Up for debate this morning are parking at PRI, roadworks in Cupar, the Forth Energy plan for Dundee harbour, the Marykirk bell theft, patriotism, the Polish air crash and junk food.
An absurd parking scenario at Perth hospital Sir,-The parking fines situation at Perth Royal Infirmary is as ridiculous for visitors as it is for nurses.
To my knowledge, the situation at PRI is unique in the whole of Scotland as the only hospital where you have to display a free ticket to park in a FREE car park.
That is ridiculous enough, but it becomes totally absurd when the visitors get punished with a £30 fine for not displaying the ticket for a free car park!
People are often under considerable stress and in a rush when visiting a hospital — the last thing they have on their mind when they get out of their car is to hunt for a ticket for a free car park.
Then they can even be hit with a £30/£60 fine. It is not as if anyone is trying to dodge having to pay.
In my work I visit hospitals across Scotland every day and use their free car parks (apart from Ninewells and Edinburgh RI) and this absurd free ticket/parking fine situation occurs only at PRI and victimises the visitors there.
How much money does Tayside rake in from this? And how can they defend this unique situation which discriminates against Perth hospital users?
J. MacNeill.50 Parkgrove Gardens,Edinburgh.
What’s for you…
Sir,-Some of the Cupar business owners are, yet again, shouting from the rooftops. This time round they are blaming the recent traffic diversions in the town for the loss of trade at their outlets.
If patrons require merchandise or a service one of these businesses provides, then traffic hovering around is not going to prevent them from reaching that outlet.
To quote the Duke of Edinburgh — the world does not owe anyone a living.
Andy Pryde.Brandon,Ceres.
Well done to John. J. Marshall
Sir,-Well done John J. Marshall for exposing the insidious manner in which Forth Energy are trying to foist their ‘eco’ projects on the people of Dundee.
A great article and it showed how these companies think they can do anything so long as it has an ‘eco’ label attached to it, with people, perhaps, not fully understanding the full ramifications.
I, for one, cannot stand these ugly turbines in my view. A waste of energy, just like some of the hot air expelled by local and government representatives.
Biomass plants are, by definition, dangerous places with the resultant stack emissions that emanate from them. I really think Forth Ports are being ‘eco’- nomical with the truth! Send them elsewhere to think again.
Bill Lumsden.Dundee.
Shocked by kirk bell theft
Sir,-Like most people I am shocked by the callous theft of the Marykirk Kirk bell. Just what is the world coming to?
As the Reverend Gall explained, the bell is as old as the present kirk building and had to be brought down from the belfry years ago when the stonework became unstable.
No-one at that time could have imagined that in 2010 people would stoop so low as to steal a church bell.
A housing developer in the village adopted the bell as its sales logo, so, when the bell is recovered, or a replacement found, wouldn’t it be a wonderful gesture by the developer if they reconstructed the belfry and installed the bell in its rightful home, safe and secure?
E. F. Valentine.15 Napier Place,Marykirk.
Not one of any ‘kind’
Sir,-I am sure that some of my friends will have had a chuckle if they read George K. McMillan’s letter of April 10, when he claimed to be more of a patriot than I or any of my kind.
Mr McMillan knows nothing about me as a person. For the record I am not one of a ‘monstrous bigoted tartan army living in a distorted view of the past’.
I am not anti-English. I even buck the trend and support the English football team when they are not involved in playing against Scotland (there go a few friendships!).
Finally, I am not one of any kind. I am my own man.
Magnus Wylie.14 Gannochy Walk,Perth.
Saddened by Polish tragedy
Sir,-I was deeply saddened at the enormous Polish tragedy with such a devastating loss of life, made more poignant by their attempt to commemorate the Poles massacred at the Katyn forest 70 years earlier, by the Soviet secret police during the second world war.
To have so much Polish blood spilled in one place is an erie reminder that if it had not been for the murders in Katyn, this second tragedy would not have happened at all: one Russian forest, two Polish tragedies.
My heart goes out to the long-suffering Poles. It is with supreme bitterness that I ask the Russians for a long-overdue public apology. My deepest condolences go to the families.
Alinka Lindsay Zyrmont. (daughter of a Polish officer, killed in action, Mont Ormel, France, serving under General Maczek).N. Newcastle Drive,Sun City,Arizona, USA.
Conflicting messages
Sir,-Well done! A full page feature on junk food — What’s eating you?
Sadly, it was published the day after Dr Richard Simpson failed to attract cross-party support for his bill to ban the use of dangerous fats (trans-fats bill).
The general public receives many conflicting diet-related health messages; we need politicians to encourage Scots to eat and cook with real, raw ingredients.
Fi Bird. (children’s food campaigner).Littleton of Airlie,Kirriemuir.