Sir, – Angus Councillor Ben Lawrie has come up with an ingenious idea for Angus Council to raise funds by selling off paintings.
I can hope he took the precaution of checking whether Angus Council owns the pictures he thinks should be sold.
There could well be the possibility that they could be owned by Arbroath Common Good Fund.
I think before embarking on this idea this should be thoroughly explored. Even if Angus Council does have some vague right to the contents of the library there is still the moral duty to protect the heritage of burghs.
To describe items gifted to Arbroath as “absolute gems of Angus Council’s collection” is insulting in the extreme.
They were gifted to Arbroath for future generations to enjoy – not to flog when the council budget needs a boost.
The same issue of The Courier carried a feature on a painting at Hospitalfield House which states it is a possible old masterpiece.
The article states that Hospitalfield House cannot say where it came from. If the provenance is unclear, may I make a suggestion?
A few years ago there was considerable interest in the whereabouts of a painting of the Queen Mother when she was Duchess of York.
From my recollection the painting was part of Arbroath Town Council collection but it was apparently lost.
It was stated at that time that many pictures were removed from view and stored at Hospitalfield during the Second World War.
I do not remember the outcome of this inquiry but it was said that records were very good for that time.
It may be that checks on the provenance of the Hospitalfield painting could be interesting.
Maureen Robertson.
84 Cairnie Loan,
Arbroath.
Keep our art works in Angus
Sir, – To sell paintings held in Angus would be a failure of imagination.
They are like gold dust to the people of Angus.
They should be put on display in a nice environment with a tea shop and viewed for a charge (with the usual exemptions).
The location should be marketed to draw non-locals and tourists into the area, thus helping local businesses.
School trips would give our kids an insight into European art through pride of local ownership.
A well-organised display would give a permanent annuity to the people of Angus in the form of cash, jobs and education. Keep them in Angus.
Gavin Dobson.
Logie House,
Kirriemuir.
Find other ways to reduce costs
Sir, – I read with interest the comments by Monifieth councillor Ben Lawrie regarding the sale of our fine art collection.
It is my understanding the collection is not owned by Angus Council but by the people of Angus and is only in the safe keeping of any council for the duration of its tenure. If Angus Council cannot balance the books, then selling the family silver is at best a short-term fix and, at worse, sheer folly.
What does Councillor Lawrie suggest selling off when this scenario repeats itself in a few years’ time?
Perhaps top of the tree salaries and councillors’ remuneration would be a good place to start.
Isobel Ross.
35 Wellbraehead,
Forfar.
Aden portrayal was accurate
Sir, – May I endorse Keith Richardson’s comments about the BBC television series The Last Post (October 16).
I spent two of my precious teenage years, and did several spells of temporary duty on the ground in Aden at the relevant time, losing some friends and I approached the series with some scepticism.
I must say that apart from the smell, they captured the atmosphere and the mores just about perfectly within the limits of TV production.
That is how we were, and I make no apologies for it. It shaped my life.
Laurie Richards.
100 Crail Road,
Cellardye.
Bring back dog licensing
Sir, – A quarter of Britain’s dog owners have confessed they do not pick up their dog’s mess. Add to that those who do pick it up and then throw away the bag or hang it from a bush.
There are 8.5 million dogs in Britain and the number is rising.
Whatever happened to one man and his dog? Now it is two or three.
In Scotland, freezing council tax meant that litter and dog wardens were no longer employed resulting in more mess.
A dog licence, for every dog, should be introduced to pay for litter and dog wardens to catch and heavily fine these anti-social culprits.
I hear the question: why should responsible dog owners pay for the irresponsible ones?
Well life is not fair and responsible drivers have to pay a higher insurance premium to cover for those who drive without insurance.
Taxpayers have to pick up the NHS bill for drug addicts, their social housing and benefits.
Paying for a licence would ensure that people think twice before buying a dog.
Clark Cross.
138 Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.
Parties must work together
Sir, – If Britain had a Labour Party that knew where to draw the line, instead of one driven by Marxist dogma that spends the country to oblivion, it might be possible for Labour to work with the Conservatives, either in government or in opposition, to resolve and end the present Brexit nightmare.
This adversarial form of government may well air the truth during day-to-day business, but it is of no advantage to a country having to do the biggest deal since the Second World War.
Now is the time for political unity of purpose and action.
Malcolm Parkin.
15 Gamekeepers Road,
Kinnesswood,
Kinross.
Give manager a free choice
Sir, – Like a lot of other Scottish football supporters, we were full of disappointment at not being able to get a place in the World Cup, but for Jim Crumley (October 17) to state that the next manager should just look at the Scottish football teams for players is completely ridiculous.
When one of our players gets the chance to go south to play, we just don’t forget about him, we keep up with how he is getting on and when he gets the chance to play for Scotland, it is one of the greatest honours a player can get.
There is the likes of Andy Robertson who went from Dundee United to Liverpool. Does Mr Crumley just want to discard him?
Also we have the likes of Fletcher, Snodgrass and Naismith: the list goes on.
Pam Murray.
Wolflaw,
Forfar.
