Action needed to stop an unhappy ending at cinema

Published on Thursday 30 October 2008 08:50

I AM very saddened to learn of the mysterious fire that has seriously damaged the former State cinema which has lain empty for some time now.

I remember it so well as a boy, with its palm tree decorated foyer and blue wickerwork furniture with gold trim in the waiting areas, pictures of the stars on the walls.

The uniformed staff in matching coloured blue livery and the manger resplendent in evening suit. The outline and general shape of the art deco building's architecture illuminated by coloured neon lights, red green and blue, making the building really stand out against the backdrop of the black night sky.

Multicoloured stage lights that constantly changed the hue of the silver-painted stage surrounds and the silver curtain.

The soft playing background music as you waited for the show to start. Always ending with the National Anthem to which all and sundry would stand for.

At the end of the night, you could hear the rattling of the film delivery vehicle as the crew loaded and unloaded boxes of films.

In the past I've campaigned for the preservation of this building, which is one of the few of its kind left in the city and in Leith in particular.

It may be too late to preserve its interior, but I do feel strongly that the exterior should be preserved

Frank Ferri, Newhaven Main Street, Edinburgh

Our tax system is grossly outdated

I SEE that a senior source at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has stated that the idea of a local income tax is "pie in the sky'' because of the difficulties there will be in collecting it (News, Octobert 28). Perhaps this unknown senior source can come up with a better idea, because the present system is grossly outdated and there should have been a revaluation of properties years ago.

There was no control over councils subjecting us to inflation-busting increases year after year which have taken very little account of people's ability to pay. Yes there will be some people that will have to pay more and maybe this senior source will be one of them.

Alan Chambers, The Murrays, Edinburgh

Lothian to blame for cancelled buses

IN reference to the letter you published on October 27 from Brian Allen, may I correct the claim that the N26 night service was withdrawn because East Lothian Council cancelled funding.

While I sympathise with the inconvenience that Mr Allen experienced at not having a night bus service to Port Seton, I must emphasise that East Lothian Council did not subsidise the night bus service and is not responsible for its cancellation, that was a decision taken by Lothian Buses.

The council does from time to time subsidise bus services where we consider that there is a valid social need for public transport. But ultimately, bus companies are commercial concerns and require any service, subsidised or not, to be used by an economically viable number of customers. If this usage is too low, the service can be cancelled.

Councillor Paul McLennan, transport spokesman, East Lothian Council

Bank bailout is an absolute disgrace

YOU report, "Lloyds TSB 'would save 2bn if HBoS merger goes ahead', (News, October 29).

Good for Lloyds TSB. They save two billion bucks and Scotland stands to lose up to 15,000 jobs. That's good for who precisely? Not Scotland's economy.

Isn't it a disgrace that Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling are bailing out Lloyds TSB with 6bn of our money while they are buying HBoS? If they have the cash to asset strip HBoS, why do they need public cash to bolster their own failing business – a failure entirely of their own making, incompetence and naked greed.

Isn't this deal fundamentally immoral?

Jim Taylor, The Murrays Brae, Edinburgh

Doctors would not turn a blind eye

AS your editorial on the subject of mortality rates after surgery noted (October 8), surgeons are rightly accountable for their performance. As you also note, there is serious doubt about whether the publication of crude mortality rates helps or hinders that process. In NHS Lothian, we have a number of ways of ensuring high levels of professional performance.

While we do study such mortality data, we also have our own monitoring systems which will bring questions over performance very quickly to light, and allow action to be taken quickly to safeguard patient safety.

Doctors generally want to help patients as much as possible and would not turn a blind eye to poor performance by colleagues. Moreover, as part of the General Medical Council registration that permits them to work as doctors, all doctors must raise any concerns they may have around a colleague's performance immediately with Dr Charles Swainson, the medical director for NHS Lothian. If they do not, they risk losing their own registration and therefore their ability to work.

It is important for readers to note that while you published details of some of our surgeons where deaths had been recorded – irrespective of the circumstances of that death – you did not publish the details of the much greater number – over 100 of our surgeons – who did not have deaths recorded in these figures.

Dr Simon MacKenzie, Associate Medical Director, NHS Lothian