The wail of the Snark

[libertango]

From the e-mail newsletter I get from Jon Snow, anchor of Channel 4 news in the UK:

"There are amazing tales coming out in Scotland as the official report into the massive cost overruns of the Scottish Parliament (approx £400 million) is released. It's a superb British report in which 'we must learn lessons...so that this never happens again'. How many more Scottish parliaments we expect to build is not revealed."

Comments

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

How many more Scottish parliaments we expect to build is not revealed.

So far, two. ;-)

And the second one is in the wrong place.

The other shoe

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

OK... Care to explain both statements, cryptic one? Are you saying there are two national parliaments for Scotland currently under construction, in addition to Holyrood? And I have no idea what's meant by "the wrong place" -- Monaco, perhaps?

Re: The other shoe

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

So far, Scotland has built two national Parliament buildings. One was closed down as a Parliament in 1707. History does not relate whether it was built on time or within budget.

One was built at the bottom of the Royal Mile, jam in the middle of a traffic muddle waiting to happen, where it is not possible for the building as is to expand in any direction, because it's surrounded by listed buildings and royal park. So, two parliament buildings, one decidedly in the wrong place. Calton Hill would have been better. Or Leith. Or even out at the damn airport, as was proposed by some.

Re: The other shoe

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Ah. I see.

Traditionally, a question like, "How many more...?" refers to the future, not the past. So when you said, "two", it looked like you meant two more parliaments in addition to the ones that already exist.

As Sir Humphrey Appleby might say, Your answer was novel, innovative, and courageous.