One interesting observation from the day so far – the Scottish Parliament here in Edinburgh has a completely different context to the London equivalent.

Not only is there greenery a very short distance away from the front door, as show in the picture, but just round the corner is what looks a lot like council housing – and is certainly not expensive residential development by any stretch of the imagination.

Sure, it’s just off the Royal Mile, and adjacent to the old palace of Holyrood, but you get more of a feeling of diverse community around it than you ever do in Edinburgh.

Whatever you think of the design of this unusual building, you can’t argue with its context. The MSPs aren’t caught in a little bubble of privilege and urban life in the same way the Westminster types are. That pleases me.

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