Edinburgh’s Iain McDonald is setting himself up to take the world by a storm. Having just finished touring with American punk Metal band Amen, he is just about to release another E.P. It Starts Here and is preparing to take on America.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Iain aka Billy Liar is his use of the acoustic guitar, believing it to be a natural extension of the punk genre in terms of the honesty of its sound. He said: “If you batter the acoustic really hard it’s going to sound really loud. Nobody can switch you off. It’s much more honest, it’s a true style.”

Despite leaving Edinburgh for Glasgow Iain still holds Edinburgh in particularly high regard, seeing the scene here as paramount to his own success: “There are so many excellent bands that have come out of Edinburgh. It’s important to keep that alive. I’m very proud to be from Edinburgh.”

A band which has become synonymous with the Edinburgh punk scene is Oi Polloi. Helping organise the punk festival on Cramond Island every year and doing so without want of profit they manage to keep the punk spirit alive. Iain said: “The Cramond Island punk festival which Oi Polloi is hugely involved in is amazing there isn’t anything else like that. Oi Polloi is a huge part of the Edinburgh Punk scene they really pull it together.”

None profit bands like Oi Polloi are a huge part of the punk philosophy. It’s perhaps ironic then that in times of economic difficulty when punk seems to do particularly well, it is usually a time when none profit bands become a difficult feat as Iain suggest: “It’s really difficult for them right now in the economic climate we’re in, nobody has any money. For a band like Oi Polloi to go on tour, even if they don’t want to make any money, they need the money to go from one place to the next. And they have to have enough money to exist at home without doing a job which would take them off tour. Because everyone has less money less people are paying to come to gigs and promoters are giving less money to bands.

Along with non profit bands D.I.Y music has also become a fundamental aspect of the Punk scene. Again though this is not an easy accomplishment , as Iain says the better known an artist/band becomes the more difficult it is to do everything yourself: “It’s pretty difficult for me right now to juggle all the things I’m doing. I always want to have creative control over what I’m doing. But at the same time if I could get some help with organising tours and things that would be extremely helpful.”

Part of Iain’s busy schedule has been touring with Amen which he did last year. Ever since picking up head phones in a music shop and heaving them nearly blow his ears off he has been a huge fan, so as he says going on tour with them was: ‘like nothing I could possibly have imagined, absolute chaos.’

As well as touring with Amen Iain has been recording with a host of very well known artists in the scene such as Acey Slade, Robin Guy and Nick Mailing, not only has this been a phenomenal experience for Iain but it has also helped develop his performance.

Iain has always been a solo performer but since his collaboration with so many influential actors he can see this becoming a more permanent fixture. He said: “the tour I’m going to be playing next year will be me performing with the musicians that I recorded with. The future will be me playing with other musicians, its great playing with other people.”

Although Iain is keen to flex his musical muscle and experiment with other musicians he won’t be totally abandoning solo performances: “I’ll still do gigs by myself but I’m just looking forward to recreating the sound that I’ve got on my new E.P.”

It’s hard to believe that Iain made such a name for himself simply by way of gigging and talking to bands he admired. He said: Mostly I just talked to people and told them who I was and about my music…one connection eventually leads to another.”

The people Iain has had the good fortune to work with are certainly well known but they are by no means of the mainstream. This is something which has allowed the punk scene to develop without market influence, according to Iain: “It means that bands can to their own thing a lot more.”

Whenever a story about punk music emerges there is always the faint whiff of suggestion that this cannot be a story about punk because punk is dead. Iain is no stranger to this he argues: “As long as bands come up with interesting music then that keeps it alive. There’s a whole load of bands who keep on playing the same music, the same songs even that were written in the seventies like the Sex Pistols and the Clash. That’s dead. To keep on playing those songs like some sort of tribute band is completely pointless. That died its death a long time ago.”

According to Iain there is no danger of punk dying, far from being a type of music, in his eyes punk has evolved into a way of life. He said: “The honesty is even more important than the music…As long as you take the punk spirit and not be a cliché. Then how can that die. That’s a thought a belief. A way of living.”

Whether you think punk is dead or alive, there is no doubt that the scene in Edinburgh is proud of their very own Billy Liar. Even if he has moved to Glasgow.

What has happened to the Two Thin Laddies. When I first moved to Edinburgh three years ago it was a treat to get a cup of tea and a bight to eat there. The staff were lovely and friendly always ready with a smile. Now I feel like I’m performing some kind of torture to the waitress staff. Last weekend was no exception.

Initially the staff member serving us was friendly and courteous even funny, unfortunately he made the somewhat lazy error of ignoring the fact we were looking at menus when he served us our drinks. I realize that I can be a bit of a nit- picker considering my experience as a bar manager so given his manner I ignored this.

After attempting to get the other two waitresses attention in a cafe packed full of at least two tables of people I gave up and went the counter. Even this was a brave attempt at being fed, remembering previous occasions at going to the counter and being told rather abruptly to sit down and wait for someone to come to me.

As I teetered up I politely asked the man who was serving us if I could order some food. Granted he was in the middle of a rather intense conversation with his colleague so perhaps I should have waited to up my bill until they had finished. But I rationalized at the realization that I had been waiting for about ten minutes in an empty cafe and thought why not I’ll go for it.

Now again call me crazy but at this point I would have thought that maybe an apology would have been in order after now being ignored for about twenty minutes. Instead I was greeted with: “He’s finished you can take your order from me.” At this point the infamous ‘he’ apologised and genuinely I thought. I understand this can happen when you’re just about to finish a shift, desperate to get out the door it’s possible to become somewhat apathetic towards the job in hand.

After waitress number two did me the brilliant courtesy of her job if somewhat rudely we sat and waited for our food, which was I have to say good. Unfortunately though the waitress made yet another foe par, upon reaching the table she almost threw our food and cutlery at us. If you’ve been in the Two Thin Laddies you will know the tables are some-what small. I therefore had to take my empty cup from the table to make room for the food. The woman despite her faults cannot be blamed for having two hands. My problem stems from her snatching the cup from me and running from the table as if I had spent the night in a sewer. This is despite me giving her an out by saying (rather loudly) to my partner “would you like another drink”. Unfortunately I was ignored and we weren’t seen again until my partner went to pay and probably rather naively tip as we always have.

I know that because of my experience in hospitality I can be a bit of a bore when I eat out. But I think it is a real shame for one of the few independently owned cafes in Edinburgh to be infected with such a bad atmosphere. This especially unfortunate when I realized that I was not alone in my experience and actually the bad service is becoming notorious. Restaurants are being shut down left right and centre at the moment. People are pained to spend their money at the best of times let alone to people who are going to look down their nose at them. The food as I say is always in my experience very good, but often it is the service which makes or breaks a diner’s experience. So come on Two Thin Laddies take that chip of your shoulder and give us a smile. All will be forgiven, I promise.

To find out how eco friendly Edinburgh is click here to listen.

Listen to what fisherman Dave and assistant manager of Loch Fyne Chris had to say to make sure you aren’t eating illegal shellfish

A few weeks ago me and my mother made the trip down south to the lovely town of Bedford.

Although the journey down was pleasant enough, the way back was another story. After getting on a train at Bedford station we had to make a change at Chesterfield.

Now Chesterfield train station is unlike anywhere I have ever been before. The best way I can describe it is as thus: A black hole in the middle of a field with a waiting room, a constant supply of litter and a faint whiff of stale urine in the air.

Being unimpressed at the thought of having to stay in Britain’s answer to the Black hole of Calcutta we asked a woman selling sandwiches if there was anywhere we could go for a meal. We were swiftly told that there was no civilisation for miles. At this point I not only began to have a small panic attack but realized that I was going to have to eat a disgustingly over priced soggy tuna roll.

Safe in the knowledge that our train would soon come and save us from the litter infested sewer, we took what would be best described as food and perched ourselves on the cleanest seats we could find.

Finally after 45 minutes of dodging dysentery our train came. The glee we felt was tantamount to winning the lottery. We launched ourselves forward running as if for a 500 meter hurdle. Suddenly the doors punched open and made that ptssss sound I had longed for.

There seemed to be a lot of people there though. Obviously some were waiting to get out. Remembering my manners I stepped back to allow the squashed travellers off the train, only to discover they were staying where they were.

As I fought my way through the sweaty mob, it became clear that there was nowhere to sit, let alone stand. My poor mother found herself pressed up against some teenager while I became lodged in between a skin head and his granny.

Our decision became clear. It was four hours in a sweltering sardine can, or the black hole. Me and my mother looked at each other breathed a sigh of defeat and clambered our way back to the platform.

As the train pulled away a small tear gathered in my eye as the realization dawned. I may never leave Chesterfield. Perhaps this is how they trapped people here. What if my sandwich was drugged? Any minute now I could start to appreciate the glorified field I had been stranded in.

I had to act fast while my fury was still bubbling in my stomach. Marching up to the ticket man I demanded to know why a train had been allowed to get so full. “Err well it’s the school holidays,” he said.

I must be missing something because I don’t remember a half term break being a legitimate reason to put hundreds of lives at risk, by jamming a train full to bursting. But unable to argue with such a stupid response we marched out of the station determined to find some sort of entertainment.

Luckily the sandwich girl obviously didn’t have a large proportion of her brain and forgot that there was a hotel literally out side the Train Station.

Now the hotel wasn’t five stars by any means. But it served wine and at that stage, that put it on par with the Savoy.

We sipped away on a crisp bouquet until deeming it safe to attempt another journey. Running down the platform determined to at last free ourselves from the dungeon, we heard the immortal words, “The 16:40 train to Glasgow will be delayed for approximately twenty minutes.” Surely somebody was joking.

Luckily me and my mother were somewhat subdued at this point so our anger wasn’t quite as abrupt, and was finally put to rest when we eventually got on the train and arrived home 3 hours later than we were supposed to.

The message is clear here. Count the tickets sold. Not only was that train unsafe for the customers but the staff too. Speaking to train staff on the train I actually got on I learned that in situations like this they are not allowed a break. Instead they have to clamber over and squeeze through as many people as possible to do their job. Sometimes for up to ten hours at a time. And it’s these people who get the flak for someone else’s mistake. It’s unfair and a blatant disregard for human welfare in the face of making profit.

The following essay will reflect on the third year Magazine Production module. It will discuss certain aspects and skills gained from it, particularly regarding: magazine production, writing, subbing, what makes a successful magazine and in turn the magazine market.

In order to fully appreciate the way a magazine works it is beneficial to lend yourself to every aspect of its eventual completion. My main role was as distribution manager, however I also co-wrote a feature, and helped with advertising, production and subbing.

Before any role was focussed on, the demographic audience had to be decided. The group as a whole believed that the magazine should cater for social groups throughout society as it was a free magazine. At the same time we were aware that because Impulse was a free magazine it would be somewhat unattractive to advertisers and as John Morrish suggests in his book Magazine editing second edition how to develop and manage a successful publication:

“Advertisers do not generally throw money away. To advertise with you they need to be convinced that you are reaching the right people.” (Morrish 2003 p30)

In deciding on our readership we looked to current free magazines in Edinburgh. In particular we focussed on I-on, an Edinburgh and Glasgow focussed publication which “offers readers articles and news on a host of topics including fashion, health, beauty, food, and drink…presented in a glossy high quality format.” It is then “…distributed throughout each city in top hotels, bars, restaurants, retail outlets and spas”. (www.i-onmagazine.co.uk).

Although I-on is perhaps aimed at an older demographic than we cared for we thought it was a good basis to start planning our own demographic audience.

We decided on a B and C social grade demographic, between the ages of 18 to 30. We did this working from the “market research categorisation of the population according to their social and economic status,” (McKay 2000 p191) as devised by Research Services Ltd in 1946.

The grades we chose reflect a wide range of society, which are not only attractive to advertisers but also distributors. The B grade is the second highest social rank and the C grade being “split into two (C1 and C2) to distinguish socially between sets of workers who earn roughly the same money but do different kinds of work. C1s are the non-manual (clerical) workers. C2’s are the skilled manual workers.” (McKay 2000 p191).

The categorisation process not only helped with our advertising but as Jenny McKay states in her book “The Magazine Handbook” was also “a handy shorthand way for the editorial staff to think of their readers.” (Mckay 2000 p 191-192)

On the back of the group’s decision on our target demographic a media pack was created which would not only be sent to advertisers and distributors but would also provide the foundation for which Impulse would be created:

The Impulse team were eager to include light hearted features such as a Frankie Boyle interview, top five wines and 24 hours in Edinburgh. Yet we didn’t want to patronize our readers by assuming they would only be interested in the ‘fun’ aspects of the city. I and a colleague therefore produced a background health feature discussing the virus hepatitis C. The article was intended to uncover and educate our audience about a disease which people have very little knowledge about and which was of great import to the demographic we were intending to reach. As Jane Taylor points out in the book “Print Journalism: A Critical Introduction” it was “backgrounder” which took “a longer view often digging down into the origins of an issue (which readers may have lost sight of in the flurry of news reporting)” (Taylor cited in Keeble 2005 p121).

It was a feature which underwent a certain amount of debate within the team. We were constantly wary that the feature wouldn’t patronize or undermine our demographic. At the same time we were aware that the issue was a contemporary one and in terms of our mission statement was certainly relevant to Impulse.

Due to a lack of suitable computers, printers and to a certain extent organisation, Impulse began to lag behind in terms of production. This was unfortunate in terms of timekeeping but allowed those such as myself who hadn’t worked on production the chance to help. Technology is not my strong point, so this was perhaps my most difficult yet rewarding task to do with Impulse. Once a skill which needed “typewriters, dictionaries, type books, pens, paper, paste, depth scales, set squares and rulers to assist in sizing pictures, and a good keen head for mental arithmetic…instead of all of this they need computer skills.” (Mckay 2000 p121)

I worked on a few features however the one I felt I did most on was the Woody Allan piece. In hindsight after speaking to impulse colleagues the colouring does seem very pale and perhaps not as eye grabbing as the rest of the magazine, however I felt it a very rewarding task being able to find the appropriate photograph and type. The fact that I could see the finished product in front of me made it incredibly worth-while.

My main role during the production of Impulse was advertising and distribution. This was not something which made me instantly inspired and only took the role of distribution manager after entering Group One late again due to the university’s unbalanced organisation of time tables. Despite this, the role has been a rewarding one. Our group has been successful after earning over £3000 and therefore the most money in Impulse’s history. Yet it can be a thankless task. I ensured my team kept a record of everyone they phoned because unlike with production or feature writing, the fruits of your work are not instantly recognised, especially if offers keep getting rejected by companies.

Being part of a magazine such as impulse was a learning curve. As with any team project every member was important and if one member lagged behind so did the magazine. Yet it was certainly beneficial and a worth while project.

Monday 10^th March

I got to my placement 45 minutes early at 7:45 and had to come into the newsroom through a sandwich shop at the side of the building because the entrance to the echo was closed. I got to my desk while the paper was going out and felt like I was in the way. I was told to sit down for 10 minutes and as I expected was still sitting waiting for something to do an hour later. I kept myself busy looking through previous editions of the newspaper getting to know its layout. But soon I felt myself slipping into the background. I began to ask everyone around me if they had anything they wanted me to do but they all declined and brushed me off.

Eventually woman’s editor Linda Colling came to my rescue and told me a story she was investigating. It was to do with forced marriages among the Asian community particularly among young girls. There is a large Bangladeshi community in Sunderland so this is a subject of great importance. She gave me some research to look through and asked if I would like to come to do an interview with her at a woman’s refuge later that day.

While I was waiting to go with Linda Craig the deputy news editor gave me a pile of press releases to wade through. I was told to re write them all, ready for them to be put into copy later in the week. Although I do think this was just to keep me busy as I never saw any of them in print.

Finally the time came to go with Linda. She told me the whole interview had to be kept confidential because if anyone found out the interviewees identity then her life would be in danger. Watching Linda do the interview proved how important short hand was. I am sure that had a Dictaphone been used the interviewee wouldn’t have been as forthcoming. It was also fascinating to see how a local newspaper can take on such a ground breaking story.

Tuesday 11^th March

I was expecting to carry on the story from the previous day as planned. Myself and Linda were going to interview a young girl who had been the victim of a forced marriage. But Linda had another lead which was more urgent. She explained to me that nothing can ever really be planned in a daily newspaper.

I was given a handout about the Sunderland Echo and found that its sister newspapers are vast. I also found that it is owned by the Johnston press group after they took over North East Press in 1999. When listening to staff at the Echo it was clear they didn’t feel particularly valued. There was a lot of joking in regards to pay rises and holidays. I was also told that Johnston Press group have set up their own award ceremony in order to ensure that they win something.

At one point one of the journalists told me that sister newspaper editors would attempt to poach each others journalists frequently. She was once scared for her job after an editor from one newspaper told her editor that he was looking forward to have her working with him without her agreeing to anything of the sort. Luckily after a scary editors meeting she managed to clear the situation up. It proved to me exactly how cut throat the journalistic environment was.  

I spoke to one photographer who had been with the Echo for 60 years (his whole working life). He didn’t divulge a lot other than to say: “people used to laugh a lot more.” He also talked about how advertising has become a lot more important. Whereas at one point advertisers would be hounding the newsroom for space, it was now the other way around, with less and less emphasis being put on journalistic copy. This reminded me of the magazine production module we a currently doing at university. Before anything was decided about copy a huge emphasis was put on advertising. We were basically told that we couldn’t have a magazine without the revenue.  

Wednesday 12^th March

I got a by line today from the day before after I went out and did vox pops in Sunderland city centre regarding a story taken from a press release. The press release suggested that football strips with red in the strip would be destined to do better because it encourages animalistic behaviour.

I did another vox today. This was about the futureheads: a band from Sunderland who The Echo were campaigning to get into the top twenty after they walked out on their record deal. I was told to get six vox’s from people who felt that it was important that the futureheads got to number one. In terms of journalistic ethics it was interesting to see that I was only allowed to finish the vox’s when I had enough people saying what The Echo wanted them to say. Luckily everyone I interviewed did think the futureheads getting into the top twenty was important for the city, so I didn’t have to compromise my journalistic integrity too much.

During the time of this campaign Sunderland city council were complaining a lot to The Echo.  A council woman actually came to the newsroom for a meeting with the editor. The complaints were due to Linda Colling writing some quite negative comment pieces namely “Sunderland is a dump”. I wonder if the campaign about the futureheads was more to do with keeping the council happy than getting the band into the top twenty. Again this brought to mind questions of the ethics, advertorials and indeed civic boosterism.

I did wonder whether the Sunderland council thought of The Sunderland Echo as their personal P.R. machine. Marissa Carrathus the crime and entertainment journalist was frequently dodging calls from one particular member of the council who apparently inundated her with stories he wanted to go in the paper. I was reminded of Alastair Cambell and his relationship with the British press not to mention Philip Schlensinger and his theory of the Primary definer.    

Thursday 13^th March

I have been given a lot more responsibility at this point and am beginning to fit in a lot more with the newsroom.

At the moment I’m working on a story about a soldier from Sunderland who fought next to Prince Harry. The story was obtained by one of the Echo’s journalist after watching the evening news. I had to watch the package on the internet and find out the soldiers name. I then had to find him. There was a problem though. The name of the sergeant was Dean Barnes. There is a family in Sunderland with the sir name of Barnes who should be avoided therefore we were unable to go through the phonebook to find Dean.

I think this is the downfall of working for a local paper. I doubt a notoriously violent local family would be as intimidating to a paper like the ‘independent’ or the ‘sun’.

During the time I was at the Echo sports relief was coming up. We had been given a tip off that a 21 year old man was shaving off his beard and hair which he had been growing since he was 13 for sports relief.

I phoned his mother to find his number and after speaking to her realized that the reason for his shave was more that met the eye. It transpired that the man’s mother Carol 53 had, had cancer five times and had finally been given the all clear.  Her son Richard Ward had decided to lose the hair after his employer (EDF energy) agreed to stage the event if half the money he raised for cancer connections went to sports relief.

The story was difficult to do as I felt almost a fraud dealing with such a difficult subject while on my work experience.

Carol wanted to go through everything I wrote. The Echo had previously told me that it was against their policy to send a story to an interviewee however it would be acceptable to go through their quotes with them. I therefore asked her to come into the Echo building. I met her at reception and went through everything she said. She was happy for everything to be used other than the amount of times she had been diagnosed.

I felt that ethically this was the best way to deal with the story. Learning from Linda earlier in the week I felt that given the sensitive nature of the story a face to face interview would put the interviewee more at ease and make her happier to divulge more information, thus making it a more successful story.

Unfortunately The Echo didn’t have the same ethical ideals. When the story came to print, despite it being all my own words didn’t have my by line.

Friday

As I mentioned before while I was at the Echo they were keen to put more positive stories in the newspaper. Today I did a story about a girl who had come to Britain as an Asylum seeker from Sri Lanka when she was 13. Although she had excelled at GCSE and A level because of her asylum status she was unable to go to University. Instead she got in touch with a refugee agency that put her in touch with a project in Sunderland which allows young people to set up their own business. She decided to set up an art and design project for women seeking Asylum in Sunderland who were finding it difficult to integrate into western society.   

I also did a story about a girl from Sunderland who had come runner up in a competition set up by London fashion week. The prize meant that her design would be on river island carrier bags a month before student London fashion week.

The press release we got about the story had false information. It said that the girl I was interviewing had won the competition. She had not she only came runner up. Luckily when I phoned her I managed to realize the press release had false information before I said anything which may cause problems but it showed me how ill trusted press releases could be.

The person who had won was sat next to her while I was interviewing her. I asked the deputy news editor if he wanted me to interview her too but because she wasn’t from Sunderland he wasn’t interested. Again I could see this was a downfall of working for a local newspaper. I wasn’t able to explore the story to its full potential.

The Echo were particular about accuracy, nearly every interview I did I phoned back to clarify certain facts, and this was encouraged by the other journalists. I did get the feeling that this was more to do with ensuring they didn’t get sued rather than any ethical hang ups the paper might have.

Day six

By now the staff trusted me a lot more. To the point were I started having a lot of work to do. Today I did several previews for Marissa Carrathus (the crime and entertainment journalist). There was very little journalism involved in this. It basically entailed taking a press release and re writing it. Again ethically this was a questionable task. I was pre viewing things encouraging people to go and see plays and comic acts that I knew nothing about.

Interestingly the woman who came in to do reviews ( who must have been part time) seemed to just come in and phone her friends then go home rather than doing any work.

There was also a journalist who should have sat to the left of me who apparently hadn’t been in for three weeks. He was apparently ill with laryngitis but from what the staff said it seemed that they didn’t believe this entirely.

The Echo staff worked on a rota basis which I did find a surprise as I assumed it would be an 8-5 day every day although obviously this was not the case.

Eventually when it was time for me to leave I asked if I could come back over the summer which they agreed to and which I am looking forward to. I am particularly looking forward to working with Linda again, although she seemed to think she may have gotten sacked by the time I got back.

‘The Insider’ is a humorous, insight into the world of one of the most successful tabloid newspaper editors in Britain. The book allows a glance into the way a newspaper can help form the public’s opinions and views.    

Morgan has formulated his star spangled career into an easy to read diary, which allows the reader to feel like they have uncovered a secret they shouldn’t have. With every turn of the page the reader uncovers yet another clandestine fact about the wonderful world of celebrity and politics. Facts that it is unlikely the politicians and celebrities would want the public to find out.

‘The Insider’ needs to be read with a pinch of salt. Morgan’s notorious arrogance shines throughout especially in his early years. However the nature of the book means that we see the human aspect to Morgan. Usually seen as an in-sensitive money grabbing hack, in ‘The Insider’ we are often forced to sympathise with him.  The obvious ease in getting caught up in the tidal wave that is a busy newsroom is clearly difficult to resist. We can see how easy it must be to dehumanise a story in the excitement of hearing a great scoop and getting it to print.

The first fascinating aspect of ‘The Insider’ is Morgan’s account of his relationship with Rupert Murdoch and indeed Murdoch’s control of his newspapers and his staff. His memory of his first major promotion from the bizarre columnist in The Sun to the editor of the News of The World reads like a chess player rearranging his pieces. It certainly puts into perspective how much power Murdoch has.

Morgan’s time at the News of The World is an eye opening read particularly in terms of the ethics surrounding check-book journalism. The most memorable example being that of Divine Brown: The prostitute Hugh Grant decided to end his marriage with. It is difficult for a reader not to read aghast as Morgan describes how ‘half of Fleet Street’ embarked on planes trains and automobiles to get their exclusive, which The News of the World then won for £120,000. The punch line hits of course when we learn that Hugh Grant had just signed a deal with 20^th century fox, again owned by Rupert Murdoch. A delicious tit bit on how a media conglomeration can be almost impossible to control even for the worlds most powerful media mogul.

 Morgan’s account of his relationship with Princess Dianna is of particular interest. Morgan suggests that the photographs taken of a bikini clad Dianna in St Tropez on the day of Prince Charles’ 50th birthday were staged in order to take him off the front pages and put her on it. We can therefore see that although there is no doubt Dianna was hounded by the media, the relationship between the two was perhaps not as black as we have been lead to believe.  

The most sincere aspect of ‘The Insider’ was Morgan’s account of 9/11 and the way he believed it to have transformed the way tabloid newspapers thought and acted. It seems that during that time he remembered that newspapers were more than circulation and celebrity. He states himself that the six months subsequent to 9/11 were the best in his career.

The Insider was not only insightful but funny. Whether you have a journalistic interest in the media or not, in a world where media rules it is important to read a book as honest and frank as this. On the other hand who really can trust a tabloid editor?   

In 1996 Tony Blair vowed that he would “wipe away the cobwebs of secrecy”. But Labour’s most recent announcement means that Britain is going to have to wait nearly five more years for any rights of access.

The right of access under the freedom of information act has been set back to January 2005 almost 3 years later than originally planned.

Britain’s 3 year wait is surpassing most countries significantly, most of which only had to wait 7 to 12 months.

The wait is centred on the Government’s main departments, like the local authorities: the police and the N.H.S. The bodies Blair was most concerned about unveiling in 1996.

Blair had said: If trust in the people means anything there can be no argument for freedom of information.”

Under the original timetable Britain would have had access to these departments’ information in 2002. Nearly three years earlier than the new time table will allow.  

Road works along Leith Walk have caused small businesses to suffer major losses according to Nigel Duncan, the vice chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Restaurants and pubs are among the hardest hit, with some suffering losses over one million pounds.

Nigel Duncan said: “The road works on Leith Walk have affected small businesses drastically.”

A survey carried out by spot- on data of Edinburgh found that some companies were refusing to deliver in Leith Walk. This forced some restaurants to rent property in Dalkeith to ensure they get deliveries.

Nigel Duncan added: “It’s stopped people going to pubs, its stopped people going to restaurants and its stopped people crossing the road.”

The company behind the trams, Trams In Edinburgh (T.I.E) have formed a package of measures to help cushion the financial blow small businesses are facing.

 Media officer for T.I.E Gordon Robertson said: “We put together a business support package…It works in two ways. If you’re on the route and looking out on the work then you get money off your rates.”    

Mr Robertson added: “Also if you can prove that your business is having some hardship there is a one off payment available. This can be up to £4000.”

Mr Duncan said: “The Package of measures hasn’t worked.” According to the survey 96.6 per cent of businesses haven’t received their rates reduction compensation, and 89 per cent of businesses haven’t received their one off payment.”

Even businesses which have received money are still having difficulties. The majority of businesses said the compensation scheme hasn’t been effective, with the £4000 one off payment only covering 10 per cent of their losses.

Leith Walk resident Alexandra Leszcznska said: Now it’s bad because we’re in the middle of building. But there will be a lot more tourism in Leith. Someone can make some real money out of that.”