Simon Holledge

Defibrillators: Saving Lives, motion passed by City of Edinburgh Council, 5 February 2026 (full text) - Calton Hill Conservation Trust The Trust are delighted that the Motion, Defibrillators: Saving Lives, by Cllr Bruce was passed by City of Edinburgh Council on 5 February 2026. The full text is below: Motion by Councillor Bruce: Def...

The complete text of the motion that was passed is posted on our website:
caltonhilltrust.org/defibrillato...

Petition on pro-Israel influence in UK politics hits threshold for Commons debate

A petition calling for a public inquiry into pro-Israel influence on politics and democracy in the UK has gathered more than 100,000 signatures and will now be considered for debate in the House of Commons

Petition: Call a public inquiry into pro-Israel influence on politics & democracy We are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics. We believe it is important to determine the scope and impact of any such influence campaigns.

Petition: Call a public inquiry into pro-Israel influence on politics & democracy petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...

Calton Hill has a vacant bardship ... You need the right kind of costume but maybe they have one in Leeds?

Trump has about as much respect for The People's House as he does for the people.

@believeinscotland.bsky.social‬ The Trust have received no information about this from @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social. Will the rally be on hard standing/car park? Grassed areas on the hill are easily damaged. An erosion emergency was declared last year. 300 sq. metres are fenced off. Please advise.

So Epstein buddies Andrew and Mandelson have been arrested in the UK. And in the US? Zero, zip, nada | Marina Hyde At least the British gave us the perp-walk shots. But I fear that any Americans seeking real justice will have to wait, and wait, and wait, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

"A clip of MANDELSON over which you could wonder absentmindedly, “Is this honestly the first time he’s been arrested? I must be having a deja vu because it hasn’t happened before, yet it feels so weirdly familiar. For whatever reason.” MARINA HYDE @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Archaeology walkover group on Calton Hill, Edinburgh 22 February 2026

Thank you to all who came to the ARCHAEOLOGY WALKOVER on Calton Hill led by Jessica Lowther of Headland Archaeology yesterday (21 Feb 26). The group in the photo are standing where a building was indicated on early 19th century maps.

Free public transport based on an extension of concessions would be good, but will the buses be diesel or electric? Will double-decker giant buses still be routed through city centres, taking away space from pedestrians e.g. in Edinburgh along and around Princes Street?

Borrowed from AUOB in FB. Worth reading through to the end:

I ditto every word if this👇
#ScottishIndependenceNow

One of the greats and he made Hutton’s work decipherable, which was more than Hutton could manage. Hutton’s discovery of how rock formations formed and behaved was in many ways more insightful than Darwin’s work on evolution, and that was genius.

John Playfair was buried in an unmarked grave in the Old Calton Burial Ground, however a plaque was erected to him there in 2011. It would be fitting to celebrate him with a walk from the plaque to the Playfair Monument on the top of the hill.
web.archive.org/web/20130829...

John Playfair by Henry Raeburn, National Portrait Gallery, London

Playfair Monument, Calton Hill, 15 November 2024

JOHN PLAYFAIR? Does anyone remember John Playfair? Is anyone interested in John Playfair (1748–1819)? He was a major scientist, mathematician, and professor of natural philosophy and he has his own monument on Calton Hill. The anniversary of his birth is on 10 March.

Parks, landmarks and false starts: City divvies up ‘tourist tax’ millions Plus: Airport set for biggest expansion in 80-year history; and finance boss slams city "complacency"

GEORGE STREET: "Essential Edinburgh ... expressed its disappointment, saying there is a “dire need (for) major public sector investment” with the alternative being “more years of deterioration and sub-standard public realm in the key city centre.” 1/ open.substack.com/pub/edinburg...

FYI re planning application 26/00217/ADV @collective-edin.bsky.social @edinburghwh.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social @ntbcc.bsky.social @theahss.bsky.social @edinburghminute.com @edinreporter.bsky.social @spurtle.bsky.social @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social

Proposed signs for the Collective Gallery on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, 12 February 2026

Collective Gallery SIGNAGE planning application: The Trust are asking for the words CALTON HILL to be added to 7 proposed signs on and around the hill to avoid visitors being confused about where they are — especially as the road by the main entrance is also called 'Calton Hill'. 1/

Calton Hill Conservation Trust story in the Spurtle, 1 February 2026

*The VAP*: 'ALL WRAPPING PAPER AND NO PRESSIE'. Thank you SPURTLE for covering our disappointment with the Council Culture & Communities hijack of report on a proposed tiny grant for parks groups with a large top-down VAP (Volunteer Action Plan) allocation to bureaucracy. @spurtle.bsky.social

We have now written a formal deputation to the CITY of EDINBURGH COUNCIL meeting on 5 February in support of 'DEFIBRILLATORS: SAVING LIVES'.

APPALLING NEWS. The George Street project had been developed over many years. It was the only @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social project of any quality. And it was finished. In contrast we have no viable plans for Princes Street. Throwing money at the problems there would be frankly stupid. 3/

"There is still a considerable amount of work to finalise the Waverley Valley strategy and ... a safe and segregated cycle provision along Princes Street... It’s simply not credible to start spending capital on a project that is not shovel ready.” Cllr K K O’Neill 2/

Change of plan on funding George Street revamp from tourist tax The plan to fund the long-awaited revamp of George Street from Edinburgh’s tourist tax has been put on hold amid last-minute negotiations at a special meeting of the full council to allocate Visitor L...

GEORGE STREET “While our group has many concerns ... we believe it would be folly to scrap the project at this stage ... George Street ... is very nearly ready to go, the same cannot be said for Princes Street." Cllr K K O’Neill (Greens) 1/
edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinbur...

Edinburgh University Dirty Weekenders volunteers on Calton Hill, 8 February 2026

Rainwater runoff channel cleared by Edinburgh University Dirty Weekenders volunteers on Calton Hill, 8 February 2026

Edinburgh University Dirty Weekenders volunteers on Calton Hill, 8 February 2026

Many thanks to the industrious & fashionable DIRTY WEEKENDERS volunteers (from the university) who have been digging out the old stone rainwater runoff channels (gutters) on Calton Hill today (8 Feb 2026).

Interesting. I know Maurice Maeterlink from music — Debussy's 'Pelléas and Mélisande' — not direct. Maybe someone I should have read . . . 2/

Talk: Jane Hyslop: The Intelligence of the Flowers - Fruitmarket As part of Artsits' Bookmarket 26 Jane Hyslop will talk about her new publication inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck book from 1906.

Jane Hyslop/INTELLIGENCE of the FLOWERS/ from Maurice Maeterlinck's essay www.fruitmarket.co.uk/event/talk-j... 1/

Delighted the DEFIBRILLATOR motion passed with cross-party support (+ helpful amendments). Special thanks to Cllr Mowat @cllrjomo.bsky.social for highlighting the struggles of the Trust to get a 24/7 unit installed and to everybody for recognising the importance of a fast response in an emergency.

#Authoritarianism is one of the aspects of #fascism.
#Edinburgh #FreeSpeech

Parliamentary privilege in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

Westminster has 'parliamentary privilege' (immunity) and the Scottish Parliament has some protections for parliamentary debate. What about local government? Could the police walk in and arrest councillors during a council meeting? 3/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliam...

PALESTINE: "For councillors to be unable to discuss whether or not we agree with the UK Government is antithetical to everything we are supposed to uphold as a nation of free speech and democracy.” Cllr Alys Mumford, Greens 2/

Edinburgh council drops debate amid fears councillors could be arrested A motion about Palestine Action was withdrawn from a meeting of Edinburgh council amid fears councillors could be arrested for debating it.

PALESTINE:"...protestors criminalised and arrested for peacefully holding pieces of paper, and now ELECTED MEMBERS of Scotland’s capital city are PREVENTED from even DISCUSSING a motion highlighting important issues of HUMAN RIGHTS." Cllr A Mumford 1/
www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinbur...