wet tiles outside our accommodation and injured her arm.

At reception I was given the directions by bus to the Western General Hospital. When the 37 bus arrived I was surprised to be told that the driver could not give change, and I only had a £20 note.

I had no experience of this on public transport before.

By this stage my daughter’s arm was very painful and swollen, and I asked the driver if we could pay on the way back, but was told this was not possible.

We were about to leave the bus when a very nice young lady paid the driver. We did not get her name, but would like to pass on a big thank you.

We would also like to thank the staff the Western General. My daughter was seen within eight minutes, had an X-ray, a collar and cuff on right arm and discharged within an hour.

We left with a copy of the X-rays, a letter to our local hospital and pain killers.

In spite of what happened we enjoyed our stay. The weather was very good, and the people very helpful, welcoming and friendly.

Lorna Doogan, Armagh, Northern Ireland