Olympic rings: ‘The Mound or North Bridge are acceptable’

WHEN we discovered that London’s Olympic organisers wanted to fix a giant set of aluminium rings on the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, this newspaper was quick to nail its colours to the mast.

Our message then was loud and clear. We urged readers to “Say no to Coe” because we believed that the big metal logo would spoil the look of our greatest historic treasure.

We were delighted when the Castle’s custodians, Historic Scotland, accepted that view and kicked the plans out.

Now Lord Coe’s team have set their sights on finding an alternative spot within the city centre.

Our response will be guided by the same principles that led us to fight the daft idea of sticking the rings on the Castle.

As we have said before, we are staunch supporters of the Olympics – they are undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles.

We also recognise there is much to gain economically if we can attract to Edinburgh some of the millions of tourists who will be staying in London next summer.

But there are many great ways to show our support without tarnishing our wonderful heritage, either historic monuments or natural beauty spots.

So, for that reason, we would be implacably opposed to any plan to erect the Olympic rings on Arthur’s Seat.

Apart from anything else, can you imagine the damage that would be left behind by the machinery needed to put them in place?

On the other hand, either The Mound – the most popular city centre site in our readers poll – or North Bridge could be perfectly acceptable locations.

With a little care, a temporary sculpture in either of these spots could be a colourful addition to the city landscape, with The Mound probably the best option.

We will await the new plans with great interest.

No defence

WE have been here before when it comes to the Scottish Defence League threatening to stage mass rallies in the Capital.

The last time it happened, the event was an enormous damp squib with little more than one man and his dog turning up.

Of course, the police have to take sensible precautions whenever organisers make these claims.

But it would be far better for everyone if these right-wing extremists gave up bothering us in a city where they clearly have precious little support.