Wednesday’s writers discuss some questionable driving by HGV drivers, the mail situation in Dundee East and whether or not Dundee can support two professional football clubs.
Speeding lorries could have caused pile-up
Sir,-Midnight on Friday, January 7, saw myself and three passengers in a car en route north from Edinburgh airport along the M90.
We were in the middle of a convoy of about 20 cars, the leader of which had obviously decided that, given the awful driving conditions, a maximum speed of 35mph was about right.
The rest of the other car drivers clearly concurred as there were no attempts to overtake.
Not so the HGVs.
We were overtaken by half a dozen or more assorted articulated lorries and heavy vans with sometimes less than one foot of clearance, causing cars to veer to the left and slide about on fresh snow.
Each lorry left in its wake a blizzard of snow which made already bad visibility even worse.
This lunatic behaviour, which could easily have caused a multiple pile-up on any number of occasions, was criminally insane and positively dangerous.
I hope someone in the convoy managed to get their registration numbers because I was too busy trying to keep myself and my passengers alive.
J. Rzepecki.8 Gilston Place,Broughty Ferry.
Post union’s chaos silence
Sir,-As a postal worker, it saddens me to read about the problems within Dundee East and other parts of the district.
From a personal point of view, many posties in our office (Arbroath) have worked through the adverse weather conditions and got on with things, albeit not the service the public deserves.
The World Class Mail initiative was agreed after the last strike in 2009.
Royal Mail and the Communications Workers’ Union agreed to the deal, hence the chaos that has now ensued.
Royal Mail always seem to get a bad press in these times and, by extension, the postman, or woman, takes the flak.
Maybe some person from the Communications Workers’ Union could maybe come out of the woodwork with a statement, or maybe they are too busy looking after their own interests?
The silence from the union on the latest problems is deafening.
Gary Thomson.42 Beechwood Road,Arbroath.
Delivery role for mail bosses
Sir,-With reference to your article (January 8) about mail deliveries, I can sympathise with your readers in the Monifieth area about the pathetic service.
I receive junk mail almost daily, yet I am still waiting for six separate items posted to my address as far back as December 5 last year.
Instead of upper and middle management wasting everybody’s time with feeble excuses, why don’t they roll up their sleeves and actually do something to justify their salaries?
T. Tolland.East Park Cottage,Braidestone,Meigle.
Unnatural upbringing?
Sir,-George K. McMillan is right in his condemnation of Elton John and his male partner adopting a child.
We must be the only forms of life on earth where males get together and females also.
All this should have been nipped in the bud from the start by government and the church.
The sadness is now that this has become accepted within society.
This child will be bound to wonder why it has two fathers.
Thomas Brown.6 Tulliebelton Road,Bankfoot.
City too small for two teams
Sir,-Much has been written about Dundee Football Club and their survival but very little concern has been shown towards those who have provided goods and services and now find themselves in a losing position.
As someone who got caught up in a liquidation some years ago and became a creditor for two weeks’ wages, it can be a long wait before any money is paid out.
This happened in 1968 when I eventually received the equivalent of £4.25 against £34 claimed.
By the time all issues were settled I had moved on and the payment was akin to a little bonus and of no consequence.
Some of the firms owed money at this time will now realise that it has gone and will try to absorb the loss.
There has to be concern as to how Dundee FC can be trusted should they survive.
Trust is a vital element in business and the current situation has destroyed that element.
It is now obvious that Dundee FC brought their troubles on themselves, buying players with money they did not have and paying wages they could not afford. So where do Dundee FC go from here?
With two, at least on paper, attractive Scottish Cup fixtures in the city at the weekend, both teams attracted fewer than 8400 spectators between them and even some of that number would have been away support.
This then raises the question, can the footballing public in the City of Discovery support two full-time teams? I think not.
Much is being written and spoken on the future of Scottish football but no-one, as yet, has come up with suggestion that there could just be too many so-called professional clubs in Scotland which are not much more than shoestring operations being run by very dedicated people.
George I. Maxwell.1 Lina Street,Kirkcaldy.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.