Sir, – In the news item in the Courier about the planned cinema in the Greenmarket site you quote Tim Allan, president of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, as saying: “I don’t see it as detrimental to the DCA. People who want to go and see Thor: Ragnarok or Avengers: Infinity War are not going to go to the DCA, which thrives showing offbeat, left-field films with a limited release.”
I suggest that Mr Allan is misinformed. The DCA shows many mainstream films and certainly does not confine its showings to “offbeat and left-field” films.
In the recent past I have seen in the DCA Darkest Hour, The Post and Dunkirk – all popular films shown nationwide in cinema chains. If Mr Allan cared to look at the DCA’s cinema programme he would see how mistaken is his comment.
The DCA deserves all the support it can get. A multi-screen cinema next door would certainly be detrimental to its continued existence.
Alastair L Stewart.
Albany Road,
Broughty Ferry.
If it ain’t broke, why tinker?
Sir, – We are fast becoming a nation of tinkerers, with chop and change for the sake of it pervading the very fabric of our society. Well proved, well functioning, and established elements are constantly under scrutiny and attack.
Our National Health Service, once the envy of the world with hospital wards run by the ever reliable matron and her staff, have disappeared, only to be replaced by an army of administrators often grossly overpaid.
Tinkerers have been in action in our education system and now our standing in league tables has drastically fallen with many children leaving school semi-illiterate and innumerate.
The tinkerers have introduced a Curriculum of Excellence with its system of chop and change, which in turn has spread confusion among teaching staff and pupils alike, leading to an educational demise. We are now beset by a new Education (Scotland) Act and on and on.
The police force which appeared to function perfectly adequately in the recent past has been amalgamated into a single force, which many now believe is counterproductive and we have witnessed negative consequences as a result, yet despite this the tinkerers seek to amalgamate the force with the British Transport Police.
Not content with these failures the tinkerers have turned their attention towards family life and are now striving, against advice, to introduce a Named Person Scheme, wherein every child will have an overall supervisor, irrespective of need and cost.
Tinkerers pervade every quango and think tank in the country, for which the sole rationale seems directed towards seeking areas to effect change, often for change’s sake, ostensibly as a means of justifying their very existence.
Lessons should be learned from the past, and in the adage about always keeping faith in the winning horse. Tinkerers take heed.
David L Thomson.
Laurence Park,
Kinglassie.
Hidden by a design disaster
Sir, – I arrived in Dundee on Saturday last to be greeted with the most astonishing sight on the waterfront. Can it really be that Dundee has decided not to embrace the gift of the iconic V&A building?
That the museum is to be hidden behind a much higher, presumably nondescript, unimaginative cube of a building is illogical. If the V&A is not worth being seen, why was it not also simply designed as a cube?
Maybe I am out of step here but I doubt it. Is it too late for common sense to prevail?
Anne Kemp.
Glasgow Road,
Perth.
No learning from mistakes
Sir, – It is really no joke, but Dundee councillors should really have gone to Specsavers. Can they not see the monster they are creating looming over the iconic V&A building that is supposed to be attracting millions from around the world?
The first thing they will see, and wonder why, is what appears to be the resurrection of the old Tayside House building we were all glad to see go – except this is even worse.
Why does Dundee always get a council that seems bent on ruining what might be good for the city? I refer to the destruction of the Old Overgate, the Wellgate, the Victoria Arch – to name but a few.
Sadly, it is not the people of Dundee who are allowing this travesty which will, I am sure, be much regretted in the future.
MJ Lindsay.
Elizabeth Crescent,
Newport.
Rallying behind rural life saver
Sir, – It was good to see Willie Rennie MSP in talks with the Scottish Ambulance Service about extending the use of the GoodSAM app, which alerts qualified volunteers to medical emergencies, and I know politicians from other parties are also talking with them.
Like other Fife councillors I have met East Neuk Responders who clearly stated that in remote areas – and that’s most of East Neuk and landward as far as mobile phone reception goes – the GoodSAM App is a life saver.
As you stated, most of England’s ambulance services will have access and it’s time the Scottish Ambulance Service came off the fence with anodyne statements and started to put patients first.
Bill Porteous.
Braehead,
St Monans.
Actions matter in Syria
Sir, – Howard Barclay is reportedly the person who complained to Scottish Labour, claiming that Dundee councillor George McIrvine shared anti-Semitic material online.
Goodness, where are his priorities?
Millions of Syrian people are displaced, maimed, bereaved and killed. It is quite pertinent and incumbent on our elected leaders to search for answers in light of the horror that has befallen the poor men, women and children in Syria.
Is Mr Barclay disputing the facts about Rothschild bank? Is he saying that any criticism of people and institutions is allowed or disallowed depending on their religion? Surely, his concern should be for the suffering people in Syria and other nations. As decent human beings, we need to be attempting to stop the terror that they are going through.
A person or institution’s religion is irrelevant to decent human beings. Their actions are the issue. And it would appear that George McIrvine was talking about actions, not what religion they belonged to.
Patricia Philippou.
Maule Street,
Monifieth.
Society must act on loneliness
Sir, – Loneliness is a major issue, affecting people from all walks of life regardless of age or ability.
That’s why we’re pleased the Scottish Government is looking at a new approach to tackle the issues of loneliness and social isolation and how it affects many of the people we support.
A recent survey of more than 150 users of our homecare services in Stirling, Falkirk, Perth and Kinross, and Angus , which focused on loneliness and social isolation, revealed the loneliest people receive far fewer visitors. While this is hardly surprising we did find that those who lived with family or had family close by were less at risk of loneliness and the associated negative health impacts.
Our research also highlighted that respondents, in most cases, simply wanted a chat over a cuppa with someone their own age.
Social interactions are something the vast majority of us take for granted but for someone who is alone, watching time go by slowly, it’s incredibly painful to sit at home day after day with no communication from the outside world.
Charities such as Sue Ryder regularly arrange social events for service users and their families but if, as a nation, we’re serious about tackling loneliness as a public health issue we need to be resourcing our local authorities to put services in place or to commission them from the third sector to ensure no one feels alone and isolated in Scotland.
Pamela Mackenzie,
Sue Ryder director of neurological services and Scotland,
Wallace House,
Stirling.
