Edinburgh Trams "hell on wheels"

Oh dear me, Edinburgh's troubled trams project is...er...in trouble, yet again, it would appear. What a surprise. You couldn't make it up!

The latest setback involves the resignation of trams project chairman David Mackay.

In media interviews, Mr Mackay hits out at German contractors Bilfinger Berger and describes the project as "hell on wheels".

David Mackay. Photo:
 Edinburgh Trams

Now there are calls for trams project bosses to explain themselves to the Scottish Parliament.

Edinburgh MSP Shirley Anne Somerville said the latest developments confirmed the SNP's warning the tram project was being pushed for political and not practical reasons.

Ms Somerville added, "The SNP warned our political opponents that forcing the Scottish Government to implement this project would lead to funding problems and chaos for people in Edinburgh. It is deeply unfortunate that with David MacKay’s resignation we are seeing our worst fears realised."

In a resignation statement, published on Edinburgh Trams website, Mr Mackay makes no reference to the "hell on wheels" jibe widely reported in the media.

Instead, he describes the project as being "enormously absorbing", adding there was never going to be an entirely ideal time to step aside.

He says, "In the past few months I have been keen to see a number of milestones set in place and this I have now done. I believe that for every Chair there comes an important juncture when the most powerful action you can take is to pass the controls to a successor and to then watch that organisation develop further under a new champion.

“The last few years have been stimulating and challenging and I believe that considerable progress has been made across many fronts and particularly, on Trams, where our imperative to protect the public purse has been notably successful.

“The time has now come when it is appropriate for me to move on which should allow me to refocus my energies on to a better, and probably much overdue, calmer work/life balance.

“I would particularly like to pay tribute to the many colleagues and peers I have worked with and those at Edinburgh Trams in particular who have shown remarkable resilience and energy in the face of what has been at times, a very difficult and complex situation”.

Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Jenny Dawe, says she is "obviously disappointed" to be losing the drive, commercial expertise and commitment which Mr Mackay brought to his chairmanship of Transport Edinburgh, Lothian Buses and TIE ( the council's Transport, Infrastructure and Environment committee).

She adds, "However, I would like to express my sincere thanks to David and pay tribute to the pivotal role he has played on this enormously important project for the city. I was aware that we were unlikely to retain David until full project delivery and fully appreciate his reasons for standing down at this point.

“Urgent steps will be taken to ensure that we build upon the very substantial foundation that David Mackay has built.”

No mention there of any "hell on wheels". Time for some real answers, surely. The people of Edinburgh deserve nothing less.

Mind Map Mind Game?

I'm not one for conspiracy theories. I want to make that clear right from the off. And I know next to nothing about map projections, except to say it's a complicated subject. Even after spending an hour or so reading up on map projections in Wikipedia, it's all still pretty much a mystery.

But my research, although superficial, left me in no doubt even the map makers themselves have problems drawing up a map. Maps, it would seem, are full of compromises. Here's a little quote from Wikipedia:

"Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface [of the earth] in some fashion. Depending on the purpose of the map, some distortions are acceptable and others are not; therefore different map projections exist in order to preserve some properties of the sphere-like body at the expense of other properties."

So what's all this mind map, mind game business? Perception, in a word. Let me explain.

Every night, after the main BBC national news, we get the UK weather forecast. And, of course, a map is used. No problems there. Or is there?

Notice how, when the weather man or woman zooms in for a more detailed close-up, Wales, for example, appears about the size of Scotland? And Devon and Cornwall almost completely fill the screen? London and the Home Counties appear gargantuan!

It's all down to the map's projection, I hear the BBC say. The map has built-in distortion, the sort you'd get if you were up in space and actually looking down on Britain at a lowish angle. Scotland, to the north, would appear smaller as it disappeared into the distance. And, of course, the BBC would be quite right.

But here's the rub. Imagine a viewer in London looking at the weather map day after day, for months, even years, on end. The south of Britain looms large. Scotland always appears much smaller than it actually is. And each time, the perception is reinforced that the one is 'greater' or 'more significant' than the other.

We're talking subliminal here, certainly subconscious, where the distortion becomes completely accepted as the true reflection of reality. Nobody gives it a second thought. The mind map becomes as fixed as the image of the Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace.

Trouble is, the subconscious can trickle through and affect the conscious mind in all sorts of ways, with all kinds of consequences real and imagined.

Mind game? I told you I didn't believe in conspiracy theories. The BBC could fix the problem in an instant given the talented software programmers and technicians it surely has.

So what would the satellite view look like from an Edinburgh perspective? Imagine a zoomed-in Fife filling the whole of the television screen, with London appearing no larger than a postage stamp!

I don't think so.

Scotland - Some Facts

I'm not one for huge numbers because, let's face it, they're really hard to visualise. I instinctively know what a hundred pencils looks like, even although I've never seen a hundred pencils all in one place.

When it comes to millions, well, I'm way out of my depth. The word billions just freezes the old grey matter and some kind of curtain of mist descends in front of my eyes. The numbers become meaningless.

I'm sure it's the same with you. But politicians? They're a totally different species of human being. They seem to revel in such numbers, using them to back this or that political point.

I am sure they, too, can't really visualise £2.6 billion, for example. But what they're skilled at is manipulation, using one set of mind-numbing figures to batter the opposition with, or to convince us they have the real handle on the economy, or whatever.

A fact or two...

Now don't switch off, although I wouldn't blame you if you did! By the way, many thanks to the General Register Office for Scotland, the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, Scottish Development International, the British Council and others for the information.

Bagpipes and kilts and incredible scenery, all symbols
of Scotland. Photo: elainemac

Did you know Scotland's population reached the five million mark only in the 1950s? I didn't either. Scotland's population first hit the 2 million mark in 1821. In 1861 it was 3,062,294; and in 1891, 4,025,647. But it wasn't until 1951 that it reached over 5 million for the first time.

Scotland's population is 5,194,000 (according to the latest estimate in June 2009), an increase of some 25,000 over the previous year. The figure is the highest for 30 years. Scotland's population reached a recent low in 2002 of 5,054,800.

Let's take a look at Scotland's cities. And, yes, we don't have that many. Officially, Scotland has six cities; Glasgow (population 577,980), Edinburgh (446,110), Aberdeen (179,950), Dundee (141,930), Inverness (42,400), and Stirling (33,060).

Most Scots regard Perth as a 'city' but in actual fact it has no such official recognition. Other 'aspiring' cities include Ayr, Brechin and Paisley.

Scotland's industries

Is it surprising, given Scotland's scenery and history, tourism accounts for something like nine out of every 100 jobs? The actual figure is around 200,000 jobs and the sector is worth nearly £5 billion to the Scottish economy. There are an incredible 27,000 tourism businesses in Scotland.

Banks, these days, are hardly the flavour of the month. Yet 150,000 people are employed directly and indirectly in the financial services industry which brings in around £7 billion every year into the Scottish economy. However, I'm sure that figure will be reduced in forthcoming statistical offerings given the present financial climate.

Think of Scotland and whisky and Aberdeen Angus beef and Scottish lamb all spring to mind. The food and drink industry, which includes Scottish farming and fishing, is another big earner, with some 1,500 companies employing a total of 250,000 people. More than £7.5 billion is generated by this sector every year. Whisky exports alone amount to £3 billion annually.

Electronics is another major sector in Scotland employing in the region of 55,000 people. Education provides employment for 85,000, both directly and indirectly, while the aerospace industry generates over £2 billion and employs over 30,000 people.

More than £3 billion is generated by a chemical industry every year which employs over 13,000 people while life sciences generates a further £3 billion, employing around 30,000 people. The textile industry employs more than 20,000 and Scotland's 300 contact centres employ a further 60,000 people.

And finally...

Scotland covers an area of around 30,000 square miles. The coastline measures a little over 7,300 miles. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis, near Fort William, with a height of just over 4,400 feet. The River Tay is Scotland's longest river, running for some 120 miles.