Sir, – I am writing to express my utter disgust at Mike Donachie’s column (Why your vote matters more than ever before, Courier, December 9).
I recognise this is an opinion not necessarily held by The Courier but, during the run-up to a general election, how many readers will appreciate the distinction?
Starting his column with the sentence “Do not vote Tory” is a flagrant attempt to influence voting during this extremely serious election – the outcome of which is a major issue for residents of Scotland and the UK.
Mr Donachie is not such a resident and his opinion should not be given publicity.
Dr GM Lindsay,
Kinross.
Dundee was a city blitzed without bombs
Sir, – Dundee, a city blitzed without bombs, has lost much of what it was.
How so much demolition and de-industrialisation could happen can have no just cause.
Thatcher and her war against the welfare state and successful confrontation with the trade unions must take most of the blame.
Under her, the Tories won that war and now only do as little as it takes to be elected.
The English electorate are their avid supporters and, thanks to them, we will never be free of them unless we become an independent country.
At least twice Labour has been unelectable due to their current leader.
Foot, who was more left of right than Stalin and Kinnock, played the buffoon and was in fact the opposite.
Now it has Corbyn, who was elected leader by a devious influx of new party members and is even more unelectable than any before.
The Tories will win the next election and with an outright victory will no longer attempt to seduce the electorate and then God help us all.
One cannot help but feel that this Labour/ Tory dance with power since the last war is somehow orchestrated from behind the scenes.
It certainly looks that way.
Leslie Isles Milligan.
18b Myrtlehall Gardens,
Dundee.
Boris is not trustworthy
Sir, – It is shameful that, unlike all other party leaders, Boris Johnson doesn’t have the guts to be interviewed by Andrew Neil.
If Johnson cannot cope with half an hour of Neil how is he going to be able to deal with the likes of Putin or Trump?
It would appear that when the going gets remotely tough Boris simply ducks for cover.
If he does not have the courage to defend his policies in a face-to-face interview then why on Earth should we vote for him or them?
All Mr Johnson’s “no-show” achieves is to confirm the view many people already have of him that he is someone who cannot be depended upon or trusted.
Alan Woodcock.
23 Osborne Place,
Dundee.
Britain needs to move forward
Sir, – Let’s get on with what really matters.
Three years on and Westminster is still divided with the Brexit Party on one side, the Lib Dems and SNP on the other and the other parties in between.
This is wasting years of time, and the UK is losing ground.
We need a breakthrough and a clear agenda to put Brexit behind us and move on with some of the pressing issues that face this country, and make a difference to our lives.
Surely we’ve seen how divisive referendums can be, the best thing we can do for Scotland now is put Indyref2 firmly off the agenda and hold the SNP to account on the things that really make a difference like sorting out benefits and improving the education system.
Neville Smerdon.
Westgates Steading,
Westgates,
Fife.
Road is unfit for new purpose
Sir, – It appears Dundee City Council has let the side down by not ensuring planning permission included, at the outset, properly made up pavements, with at least one school, and shops as an integral part of the new village built on the lands of Gray.
The main access road is the original route from Invergowrie to Liff and was not built to carry the volume of traffic using it.
It will get worse when the expected number of extra houses are built.
It is about time councillors for Dundee and Perth and Kinross got their joint act together on the Swallow Roundabout, with Dundee City Council ensuring all that was promised by the housing developers – and more to bring safety properly into place – is given priority.
To lessen the volume of traffic using Invergowrie Main Street to avoid hold-ups at the aforesaid roundabout, speed humps were erected at intervals by Perth and Kinross Council.
They need not have bothered as vehicles still race along at a rate of knots.
A few years back when the then Invergowrie Medical Practice moved to Muirhead, a good number of residents required to move and use this access road, which is far too narrow and largely without footpaths. An accident waiting to happen?
As an adjunct, the neighbouring Gray House of 1714 vintage is mouldering away.
If its development previously had been permitted by the then Dundee local authority with golf facilities together with a minimal number of new houses, then today’s problems likely would not have surfaced.
Donald Abbott.
Auburn Terrace,
Main Street,
Invergowrie.
Prevention over care and cure
Sir, – After much deliberation, another forum, the Dundee Partnership, has put forward a plan for the care of addicts.
This one recommends, among other things, giving them easier access to methadone and valium – both addictive drugs.
Again these well-intentioned plans are all about care, not even cure, and certainly not about prevention.
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander says “we cannot solve problems this size overnight”. Yes we can.
Make a start by directing efforts towards preventing drugs coming into the country and on to the streets in the first place. If the proliferation of forums, bodies, committees and charitable organisations involved in the field of drug addiction were to unite in maintaining pressure on central governments then we might see some practical steps taken.
But since so many jobs and careers depend on the existence of drug addicts, I’m not holding my breath.
George Dobbie.
51 Airlie Street,
Alyth.
Precious about government
Sir, – I am an avid reader of the letters page in The Courier.
Over many months there has been an increasing amount of letters from people complaining about how the Scottish Government runs things and about the SNP.
Although the letters are under different names they are similar and I have to wonder what they all want.
I have come to envisage them as Gollum-like creatures scrabbling around in a darkened place frantically looking around for their “Precious” but totally unable to articulate what they actually want.
So if you want to endlessly girn about how we are governed by our democratically elected Scottish Government, please also let us know what or who you really want to run our country.
Dave Stewart.
5 Main Street,
Luthermuir.
