Andrew Burns is the council leader for another four months until the council elections on 4 May 2016.
He is then retiring from the council along with many other senior Labour councillors. He will have been in local government for almost 20 years by the time of his retiral.
We asked him about his plans for Christmas 2016:
TER : Are you a home bird or is this time for a holiday?
AB : Usually I’m a home bird. My wife is a Londoner, and we alternate between London and Edinburgh for Christmas. I am pleased to say, that this year, we’re at home in Edinburgh for the festive season.
TER : Tell us about your family traditions at Christmas.
AB : The day generally goes something like this: Christmas-stockings, large breakfast, open presents, go for a brisk walk, Christmas dinner, watch some TV, play lots of silly family games. What’s not to like?
TER : Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
AB : Christmas Day of course!
TER : What is your favourite Christmas cracker joke?
AB : What do you call a penguin in the Sahara desert? – Lost.
TER : What’s your favourite Christmas song?
AB : Christmas Wrapping by ‘The Waitresses’ (1981)
TER : What’s your recommendation for a Christmas box set binge?
AB : Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) Series 1-4 : The Complete Collection
TER : What’s your recommended book this Christmas?
AB : MacDiarmid: A Critical Biography by Alan Bold (1988) … a complete classic.
TER : Christmas sweater or no Christmas sweater?
AB : Most certainly NO Christmas sweater!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
