John McLellan

Edinburgh

Director at Scottish Newspaper Society

Director, Newsbrands Scotland; senior consultant, Media House International; Hon prof, Stirling Uni; columnist. Views here my own, not Newsbrands members

Articles

The verdict on Cammy Day: little in this sordid affair surprised me

1 week ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

But that did not mean Cllr Day had no case to answer, that complaints against him were fabricated, that Cllr Day’s alleged behaviour fell below the standard expected of a civic figurehead, or that safeguards for complainants do not need to be improved.
The ultimate disruption: What if Reform promised a referendum on Scottish independence?

1 week ago | scotsman.com | John McLellan

It was billed as a new forum to pose “the big questions” about Scotland’s future, and in fairness Tuesday’s Scotland 2050 conference offered a decent line-up, with an intriguing pairing of economy secretary Kate Forbes and Cherie Blair and keynote speeches from First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
I'm not sure Edinburgh Council's biggest problem is too many Christmas parties

2 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

The report into whistleblowing culture in Edinburgh Council and harassment allegations against Cammy Day has been published (Image: free) Of all the recommendations from the latest report into whistleblowing culture and safeguarding in the City of Edinburgh Council, it’s doubtful the councillors who ordered it thought it would include a ban on Christmas parties.
Here is what the Scottish Tories need to do to combat Reform surge

2 weeks ago | msn.com | John McLellan

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
Here is what the Scottish Tories need to do to combat Reform surge

2 weeks ago | scotsman.com | John McLellan

The way forward is amplifying the new common-sense agendaScottish Conservative members who have not skedaddled to Reform ─ which is the vast majority, in case you’ve been led to believe otherwise ─ will be at Murrayfield this morning to hear Kemi Badenoch’s first Scottish conference speech as leader amidst predictions of the party’s impending demise in Scotland.
Edinburgh is held back by its can’t do attitude. It should be more like Glasgow

3 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

The last remaining Red Road flats are demolished in a controlled explosion in 2015 (Image: Jeff J Mitchell) For a week devoted to putting Edinburgh under the microscope, one of the stand-out stories in The Herald this week was Glasgow’s decision to change its policy on high buildings. Think Red Road flats and Glasgow has long seen height as a solution, which in a city where land supply is less of an issue than Edinburgh, might seem unnecessary.
How two local pensioners defeated plans for Galloway National Park

3 weeks ago | scotsman.com | John McLellan

Was it Media House wot won it? Widely recognised as an extraordinarily divided process, the fierce arguments over the creation of a national park in Galloway and Ayrshire are over. Opponents have won the day decisively, and in their struggle to understand how they lost after years of preparation, supporters point to the involvement of a public relations company as the reason for their defeat.
Sir Tom taught us one thing: chin-stroking doesn't build houses - private money does

4 weeks ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

Sir Tom Farmer redeveloped the Lochend area (Image: Ken Whitcombe) The applause from Hibernian supporters for Sir Tom Farmer as the hearse carrying his body passed Easter Road stadium this week took me back to the 90s when the attitude of many Hibs fans towards the Kwik Fit tycoon was not one of affection.
Telling people road closures are 'for their own good' tends to go down badly

1 month ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

Central Park in New York (Image: PA) I’d never been to New York until last month, and like most people visiting for the first time, I was blown away by the experience. Hamilton on Broadway, the Staten Island ferry, jazz at Birdland, walking the High Line, the whole schtick. And of course, the overwhelming sadness and eerie tranquillity of Ground Zero. “Hey, you just missed those Tartan celebrations,” said one taxi driver. “Aye,” I said.
More than 60 transport schemes cancelled in Scottish city in one fell swoop

1 month ago | heraldscotland.com | John McLellan

The postponement of significant alterations to Portobello High Street ─ to cut through traffic and widen pavements ─ could face stiff resistance (Image: PA) Most folk enjoy a good old moan about the state of the roads, if enjoy is the right word. Potholes, speed limits, bad junctions and all that sort of stuff is what fills councillors’ inboxes, each message wanting to know whitareyegonnadoabootit.