Scotland hopes post-Covid 'party of all parties' will be one to remember – Scotsman comment

Economists have been talking about the prospect of the “party of all parties” when we finally get on top of the Covid pandemic.

Tickets for this year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are on sale in anticipation of the event going ahead

But, while there are always exceptions, people who are good at crunching the numbers are perhaps not the ones to whom you would first turn when looking for a shindig of extraordinary proportions.

So, it is good news that, despite a year of cancelled shows, we can now look forward to a summer of major events staged by people who are expert in putting them on – providing, of course, that infection rates are kept down.

As we report today, details of crowd numbers and safety measures are expected to be published shortly to allow festivals and other cultural and sporting events to take place.

This could be great news for the Edinburgh Festival as well as the likes of the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway, Doune the Rabbit Hole in Stirlingshire, Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick, Belladrum near Inverness and many more.

It would be a much-needed boost to our entertainment and hospitality sectors and the economy in general. And, with overseas tourism likely to remain problematic for some time, there will be something of a captive audience in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

But, for many, and particularly the younger generation whose lives have been so blighted by the pandemic and lockdown, it would be a welcome chance to blow off steam, have some fun and raise a glass in toast to the end of a most terrible time.

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