Trams fiasco - 'Hell on wheels is an apt name for saga'

THERE'S an old joke that people in England whose familiarity with parts of Scotland is limited to listening to football results think there's a town in Fife called Cowdenbeathnil.

Another regrettable conflation of words has happened here on the other side of the Forth. You rarely hear the word "trams" without it being immediately followed by "mess" unless, perhaps, it is "farce" or even "disaster".

So it continued this week as the trams fiasco (there's another one) was hit by yet more damaging headlines, this time sparked by the abrupt resignation of TIE chairman David Mackay.

Perhaps predictably, given that the trams firm is in dispute with its main contractor, Mr Mackay levelled a blast at Bilfinger Berger as a "delinquent firm".

What was more astonishing was that he walked out, without a credible reason, despairing at the project as a whole. His "hell on wheels" comment may have been about the Princes Street difficulties but served as an apt description for the whole sorry saga.

Let's be clear about this: these words were uttered by a man who had worked most of his life in the transport sector and who was brought in to help bail out Edinburgh's trams.

That he no longer felt able to help is the most worrying signal yet that the scheme may be beyond salvaging.

It was reported yesterday that Lib Dem and SNP councillors have rejected as "folly" a suggestion that the dispute should go to independent mediation.

Given our report today that Bilfinger is to sue Mr Mackay over his criticism, this seems short-sighted to say the least.

For if the current impasse continues, this legal action will be just a side issue to a lengthy and inordinately expensive court wrangle over the rights and wrongs on both sides of what is clearly a dog's dinner of a contract.

After one last spineless deferral, councillors will no longer be able to shirk responsibility on the trams when they discuss the project's future next month, and probable termination of that contract.

Little that has happened so far makes us believe they'll get that call right, and that the new conflation won't soon be "Edinburgh Trams RIP".