The Edinburgh Reporter January 2024

4

Look to the future

Murray revving up for election year

Continued from front page

The artist was the creative talent behind

Les Colombes a 2022 installation sited in

the cathedral, when a floating flock of

more than 2,000 paper doves were hung

in the nave.

Each bird brought a message of hope,

peace, humanity and new beginnings,

appropriate for the end of the pandemic.

The doves were crafted by many

volunteers during a visit to the cathedral

or to the National Museum of Scotland.

Pendry said: “I’m so pleased to be

returning to St. Giles’ Cathedral with

HEART, which represents a symbol for life

in all its fullness, a symbol of being

human, love and pain, primary and

genuine in a tech-focused world. This

heart will keep changing - because it is

change that keeps it alive. I look forward

to the people of Edinburgh enjoying the

experience, especially in this times full of

uncertainties, climate change, wars,

gender discussion, confusions of an old

global ally systm that seems to fall apart.

SHOWING HEART

“We need to remind us what life is about,

and the importance of showing empathy,

understanding, embracing the different

and at the end of the day...showing more

‘heart’. Art can make a change, and our

role as artist is to spend some light,

giving people hope and showing them

what the world can also be despite of all

the turmolis of our fast, hard and cold

everyday life.”

Alan Thomson, Co-Director of Unique

Events and Burns&Beyond Festival, said:

“Following the success of Les Colombes,

Michael Pendry’s beautiful flock of doves

in St Giles’ Cathedral back in 2022, we are

hugely excited to present the UK

premiere of HEART, which will be beating

for over two weeks as part of

Burns&Beyond and St. Giles’ 900

celebrations. In such troubled times, we

hope that HEART will bring joy to all that

visit and images of this positive symbol

will be shared far and wide. Remember,

all you need is love.”

Sarah Phemister, Head of Heritage and

Culture, St Giles’ Cathedral said: “As St

Giles’ Cathedral heads into its 900th year

in 2024, we are delighted to welcome

Michael Pendry back to the cathedral

with his installation HEART. We are

excited to be collaborating with Unique

Events once again and cannot wait to

welcome visitors from near and far in the

new year.”

A view of the year ahead as seen from the City Chambers

By ROBERT ALDRIDGE

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh

THE DUST HAS just settled on what has

been another exciting year.

In 2024, we mark Edinburgh 900 which

represents almost a millennium of shared

history centred on our fascinating city. I’m

delighted that work is now underway to

prepare for the anniversary with a great

programme of events examining how

Edinburgh came to be over the centuries, to

celebrate where it is now, and reflect its future

ambitions and aspirations.

St Giles’ will also celebrate its 900th year as a

working church and a centre for civic services.

The Cathedral plays a central role in the city’s

history and is a huge asset to both the Old

Town and the nation.

At the end of June, I’ll welcome His Majesty

the King to the city for Royal Week where we’ll

undertake the historic Ceremony of the Keys.

With Armed Forces Day also in June and

Remembrance Sunday in November, these are

two key annual events when I will reconfirm

my commitment to our veterans and the

significant service community in the capital.

The Edinburgh Fire Brigade will celebrate

another important anniversary in 2024,

marking 200 years since the first municipal fire

service in the world was created. It was a

pleasure to welcome HRH The Princess Royal

to the McDonald Road Community Fire and

Ambulance Station to mark the opening of the

Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage. I thank all

the emergency services in Edinburgh who do

such a fantastic job keeping us all safe.

We will celebrate the 70th anniversary of our

very first twinning with Munich. We have since

gone on to twin with thirteen other cities

around the globe, including Dunedin (50 years)

and Florence (60 years). I look forward to

fostering these valuable relationships.

Like Edinburgh, the Polish city of Krakow is

a UNESCO City of Literature. We have enjoyed

a strong partnership with the city since 1995.

I am similarly thrilled that the UNESCO Cities

of Literature Conference will be held in

Edinburgh next year, reaffirming our place

as a world leading literary city.

Marking 20 years since the creation of the

UNESCO Creative Cities Network when

Edinburgh received its designation as the very

first UNESCO City of Literature, we will

welcome representatives from over forty other

Literary Cities to celebrate the achievements of

the past twenty years and plan for the future.

I would like to draw attention to the

voluntary sector in the city. Alongside my

Deputy Lieutenants, Volunteer Edinburgh and

the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations

Council (EVOC), I made several nominations

from the community for a King’s Award for

Voluntary Service in 2024. I look forward to

seeing the results when they are announced.

By IAN MURRAY

Labour MP for Edinburgh South

MY POLITICAL hero, John

Smith, said that “all we ask is the

opportunity to serve”.

As we enter an election year,

his ask will be repeated in the

months ahead. The Labour Party

is revitalised under UK leader Keir

Starmer and Scottish leader Anas

Sarwar, and we are asking the

people of Scotland and the UK to

give us that opportunity to serve.

Our party has changed – and

we are ready to change the

country. I have had the honour of

representing Edinburgh South

since 2010, and will be standing

for re-election..

I hope to be joined by more

Labour colleagues in

Westminster to build a fairer,

greener country where nobody

is left behind.

Scottish Labour MPs will put

Scotland’s voice at the heart of

government. If I have the

privilege of serving as Scottish

Secretary, I will focus on

promoting Edinburgh and

Scotland on the world stage,

as well as delivering reform

here at home. This is the change

that Scotland needs – a UK

Labour government relentlessly

focused on delivering our

transformative agenda.

The set-up of GB Energy,

headquartered in Scotland, will

be an early priority of a Labour

government, with our plans

supporting 50,000 highly skilled

clean power jobs.

We are determined to give

Scotland its future back, because,

sadly, as we reflect on the year

just passed, it’s clear that we are

being failed by two governments.

The Tories have run our

economy into the ground,

causing a cost-of-living crisis for

millions. And the SNP is so

distracted by its own internal

infighting and scandals, that its

politicians have become

hopelessly out of touch.

Nationalist MPs are completely

disconnected from Scotland’s

priorities. In 2024, we can kick

Rish Sunak and his cronies out of

Downing Street – and only

Labour can do that – and we can

get rid of SNP MPs who care

more about the constitution than

their own constituents.

Lord Provost

Robert Aldridge

NEWS

Ian Murray MP