The Queen’s Hall is one of Edinburgh’s best-loved music venues. It holds 900 people and so the concerts are intimate and very varied!

3 June 2017

Meadows Chamber Orchestra : Evans/Westwell

Peter Evans: conductor/soloist; Jack Westwell: piano

Lyell Cresswell: The Rev Norman McLeod’s Dance
Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23 in A major, K488
Poulenc: Piano Concerto
Ravel: Suite: Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)

This is a concert to end the Meadows Chamber Orchestra season with Peter Evans both conducting and playing piano along with the winner of the 2015 Edinburgh Concerto Competition, Jack Westwell, also on piano. They will be playing one of Mozart’s best loved piano concertos.

Tickets here.

Website www.meadowsorchestra.org.uk
Twitter @mcoedinburgh

4 June 2017

Song of the Night

This concert-staged opera features the Edinburgh-based Hans Gál Society. Last performed in 1930, banned by Hitler along with all Gál’s music, Das Lied Der Nacht [Song of the Night] is a powerful romantic drama, set in 12th century Palermo. It shows Gál at the height of his musical power as an operatic composer. Premièred in Breslau in 1926, it was hailed as “one of the most powerful operatic experiences ever!”

With a pre-concert talk at 6.30pm to explain what will be going on for the uninitiated!

Website: www.hansgal.org

Tickets here. 

8 June 2017

Paddy Bort Memorial Concert

The Edinburgh Folk Club is organising a memorial concert for the club’s long-time chair and emcee Paddy Bort, who died suddenly on 17 February 2017 aged sixty-two.

As well as his involvement with Edinburgh Folk Club, for many years Bort organised the Wee Folk Club, which runs every Sunday in the capital’s popular folk pub, The Royal Oak, and he was the energetic driving force behind The Carrying Stream festival, held annually in Edinburgh during November since 2002 to celebrate the life and work of the late folklorist, song collector, writer and poet Hamish Henderson.

Edinburgh Folk Club is very grateful to these performers for giving their time and skill willingly and freely to bring you a wonderful show of great Scottish and Irish music and song… including leading Scots song specialists Malinky, singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, popular folk band North Sea Gas, folklorist Margaret Bennett, Rab Noakes, and Boys of the Lough founder Cathal McConnell’s current group with fiddler Kathryn Nicoll and harper Karen Marshalsay.

The proceeds from the concert will form the first payment into a charitable trust fund to be created and administered by Edinburgh Folk Club. This is “a work in progress” but the intention is to be able to provide financial help to undergraduate or postgraduate students of politics and / or Scottish culture at the University of Edinburgh. In addition young musicians needing help on a specific project would be able to apply for financial assistance.

Tickets here. 

Website www.efc1973.com | Twitter@edfolkclub

9 June 2017

Saint Etienne plus special guests

In a dance world where drum machines and pounding basslines rule, Saint Etienne have always been a welcome purveyor of fresh pop, dance and ambient fusion. With Sarah Cracknell’s breathy, etheral vocal still sending shivers down the spine and a back catalogue including Only Love Will Break Your Heart and He’s On The Phone to draw on, plug in and start dreaming.

Tonight, they showcase their new album Home Counties. What’s remarkable about Home Counties (and its predecessor, Words and Music) is that Saint Etienne, in what might have been expected to be their dotage, are making the best music of their quarter-century career. Freed from the pressures of worrying their single might stall at No 41, they record now only when they have something to say – like AC/DC, Saint Etienne make an album every five or six years, and if you want to hear it, you have to wait.

Tickets here.

Website www.saintetienne.com
Twitter @bobpetesarah

14 June 2017

Edinburgh Quartet : EQ Dance

A programme with dance at its heart, starting off with Haydn’s String Quartet Op 77 No 2 where there is a barnstorming Polonaise in the last movement, and Tippett’s second String Quartet with its edgy, obsessive toe-tapping rhythms. The concert is rounded off by the completion of EQ’s Queen’s Hall ‘Rasumovsky’ cycle with Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 59 No 1.

Haydn: String Quartet Op 77 No 2
Tippett: String Quartet No 2
Beethoven: String Quartet Op 59 No 1 “Rasumovsky”

Tickets here.

Website www.edinburghquartet.com
Twitter @EdinQuartet

23 June 2017

EIFF – Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

Featuring the music of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and several other jazz greats, this event will see world famous Edinburgh born jazz saxophonist Tommy Smith lead the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra in a musical tribute to ground-breaking Scottish playwright Tom McGrath.

This special performance will be complemented by readings of McGrath’s poetry and extracts from his plays by another iconic Scottish talent, celebrated actor and performer Tam Dean Burn (recently seen in Sky’s Fortitude).

This concert is part of EIFF’s 2017 retrospective The Future is History, a cross-arts exploration of identity.

Tickets here. 

29 June 2017

Ani DiFranco plus special guests

Widely considered a feminist icon, Grammy winner Ani DiFranco is the mother of the DIY movement, being one of the first artists to create her own record label in 1990.

While she has been known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music has embraced punk, funk, hip hop, jazz, soul, electronica and even more distant sounds. Her collaborators have included everyone from Utah Phillips to legendary R&B saxophonist Maceo Parker to Prince.

She has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Greg Brown, Billy Bragg, Michael Franti, Chuck D., and many more. She will be releasing a new album Binary in 2017.

Tickets here. 

30 June 2017 

A Night out With Rebus

Enjoy a night out with Edinburgh’s best-loved fictional detective John Rebus with an evening of words and music, curated by the author Ian Rankin.  Live music comes from acclaimed Scottish songwriters Blue Rose Code, alt country singer Michael Weston King and folk musician Kirsty Law.  Ian Rankin will discuss the significance of music in his Rebus novels, and introduce you to Rebus’ favourite tunes.

A Night out with Rebus is part of RebusFest, a weekend of events celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels.

Tickets here.

A man and woman have been charged  in connection with three robberies which took place in the Lochend and Leith overnight between Thursday, May 25, and Friday, May 26.

The first two incidents happened at 10.45pm and 10.50pm in Hawkhill Avenue on Thursday, May 25.

The third incident happened around 2.30am in North Junction Street on Friday, May 26.

The man, aged 46-years-old, and the woman, aged 36-years-old, will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, May 29.

Officers are keen to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of these incidents when they took place, or who has any other information that can assist with their inquiries.

Those with information can contact officers at Gayfield Police Station on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For the 10.45pm incident in Hawkhill Avenue on Thursday, May 25, please quote incident number 0232 of May 26.

For the 10.50pm incident in Hawkhill Avenue on Thursday, May 25, please quote incident number 5209 of May 25.

For the incident in North Junction Street on Friday, May 26, please quote incident number 0515 of May 26.

Scotland has great potential according to Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

He has just completed a four-day, fact-finding trip to discuss where AIBA can help Scotland make a real impact.

And he has now jetted home to Taiwan to assess his findings. He met Nigel Duncan of The Edinburgh Reporter at Lochend Boxing club and here are his thoughts.

Anyone can visit the Scottish Parliament building six days a week, but there is now increased security at the public entrance.

This is in common with many other public buildings across the UK, but may mean a slight delay in gaining access.

There is a lot to see at Holyrood with tours available round the public areas, but the debating chamber will be closed in July and August for maintenance.

Usually on Mondays and Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays when parliament does not sit the public can get access to the main Debating Chamber.

Otherwise you will have to be content with the other public areas, the artwork on display and the shop. At present there is an exhibition in the main foyer entitled A Parliament for the People which introduces visitors to the Scottish Parliament and its history.

There is of course a café to have a cup of tea too!

Details of how to organise your visit to Holyrood here.

Pete Irvine may be known as the man who first brought us Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, but he is also an author.

SCOTLAND THE BEST 100 Places is an eclectic and very personal mix of the most beautiful and interesting places across Scotland.

The paperback edition was published earlier in the year, and it is full of wonderful photos, making it the must buy book whether you live here or are passing through.

Written in exactly the same gloriously eloquent way that he speaks, it will tell you about wonderful places off the well-beaten tourist track.

Published by Collins £12.99

Click here to buy.

A convoy of ten cars preceded by four police outriders, and watched over by the police helicopter arrived at the freight area on Turnhouse Road just after 10pm.

They swept past plain clothes officers keeping watch outside the perimeter fence and the occupants got out right next to the private jet which had been getting prepared for take off. The President was first on the plane leaving his aides to load up the luggage.

This was the same Gulfstream G450 he used to get here only at 8 o’clock this morning before heading north to St Andrews. It has plenty of space inside with a dining table and mid-cabin divan, allowing space for 14 passengers. with wifi and external cameras, the marketing spec for the charter jet says that it is ‘sure to please even the most discerning traveller.

President Obama had been guest of honour at the dinner organised by the Hunter Foundation at the EICC in the centre of town where police marksmen guarded the event from nearby roofs. Nearby offices had been asked to vacate by 4pm this afternoon so that the area could be secured.

Although a small crowd gathered at the front of the EICC ahead of the event, the President was brought in the back entrance, much to the disappointment of everyone we spoke to.

It had not taken long  for the cavalcade of 4×4 vehicles and police cars to make their way from Morrison Street out to the airport.

When they were unloading the cars one of the bodyguards took a tartan rug out – perhaps given to the President as a gift?

There were two golf bags being wheeled to the plane and earlier in the day President Obama had played 18 holes at The Old Course with Sir Tom Hunter.

And then the Gulfstream took off bound for London about 45 minutes after its scheduled slot.  It brought to an end a long 15 hour shift for the police officers from the Met and Police Scotland and the security detail who had guarded the President during his first visit to Scotland, during which we doubt he saw anything much of Edinburgh at all.

But at least it was sunny!

President Obama travelled this morning to St Andrews and back with a dozen cars and police vehicles – then a jet to London. pic.twitter.com/VKWu4ShVho

— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) May 26, 2017

Dobbies report soaring sales of watering cans, hoses and sprinklers as the temperature rises.

Steve Guy, horticultural expert at Dobbies said: “This time last year, we saw sales of watering products leap by 38 per cent.

“At this time of the year, some of the most common questions we’re asked in store are about how to keep grass looking green and healthy and stop plants from wilting.

“When there is a long bout of warm, dry weather it is important to give your garden a little tender loving care and the moisture it needs.”

His top tips are to give your lawn a generous watering at least twice a week between the months of May and October.

Hanging baskets, said Steve, require care and attention to stay in bloom and try to water them daily.

Make sure you see the water appear seeping through the bottom of the basket so you can be sure it is reaching the roots.

Finally, invest in a quality sprinkler with a variety of flow options.

The No 11 bus inched its way down Leith Walk from Edinburgh’s bustling city centre which was packed with tourists enjoying the summer sunshine.

It turned into Pilrig Street and the frustrating journey was prolonged by heavy traffic.

One passenger on the tea-time bus persisted in talking on her mobile phone. We learned about her new boyfriend and how her mum was giving her a hard time. Too much information.

Eventually, we turned right and saw the sea. The pace quickened as we passed Newhaven Harbour and then, on our left, was the Silver Whisper.
She sat serenely at the Cruise Liner Terminal, her hull sparkling white against the blue sky.

Shore formalities over, we strolled towards the 16-year-old ship which has recently completed a re-fit.

For one week earlier this year, a swarm of workmen boarded this elegant vessel for an extensive make-over and work is continuing.

One workmen was noted with a roller painting the bow to ensure that this 28,258-tonne ship remained pristine after sailing from North America to exotic destinations like Hawaii then to Australia and China and India, through the Suez Canal and along the Mediterranean since starting its voyage in January.

We were greeted warmly and escorted up the gangplank and into another world.
Here, there are 382 guests pampered by 302 crew, nearly one-to-one, and this was an oasis of calm.

My fraught bus journey was quickly forgotten as we walked over the thick pile carpet towards the bar.

There was no queue at reception. The elegant corridors were empty apart from one or two guests who nodded.

Each member of the crew said hello and we were escorted to a seat overlooking the sea and with a vista towards Fife which was bathed in late-evening sun.

Drinks were ordered and within seconds arrived. They were followed by canapés.
An extensive tour followed. That feeling of calm continued. The first port of call was the observation deck at the top of the ship.

One woman was seated reading with a view towards The Royal Yacht Britannia.
Another was taking in the skyline of Edinburgh with Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle prominent.

We then visited the spa, walked past the shop and were told about the retail offering which includes items from top designers.

We walked down stairs and along a corridor past the internet cafe, the card and conference room to a Terrace Suite (27 meters square), described by the guide as a quiet sanctuary where large picture windows frame panoramic ocean views.

One was struck by the size. The marbled bathroom has a full-sized tub and separate shower with bags of space.

Then there is a walk-in wardrobe with plush robes and slippers.
Standing out was a queen-sized bed with a premium mattress covered with Pratesi fine bed linen and down duvet.

Towards the window was a large writing desk with personalised stationery and, opposite, a relaxing sofa. The relaxing feel was continued with the subtle colour scheme.

The cabin is serviced by a tailor-coated butler and tucked away in the corner was a table which allows guests to enjoy private dining with exactly the same menu and service as provided in the dining rooms.

The room mini-bar is stocked with your personal preferences at no extra charge. This is, indeed, luxury.

Food is a key component of cruising, particularly on a ship like the Silver Whisper.
We strolled towards the pool bar. On large ships with over 3,000 passengers this area is crammed – yes, beach towel booking of sunchairs is the norm – but not here.

Guests were dotted around enjoying the weather and shielded from the wind.
Light lunches are followed by dinner. Here you can grill your own seafood and prime cuts of meat to suit.

Inside, Le Champagne, a French restaurant and, in fact, the only Relais and Chateaux restaurant at sea, featuring seasonally inspired dishes prepared from the finest locally-sourced ingredients, is a possibility.

Then there is La Terrazza, featuring authentic Italian recipes and the freshest, sustainable ingredients. There was live entertainment.

We moved on and dined in The Restaurant. The low ceiling, crystal lights and beautiful wood floor oozed sophisticated elegance and grabbed the eye on arrival.

Ladies in our party were escorted to the table individually by waiting staff and the menu presented.

Napkins were produced and, although busy, it was easy to talk. There was no irritating music.

You could chill and enjoy the food and fine wine. There is even a connoisseur selection for an extra charge.

The food choice was either Continental or regional specials unique to the voyage destination.

For example, roasted Chilean sea bass while cruising the Chilean fjords and Indian chicken korma on route to Mumbai.

You are free to dine when, where and with whom you please, there are no assigned tables.

The Oakwood-smoked duck and crispy greens was one I had to taste as I was intrigued by the citrus and passion fruit emulsion.

It was a picture on a plate, the minute portions of the different elements having been painstakingly put in place. And the flavour? Memorable with the fusion of fruit and meat one that I will try to replicate at home. The precision will not match this creation.

We are in Scotland where lentil soup is a staple. So I had to try South East Asian lentil soup version which contained carrots, leeks, celery, fennel, Asian spices coriander, Thai basil and coconut oil. It had a distinctive flavour.

We by-passed salads and pasta and I was tempted by the sea bass with lemon butter sauce, oven-roasted fennel, grated lime zest and roasted red onion mash potatoes.

However, the waiter suggested a chef’s special featuring local meats of tender minute steak, lamb chop, veal sausage, braised beef rillettes, extra virgin olive oil, caramelised garlic and red onion crushed potatoes. It was perfectly cooked.

Oh yes, there was a mouth-watering dessert option. My lactose intolerance was not a problem. The waiter promptly returned with a sensational fruit dish with a hint of liqueur.

Sadly, we had to leave as the ship was due to leave for Inverness, Skye and then on to Ireland and Cornwall before docking in Southampton.

I walked towards the bus terminal and jumped on a No 34. The peace was shattered. Drink had been taken off-shore and it showed.

There was an altercation at a bus stop before I reached central Edinburgh so I opted to leave my fellow bus passengers and make for the tram.

This summer’s cruise on a 3,000-passenger plus Norwegian Cruise Line will not be the same as I’ll not forget the three hours of exclusive pampering on the Silver Whisper, a floating boutique hotel.

You can find out more about booking your cruise here.

Police have released CCTV images of three males that officers wish to speak to in connection with a disturbance on Bonnyrigg High Street on Sunday 12th March.

The incident happened outside the Royal Bank of Scotland at around 00:15 am.

A 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old man were assaulted during the disturbance and both sustained facial injuries.

The police believe that the males shown in the images may have information that can assist them with their investigation and would appeal to anyone who recognises them to come forward.

Police are also keen to identify the three females shown in the images as they believe that they may have witnessed the incident.

Detective Constable James Welsh of Dalkeith CID said, “This incident left two men injured, one of them with a serious facial injury and we believe the individuals pictured may be able to help us with our investigation.

Anyone who recognises these individuals or the individuals themselves are asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting incident number 1016 of 12th March.

This weekend Edinburgh is graced with the inaugural Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival at the Biscuit Factory. The ticketed event has over 30 brewers from across the globe offering tasting sessions and artisan street food to accompany the beautiful choices of beers.
Breweries present include the famous Brooklyn Brewery, local brewer Pilot and the interestingly named Yeastie Boys are among many others. The festival also has musical acts Young Fathers, Belle &Sebastian, and Idlewild among the guests performing DJ sets.
The idea behind the festival came from 2013 when organisers decided to run a festival where one ticket offered the buyer a passport to a world of craft beers. Each session will provide different brewers with five sessions running over the course of the weekend.

There are only limited tickets available with weekend tickets, £105, Friday evening and Sunday afternoon tickets, £35, available. For more information and tickets visit Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival.

After what seems to have been a marathon five years as Lord Provost, Councillor Donald Wilson is running the Edinburgh Marathon this Sunday. You can support him through JustGiving, the link is below.

Here he looks back at his five years in office…

I have to admit to feeling a certain amount of trepidation about handing over the chain, and everything that goes with it, to incoming Lord Provost, Frank Ross.

When it came to it, however, I was surprised to find that I was ready to move on to new challenges and develop a closer relationship with my constituents. Being the only Labour Councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie (where before there was two) I made a promise to those who selected me that I would do the work of two in the area.
The other reason is that there is very little that I set out to do that I haven’t achieved in the last five years. It has been a great privilege and honour to represent the City at home and abroad and I have poured every ounce of energy I could muster into it.

With a rough estimate of over 3,500 official engagements and events it has, at times, been a seven-days-a-week commitment, with never more than a few days until the next major speech.

In addition to being the Chair of the Full Council, the post comes with many other roles and functions such as Lord Lieutenant (the Queen’s representative in Edinburgh), Admiral of the Forth and Chair, Patron and board member of many other organisations.

It has been a time of commemoration and I am particularly proud of Edinburgh playing its part in services and ceremonies for the First World War, such as the Drum Head Service on the Castle Esplanade and Jutland in South Queensferry and Fife.

From Loony Dooks (3) to London Marathons (3, plus the Edinburgh Marathon to come on Sunday); raising over £300,000 for the One City Trust and other charities; supporting 40 defibrillators on trams through St John’s Ambulance; creating and running the Lord Provost’s Community Garden Parties for this city’s unsung heroes; to taking the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as its Chair to New Zealand and Australia, it’s undoubtedly been a busy time but, throughout, I’ve tried to promote and develop a sense of belonging and community here in Edinburgh.

One of the great qualities of the post of Lord Provost is the ability to bring together people who otherwise might not have the opportunity of being in the same room under the banner of citizenship of our great Capital City.

I’d like to thank you for all your support over the past five years and wish my successor, Frank Ross, all the very best with his term. It truly is an enormous honour to serve and represent a city as beautiful as ours.

Finally, if you see me on Sunday still sporting the chain of office on my T shirt, I am doing this with Frank’s express permission and support – all for the benefit of the One City Trust. You can sponsor me here.

Thank you.

We filmed some of the former Lord Provost’s training a couple of months ago. Have a look at this!

The Lord Provost is training for two marathons from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

If you like crime fiction (and there is plenty of it being written right here in Edinburgh!) then you might like to book a place at the Royal Blind fundraising event ‘Afternoon Tea with Scotland’s Crime Writers’.

Christopher Brookmyre and Alex Gray will be there and now Brookmyre is offering an exclusive prize. He will name a character in his next book after the winner!

The afternoon’s entertainment on 1 October will include the two crime writers in discussion about creating a fictitious character as well as a delicious afternoon tea at Prestonfield House Hotel.

Brookmyre, winner of the 2016 The McIlvanney Prize for crime writing, said: “I am delighted to be supporting such a worthy cause, and in such beautiful surroundings.”

Davina Shiell, Fundraising Manager for Royal Blind, added: “We are delighted that Christopher has donated such a unique and exciting prize to our afternoon tea. We are looking forward to this event, all proceeds will go towards supporting visually impaired children and adults across Scotland.”

There will be many other exciting prizes on the day including books signed by Nigella Lawson and Great British Bake Off’s Mel and Sue.

Tickets are available to purchase online at www.royalblind.org/events or by calling the fundraising team on 0131 229 1456.

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We are blessed with our good weather today and  President Barack Obama who arrived at Edinburgh Airport this morning has enjoyed perfect conditions at The Old Course St Andrews for his first round of golf in Scotland.

Our good friend Doug Clement who is a caddie at Kingsbarns Golf Links as well as being a Fife Ambassador and whisky entrepreneur sent us these photos and video.

Doug was out at Kingsbarns caddying earlier then hotfooted it across to The Old Course where he is also a member.

Great 3rd shot putt from off the green by @BarackObama on 17th @TheHomeofGolf St Andrews Old Course here in @welcometofife @VisitScotland. pic.twitter.com/WqeuVBXuqJ

— Doug Barclay Clement (@FifeAmbassadors) May 26, 2017

President Obama will be in Edinburgh later to speak at the charity dinner arranged by The Hunter Foundation at the EICC.

Tables have sold for around £5,000 and the event is a complete sell-out.

It is well known that Edinburgh Airport wants to forge a link with flights to China. Now that seems to be a little closer.

The airport and Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) have signed a new partnership agreement to encourage cooperation between them.

Both of the airports serve their respective national capitals and they have agreed to exchange ideas and information to ensure best practice from the other’s experience.

Gordon Dewar visited the Beijing Global Friend Airports CEO Forum last year as a guest of Beijing Airport and that has enabled the relationship to develop into an agreement.

The agreement was signed in Edinburgh with a BCIA team led by President and CEO ZhiLiang Han.

Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive Gordon Dewar said: “We are honoured to welcome colleagues from BCIA to sign this partnership agreement. I believe that the shared understanding that it will create will allow us to be more competitive in the Chinese market and brings the prospect of a direct air link between Scotland and China ever closer.

“The Belt and Road initiative of China is clear and ambitious. Well, we’re at the end of that road and want to understand how we can make sure we can play a part.

“BCIA is massive organisation, processing 94.39 million passengers a year. We can learn lots from them.

“Our performance in Edinburgh has made airports across the world sit up and take note and I‘m sure that there are areas in which we can offer ideas to Beijing.

“This is an exciting new chapter for our airport and the whole team is looking forward to working together and forging a strong bond.”

City of Edinburgh Council Lord Provost, Frank Ross, said:

“This visit will further strengthen the already close relationship Edinburgh enjoys with China.

“Our investment team already has a strong presence through various channels promoting Edinburgh as a quality location for investment throughout China and our many other links include the two pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang being gifted to Edinburgh by the Chinese Government to horticultural connections dating back over 100 years.

“A strong partnership is also now in place incorporating our work in life sciences through the Memorandum of Understanding signed recently between the University of Edinburgh and the Shenzhen Peoples’ hospital and partner Hua-Xia Healthcare on diabetes. And we even have our own Chinese New Year celebrations here in the city, marked this year by a special concert in the Usher Hall.”

Photo by © Lesley Martin 2017
e: [email protected]
t: 07836745264

Lorna Slater is a chartered engineer and the Green candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith. She explained to us the tactics of only standing three Green party candidates in the whole of Scotland. “Our target constituency is Glasgow north where we are standing Patrick Harvie, but we also wanted to give voters in Edinburgh a chance to vote Green, and so Edinburgh North and Leith, greenest part of Edinburgh, here we are!”

We questioned Lorna over the Greens record as simply a prop for the SNP, at least in the Scottish Parliament. She put forward a couple of polices on which they will be campaigning. And she admitted that the Green Party don’t actually expect to win the seat she is contesting. You can watch and listen to our interviews below.

She said : “Our role in this election is to inject Green ideas into the dialogue, and make sure that at hustings those ideas are on the table. So we plan to replace our chaotic and cruel benefit system. with a simple payment for everybody. Every citizen would get a minimum payment which would allow them to have the basics of life. It is meant to prevent destitution.

“It means that there is a level of poverty below which nobody can fall. So that nobody is worried about feeding their children, nobody is worried about freezing to death. We are not talking about everybody living in comfort for free.”

Slater observes that paying for it will be easy. “One of the things that is important to know about the benefits system is that the cruelty of it is very short-sighted. Children who grow up in poverty when people do not get the social care they need to stay in their homes they get sicker. Cruel welfare systems costume country an enormous amount of money. Means testing costs an enormous amount of money. Sanctioning people costs more money than it saves. The existing welfare system doesn’t save the country money, it costs the country money. A simplified system would cost a lot less to operate. But everybody would receive a universal basic income. There would need to be some cuts to spending to things like Trident, Hinckley Point, things that are white elephants that do not benefit the average people. There is not a problem with paying for this. It’s investment in our future to make sure that every child grows up in a home where there is food and heat and not that constant worry of grinding poverty.

“The other topic we are very excited about is the transitioning away from fossil fuels to a green energy economy. The Green Party has the White Paper on the creation of 200,000 jobs in renewable energy in Scotland. Scotland has some of the best resources of renewable energy in the world.  We have to make some money out of all this terrible weather that we have. Wind energy, wave energy, tidal energy all of these can generate revenue, jobs. well-paid, interesting jobs for the people of Scotland.

Here you can listen to our longer chat with Lorna.

[podbean type=audio-rectangle resource=”episode=84465-6b3136” skin=101 auto=0 share=1 download=0 height=100 ]

#GE2016 Lorna Slater Green candidate from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

At least William Blake’s illustration of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” shows mankind somehow wriggling our way out of the Inferno and eventually reaching Paradise.  Right now though I feel we are deep in the inferno. Manchester may not be in Scotland, but we were all in Manchester this week.

The horror of that suicide bombing of innocent children at a pop concert stopped us all in our tracks. All thought of the election campaign went out the window. Instead, crowds gathered in George Square in Glasgow in sympathy for that other great industrial city.  MSPs stood silent in Parliament. All of us wondered again at the cruelty of such a bomber and how we have come to this dreadful place.  And how we are to get out of it…..increased security, more surveillance, improving race relations, preventing radicalisation, fixing the source of the trouble in the Middle East.

Several Scottish fans were caught up in the attack, including two teenage girls from the Isle of Barra. One died and the other is in hospital with serious injuries. Seven “walking wounded” made it back to Scotland later that Monday night and were treated in hospitals here.

In line with the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government has stepped up security at possible targets because we appear to be dealing with a network of terrorists who could be planning future attacks.   A dozen military and nuclear bases are being guarded by army patrols.  Armed police will be seen over the weekend at the football Cup Final in Glasgow and at the Edinburgh Marathon.  A visit to Edinburgh by former US President Barack Obama is also being carefully protected.

But along with the increased security, there is also defiance. The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at Holyrood : “Our best response now and always is to stand firm together, with determination and solidarity, and to make clear to those who seek to undermine our values, target our children and seek to destroy our way of life, that they will not succeed, not now and not ever.”

Scotland of course is not immune from terrorist attacks.  Ten years ago, two Islamic extremists rammed their jeep loaded with petrol cans into the entrance to Glasgow Airport.  Thanks to some quick thinking by staff, only five people were injured. One of the terrorists died in the attack.

The Justice Minister at the time Kenny MacAskill also became an expert on the Lockerbie bombing of December 1988.  It was he who, in 2009, decided to release the only man ever convicted of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 and killing 270 people, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

It was a controversial decision, taken on compassionate grounds because Megrahi was dying of cancer. MacAskill has recently published a book giving his account of the affair and last week, as it happens, I went along to hear him talk about it. “Just because Megrahi showed no compassion to the innocent passengers on board that flight, does not mean we should not show compassion to him,” was his argument.

MacAskill has no doubt that Megrahi was guilty of playing a role in the bombing, but maintains that he was a small cog in a much larger wheel. He’s convinced that the plan to bomb Pan Am flight 103 was brewed up in Islamist terrorist circles in Iran in revenge for the Americans bringing down an Iranian passenger plane in July 1988 (even though that was almost certainly a mistake.)

Gaddafi’s Libya took on the task, having many a bloody bone to pick with “the West”, so a team of Libyan agents was dispatched to assemble a bomb and smuggle it onto flight 103.

It’s ironic, all these years later, that the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was also Libyan, but born in Britain.  MacAskill said in a newspaper article this week that we need to come to terms with the fact that “the threat now comes from within our own country………. not immigrants or refugees……..and it is fueled by a feeling of injustice among marginalised communities.”  Sure, he says, the foreign policy of the Americans and the British has not helped but “the injustice at home needs to be tackled as much as the injustice abroad.”

It’s not an easy message to absorb, particularly when we are in the middle of the General Election which, up till last week at least, has been dominated by Brexit, immigration and nationalism.

So when we get back into the election campaign, older and wiser, let’s hope we can scramble out of Dante’s inferno and start climbing towards Blake’s paradise.

Owen Cook and Brian Dewar won a heat of the nationwide Scierra Pairs competition at Glencorse Reservoir.

They collected and amazing weight of 36lbs 12oz on a day when the fishing was first class.

In second place from Shetland, were Toni Li and John Lawson who bagged 35lbs 2oz.

And, in third place, were Alan Mclachian and Murry Hunter with a bag weight of 33lbs.

The water, in the Pentland Hills, was packed for the event and first to get the limit were Jock Kettles and Mike Connet.

They weighed in bang on 11am with a great catch of 29lbs 14oz, but, as the day went on and other teams raced to get in, heavier fish were caught.

Every boat apart from one had a bag limit and big thanks to all the guys for taking part and Phil Dixon for making this another great day at Glencorse Reservoir.

The portrait, by Louis Gabriel Blanchet, shows Charles Edward Stuart at 19, in full princely regalia. It was painted in Rome in 1739. The Stuarts by this time had been in exile in Europe for over 50 years, first in France and then Rome, where Charles grew up. By September 1745, the Prince was holding court at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where he stayed for around six weeks before marching south for London.

The Blanchet portrait normally has pride of place in the Royal Dining Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It hangs alongside a painting of Charles’ younger brother, Henry Benedict Stuart, painted at the same time and by the same artist and which will also be loaned to the exhibition along with another dozen items from the Royal Collection. Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites will be the largest exhibition on the Jacobites in over 70 years, with over 300 objects on show combining National Museums Scotland’s collection with material on loan from around the UK and Europe.

The new exhibition which starts next month will tell the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the history of the Stuart dynasty and the Jacobites.

There will be a nod to Outlander and Sir Walter Scott along with treasures from across the UK and Europe, and you can organise a group visit if you want the museum all to yourself.

Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites

23 June – 12 November 2017

Exhibition gallery 1, Level 3 National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street.

Pictures by Photographer Stewart Attwood
T. 07850 449108
E. [email protected]
[email protected]

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal joined the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in observing a minute’s silence for all those affected by the terrorist atrocity in Manchester. The gathering of more than 800 people in the hall included dozens of representatives from the Military Chaplains, who provide chaplaincy support to Her Majesty’s Forces.

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning, led the Assembly in prayer for all the victims of the bombing, including 14 year old Eilidh MacLeod and 15 year old Laura MacIntyre, for their families and the community around them.

The Church of Scotland’s minister in Barra and South Uist, Rev Dr Lindsay Schluter, reacted to the confirmation that Eilidh had been killed in the explosion. She said : “As time was going on these fears were rising that Eilidh was among those who had died.

“To have these fears confirmed has come as devastating news to all.

“While this is a small community, it is a strong and deeply caring one also.

“This was in evidence at yesterday evening’s service of prayer for the two girls and their families.

“This island community will continue to offer its love, support and prayer to each other.

“As we grieve with Eilidh’s family now, we continue to watch and wait over Laura and her family.”

The Moderator has also been in contact with Dr Schulter  to tell her that she, her parishes, and all the peoples of her communities have been held in the prayers of the General Assembly.

“In what must be a time beyond imagining, contained as it will be with difficult, pain, hurt and loss, we pray that the blessing and the kindness and the gentleness of God will continue to enfold everyone caught up in the tragedy that took place in Manchester; not only now, but in the weeks, months and years ahead.”

Photos by Andrew O’Brien , Andrew O’Brien Photography

[email protected] | http://andrewobrien.co.uk

At the Hunter Foundation dinner tonight at Edinburgh’s EICC those attending will be given the chance to be in the next JK Rowling film.

Auction prizes at the dinner will also include:

• Two walk in parts in the next J.K. Rowling Fantastic Beasts film
• Naming rights to the Gleneagles Hotel American Bar

Sir Tom Hunter said :  “The support from the Scottish business community for our event has been phenomenal and we’re looking forward to seeing many well-kent faces at our flagship dinner. T

“here are some fantastic money can’t buy auction prizes and all of the profits will go to Scottish children charities.”

President Barack Obama is to give the keynote address in his first major speech since leaving office in January this year.

Secondary schoolchildren were given the chance to win a table at the dinner to hear the President’s speech. Milo Stricevic a pupil at Hyndland Secondary School won a table along with her teacher Ms McGuire for her poem If I Ruled Scotland. Milo won the Stabilo Young Journalist of the Year prize last year with £1000 of journalism supplies for her school and she is a councillor with Glasgow Youth Council.

Milo’s poem begins :

If I Ruled Scotland

If I ruled Scotland here is what I’d do

I’d make everything equal for me and you

I’d educate Scotland on hope and peace

And make the minorities feel at ease

If I ruled Scotland here’s a law I would pass

When the sun shone no kids were in class

Instead we’d play rounders or read in the shade

(after all it’s unlikely to last more than one day!)

Tickets for the dinner are sold out, and widely speculated to have cost those attending around £5,000 for each table. The money raised will support The Hunter Foundation projects which have the aim of ridding the world of poverty and some causes supported by the Obama Foundation.

LeithLate returns with an exciting programme of visual art, theatre, poetry and live music. In addition to its new festival programme, there are also the annual sell-out Mural Tours.

The visual arts exhibitions will include work by award winning Glasgow School of Art graduate Clara Hastrup. Hastrup’s video work has been chosen to be exhibited in a site-specific installation at Trinity House’s underground hidden vaults. Holly Knox Yeoman, a former visual arts curator at Summerhall, has curated an exhibition that includes Stephanie Mann and opening performance by David Sherry, at the Sikh-Scot social enterprise Punjabi Junction which will address the theme of adversity and the changing identity of Leith.

LeithLate17 is teaming up with Leith Festival to present a community stage at the Kirkgate for Thursday’s opening night.

The festival will present their strongest theatre and dance programme to date this year. Edinburgh-based company Creative Electric present ‘Is this the real life? Is this just broccoli?’ at the Laundrette on Leith Walk. A new ambitious production entitled In the Ink Dark by notable performance maker and choreographer Luke Pell, will be performed on June 16th.

LeithLate has also matched up Deptford Cinema (Community Cinema of the Year 2016) and Leith Community Cinema to present a film programme surrounding the issue of gentrification. This will take place at Pilrig Church (16 June). The film programme will also feature at Deptford X in September 2017.

LeithLate17 are pleased to present its latest tour, the Public Poetry Trail. Leith’s murals old and new are to feature in this year’s Mural Tours, including its most recent initiatives by Kirsty Whiten and Elph. Mural tours are due to take place on the final day of the festival on 18 June with the artists in person discussing their artworks.

Tickets are on sale here.

LeithLate17 is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh City of Literature and Settlement Projects.

For a full list of daily events and venues taking part in LeithLate17 click here.

Nominations are now open for the Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce (MELCC) business awards. The closing date is Monday 31 July 2017 and the awards recognise the best of the best. You can enter the awards here.

They also celebrate businesses which set the standard of excellence in our community.
George Archibald, chief executive of MELCC, said awards are open to all businesses, whether they are a Chamber member or not.

The categories for this year’s awards are High Growth Business of the Year, Business Innovation of the Year, Environmental Impact, Commitment to Students and Graduate Engagement, Commitment to Youth Development, Business Ambassador of the Year, Excellence in Customer Service, Business Start Up of the Year, SME of the Year and the Community Impact Award.

Mr Archibald said: “The closing date is Monday, July 31 and more information and an application download is available on the Chamber website.”

The winners will be announced at the Business Exhibition and Awards Dinner on Thursday, October 26 at the Brunton in Musselburgh.

Mr Archibald added: “As well as entertainment and great food, the Business Awards are ultimately a recognition of businesses across the region which have pioneered new concepts and innovation, excelled in commercial enterprise or distinguished themselves with their attitude to workforce development.”

Balerno Business Forum is to press for proper signposting of facilities in the village.
Businesses are concerned that they are being by-passed by visitors.

Jim Polasik, business representative on Balerno Community Council, said: “We have so much to offer in Balerno but many don’t come near.

“They drive along the Lanark Road and keep going or they visit Malleny House and drive home.

“Cyclists travel along the Water of Leith and keep going or do a u-turn and that also applies to walkers. Fishermen go to Harlaw but don’t come to the village.”

He added: “We have a number of quality places to eat, shops and other facilities and we are determined to make people aware.

“There is nothing even at the entrance to the village to say what is available. We want to change that.

“Nearby Colinton is a good model. People are aware of what is available by quality signs. We want to ensure that Balerno has the same.”

The lack of signs was a major talking point at the inaugural meeting of the Balerno Business Forum in The Letterbox café.

The Forum will now meet on a monthly basis on the final Tuesday of the month at 5.30pm in The Letterbox which is situated in the village Post Office.

A total of 18 businesses attended the inaugural meeting and Mr Polasik said: “We were really encouraged by the response and by the discussion. We want to build on this and we will be having monthly meetings to do that.”

Queen Margaret University (QMU) has become the recipient of the Cycle Friendly Campus award, gifted ‘with distinction’ by Cycling Scotland.

The award, delivered with funding from Transport Scotland, recognises the efforts of Scotland’s colleges and universities which promote cycling as an accessible and convenient travel choice. It was presented to Tom Kemsley, Sustainability Support Officer at QMU, by Cycling Scotland’s Paul Wright, in recognition of the outstanding level of commitment the University has shown to encourage cycling.

The University implemented a range of measures including reinvesting income from campus parking charges to support bike travel. Other measures include secure cycle parking, cycle maintenance areas, changing facilities, term-time bike hire, cycle training and led cycle rides.

Commenting on the Cycle Friendly Campus Award for QMU, Tom Kemsley, Sustainability Support Officer, said: “We’re really proud to have been recognised for this award, with distinction, by Cycling Scotland for our ongoing commitment to encouraging more and more staff and students to cycle to, from and around the QMU campus.”

”Our long-standing cycling community at QMU have also made a big contribution to helping us recruit new members and creating a self-sufficient cycling community on campus.”

The Cycle Friendly Campus Award is run by Cycling Scotland with funding from Transport Scotland and recognises exemplar projects from Scotland’s college and university campuses where cycling is made a real and accessible part of campus life. Campuses can register to become a Cycle Friendly Campus online at www.cycling.scot

A charity which provides the only hospice care services for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions has been announced as Barratt Homes East Scotland’s’ chosen Charity of the Year for 2017.

Barratt Homes East Scotland and Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) will work together on a variety of events including fundraisers and a sponsored golf day.

Criona Knight, corporate Manager at CHAS, welcomed the announcement. She said: “We support over 415 families every year and the work that we do ensures that children who have life-shortening conditions and their families can access much needed support in our hospices and at home.”

”We rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters and we are delighted that Barratt Homes in the East of Scotland has committed to support us during 2017.”

CHAS runs two children’s hospices – Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch as well as a home care service called ‘CHAS at Home’ which covers the whole of Scotland.

President Barack Obama will arrive in Edinburgh today for a charity dinner tonight at the EICC when no media will be allowed according to what we have been told.

So it is just as well that Tennents Lager have got their act in gear to welcome him to the capital.

Tennent’s Lager is saying “Yes T Can” this week as the brand awaits the arrival of former US President Barack Obama to Scotland’s capital. Tennent’s has taken over Edinburgh city centre with a “Yes T Can” message, in reference to Obama’s iconic “Yes We Can” presidential election campaign.

Tennent’s enlisted the help of “Barack No-Bama”, one of the UK’s top Obama look-a-likes to help launch “Yes T Can”. No-Bama was out and about campaigning in the city yesterday encouraging punters to turn out and celebrate the big man’s arrival on Friday. The Glasgow brewer is urging the people of Edinburgh to raise a glass in celebration of Obama’s arrival, and will have a street team and giant campaign screen touring the capital all day Friday with a few samples of Scotland’s favourite lager.

Obama has long been popular amongst Scots, and will enjoy entertainment from the likes of Kevin Bridges and Annie Lennox when he speaks at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Street teams will tour key locations in Edinburgh before arriving at the EICC to welcome the former President.

Alan McGarrie, Head of UK Brand Marketing at Tennent’s said: “When we heard Barack Obama was coming to town, we wanted to pull out all the stops and  welcome him to Scotland. Obama is famous for his “Yes We Can” campaign line, and “Yes T Can” is a celebration of that.”

Photos by Chris Watt
Tel – 07887 554 193
[email protected]
www.chriswatt.com

Edinburgh schools have been invited to take part in a new performance project that breaks down, or shakes down, the plays of William Shakespeare and gives high school students the opportunity to make the plays their own on one of Scotland’s most celebrated stages. 

In the first year of the project, Firrhill, Forrester, Tynecastle, Queensferry and the Royal High Schools will reimagine A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the King’s Theatre in two performances on Wednesday 28 June. 

Each school will perform one act of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, keeping a through-line in design, costuming and direction, but allowing for multiple portrayals of characters in a cohesive and collaborative work. The play will be abridged but the verse will be as Shakespeare wrote it. The opportunity is for students to explore and experience the play for themselves, to work together with students not from their school and to work outside of the school learning environment as the show will be developed and presented at the King’s Theatre. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be directed by Pab Roberts with Music by Gary Cameron and Lighting Design by Heather McLuskey. 

Shakedown is a new approach to presenting the works of William Shakespeare created and developed by performer, voiceover, writer and director, Pab Roberts. With the aim of nurturing a new appreciation of Shakespeare in schools, empowering students and encouraging collaborative working, the project will run over 4 years and invites all Edinburgh high schools to take part. 

Picture the Production pitch – Pab Roberts in front of a panel of five Edinburgh school’s headteachers and governing alumna. He assures them that, whilst the students and pupils will be celebrating end of public exams, the whole ethos of the production is firmly embedded within curriculum criteria.

A historical perspective will throw light of the down-trodden proletariat (The Rude Mechanicals) and the inherent injustice of an autocratic monarchy, Duke Theseus. The subjugation of the female through the patriarchal paradigm – male actors portraying women, Queen Hippolyta as war trophy. (There’s a general murmur of agreement here in that it will at least keep the HMI, Sturgeon and Davidson off their backs if there is any PC blowback.) So far, so good.

To clear up any possible misunderstandings The Edinburgh Reporter chatted with Pab Roberts –

http://www.edtheatres.com/shakedown