I just remembered, the restaurant you mentioned disappeared a few years ago. Very few businesses left along that stretch of the river. They are renovating that area and the Catholic church has scaffolding surrounding it. Any other city in the world would have regenerated a river bankside with shops and bars and made it bustling. Not Glasgow they are doing the opposite, imo.
The council planning guys should be taken to Amsterdam - not only would they get an idea of what to do with water, but they could then clean up Blythswood Square and create a proper red-light zone somewhere else - it would even attract tourists. I am assuming the 'girls' still go looking for 'business' up there? It was a funny place: a great ad agency - Struthers - used to have offices near the RAC place and I remember dropping off some pìcs late evening once and no sooner had I parked the car in front of their door than there was this nightmare tapping on the passenger door asking if I was looking for business. She was huge - I was anxious to tell her no without risking her temper - I must have succeeded or I would have been killed!
I think that the problems that stand in the way of businesses in Glasgow are really very much related to the rates that get charged. They are so frightening that it must take more nerve to float a business with them in your sights than almost any other factor. It would make more sense - I think - to reduce rates and thus help people keep shops open, because you are generally better off collecting a lot of reasonable rates than almost none at the mafia level. It just takes a look at any High Street and the thrift/charity shops tell it all. Why can't the officials that govern all that understand the simple maths? Maybe they just don't like the self-employed. The tax man sure doesn't!
I always enjoy chewing the fat with you stamper, apart from the fact that anyone with a D700 can't be all bad - maybe if I'm back seeing the kids some day we can say hello?
Rob C