Madam, – The V&A museum, and the rest of the £1 billion central development, has transformed what was previously a dump into one of the country’s most visited tourist destinations as well as one of the most beautiful waterfronts around.
But we cannot seem to escape the overwhelming, and unwarranted, negativity surrounding it.
Any time The Courier prints a piece hailing the museum, the social media comments are awash with negativity and downright nonsense.
It brings in £10m and folk ask, “how long will it last”.
Half a million extra visitors to the city, helping boost figures for the other world class attractions in Dundee, and folk say, “it is too far from the town centre”.
It wins awards and folk say, “it’s boring”.
Just because the museum isn’t your cup of tea and because you may not personally see the hordes of buzzing tourists with delighted faces and wads of cash does not mean they don’t exist.
And it certainly does not mean they’re not impressed by what they see.
Dundee is currently the envy of the nation and is undergoing one of the most ambitious redevelopments in the world.
The moaners need to wise up, embrace the opportunities and stop talking Dundee down.
Jack O’Neil.
14 Forfar Road,
Dundee.
Malaise over the whole of the UK
Madam, – Almost daily there are reports of perceived failing on the part of the Scottish establishment.
In parallel, your letters page will include references to problems over education, transport, green energy, social work, law enforcement et al.
While I have, unfortunately, to agree with many of these observations, I would submit that Scotland by no means has a monopoly on incompetence, lack of forward planning and mismanagement by politicians and senior executives.
All our failings are replicated elsewhere in these islands.
There is a malaise affecting the entire UK and I can see no early cure.
Ken Cameron.
11 St Michaels Drive,
Cupar.
Injection of energy for MPs
Madam, – Our MPs seem to have forgotten what they are supposed to do for Britain.
They need job descriptions and training. Proof of this is that government is now beginning to fail to provide energy, which is a fundamental responsibility.
Instead it concentrates on social engineering, and satisfying the needs of minorities.
Its next move will no doubt be to teach us that we can no longer expect to have continuous electricity, as the reliable base load from fossil fuel reduces in favour of unreliable and intermittent sources, such as wind and sun.
Malcolm Parkin.
Gamekeepers Road,
Kinnesswood,
Kinross.
Believing in PM Johnson
Madam, – Prime Minister Johnson says he will build 10,000 more prison places – but the Tories made that same pledge in 2015 for that year’s general election.
They didn’t do it.
They announced it in 2016, but didn’t do it then either. Then they announced it for 2017’s election.
They still didn’t do it. And so now Mr Johnson announces it for a fourth time. He’s also announced an £85 million increase for the Crown Prosecution Service – but the Tories cut the CPS by £100m, and Mr Johnson voted for that cut.
He’s announced a rise in police numbers, but the Tories cut the police by 23,000, and he voted for that cut too.
So who can now believe PM Johnson when he blames the EU for the UK not leaving by now.
The Leavers have had three years to come up with a plan, and have failed to do so.
It is about time they accepted responsibility.
Phil Tate.
Craiglockhart Road,
Edinburgh.
Worse than Thatcherism?
Madam, – Why is it that President Obama told Britain that if we came out of the EU we would go to the back of the queue in any future trade deals with America and yet Trump said we would be at the front of the queue in any deals with him?
The answer is Trump cannot wait to move in on our industries including our NHS.
He has already intimated his intentions, and has the perfect trading partner in this right-wing government.
It will be Thatcherism all over again, maybe even worse.
Alister Rankin.
93 Whyterose Terrace,
Methil,
Leven.
Walking along parallel lines
Madam, – A £2.3 million scholarship grant would allow for greater collaboration between scientists and theologians (University’s School of Divinity nets £2.3m scholarship grant, Courier, August 14).
This is positive news.
Dr John Cameron’s letter “Blinding us with no science” in the same edition serves well to highlight the existing corrosive imbalance between science and the humanities.
This highly negative state of affairs is a major constraint to progress, the effect of which, on some of our political leaders, is quite obvious, inasmuch as they seem to be attempting to captain “rudderless vessels”.
What sort of future do we want and how can our political leaders, together with their colleagues, achieve their/our objectives ?
Until science and the humanities are run, and taught, along parallel lines, no real progress can be expected.
Kenneth Miln.
6 Swallow Apts,
Union St,
Monifieth.
Family circumstances
Madam, – The leader of Edinburgh City Council has announced he is to adopt children with his male partner.
Sixteen months ago, Ruth Davidson expressed the hope her pregnancy would normalise the deliberate production of fatherless children.
I responded thus: “In an age obsessed with children’s rights, their basic need for a mum and a dad is trumped by the desire of adults to form relationships and family structures as they wish.
“However, mum and dad are not indistinguishable and interchangeable Parent A and Parent B.
“Male and female role models in the home are important. Despite the best efforts of the liberal sociology establishment to obscure the facts, the negative outcomes associated with same-sex parenting should give cause for concern.
“Our virtue-signalling political elite are predictably enthusiastic, while condemning as a homophobic bigot anyone claiming that kids should, ideally, have a mum and a dad.”
My views were recorded as a hate incident, and Police Scotland also saw fit to express concern about them to my employer.
The General Teaching Council of Scotland also launched an investigation into my allegedly “intolerant, discriminatory and prejudiced” remarks. Over a year later, GTCS is yet to resolve the case.
The temptation is to succumb to the pressure exerted by arms of the state and retreat into silence, but freedom of speech is worth fighting for and the fundamental good of natural family life must be defended.
So, I reaffirm my view that same sex parenting is not ideal.
Richard Lucas.
Leader of the Scottish Family Party, Glasgow.
