‘Should he be Lord Hoy of Meadowbank?’

Published on 08/08/2012 12:00

Just like the rest of the Olympics gold rush, we should all savour Sir Chris Hoy’s astonishing success.

It is likely to be a long, long time before we witness again anything like what this Murrayfield lad has just achieved.

Six gold medals – and one silver – cements his position as Britain’s greatest Olympian. His place in history is assured.

Everyone wants to know what he will do next. Will he redouble his efforts in order to compete in Glasgow in two years’ time in the velodrome that bears his name? For now, we can only wait in hope.

Today, we have broken with tradition and changed our front page masthead from blue to gold, as a small tribute to his remarkable feat.

Calls are also being made for the nation and his home city to bestow a suitable honour on one of our all-time sporting greats. Already a Sir, should he be ennobled – perhaps becoming Lord Hoy of Meadowbank – or receive the Freedom of Edinburgh? Is it too early to talk of a statue being erected to inspire stars of the future?

One thing is for sure, the debate should not be constrained by dusty protocols like the city council’s insistence that only the dead can be honoured with a statue or a street being named after them.

There are plenty of precedents of living sports people being captured in life-size bronze – although in Sir Chris’s case, surely gold would be more appropriate – including Scottish football greats Denis Law and John Greig, Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, Canadian ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and US basketball ace Magic Johnson.

Another idea might be a “living tribute” similar to the one which the city created for another of its great Olympians, Eric Liddell, whose name is honoured every day in the work of a dynamic community centre bearing his name. How about a Sir Chris Hoy sporting academy?

However we decide to show it, Chris, you’ve made us proud.

Bad deal

Handing over a deposit to a landlord in Edinburgh can often feel like a bit of a gamble.

The problem with the system is the lack of transparency which allows money to be withheld at the end of a contract with little more than a vague explanation.

New legislation to tackle this is welcome, but not if it means deposits are replaced with another charge.

It is no surprise that the landlords will continue to hold all the cards in such a busy rental market as Edinburgh’s, where demand can outstrip supply. It will be up to the government to consider what more can be done to even the odds.