Tuesday 2 October 2007

In praise of Edinburgh imperialism

This is another idea I got from the latest issue of Economic Affairs

Quote:

Nevertheless, such cities (for example, Bradford, West Yorkshire) may have been in receipt of vast sums of regional aid, in one form or another, since such aid has existed. Nearby Leeds, however, has thrived. Property prices and land for "Leeds" housing are at a premium. Might a more radical solution be to accept that Bradford should be given a series of Leeds postcodes? Would Bradford fare much better as an initially cheaper, largely residential suburb of Leeds?
Aha!

If one takes a Number 26 bus from Princes Street it's hardly any time at all beyond Portobello that one leaves the city and enters East Lothian. The small sign can easily be missed and the suburban sprawl continues uninterrupted.

It's quite different on the west side. The airport, the southern end of the two bridges, the foothills of the Pentlands and quite a few farms are all technically in the "City of Edinburgh", and the EH postcodes go even further. The outer west is also an economically prosperous part of the city. It includes the large Edinburgh Park office development and the world headquarters of the Royal Bank.

So we must expand further...

Why not allocate postcodes EH56 to EH200 to a greater Edinburgh beyond the already colonised outposts like Linlithgow and Livingston?

I'm thinking of Falkirk, EH71; Shotts, EH83; Airdrie, EH90; Coatbridge EH91; Motherwell, EH94 and so on.

Indeed, is not our natural boundary the High Street of Glasgow? Beyond there the Weegies can keep their "G" codes.

Furthermore, under this plan Edinburgh would usually have a team in the Champions League, would it not?

We don't care what the animals say,
What the hell do we care,
For we only know,
That there's gonna be a show,
And the Embra Celtic will be there.
You know it makes sense.

Or should we go all the way to Gourock?

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

David Farrer
Piers, 
 
Yes, but I don't think that we need to launch an air attack on Glasgow Harbour...

10 November 2007, 11:56:43 GMT
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Piers Fletcher-Dervish
Bit late but can it be called "The Greater Edinburgh Co-prosperity sphere"

10 November 2007, 10:06:34 GMT
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Gordon
You can have High Street too. But no further. That should reduce my council tax bill.

22 October 2007, 18:38:31 GMT+01:00
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David Farrer
John Smeaton 
 
Oh my God! 
 
Back to the drawing board.

4 October 2007, 20:57:10 GMT+01:00
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Andrew Duffin
Don't you dare come West of Harthill or we'll set John Smeaton on you.

3 October 2007, 13:26:43 GMT+01:00
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David Farrer
James, 
 
tongue in cheek 
 
I suppose so. But I'll show it to a Glaswegian client now resident in Edinburgh tomorrow and see what he says. And he's a Celtic fan too!

2 October 2007, 18:30:33 GMT+01:00
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James Higham
I presume you're being tongue in cheek about this. 
 
Also, David, this is ready: 
 
http://nourishingobscurity.blogspot.com/2007/10/banking-101-role-of-fed-in-and-out-of.html

2 October 2007, 08:58:54 GMT+01:00
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David Farrer
Ha Ha!

1 October 2007, 22:47:09 GMT+01:00
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dearieme
Nah. Get off at Paisley.

1 October 2007, 22:26:53 GMT+01:00