Talk of the Town: Green doesn't sit well with SNP

WESTMINSTER'S new MPs are being closely watched. And it's not just expenses coming under scrutiny, but the post-election seating arrangements too.

Kez Dudgale, assistant to Lothians Labour MSP George Foulkes, spotted new Green MP Caroline Lucas sitting between two Scottish Nationalists at yesterday's Prime Minister's Questions and took the opportunity to tweet her: "Hopefully giving them a hard time over climate target vote in Holyrood last week?"

That's a reference to the SNP's defeat when they failed to live up to their promises of a 3 per cent target for cutting carbon emissions.

Just for good measure, Green MSP Patrick Harvie tweeted Ms Lucas: "Absolutely".

Battle lines drawn over Broughton expansion

BROUGHTON residents could soon be called up to man the ramparts and fend off a siege on their territory.

Leithers have always fiercely guarded against the creeping encroachment of greater Edinburgh on to their territory, but it seems the distributors of Broughton pamphlet The Spurtle are now getting in on the act following complaints about distribution outside their "borders".

Contributing editor Alan McIntosh said: "No-one agrees where Broughton is. Beyond McDonald Road is Leith, argue some. Others froth if we mention anywhere north of Rodney Street. We claim this 'Spurtleshire' is Broughton, but saying so stirs Balkan-like jealousies at every turn."

Read about prison success

EVERYONE likes a good book - and prisoners at Saughton are no exception it seems.

HMP Edinburgh Library Partnership is one of three finalists vying for a prestigious accolade – the Libraries Change Lives Award.

Linda Constable, chair of the judging panel, said: "In Edinburgh, damage done to library books has reduced significantly from 80 per cent to zero since the new library opened, demonstrating the new-found value the prisoners have for their library as well as improving the transition from prisoner to outside community life."

Penguin fans in a flap

ANIMAL-LOVERS were sad to hear that loveable gay penguins, Colin and Justin, hadn't been able to adopt an egg to care for this year during the breeding season at Edinburgh Zoo.

But the two cheeky chaps are now in a much more cheery place after the real Colin and Justin gave them a shout-out on their Twitter account.

The celebrity designer duo said: "Just been told Edinburgh Zoo have a pair of egg-nabbing gay penguins called Colin and Justin. Thought we were the ones with Happy Feet."