Letters: Thriving West End has been turned into a ‘no-go’ zone

Once upon a time it was a busy, lively, thriving part of our city centre.

Sadly, it has now become a “no-go area” due to the recent and prolonged diversion (meant to be short-term) of buses from Manor Place to the beginning of Princes Street.

How dare the councillors, who are responsible for the obscene, costly tram fiasco, add a final nail in the coffin of business failure.

Those councillors have a lot to answer for!

In the Take 5 questions on February 23, the News asked “Are you satisfied with the work of the council?”. I can only assume the one that said “Yes” must be a relative!

Sylvia M De Luca, Baberton Park, Juniper Green, Edinburgh

Send right signal to rail franchise

THE government hopes the new rail franchise will put in place wi-fi on all trains to Aberdeen and Inverness (News, February 28). Many Stagecoach buses already provide this free.

Perhaps the Scottish Government could start now with requiring all mobile phone providers to provide a signal all the way from Edinburgh. At present conversations are rather intermittent!

Colin C Maclean, Hillpark Avenue, Edinburgh

Timetable’s not a good timekeeper

ON Monday I was visiting in Boswall. I waited 15 minutes for a number 8, which was ten minutes late before I realised Lothian Buses had helpfully converted all the timetables in the bus shelter to those starting on March 5, more than a week away. I was very cold and waiting for a bus that may or may not arrive. I ended up walking!

K Byron, Parker Avenue, Edinburgh

Candidate out of touch with area

I’M astonished by the comments made by Labour candidate Karen Keil (News, February 23) talking down the new Drum Brae Hub and stating it was “too little too late”.

The Drum Brae and Clermiston communities have campaigned for a library for more than 40 years.

Indeed, more than 1300 people attended its opening three weeks ago. I think Karen Keil is not only out of touch with the local community, but she clearly disagrees with her colleagues Malcolm Chisholm and Sarah Boyack, who both praised the £5.7 million project during a debate in the Scottish Parliament.

Mrs Keil has been hostile towards the project from the outset and is now essentially saying it’s not worth it. Her comments are a slap in the face to the many people who will benefit from the new facilities.

The truth is that Drum Brae has benefited greatly from this council administration, with more than £10m investment not only in the Hub but on a brand new care home. I would challenge Labour to back this investment.

Cllr Colin Keir MSP

Border controls would be needed

I AM afraid Alex Orr (Letters, February 27) hasn’t understood, or perhaps has, but hasn’t got an answer for, the valid point made by Brian Monteith about separation leading to Border controls.

Mr Monteith points out that after separation Scotland and the rest of the UK would pursue different policies on many things, including alcohol and immigration, but that these policies would come unstuck, if there were no controls on the Border.

For example, if Scotland pushed up alcohol prices, Scots would flock to the north of England to buy cheap booze. The only way to make the policy work would be to control how much alcohol people were bringing back at the Border.

But the differences in policy would get much starker, because without Scotland the rest of the UK would move heavily to the right. Without Scotland’s 59 MPs only one of whom is a Conservative, the anti-Tory presence in Westminster would go down by 57 votes net.

In these circumstances, the rest of the UK would very probably soon leave the EU, making the Tweed and the Solway, the EU’s external border.

Otto Inglis, Inveralmond Grove, Edinburgh