It is sad to see Scottish Labour, which I think *imagines* itself as a progressive party, parroting last week's Tory attack memes. There's much in this that's downright disinformation and some of it is demonstrably false
If you fall into the old trap of trying to out-Tory the Tories, it will probably work out the same way as it did before and concede you vote share to... the Tories!
Honestly, they could have just sat this one out, at no particular loss to themselves, by saying "this is a local matter for local councils to decide, and for voters to therefore decide at the ballot box. Instead they've picked this shrill, centralised, disingenuous approach
Guys. Come on! Get over yourselves and get over the "Any idea, however bad, is a good idea so long as we can try beating the SNP & Greens with it". That's so 2014.
That tweet links to a Scotsman article. About a Tory motion attacking and trying to derail the policy... Quite literally doing the Tories work for them here. Well done 👏👏👏
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🧵A brief(ish) thread about this building, in Leith, with some topical relevance. 👇
On the corner of Dalmeny and Buchanan Streets, at first glance it looks much like any other gothic church of the Victorian building boom on the back of schisms in the Scottish churches. And it was. But this is now Our Lady of Pochaev and St Andrew's Ukrainian Catholic Church 🇺🇦
In the the 1860s and 70s, the newly independent Burgh of Leith saw a rapid industrialisation and population increase. As a result, it finally outgrew the medieval confines of the old burgh and tenements started springing up in all directions.
Sometimes I get asked a question to which I *kind of* know the answer, but want to check on my facts before I respond, and the answer ends up being much more interesting that I thought it might be.
Q. What is it with these steps on West Norton Place?
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So, where we are is in a bit of Edinburgh called Abbeymount, where the top of the Easter Road suddenly starts climbing steeper and in a circuitous manner around the old Regent Road School, up to Regent Road, and then drops right back down the other side towards Holyrood
Why does this road take a rather winding, S-shaped course (green arrow), when logically it should just plough straight ahead at the top of Easter Road, along the cul-de-sac of West Norton Place and through to Holyrood (orange arrow)?
A little Monday evening "well I never knew that" sort of a thread. 🧵👇
Question. What links the house with the blue door, a Victorian gas meter collector and an Irish legend?
Ah, no not *that* Irish legend. *This* Irish legend.
Give up? Well, the answer is that the most Irish of Irish folk ballads, "Molly Malone" (or "Cockles and Mussels") was almost probably written by an Edinburgh gas meter collector and part time music teacher at what was then 24 Mayfield Place in the Abbeyhill colonies.
This fascinating book is full of treasure and keeps on giving. Last week's thread was about how Board Schools were designed to try and combat TB. But they were also designed to try and stamp out something else; Left-handedness! ✍️
How do you try and design-out left-handedness? You make sure the classroom is lit in favour of right-handedness.
In a time before electric or effective gas lighting, you made sure that the sun light entered the classroom to the pupil's left, so the writing (right) hand cast no shadow on what you had just written.
I can disagree with Living Streets sometimes, but the point here is sound. The design is unnecessarily complex and unsatisfactory, it's a "worst of both worlds", building in conflict and risk. The suggested change is quite simple and beneficial to both cyclists and pedestrians
The trams project has a *very* long history of we-know-best-ism. For years and years they have been coming up with drawings and proposals which are quite frequently head-scratching and bonkers.
Why not move that planting 1.5 metre towards the road and make a single, wider cycle lane, segregated from the pavement by the bus-stops where it's busiest? Particularly as it is the downhill (i.e. faster) lane which is being run right past where the biggest crowds will be.