'Sorry' seems to be hardest word to say on trams fiasco

Published on Wednesday 19 May 2010 11:38

I WRITE to commend Councillor Ewan Aitken (Interactive, 17 May), not only for managing to get three cliches into one sentence, but for being the first Labour councillor to have publicly acknowledged the tram scheme as having "disastrous consequences for Scotland's capital city".

Cllr Aitken blames the shambolic state of the project on a lack of leadership within Edinburgh City Council.

He appears to have forgotten that his administration, despite repeated warnings from the outset, supported the tram project despite its seriously underestimated costs and highly optimistic business case.

No amount of leadership could have compensated for these basic flaws, which the Labour Group, and others, not only ignored but, until recently, actually denied.

Having taken the momentous step of acknowledging that the tram project is a shambles, I wonder if the day may soon come when Cllr Aitken and his colleagues do the taxpaying public the courtesy of admitting their colossal lack of judgement and by drawing deep to articulate what seems to be the hardest word – "sorry".

Perhaps then they can take steps to regain public confidence and consider precisely how, at a time of widely predicted cuts in council spending, the tram project can be brought to some kind of satisfactory conclusion.

Ron Hastie, Silverknowes Neuk, Edinburgh

Hate crimes in city come as surprise

I WAS quite surprised and disturbed to read your report on hate crimes against disabled people (News, 13 May)– mainly surprised!

I'm a wheelchair user who has lived in Edinburgh since 1973 and I can say I've never had a single experience of a hate crime.

I've lived in various parts of the city and despite being burgled three times (addicts wanting to fund their habit, seemingly) I've only ever received consideration.

That's not to gainsay the rotten experiences others have had – my heart goes out to them – I just wanted to show my positive view.

I hope the perpetrators of these crimes are soon caught and dealt with.

Mick McCormack, Gilmerton Dykes Crescent, Edinburgh

Come on, give the coalition a chance

I WISH the BBC and Newsnight in particular would stop being so negative towards the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition. This arrangement has just started, for heaven's sake, and don't forget that we the voters largely helped create it.

At least at this early stage give it a chance and stop trying to pick holes in it. It might just work.

Gordon Brown also conducted a very negative election campaign.

All he seemed capable of doing was hurling criticism at the other parties and also some poor woman from Rochdale. No wonder he is now spending more time with his family.

James Fair, Maxwell Street, Edinburgh

Proposal's scale too big for site

IN YOUR article 'City planners pull plug on housing plan' (News, 14 May) you stated that the council had approved plans for a superstore on the former Scottish Power site.

They did no such thing; the council was minded to refuse the application.

Subsequently, the Inquiry Reporter made it quite clear that such things as traffic congestion could not be overcome and therefore permission for a superstore would not be granted.

Since then, traffic has increased to the point where air pollution in Portobello High Street is a concern.

Everyone I have talked to wants housing on this site to regenerate this area of Portobello, but the scale of the proposal was too great.

I look forward to another application for mainly housing which, as I have said before, benefits the developer and the residents of Portobello alike.

I hope that dialogue and the two-way sharing of information achieves this aim.

Stephen Hawkins, Liberal Democrat councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar