Amazon's arrival - 'The omens do seem to be getting better'

They say that the arrival of one swallow does not make a summer, and the same has to be said about one Amazon.

But the fact that the massive online sales company is about to set up a major Scottish base here in Edinburgh has to be good news.

Sources believe more than 100 jobs could be created, with many more in the pipeline when the US giant creates a huge distribution warehouse less than an hour's drive away.

That will offer hope to people who have found themselves out of work or their career progression halted in recent poor economic times.

And there is a wider picture. The arrival of Amazon in the Capital sends out a message that this is a city in which big corporations want to work. The presence of such big bodies create a gravitational pull on other investors, who see the attraction of a well-educated and resourceful workforce.

Waverley Gate is a case in point, in fact. Just two years ago it was a symbol of the recession, a 100m white elephant owner Castlemore couldn't attract tenants to at any price.

The former GPO building, the biggest Grade A office block in the Capital, is still not out of the woods, but with rates cut after Highcross bought it out of administration for about 30m, the future is rosier.

Amazon will rub shoulders with fellow tenants Microsoft, while H&M, NHS Lothian and Creative Scotland have all taken space.

A survey late last year suggested there was about seven per cent less vacant office space in the city than the year before. There are still plenty of To Let signs around, but the omens for better economic weather do seem to be getting better.

The ba's burst

Today in our sports pages we examine the big decisions currently in the Sottish Football Association's in-tray.

The size of the SPL, a winter break and how football's money is distributed are all on the agenda at a key meeting next week. Unfortunately, that agenda is far too limited.

Perhaps we should have expected no more when Henry McLeish, a failure as First Minister, was tasked with reviewing the Scottish game. But even his unimaginative plans have been watered down.

The big argument next week will be on whether there should be ten, 12, 14 or more teams in the top league. Not a switch to summer football, a major reconstruction across the leagues or new academies for kids.

Our national game is dying, with falling crowds and debts besetting many clubs, and all those in charge are doing is playing feng shui with the deckchairs on the Titanic.