Letters: Greens deserve a mention for hard work in community

But I was surprised that he failed to mention the Greens, in the same copy of the newspaper as one Green councillor, Alison Johnstone was reported as winning support for local businesses over supermarkets and another Green councillor, Maggie Chapman, explains some of the appalling failings of the SNP/Lib Dem council on housing.

Personally, I think voters have shown themselves a lot more canny than Martin gives them credit for.

In my own area, the Lib Dems are well out of the running. The existing Tory councillor, Gordon Buchan, is standing down, disillusioned with his party by all accounts, and is being replaced by a very inexperienced candidate. The recently-announced SNP candidate is totally invisible, having been parachuted in from North Lanarkshire.

By contrast, I’ve been in the area for 20 years and have worked hard for the local school, local shops and local community groups.

I think that will count for a lot more with voters than the ebbs and flows of national politics.

Gavin Corbett, Green candidate for Fountainbridge / Craiglockhart Ward, Briarbank Terrace, Edinburgh

Are we ready for overturned trams?

On a recent visit to Krakow in Poland, where they have a tram system, we wondered why so many double and triple unit trams were queueing in a street we were walking along.

This was because a tram had jumped the rails while negotiating a sharp corner and was being lifted back on by a small powerful crane.

Has our proposed tram company taken this likelihood into consideration and does it have a crane on standby? The crane lorry was fitted with blue flashing lights.

W Tait, Warriston Terrace,

Edinburgh

We need councillors to show backbone

Now that election leaflets have started dropping through our doors, telling us how wonderful that candidate is going to be, how he/she will stand up for their constituents, let us keep in mind one thing. That is, whoever we do vote for has a backbone, which is unlike so many of our elected members today.

An example being that in November 2009, Cllr Robert Aldridge issued instructions to all senior management that all redundant sign posts, of which there are many, should be removed, not just as a one-off, but as an on-going work. You just have to look around the city to see the problem.

Due to the failure of these senior managers, for whatever reason, nothing has been done two and a half years later. Surely in that time Cllr Aldridge should have contacted these managers, or indeed director Mark Turley, and inquired as to why this work had not started. Could it be just another example of elected members running scared of confronting senior council officials, who seem to act with impunity no matter what they do – or don’t, in this case?

These senior officials have been acting in this manner for many years now and it is time that our councillors stood up to them and reminded them who dictates policy and who should carry out that policy.

If those seeking our vote are not prepared to show some backbone, them we should not be voting for them.

David Black, Kenmure Avenue, Edinburgh.

Spruce up galleries with new flags

If millions can be spent on what has turned out to be a shambolic trams project, surely for a very small sum new flags could be bought for the art galleries at the Mound?

The ones that currently fly over these magnificent and classic structures look so faded and ragged that they spoil the appearance of these splendid buildings.

Tourism is one of Edinburgh’s most lucrative industries but if the necessary investment is not made even for something as trivial as flags, Edinburgh as a result could see a decline in its popularity.

Angus McGregor, Albion Road, Edinburgh