Beep beep, I'm a tram!

And here they are: the (in)famous Embra trams. They seem to have had a good start this weekend with 40,000 tickets sold, although there will - of course - still be recriminations and protests at the waste of money, the disruption to local businesses and traffic, etc. I used to work for Sue Bruce (Chief Exec of Embra Cooncil) and if the tram project is back on track it is probably due to her. Not that I'm a fan: she's as cold a fish as you could meet in a long day's hike but she's efficient. It's just a pity the route of the trams has had to be curtailed. Edinburgh is one of the least user-friendly cities in Scotland and an extended tram system would be a real benefit. But maybe in the future, they can change that. 

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that this is the Scottish Parliament:

It too was denounced as over-priced, a waste of money, etc. It certainly cost more than it was meant to, but that was mainly because the politicians kept footering with it, adding a tower here, a wee reading corner there. Poor Enric Miralles, it probably shortened his life. Now, just 10 years on, it's routinely referred to as an 'iconic building' and we are dead proud of it. Inside, I still think it's one of the ugliest concrete monstrosities in the country, but there you go - we now love it.

So what is it with the Scots? As any new project is announced, we can already hear the Greek chorus intoning: 'Nae guid will come o this. We're aw doomed.' Sorry, that's less Greek chorus and more Dad's Army. But you get my drift. It can't be a lack of expertise or savvy. After all, we are famous as a nation of engineers and inventors. We can turn our hands to anything - and have done for centuries. We are resourceful and well-educated and acknowledged as such by all who meet us.

Is it the fault of the press? I feel I have to point out that there are 35 newspapers published in Scotland and all but one are owned by some company based outside the country. It can't be that our 'national' newspapers expect - nay, want - us to fail in any new endeavour, can it?

Or is this just what's usually called 'the Scottish cringe'? In other words: if it comes from here, it can't be any good. We'd be better getting some expert in from outwith our borders to show us how to do it properly. We can't handle this. We're too wee, too poor - well, you get the picture and if you're a fan of Better Together you've probably already stopped reading. And I'm sorry about that. Because whatever happens in the independence vote in September, there's a job to be done to persuade us that we, as the people who largely invented the industrial revolution, are capable of doing more, being better and aiming higher. Otherwise, what the hell are we trying to do?