- First Minister meets the Prime Minister
- Floral Clock is now finished
- The Festival Wheel
- Musselburgh Racecourse have a new sculpture
- Today at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said after her meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May that the talks she had were ‘constructive’.
The First Minister welcomed the Prime Minister to Edinburgh on what was her first official visit since coming into office.
Following the meeting, the First Minister said:“It was a constructive and very good discussion.
“The Prime Minister and I have big political disagreements but we are both women who approach business in a similar way, so I think we can have a good working relationship not withstanding those political differences.
“I was very pleased that Theresa May said that she was absolutely willing to consider any options that the Scottish Government now brings forward to secure Scotland’s relationship with the European Union. The process that is now taken forward by the UK Government will be open and flexible and the Scottish Government will be fully involved in that.
“These negotiations have yet to take shape and the UK Government don’t yet know exactly how they will proceed from here, but there is an agreement that Scottish Government officials will be very closely involved in discussions to give shape to this process and will be involved in that process. Crucially, and this is the most important point from my point of view, is that that process will be open to considering options that the Scottish Government brings forward.”
The First Minister reiterated to the Prime Minister that she will make sure Scotland’s interests are protected and she will continue to examine every option possible, including a second independence referendum. She added:
“I’ve said previously that if we want to protect our relationship with the European Union then Scotland may have to consider becoming an independent member. If it proves not to be possible to fully protect Scotland’s interests through the UK process then the Prime Minister knows that a second independence referendum is of course on the table.
“However, I’ve also been consistently clear that I want to examine all options for protecting Scotland’s position, protecting our interests, protecting our relationship with the EU. That’s why I’ve assembled a team of experts that will advise me on the options that might exist, and it was very important today to get a commitment from the Prime Minister to listen to options that the Scottish Government will bring forward.”
Photo courtesy of The Scottish Government
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[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]The Floral Clock is a major part of the floral displays in Princes Street Gardens, and it is now complete and about to come into bloom.
The Edinburgh Reporter met the Lord Provost and Neil Baxter from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland yesterday when the clock was ‘unveiled’ to the public.
The timepiece, located in Princes Street Gardens, was completed this week following more than a month of work by parks staff to plant over 35,000 individual flowers and plants.
Each year the clock, which was first created in 1903, celebrates a different individual, organisation or anniversary and since then has been inspired by the Girl Guides Association, the 100th anniversary of Robert Louis Stevenson’s death and its own centenary.
The Edinburgh Reporter News The Floral Clock from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.
The Festival Wheel standing 42 metres tall (still not quite as tall as the Scott Monument nearby which is 61 metres high) in Princes Street Gardens is now open for business until 13 September. Ticket prices are from £8 but if you have an EH postcode you will get a 20% discount.
Her Majesty the Queen was at Musselburgh Racecourse last week to help them celebrate 200 years of horse racing. One of the duties she had to perform was unveil the Bicentenary sculpture there.
Here it is in the course of being made:
New Orleans comes to the Grassmarket this afternoon when jazz musicians will play non-stop on several stages arranged around the area. With Free Entry what are you waiting for? Get your dancing shoes on! Everything gets going at 1 o’clock.
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
