Scottish Independence Referendum
School trip
Autumn colours
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Colony of Artists
Today is the last full day of campaigning for the Yes and No campaigns before the decision is left to the Scottish people on Thursday.
We spotted this flag when out and about in the West End of Edinburgh today.
The Scotsman ICM poll shows the No camp ahead
SCOTSMAN-ICM POLL: No camp still ahead but Yes closing the gap. #indyref http://t.co/WUdd1bAYSu
— Kenny Farquharson (@KennyFarq) September 16, 2014
Welcoming the new ICM poll to be published in tomorrow’s Scotsman, which has Yes support at 48 per cent to 52 per cent for No – which is a 3-point increase in Yes support since the last Scotsman publications ICM poll last month, and a 3-point fall for No – Yes Scotland Chief Executive Blair Jenkins said:
‘This is hugely encouraging for Yes – the six-point narrowing of the gap since the last comparable poll shows that Yes has the momentum as we approach referendum day.
‘People know that a Yes vote is Scotland’s one opportunity to achieve job-creating powers, protect our NHS from the damaging impact of Westminster cuts and privatisation, and ensure that never again do we get Tory governments imposed on Scotland that we have roundly rejected.
‘This poll – like all the recent polls – shows that we are in touching distance of success on Thursday. The referendum is on a knife edge, and this will spur on everybody who wants and is working hard for a Yes to redouble their efforts.
‘As we say in response to all the polls, we are working flat out to ensure that we achieve a Yes vote, because it’s the biggest opportunity we will ever have to build a fairer society and more prosperous economy.
‘This referendum is unlike any that has been held before because of an expected record turnout – which we believe will favour the Yes vote.’
Journalist Peter Geoghegan spotted the topical cover on the latest edition of Private Eye:
“@MartynMcL: The new Private Eye with a blistering cover on #indyref pic.twitter.com/QM4ELjzsEj” v good
— Peter Geoghegan (@PeterKGeoghegan) September 16, 2014
Since launching their Cupcake Opinion Poll on 7 March to mark 200 days to the Referendum Cuckoo’s Bakery in Dundas Street have been releasing the results regularly throughout the referendum campaign. Final results issued on Monday showed a marginal lead for the “NO” Campaign but with still 8% being undecided. Not really a big surprise since the cake shop is in the New Town and opposite a big Royal Bank of Scotland office perhaps?
YES – 43.5%
NO – 47.7%
UNDECIDED – 8.8%
Owner Graham Savage said: “We have seen an increase in sales generally and some big orders have come in from both sides!” Our poll has been conducted professionally throughout the campaign and we are delighted that the results have shown to be so similar to the official results.”
Savage continued: “Our Campaign has certainly attracted global media attention and have calculated that since the campaign was launched we have sold 80,000 Cupcakes from our full range including the Opinion Poll cupcake.”
Cuckoo’s display the results in the window and we see people reading them and leave, amused with a smile on their face!
The Edinburgh count is going to be quite exciting on Thursday night and that is where we will be running a liveblog of all the results as they come in.
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Today The Edinburgh Reporter is off to Auschwitz for the day, flying from Edinburgh to Krakow and back again this evening. As a guest of the Holocaust Educational Trust the trip will include around 200 sixth form pupils from schools across Scotland including Edinburgh. The idea is of course educational, and the Trust hopes that by showing all of the students the place where the concentration camps once were they will learn more about history than by simply reading books.
Since 1999 the project has taken over 20,000 students and teachers to Auschwitz-Birkenau and incorporates seminars before and after the event to help them get the most from their visit.
Pupils from Boroughmuir High School, Broughton High School, Currie Community High School, Forrester High School, George Heriot’s School, Gracemount High School, Leith Academy, St Augustine’s RC High School, Tynecastle High School and Wester Hailes Education Centre will be taking part in the trip.
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Add your photos to our storyboard about Autumn here. We would love to see your photos and videos of the colourful scenes you witness this autumn. We will then share the storyboard here on The Edinburgh Reporter.
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The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups, recognising the outstanding work they perform within communities across the UK. Any group doing voluntary work that provides a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the award. Each group is assessed on the benefit they bring to the local community.
Sounds like a group you know? Then tell us about them! And more importantly – nominate them for an award!
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There has just been too much to do to get along to see any of the artists at the Abbeyhill Colonies but we hope you get along to see what they have been up to!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
