Letters: Don't sell Edinburgh short over performance at the tills

Is that not the same for any town or city, no matter where it is? When these figures are broken down, would most people not have realised that Edinburgh is still doing well despite what the experts are telling us?

And is it not clear to these experts that our city is still climbing the shopping league tables like the other mentioned towns and cities, which have far larger areas and population densities than we have?

Scotland is a small country with a population of just over five million people, which is less than some small areas of England that were mentioned.

So is it not a bit misleading for these experts to lump in so many towns and cities that are so close to each other in England and then tell us that they are doing better than us?

Britain was an industrial country just a few years ago and since the dismantling of our industrial base businesses have had to diversify – something they've adapted to well.

Consumerism seems to be the name of the game now and, as a city, is Edinburgh still not doing better than most other places of comparable size?

Andrew Murphy, Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Labour biggest losers at the polls

WHAT nonsense from Ken Welsh on the SNP (Interactive, 29 May). The party with the disappointing general election results was not the Nationalists but Labour yet again.

They lost in England and had a wasted majority vote in Scotland.

When are the Scots going to learn that only in an independent Scotland will we get the government that we want?

Sure, the SNP can make mistakes, but nothing like Labour has done.

They ditched socialism for the popular right-wing south of England vote, which they failed to secure, and they are now without a party leader.

Let's hope by 2014 the Scots will have seen sense and returned Alex Salmond and the SNP with a working majority.

Colin Smail, Viewforth Gardens, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh

Let them have food vouchers

MY HACKLES were raised when in his column Martin Hannan (News, 1 June) tried to make excuses for the benefit scroungers and junkies who permeate our society.

He implies total anarchy if these people have their benefits stopped. These people are already committing crimes to supplement their benefits.

I say give them food vouchers, not money to spend on booze, drugs and fags.

They will soon try to find work.

Martin says Armageddon awaits if we mess with the benefits system. Bring it on!

Gary Gardner, St Mary's Street, Edinburgh

Filthy habits of selfish residents

I AGREE with Margaret Taylor, of Leith (Interactive, 27 May). I also live in Leith and for several years have contacted my MP Sheila Gilmore, various council departments and the police about non cleaning and dirt and rubbish being left in the common stairs and passageways with no success.

I am the only owner/occupier who lives in my tenement and the other five flats in the stair are let mostly to foreign nationals.

Margaret Taylor says according to a police officer she spoke to it is some Eastern Europeans' culture to urinate in the street.

Is it also their culture to leave household rubbish in smelly bags and other waste just flung into the passageways?

They also leave the door open although it has an entry system fitted by myself and previous responsible owners, who have now all sadly departed.

The flats are owned by registered landlords and Houses in Multiple Occupation managers who, it seems, are only interested in collecting their rents and do nothing to manage the cleaning of the premises.

These flat-dwellers are completely inconsiderate, totally selfish and extremely filthy in their habits!

John J McVey, Easter Road, Edinburgh