Sir, – Councillor Gray (April 30) makes the mistake of assessing the economic potential of the proposed conversion of Perth City Hall into Scotland’s first specialist food market on the basis of the immediate population served by the existing shopping centre instead of on the regional catchment area that is calculated to be drawn upon once the market hall is operational.
This continuing misapprehension at such a late stage is surprising, for he will surely recall that in April last year Perth Market Place Limited presented to Perth and Kinross Council a supplementary report, Additional Information for Economic Benefits Criteria Selection of Submission, which included the following statement: “We have used analysis of other markets of a similar size, nature and location which suggests that, once established, footfall would be circa 750,000 per annum.”
We provided the council with a breakdown of the figures and how we reached that conclusion.
The projections were endorsed by the National Association of British Market Authorities and the National Federation of Market Traders.
Councillor Gray can study many successful examples of comparable markets such as in Watford, Oxford, Exeter, Swansea, Bolton and, best of all in the British Isles, the English Market in the Irish city of Cork.
Councillor Gray concluded: “Shopping and city centre culture has moved and so must we.”
Yes indeed.
Vivian Linacre.
Perth Market Place Limited,
21 Marshall Place, Perth.
Trump may not forgive Scotland
Sir, – While Nicola Sturgeon is heading for victory in her campaign to become First Minister of Scotland, Donald Trump looks as though he may have a fair chance of becoming the next President of America.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that headlines on nearly every national newspaper reported that, after Mr Trump’s remarks regarding Muslims entering the USA, Ms Sturgeon deemed his remarks to have “shown that he is no longer fit to represent Scotland as a business ambassador” and that he should no longer be allowed to
visit the UK.
Thousands of Scots also signed a petition to urge a Scottish university to strip Mr Trump of his honorary degree after his remarks and this duly happened.
David Cameron criticised Mr Trump but his words were more diplomatically couched when he said that “he completely disagrees with the comments made by Donald Trump, which are divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.”
Is it possible that Nicola Sturgeon may well be regretting her politically correct but undiplomatic outburst?
It is unlikely that Mr Trump will forgive or forget Ms Sturgeon’s aggressive invective over his period in office should he be elected President.
I doubt if she’ll ever be invited to the White House to further Scotland’s interests in America, which is a great pity because having a President of America (with Scottish blood in his veins) as business ambassador for Scotland would, I think, be more than advantageous.
She would be well advised to take note of these words of wisdom by Wilson Mizner: “Be nice to everyone on the way up because you meet all the same people on the way down.”
Iain G Richmond.
Guildy House,
Monikie.
A damaging obsession
Sir, – Though opinion polls can sometimes be wrong, it is almost inconceivable the SNP will not win today’s election. But exactly why are we voting them in once more?
Over the last nine years, despite the best efforts of frontline professionals, we’ve witnessed declining standards in our public services. Numeracy and literacy levels have fallen in primary schools on Nicola Sturgeon’s watch.
Investment in the NHS has grown more slowly than elsewhere in the UK. There’s a GP staffing crisis and A&E waiting time targets more often than not are missed.
Many believe the reorganisation of Police Scotland has had tragic consequences.
But why has the SNP let us down so badly? The answer is simple. The effective running of Scotland is always subjugated to Ms Sturgeon’s number one fixation, breaking up the UK against our democratic wishes.
So what does Ms Sturgeon admit she intends to concentrate on immediately she wins today’s election? UK break-up.
The telegenic Ms Sturgeon is an immensely powerful communicator. But is this reason enough to re-elect the SNP, a party guilty of nine years of public-sector mismanagement as a consequence of its obsession with separating Scotland from the rest of the UK?
Martin Redfern.
4 Royal Circus,
Edinburgh.
State control of television
Sir, – Your correspondent Donald Lewis surely cannot be serious in accusing the BBC’s Brian Taylor of being “the SNP’s man at the BBC”.
I would suggest that Mr Taylor is one of the most unbiased political reporters on television and extremely fair in his handling of all political party spokespersons.
I take it from the contents of his letter that Mr Lewis is no SNP supporter and would suspect, from the tone of his correspondence, his leanings are more to the right of politics.
Yet for all his talk he says nothing of the Tory minister who is openly suggesting the said BBC alter its weekend schedules in order not to clash with ITV.
To quote his last sentence we are indeed “descending into a state television situation” but on the other side of the border.
Ian Allan.
5 Marchside Court,
Sauchie.
True freedom outside EU
Sir, – Anne Marie Grant (May 2) asked what UKIP’s agenda is.
If we leave the EU, discarding the shroud of EU dominance, the prize is the regaining of national sovereignty.
The SNP version is to leave the British union and go and supplicate before the European Union.
Do not let us forget that if it were not for UKIP gaining four million votes in the 2015 General Election, a referendum on our continuing membership of the European Union would never have been conceded by David Cameron.
And yes, if we leave, then all MEPs will be going home. That’s definitely worth voting for.
George Cormack.
2 McLauchlan Rise,
Aberdour.
Democracy in action
Sir, – Two of your correspondents had much to say concerning a second referendum and Nicola Sturgeon’s opinions regarding the subject.
It should be pointed out to these gentlemen that, unlike her political opponents, Ms Sturgeon has accepted the sovereignty of the Scottish people.
Mr Howell, in his assertion that Scots would need London’s permission to undertake a ballot, obviously doesn’t agree, yet claims to want “democracy to work fairly”.
He claims a referendum would damage investment, oblivious to the fact that the last one had no such effect.
Mr Lucas, on the other hand, ignores the assurances made by the no camp that continuing Scottish EU membership was only guaranteed by rejecting independence.
The betrayal is one of many since September 2014. He states that: “Nationalism can be a solution to a problem where there is dissatisfaction”.
A study of trust ratings of governments in Europe put the figure for the UK Government in Scotland on 23%. If that isn’t dissatisfaction, what is? The same study placed the SNP top on 73%.
If the union your correspondents support benefited Scotland as they believe, this debate wouldn’t be taking place.
It is not the SNP in the vanguard of this, but ordinary Scots who have finally lost patience with a London establishment.
It is called democracy.
Ken Clark.
335 King Street,
Broughty Ferry.
Empire in its death throes
Sir, – As we go to the polls in another potentially historic vote in Scotland, I was recently reminded of the desperate lows to which the branch office parties and their bosses in London will stoop when they see the last major colony slipping from their grasp.
Raising the Saltire above Downing Street had to be the most pathetic, desperate and false idea ever dreamt up.
At the time it managed to blend in with all the other scaremongering and panic as the opinion polls shifted in a dangerous direction.
But just think about that one act for a second.
The flag of their once-loyal subjects flying over the capital city of the no-longer great British Empire. How the mighty have fallen. But thankfully being in denial is the last stage of a very painful demise.
Richard Clark.
Craigton,
Monikie.
