June 2019
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Edinburgh linked with Shenzhen The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Frank Ross visited Shenzhen last month to formalise the twinning arrangement that the two cities have now entered into. He gave a keynote speech at The 2019 Shenzhen Smart City Forum held in the middle of last month. Accompanied by the council’s Chief Executive Andrew Kerr he visited the 15th (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair where new companies are introduced to China. He told the Shenzhen Daily that he hoped there would soon be a direct flight between Edinburgh and the city. This builds on a relationship fostered over recent years during which the two cities have forged links with technology businesses. The Lord Provost said : “Shenzen is the centre for the high tech
and creative sectors in China. Additionally as a UNESCO City of Design it shares many of the core values we have in Edinburgh. “The signing of a sister city agreement builds on our work under the creative MOU for the last five years and provides a fantastic platform for all organisations to take advantage of this market. “Edinburgh University has already begun this process and I would encourage others to follow and The office of the Lord Provost is happy to support those who wish to take the next step.” One of our Edinburgh schools, Merchiston Castle School has established the 1200 pupil Merchiston Castle International School which opened in September 2018 to offer the same education in China as in Colinton.
European Parliamentary Election 2019 Three SNP MEPs were elected last month along with one from each of the Brexit Party, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. This means that Alyn Smith who has been an MEP for 15 years returns to Brussels with fellow SNP MEPs Christian Allard and Aileen McLeod, Louis Stedman-Bryce for the Brexit Party (which is now the biggest party in the EU Parliament), Conservative Baroness Nosheena Mobarik and Liberal Democrat Sheila Ritchie. Hailed by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a ‘historic victory’ the SNP won 590, 947 votes were cast for the SNP out of 1,568,241 across the country. This anti Brexit stance, if that is what you can take from the EU election results, bucks the UK trend where the Brexit party won most votes and seats. Labour appear to have suffered from the lack of direction on Brexit given by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the fallout from the Brexit delays also affected the Conservative vote in Scotland. The results of 31 council areas were known on Sunday evening but it took until Monday lunchtime
before the official announcement came as the Western Isles do not count votes on Sundays. When the six new MEPs were announced here is what they said : Alyn Smith SNP MEP said :"We have had a real endorsement from the people of Scotland not just for the SNP but also for Remain. Scotland's clearly got a different sense of our place in the world, a different sense of what we want out of the future. We don't know what that is, but I know I have two great colleagues who will work really hard for it, so I am absolutely delighted." Sheila Ritchie Liberal Democrat MEP said : "My first job is going to be working out how on earth we manage to stop Brexit given the continuing clear division of votes announced yesterday. I think it's clear that Remain won, not by a big margin and that society is pretty divided on this topic. Brexit is the catalyst for that division and we have to find a way to stop it." Louis Stedman-Bryce Brexit Party MEP said : "I think what we have seen here is that a party which started from nowhere just five weeks ago has now come second
place in the European election here in Scotland, and first place across the UK. "We feel that that give us the mandate to demand basically that our MEPs are involved in the negotiations in Brussels." We pointed out to Mr StedmanBryce that the party has no elected MPs or other elected officials in the country to which he replied : "We don't, but a lot of people have looked at this election and thought 'What is this telling us?' I think the amount of people that have come out to vote for the Brexit Party - a party that didn't exist five weeks ago - gives us a strong enough mandate to say there are people in the UK who want us to leave - and we need to be part of that negotiating team." Christian Allard SNP MEP is an anomaly. He is a Frenchman living in Scotland and was an MSP until 2016, since when he has been a councillor in Aberdeen City Council. His election will create a vacancy on the council, perhaps causing a by-election. He is genuinely happy to be elected to the European Parliament. He said : "It is fantastic. First of all you know
to be in The Scottish Parliament and now to be in the European Parliament. I think the people of Scotland are really showing what an incredible nation we are. Fit for the 21st century - a modern Scotland." Aileen McLeod SNP MEP said : "I am absolutely over the moon. We have had a fantastic result. This has been the best ever European election win for the SNP. I think it has been very clear from the results that the people of Scotland have sent a very clear message that Scotland rejects Brexit. Baroness Nosheena Mubarik Conservative MEP said : "From now until October there is probably not much legislative work to be done, so our real interest is really in what happens after we leave." We asked if there was not perhaps a possibility that she would still be in a job after the end of October. She replied : "I think from my perspective we have to remain focussed on our intention is. Our intention is to leave on 31 October and to do that in the best way possible for Scotland and for the rest of the United Kingdom."
WHAT'S ON
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival begins this month Story on Page 12
FEATURE
Teddy Bears were invited to sleep over at the Children’s Library - Story on page 16
FOOD
This month Juliet visited Merienda in Stockbridge - Story on Page 18
FEATURE
Gormley statues are back - Read story on Page 14