Five things you need to know today

The name’s Bond, James Bond

From Friday at Edinburgh International Film Festival there is a strand of the six James Bond films starring Sean Connery being shown over each day at 11am. These are new 4K restorations of the Bond films presented on the big screen and introduced by members of the Connery family and special guests. On Friday 15 August the film Dr No is introduced by Jason Connery, Sir Sean Connery’s son and co-founder of the Edinburgh film production studio in Leith.

Festival director Paul Ridd said: “Dr. No introduces the character with style and swagger as Bond investigates a diabolical plan by an evil scientist. Featuring the iconic appearance of Ursula Andress as definitive Bond girl Honey Ryder, as well as a dazzling array of iconic sets and sequences.”

Tickets here.

Labour chooses 2026 candidates

The Labour Party has chosen Foysol Choudhury MSP as candidate for the new Edinburgh Northern seat.  

Mr. Choudhury, who has lived in the area for 35 years, attended Drummond High School and began his community activism there as a teenager. Since his election to the Scottish Parliament in 2021, he has addressed inequalities, defended public services, and amplified the voices of underrepresented groups. His work has covered issues including housing, healthcare, education, and community safety.  

“I am honoured to have been selected to represent the party for this seat,” Mr Choudhury said. “Edinburgh Northern is my home; I know the strengths of our neighbourhoods, but also the real challenges people face, from housing shortages to cuts in essential services. I am determined to deliver the change our communities need.”  

He added: “I want to sincerely thank Labour members, the CWU, ASLEF, the Co-operative Party, and everyone who has placed their trust in me for their support. I will work tirelessly to be a strong voice for them and to win the Edinburgh Northern seat.” 

The Edinburgh Northern constituency will be contested for the first time following boundary changes, a moment Choudhury calls “a fresh opportunity to build a strong, direct relationship between residents and their MSP.”  

“This is such a diverse area of Edinburgh, with communities that bring so much to our city,” he said. “But the cost-of-living crisis, pressures on public services, and rising inequality are holding too many people back. I will fight for investment in housing, fair wages and our local businesses.”  

Mr Choudhury emphasised his campaign will be rooted in accessibility and action: “I will maintain an open-door policy for constituents, as I always have. Politics should unite people, not divide them; and together, we can build a fairer, stronger Edinburgh Northern.”  

The other Labour candidate chosen for Edinburgh South Western is former lawyer Catriona Munro who stood in the recent by-election in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart. Ms Munro also aimed to be the candidate for Labour in Edinburgh South West last year, but was beaten for selection by Scott Arthur who became the new MP defeating Joanna Cherry at the General Election. Ms Munro almost won the council position in Fountainbridge/ Craiglockhart as she had the highest number of votes cast, but after the application of the election rules the seat went to Liberal Democrat, Kevin McKay.

Catriona Munro has been a lawyer for the last 30 years, most recently a competition lawyer. Now that retirement is fast approaching she is looking to be an elected member of the council. Ms Munro explained that her parents were lifelong activists for the Labour Party, and she was born on an election day when her father was a Westminster candidate. He didn’t ever get elected but she said: “I feel as though I’m an election baby. I’ve always loved elections and I relish campaigning. It’s great fun.”

Brought up in Brussels, Ms Munro said she doesn’t have a strong Scottish accent, but she lives in the city.

Asked what she is campaigning on she replied: “People are concerned about the very basic things, that the potholes are very annoying, that there are lots of issues around parking. People raise questions over access to new developments. I had someone who who is concerned about their their road becoming busy because it was going to be used to access a new development. 

“Now, of course, we need new housing, but we also need to respect people’s views and then other people concerned about the introduction of controlled parking zones. So it’s welcome to some people, but not to others, and it’s a question of making sure that those voices are all heard and that the most appropriate way of introducing those controlled parking zones is used.”

She cited the positive contribution and local impact of two Labour councillors elected in 2022 – Cllr Scott Arthur and Cllr Val Walker. The usual topics of ootholes, parking issues and underfunding all came up during our interview when she explained the difference Cllr Walker made in securing funding for DanceBase.

Ms Munro agreed that Cllr Walker will be a hard act to follow, but she thinks she could fill her shoes. She said that many local people had met Cllr Walker during her short time as a councillor – and some people in the area had met Val several times – often in their homes – about their issues. 

Catriona said: “It is good to know that work on the ground really makes a difference, that people notice it. You’re right these are big shoes to fill but I think it means the groundwork of having a well-liked councillor has been done.”

Other candidates in Edinburgh Northern will be Sanne Djikstra-Downie (Scottish Liberal Democrat), Euan Hyslop (SNP) and Christopher Cowdy Conservative.

What we have seen

We watched the whole hour from the Edinburgh International Book Festival featuring veteran broadcaster, Kirsty Wark questioning former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on her memoir, but felt that we learned nothing new about the woman behind the politician. She gave little time – just less than 15 minutes in total to the Scottish press to ask questions, and bundled broadcast and print journalists together after a bit of confusion with her accompanying staff.

Who did we meet

We met fellow journalists at the First Edition event at the book festival in the morning. Journalist Joyce McMillan and Richard Walker, former editor of The Herald and founder of The National as well as Chair of the budding Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute (SPIJI) and freelance foreign correspondent, Jen Stout all appeared there to talk of the day’s news and the work to set up the institute with the help of the government, and hopefully also some philanthropic funding.

Mr Walker began by lamenting the loss of 242 foreign journalists in Gaza. He said: “It is a terrible situation where journalists cannot bring people news facts and issues about what is going on in certain areas because they’ve been killed there.

Ms McMillan explained that when writing the report for the government it was discovered that other similar sized countries like Ireland, Denmark and Sweden all have journalism institutes. Given that local journalism is the “building block of democracy” she said we should at least try to set one up here. She said: “If we can achieve a decent level of funding from various sources, not just government, but foundations and others, then we might be able to support some of the areas of journalism that are fading away. Only this morning Richard reminded us that the Church of Scotland magazine Life and Work is closing after 146 years.”

But Mr Walker admitted that his view is that the advertising based model does not work anymore and that is coupled with a collapse in newspaper reading. In one of the university classes he has taught he found that only two out of twenty students actually read a paper. He was teaching journalism.

It will soon be time for the Canal Festival

The Edinburgh Canal Festival and Raft Race takes place on Saturday 23 August 2025 from noon to 5pm on the Union Canal, Fountainbridge Green and the area near the Leamington Lift Bridge.

Edinburgh’s much-loved Canal Raft Race is back with a splash this summer and it’s bringing even more family-friendly fun, live entertainment, and £5 canal boat cruises for all to enjoy.

The 2025 Raft Race takes place on Saturday 23 August, transforming the Union Canal into a hub of creativity, community, and adventure on the water. Organised by Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust (FCCT), who also run the community doors open Edinburgh Canal Festival in June every year, the Raft Race is this year a standalone event.

New this year are 45-minute wide-beam canal boat cruises aboard the Lochrin Belle and the Sorted Project’s canal boat Panacea, offering an affordable and relaxing way to enjoy the canal from the water – just £5 per person. Pre-booking is recommended to secure a spot. Big thanks to CEC’s Edinburgh 900 funding for subsidising these trips.

Activities and races will run from 12pm to 5pm: 

• 12-3pm “get on the water” hires with Driftwood Adventure in the Lochrin Basin (££ – no booking required)
• 3-5pm Raft Race – Spectators are encouraged to line the scenic towpath between Leamington Lift Bridge and Lochrin Basin to cheer on the homemade rafts as they race along the canal
• 12-5pm canal boat trips from Fountainbridge Green
• 12-5pm FCCT’s Greenspace group activities and Outta Space Pizza at Fountainbridge Green.

The event will feature a lively soundtrack throughout the afternoon, with live DJ sets 12-3pm and a special musical performance by Andy Chung from 3-5pm, bringing his signature mix of songs and banter to the water’s edge.

On land, the FCCT’s Canalside Greenspace Group will host free nature-based activities at Fountainbridge Green, right next to the barge departure point – perfect for families with children. Food lovers can enjoy local café offerings, plus wood-fired pizzas from Outta Space Pizza, who will be serving up fresh slices at Fountainbridge Green all afternoon.

Bonus photo