Edinburgh's reputation for being 'aw fur coat an nae knickers' may be deserved after all – Scotsman comment

Edinburgh is happy for the New Town to have brothels but not for front doors to be painted pink (or the wrong shade of green)

Does Edinburgh deserve its reputation for being a place full of people with “aw fur coat an nae knickers”? There are those in the west of Scotland who insist it very much does.

A new black comedy called Adults – set in a brothel in Edinburgh’s New Town – offers a reminder that Scotland's capital has, for years, been quite happy to turn a blind eye to what is basically legalised prostitution on open display on some of the city’s most well-to-do streets.

Therefore, it might strike some onlookers as odd that a perfectly respectable New Town resident, Miranda Dickson, faced a fine of thousands of pounds for the scandalous ‘sin’ of painting her front door shocking pink. And doubly odd that when she repainted it green, this was also deemed inappropriate and her third choice, the lightest shade of pink, has attracted yet another complaint.

But if Edinburgh really is more interested in appearances than what lies behind the facade, perhaps it all makes sense. Brothels are fine, but their front doors better not be out of keeping with the ambiance.