Comrade Joe, there are scenes in Naples and Paris which are worse than anything you posted.  Should people also not visit the beautiful Amalfi coast or the "City of Light" (well personally I would contend that Paris is one of the most overrated cities in the world, but that's a personal thing)?

One can find ugliness and drabness, as well as beauty in any city if one looks hard enough.  Feck, there are areas on the outskirts of Prague which are like the clockwork orange.  Would you tell people not to go to Prague?

Besides, I doubt if most visitors to Scotland will be hanging around in the Gorbals waiting to get stabbed.  They'll be visiting the Highlands, the beautiful lochs and mountains, the stunning city of Edinburgh, which is easily the best looking city in the UK, and the islands like Skye.

Of course, any trip to Scotland DOES need to have an accompanying weather warning.  That goes without saying.  I spent a week on Raasay once and it rained heavily each and every day.  In August.

You can't seriously compare Paris to Glasgow.  On the whole Glasgow is a dump, Paris isn't, on the whole Glasgow is full of scum, Paris isn't.  In Glasgow there's a good chance of getting stabbed, or robbed, i don't think the same can be said for Paris.  But even the sort of people that make Glasgow what it is are not my real problem, my problem is these jingoistic, nationalistic, shortbread eating, kilt wearing, bagpipe loving, we're not english, small minded fools that seem to be on the grow in Scotland.  They are bigheaded people with much to be modest about, reminiscent of the many flag waving, we're the best country in the world Americans.

PARIS (Reuters) - The Champs Elysees, held up by France as the most beautiful avenue in the world, has become blighted by prostitution, racketeering and violence, a top police officer said on Saturday.

The broad boulevard, which connects Napoleon's grandiose Arc de Triomphe with the regal Tuileries Gardens, was always a byword for elegance and a focal point for national celebrations.

But in recent years, the avenue has increasingly drawn low-life criminals, its famed cinemas giving way to night clubs, and its tourists frightened away by gangs of drunken youths.

"It's no longer the nice child it used to be," Guy Parent, head of Paris's anti-prostitution unit, told Le Parisien daily.

"The Champ Elysees' clientele is often unstable ... there are regularly fights between guards and clubbers. The tension is palpable," Parent added.

Le Parisien also quoted the mayor in charge of the Champs Elysees district, Francois Lebel, as saying the famous road was becoming: "A meeting place for thugs and suburb-dwellers".

Locals have complained that large groups of youths from poor neighbourhoods bordering Paris descend on the avenue in the evening, drawn to its vibrant nightlife.

They also estimated that an army of 200 to 300 prostitutes pace the pavements seeking wealthy clients.

Parent said he thought that number might be exaggerated, but confirmed the 2-km (one mile) long street attracted many foreign call girls, especially from north Africa