Analysis: If Scotland’s Disgrace can be a top attraction, trams will barely dent the city’s reputation

By Richard Kerley
Published on Thursday 10 November 2011 00:55

AS VARIOUS people lament Edinburgh being badly run and incapable of fulfilling the role of Scotland’s capital, perhaps we can take an historical perspective on such claims of disaster and decay.

After all, one of the city’s most photographed tourist attractions sits on top of Calton Hill, a mute reminder that earlier city councils also started grand projects they were unable to complete. Neatly enough, the most frequently used name for it – Scotland’s Disgrace – shifts the blame for non-completion to the whole country.More recently, there were several years when every headline was about the escalating cost of the Scottish Parliament building – now an iconic symbol of a national legislature.

Now, of course, we have the tram debacle, though it is far from clear why it became a debacle; perhaps the promised public inquiry might help with that. On top of these badly managed mega projects are continuing and growing revelations of what may be a major conspiracy of fraud and corruption within the council in tenement property repairs.

We have to consider whether such foul-ups represent failures of governance or just plain “stuff happens”. We must also think about whether major political management failures such as these damage the international image of the city.

I think we can actually be more relaxed about this. Major global cities have had similar disastrously managed projects that appear to do little long-term damage to their reputation. Amsterdam has a subway project years late that doubled in price and Nice had a three-year construction hitch with its tram line (and project members prosecuted).

In relation to decision-making and governance within the city, The Scotsman is right to ask some hard questions. This is not the first time Edinburgh has had coalition or minority administrations; this is just not a very stable or successful one.

However, easy solutions are not readily and immediately available, and with council elections just over six months away, it seems likely that May 2012 will be the time at which there will likely be some form of political rebalancing.

In the longer term, there is a growing interest – among some people – in the creation of elected provosts for our cities. However, the evidence from experience in England is, at best, mixed. If such arrangements are to be created – provosts with executive authority monitored by and accountable to elected councils – then that requires legislation through the Scottish Parliament. I suspect the last thing the current government wants is a complex local government bill. It has other constitutional fish to fry.

• Professor Richard Kerley is chairman of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy.

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leithforme

Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 01:17 PM

the Scottish Parliament building – now an iconic symbol of a national legislature......what planet is this chappie on? it's a big lump of falling down, leaking concrete full of idiots - another ....Scottish Disgrace!

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Cats Lockhart

Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 10:38 AM

'Scotland's disgrace'? I've never heard it called that. It's 'Edinburgh's disgrace' - mark 1. As for a referendum on 'independence', it would be more relevant to have a referendum on the continuation of the tram project. SCRAP THE TRAMS NOW!

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The Answer

Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 01:38 AM

"Major global cities" ............................... of which edinburgh is not one. ----------- 30 public bogs and four 5 star hotels is not conductive of even a minor town.

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