Around the constituency - and remembering a leading Nationalist

Parliament is back in session this week, but I thought I would just give a brief update on some of the things I've been up to over the last few days. Friday was a busy day - I didn't have surgeries the previous week because of Easter, and I was expecting a fairly busy caseload, but in fact it wasn't much more than normal, about 15 cases in all. However, the day had been busy - starting at 8.30 am with a meeting with the press about the new plans for a Leith Museum which were announcing that evening, 9.30 am a visit organised by the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition to Six Marys Place in Stockbridge in my constituency - a very successful guest house which is run as a 'social firm'.

Thereafter I went to the service of thanksgiving in memory of Neil McCormick, who had died after a long fight with cancer. I had known Neil in a number of ways - as one of the many thousands of students who had been taught by him over the years, as someone who, although a long-standing leading member of the SNP, was nevertheless happy to work with those in other parties on issues of common concern - and as a political opponent (we had both stood - unsuccessfully! - in past general elections in Edinburgh Pentlands consituency). I had a great deal of respect for him.

Later on, I met with a group of officers from the City Council, Tie (the tram company), and the tram contractors to raise issues of concern about pedestrian safety along the tram routes - covered at more length on my website here - and then it was four hours of surgeries! And finally, the Leith museum presentation.

Saturday I took off for a family day out - and Sunday morning first thing was family as well, at one of my children's football games (but I won't say much about that as I have a megagrumpy reader of this blog who complains when I do!) - but after that a very enjoyable constituency engagement when I joined several hundred members of Edinburgh's Sikh community for their now traditional Vaisakhi celebration march through the streets of Leith to and from their Gurdwara (temple).

Finally, I used the good weather for a few hours campaigning in West Pilton along with Malcolm Chisholm and some of our Labour team. Quite a good response considering this has not been too good a couple of weeks for Labour!