Sir, It’s very encouraging to learn of Dundee’s shortlisting for UK City of Culture 2017. The next three years will offer everyone concerned the chance to “up our game” to ensure we go on to win the award. Will we take it?
A week ago, friends and I were enjoying a few drinks after work on a Friday evening in one of the city centre’s largest pubs. We were soon engaged in light-hearted banter with a group of six schoolteachers from the Inverness area down supporting their pupils in a “Rock Academy” final being held in the Caird Hall.
Having ordered six meals, the party were genuinely excited to be in Dundee and looking forward to the night’s entertainment and competition.
My friends and I were appalled and embarrassed 40 minutes later seeing the ladies being handed a full refund as a “personnel” issue within the kitchen meant their much-needed sustenance would not materialise.
Being a frequent visitor to the establishment it was clear to me that the regular management team were absent and this seemed to be a signal for all the remaining staff to extend breaks and fail to clear glassware throughout the bar which resulted in unusually long queues for service (on what wasn’t a particularly busy night by their standards) and, of course, the restaurant debacle.
Heaven knows what our visitors thought. Probably “thank goodness for the fast food outlet a few doors down the street”.
The V&A, along with the City of Culture award should it happen are opportunities for the city to make an impact over the coming decades, but some serious upskilling is certainly required, particularly in our hospitality sector.
Of course, next year’s referendum may put a complete spanner in the works anyway.
M Dolan. Maryfield, Dundee.
Importance of test cases against MoD
Sir, As the father of a soldier yet again deployed to Afghanistan, I note with interest the decision to allow cases of negligence to be brought against the Ministry of Defence.
Of course every soldier knows the risks and accepts mistakes are made in the fog of war but that does not excuse clear neglect by the MoD and their political masters.
It was particularly galling to hear the insufferably smug Tony Blair telling the Chilcot inquiry he had no regrets about launching what was manifestly an illegal war.
Then again, how many lives were lost when that political opportunist Gordon Brown refused to “fund Blair’s wars” and cut the helicopter budget by £1.4 billion in 2004?
And army families felt insulted when £400,000 was awarded to an MoD typist with a “sprained wrist” at a time when maimed soldiers were denied a fraction of that sum.
Grieving families want closure rather than years in court but if a few test cases stay the hand of the latest Downing Street warmonger it will be no bad thing.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
What are the threats?
Sir, Regarding defence in an independent Scotland, surely the starting point is to consider what are the credible threats?
When the UK government carried out a strategic defence review several years ago the two principal threats identified were terrorism and cyber crime.
So the question to be asked is what level of spending of national income should an independent Scotland spend on defence and what forces are required.
There is no credible conventional military threat in our sphere. Will an independent Scotland choose to get involved in conflicts on the other side of the world, such as Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq? That, of course, will be a matter for the people of an independent Scotland but I would suggest it is unlikely.
So a defence force modelled on Ireland which spends 0.6% of GDP on defence compared with the UK’s 2.6% would make sense. And, of course, no nuclear weapons. That equates to a significant independence benefit of£3 billion.
Furthermore, of course, 30% of Scotland’s current share of defence spending is spent outwith Scotland, providing no benefit to our economy.
Cllr Bill Duff. 5 MacDiarmid Drive, Hillside, Montrose.
Golf Day result for campaign
Sir, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the customers of Nisa Local, Bankfoot, Murthly and Luncarty who contribute through the collecting cans and all the players and businesses who supported our Golf Day on Friday June 21, for raising the sum of £3,100.
This sum will go to the Ninewells Cancer Campaign who support the work of the cancer research scientists at Ninewells.
I would also like to thank Dr Gareth Inman and Dr Adrian Saurin who played golf with us and also to Gareth who gave a presentation on the excellent work done by the scientists in Dundee.
This is a great charity and deserves the support of the local community.
Alistair Johnston. Coxland Crescent, Bankfoot.