John Gibson: What's the big deal on the wheel?

Published on Thursday 17 December 2009 08:37

WE SHOULD be excited. Jumping up and down. If the planners, the visionaries, have their way – and usually they do, ultimately – we're going to have a fantabulous Ferris wheel down by Leith's waterfront.

Twice the height of the Scott Monument. Not far short of a third as lofty as the Eiffel. Four times taller than the plaything currently circling in Princes Street.

Well, golly gee whizz, we should be dizzy in anticipation. People will pile into the port, the city council is predicting. A stupendous money-spinner. It costs 17.50 currently to visit the comparable London Eye, so you can talk 20 quid and then some here before Leith's Ferris is up and turning.

At next to no extra charge, there'll be the sheer delight of getting down there via Leith Walk, Easter Road or Ferry Road. Vistas to delight the eye.

Will the Ferris wheel bring with it burger stalls, donkey rides, candy floss and the customary flotsam? A veritable Blackpool.

It's hoped the wheel will attract something akin to Edinburgh Zoo's 650,000 visitors last year, and the zoo has financial worries at that.

The Ferris prime movers are Tom Buchanan, Dave Anderson and Nigel Ward.

Note the names and come back to me if and when the Fantabulous Ferris comes to fruition.

We'll want to see them raise their hands and plead guilty.

Going to the dogs

Make-your-mind-up time careerwise for your teenage offspring. Advise them to forget media studies. The dogs in the street are doing those and countless employers will consider the certificate worthless when jobseekers turn up at the interview (collar and tie and shiny shoes, hopefully) flaunting the parchment.

Forget cocktail barman (you get the shakes) but chiropody could be a winner, so much totty can be seen hirpling home at five in the morning, carrying the 400 shoes that have been killing them all night.

Afterwords . .

. . . whoever slipped this into my cracker should be done for Christmas treason: Where can you buy British Rail bubble gum? On a chewchew train.