Leith Open Space 2009
Scottish political parties have entered into a bidding war to cut climate changing emissions, as the the Scottish Climate Change Bill goes into its third reading vote tomorrow. The latest amendment from the SNP calling for a reduction of 42% by 2020, improves on Labour's amendment of 40%, but this is a fast moving story - Lib Dem and Green amendments called for even more.
Campaigners from all political affiliations under the umbrella of Stop Climate Chaos, are calling on Scots to lobby their MSPs outside the Scottish Parliament, tomorrow lunch time before the final vote in the afternoon. If you can make it, you may just become a small part of history.
"This is the most important bill of this Parliament and has been strengthened by the Parliament over the last few weeks. I anticipate further improvements tomorrow so that we can have the strongest 2020 target in the world in addition to the 80 per cent reduction by 2050. The real challenge now is to have radical action to deliver the targets." Malcolm Chisholm, MSP, co-convener of the cross-party group on climate change.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland web site >>>
Read about the spring lobby of MSPs on Leith & North >>> Newslink: Download Broughton Spurtle No.171 (June 2009) here >>> Leith Festival 2009: The best events - the best pictures
Read the full picture story on Leith & North >>> Telford College staff under threat from management once again
60 lecturers at Granton based Telford College are being threatened with compulsory redundancy. The controversial management team are seeking to make some million pounds in savings, whilst FE lecturers argue that they each bring in more than three times their salaries in fees.
Staff accuse management of bringing financial chaos to the College through failure to process invoices, top heavy management structures, and overpayment of student financial support because of a dysfunctional register system. Claw backs from the Funding Council have also hurt the College's finances.
College staff welcomed the support they have received so far from Malcolm Chisholm (North and Leith MSP,) who organised a meeting with staff and pressed First Minister Alex Salmond on the dispute, Mark Lazarowicz, (North and Leith MP,) as well as Sarah Boyack and George Foulkes.
UNISON and the EIS are balloting their members on potential strike action, and a forthcoming report by the FEDD (Further Education Development Directorate) is expected to be adversely critical of the College's management.
Malcolm Chisholm's exchange with the First Minister >>>
Read about the last dispute on Leith & North >>> Leith Festival 2009: Hibs Legends take on Leith Athletic for the Peter Smith Cup
Read the full picture story on Leith & North >>> Leith Museum Campaign: "Have pride in Leith ..." urges Sir Tom Farmer "... and the young people of Leith will have pride in themselves" as he opens presentation and debate on the Leith Museum.
Left:
<<< Mark Lazarowicz, North & Leith MP, talks of Leith's rich
history.Right: >>>Leither, Sir Tom Farmer calling for a vision of Leith.
Read more on Leith & North >>>
The campaign to reopen Leith Custom House on Commercial St, as a Museum of Leith stepped up another gear last week. Some sixty odd business people, community activists and interested professionals gathered on Friday April 17th to view a detailed presentation round the theme "Trading Places: Museum of Custon and Culture. Sir Tom Farmer and Mark Lazarowicz opened the event on behalf of Leith Museum Trust; Sir Tom spoke of how an understanding of the past might help strengthen respect and common purpose between the generations and communities that make up Leith.
There was much discussion of Leith's role in the world both now and historically,
but the consensus of the group was that the focus should be round the people
of Leith, their individual stories and how these linked with the wider, international
world. The steering group reckon some £8,000,000 would be needed to make the
project a self funding reality and National Museums of Scotland who own the
Custom House (currently used for storage) are supportive of the project. Having
established that there is wide spread support for a Leith Museum (through
campaigning and gathering signatures to the petition,) the next step is to
commission a study to examine the feasibility of the plans developed to date.
Leith Museum Trust are now seeking partners who will support and assist with
the funding of such a study.Charlie Barr of Studio MB (museum and exhibition designers), Adrian Pacitti of TPS (architects) and Robert Irvine of Cyril Sweett Group (accountants), were on hand, voluntarily, to share a vision of what a Leith Museum could be and what it could offer the community of Leith. Michael Walchove of A Slight Shift has also contributed.
Download a PDF of the full presentation (6mb) >>>
Sign the online petition for a Leith Museum >>>
Visit the Campaign for a Leith Museum blog site >>> Newslink: Duncan Bannatyne invests in Edinburgh: Evening News, June 17th >>> Leith Theatre: A great arts venue - in the Heart of Leith?
Leith Theatre Trust has been set up to get the beautiful old theatre complex,
in the Heart of Leith, opened up again, to be used by the people of Leith,
as it was always intended to be. Leith Theatre closed its doors in 1983. It
is on the junction of Ferry Rd, and North Junction St, and is part of the
crescent fronted building behind Leith Library; it stands to the right of
the Thomas Morton Hall, used as a Polling Place during elections. Read more on Leith & North >>> MSP pays tribute to Leith's Bethany Christian Trust: Evening News, June 17th >>> Scottish Refugee Week: "HOME" is remembered in the Poetry Garden
Scottish Refugee Week ran from June 15th to June 21st. A small group
gathered in the Poetry Garden, lunchtime on Thursday to hang poems of remembrance
on a tree and listen to poems reflecting on this year's theme of 'Home'.The event was introduced by Ryan Van Winkle, reader in residence at the Scottish Poetry Library introduced Iyad Hayatleh (pictured right,) who read his poem 'Shame' in Arabic and English. Iyad is a Palestinian who grew up in the refugee camp in Ramallah. Leith Councillor Gordon Munro (pictured above, far left,) read a verse from Rodney Redux's Poem fir Leith (Lliath).
Scottish Refugee Week web site >>>
Scottish Poetry Library web site >>>
Learn more about Iyad Hyatlleh on the Scottish PEN web site >>> Newslink: Leith celebrities back Leith's shops: The Scotsman, May 2nd >>> Dance Base comes to Out of the Blue Drill Hall for Fringe 2009
Dance Base are bringing three brilliant and challenging shows to Leith
for this year's Fringe.
Shows will run from Previews on August 5th until August 27thm starting with Ousia by Array,
and continueing with Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre (above right) and Clair
Cunningham's challenging ME (Mobile/Evolution performed on crutches. Leith &
North looks forward to bringing you full coverage and reviews.Lucy Deacon will be taking aerial workshops at the Drill Hall running from August 17th until August 27th.
Dance Base web site >>>
Array web site (built in Flash) >>>
Fidget Feet web site >>>
Out of the Blue Drill Hall web site >>> International Development Secretary takes questions at St Georges West
"Technology changes the World," declared Douglas Alexander,
"but Aid changes the World too."An hundred odd people joined Edinburgh North and Leith MP and Chancellor Alistair Darling to debate a range of issues around Trade, Aid and International Development. After a short speech in which Douglas stressed the urgency or responding to climate change and the importance of trade in combatting poverty, members of the public put questions to Douglas about Governance, Darfur, the arms trade, the Chagos Islanders, Zimbabwe (in which Douglas shared how an MDC cabinet member urged Government support for their membership of the present administration,) and many other issues. More to follow. Trams news: Princes St during Edinburgh Festivals 2009, June 3rd >>> Scotland's sacrifice recalled on 70th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War
The
Spanish Civil War came to an end 70 years ago, on April 1st 1939. The war was
triggered by a military coup d'état against the legitimate Republican
government, in 1936. 549 men and women left their lives in Scotland to join
the International Brigades and fight against fascism as it was expressed in
the 1930's. The Scots who came from Edinburgh, Leith, the Lothians and Fife were remembered at a ceremony in Edinburgh's Princes St Gardens on April 2nd, as was the need to resist Fascism in its 21st Century forms, such as the British National Party, which is reported as being active in Leith at present. Those from Edinburgh, Leith, Lothians and Fife who gave their lives were:
John Berry, Edinburgh
Robert Bridges, Leith
John Dalglish, Leith
Bill Dickson, Prestonpans
Harold Fry, Craigmillar
Jock Gilmour, Prestonpans
Robert Mason, Edinburgh
Alex Purvis, Edinburgh
John Ross, Edinburgh
Jimmy Rutherford, Newhaven
International Brigade Memorial Trust web site >>>
Read more on Leith & North >>> Newslink: And the kids would have gotten away with it if not for that pesky street cleaner: Evening News, May 2nd >>> Stockbridge Village Festival 2008: Keeping Stockbridge Local for three years running
Read the full picture story on Leith & North >>> Newslink: We love Leith have 50 bikes to give away !>>> It's T Day for Princes St! Or is it ...? But Edinburgh's latest tourist attraction is here!
A dispute between TIE and German firms Bilfinger Berger and Siemens could drag
on for several months and throw the Edinburgh Airport-Newhaven line into chaos.
Tramlines busting out in June: The Scotsman, April 8th >>>
The German-led consortium is also thought to have asked for up to £80 million extra to begin work on Princes Street on schedule, which would raise construction costs by a third. They are also said to be demanding an extra year to finish the project.
Experts warn of extra early losses: The Scotsman, March 20th >>>
Newslink: Mark Lazarowicz meets TIE chiefs to discuss accident fears: Evening News, April 15th >>>
Calm down! Cardownie backs calls to keep cars off Princes St: Evening News, April 15th >>>
Capital confirms bus and trams merger: The Scotsman, March 6th >>>
Meanwhile the model tram is open on Princes St, outside Jenner's. TIE are anticipating eager souvenir hunters, so the exhibit is regularly supervised by seven attendants. To be fair, the tram was doing a brisk trade in passing visitors and clearly folk are interested.
Trams and credit crunch blamed as footfall falls: The Scotsman, March 26th >>>
Left <<<: Edinburgh's first 21st Century tramRight >>>: One of the Magnificent 7 answering the questions of two Edinburgh ladies.
Newslink: Download Broughton Spurtle No.171 (June 2009) here >>> Biodediversity Centre nears completion at Edinburgh Botanical Gardens
The
John Hope Gateway is nearing completion. The Biodiversity & Information
Centre is named after Professor John Hope, (Regius Keeper from 1761 to 1786,)
a leading botanist and teacher of his time who was also responsible for unifying
the Gardens at one site on Leith Walk.The £15.7 million capital development has attracted funding from the Scottish Government (£10 million) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (£3.2 million), as well as more than £2 million from a number of companies, trusts and individuals.
The Centre is set to open in Summer 2009, and can be seen from a viewing chalet, now open.
Read more on the Botanical Gardens web site >>>
Newslink: Bus Depot to become hotel for tram travellers: The Scotsman, April 9th >>>
February's photo: Demonstrators against the Israeli siege of Gaza outside the Caledonian Hotel
BBC News: Edinburgh & East Scotland home page >>>
Met Office: 5 day forecast for the Leith area >>>
Listen live online to Leith FM >>>
