Sir, – “When?” That was the response from one resident I spoke to about the proposal to demolish the Glenwood Centre flats in Glenrothes.
The former tenant will be delighted to see the complex razed (July 5) but was cynical about any Fife Council plans as there have been so many broken promises in the past.
Although the majority who have stated a view said demolition was preferable to modernisation, there remain problems about cost and practicality.
Should the whole of the older part of the Glenwood Centre be taken down, including the shops, takeaways and community café?
How long would a compulsory purchase order take to come into effect, and can the local authority access the funding for it and a replacement?
At the recent public meeting to display the regeneration plans, the “Golden Glenrothes” consultants were a bit coy about the extent of support for demolition.
While people from the community café committee were there, there was a notable absence of tenants and residents from the flats and businesses who operate there.
I suspect there will be a change in attitude once any plans are brought forward, and unless Fife Council reach a decision soon about what is to happen, public disillusionment will increase and hope for the future will continue to subside.
The time for action is now, when the authority has the chance to repay a debt to the folk in this area.
Bob Taylor.
24 Shiel Court,
Glenrothes.
Stop talking Scotland down
Sir, – Why do Scottish unionists attack the SNP on the Scottish health service?
As I write, on July 1, the BBC Red Button service is carrying a report on women in England who are unaware of cervical screening, with mostly poorer families missing out.
Then there are people in England who end up in hospital because they could not afford medication.
Nearly 23 million people in England might be affected by cuts to A&E services.
The elderly and disabled might be told to expect cuts to care services and rises in charges.
In agriculture, I believe more than 90% of farmers will receive their subsidies on time, and there will be no penalties for late payments.
As for education, in my school days (the 1940s) universities were for the sons and daughters of the wealthy, the school leaving age was 15 and National Service was two years in the forces at 18.
There is nothing stopping anyone from leaving Scotland, but I suspect even hardcore unionists know on which side their bread is buttered.
Tom Black.
83 Lawside Road,
Dundee.
A not so very united kingdom
Sir, – Mona Clark is perfectly correct in stating the union is more than 400 years old, but she refers to the Union of the Crowns in 1603 that united the two united kingdoms under one monarch, but left them as two separate political entities with their own sovereign parliaments until the Treaty of Union of 1707.
That established the first United Kingdom, consisting of Scotland and England and Wales, which combined were known as Great Britain.
The second United Kingdom came into being by the Act of Union of 1800 with the island of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.
The third United Kingdom was effectively established in 1927 with the departure of the Irish Republic and the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
It is conceivable, though perhaps unlikely, that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may not see its centenary.
Which raises another issue. During the run-up to the independence referendum, reference was often made to “the rest of the United Kingdom”.
Given that there are only two kingdoms (England and Scotland), if one kingdom withdraws there can be no “rest of the United Kingdom”.
Then of course there is Brexit. It would seem apparent that whatever the legal term, currently there is no united kingdom.
Malcolm McCrow.
23 Navarre Street,
Broughty Ferry,
Dundee.
British people sold a pup
Sir, – In the year since the Brexit vote, our GDP growth has gone from the strongest to the weakest in Europe while the pound is down 20% globally and is now pushing up inflation.
Rats planning to desert this sinking ship include banks and insurance companies as well as car and other manufacturers who located here because we were “the front door to Europe”.
Sadly, if we try to re-join once the economic catastrophe is clear, the EU will insist we join the euro and we won’t get the Thatcher rebate or any return of the divorce settlement.
As a young man I saw African nations choose a false “freedom” over security and prosperity; in old age I saw the British public sold a pup by the same kind of snake-oil political salesmen.
Rev Dr John Cameron,
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
More bullying from the SNP
Sir, – Recently the chief executive of Highland Spring was reported as having said the Scottish Government should focus on employment and investment.
There followed a Twitter storm, with various Nationalists calling for a boycott of Highland Spring water.
So far, so predictable.
In addition, however, there was “an approach to the company by unnamed Scottish Government contacts”.
After that, a Highland Spring spokesman “clarified” what the chief executive had said, maintaining his comments “did not mention Indyref2 and were not intended to offer an opinion on whether Scotland should or shouldn’t remain a part of the UK”.
The spokesman confirmed the Scottish Government’s approach to the firm had been in response to the chief executive’s comments.
The SNP has form in this area, especially from the period of the referendum.
Leaning on those who express a view contrary to that of the party is standard SNP behaviour, as we have seen in the cases of the former principal of St Andrews University and the journalist Stephen Daisley, among others.
Is this kind of bullying, authoritarian conduct on the part of the ruling party really what we desire or expect in the country of the democratic intellect?
Jill Stephenson,
Glenlockhart Valley.
Edinburgh.
London should take the blame
Sir, – Recent headlines regarding Scotland’s apparent economic failings have resulted, unsurprisingly, in yet another bout of SNP bashing.
Dean Lockhart, Conservative economic spokesperson, used the BBC’s Politics Scotland programme as an opportunity to do so.
He stated successful governments, such as those of Germany, Switzerland and Singapore, successfully grow their economies by employing a “whole of government approach”.
I assume this also requires a whole of economy approach.
That the governments named aren’t constrained by a budget set by another parliament escapes him.
They also have a full range of economic levers, as do other independent countries, not hamstrung as Scotland is.
They also aren’t forced to use an inordinate amount of their resources to mitigate the harmful policies of the establishment setting their operational parameters.
If Scotland is an economic basket case as claimed, then the blame lies with London where all our assets are pooled and managed.
In effect, the unionist establishment is admitting that not only has its husbanding of our resources been disastrous, it has the figures to prove it.
Red-faced embarrassment would be a more appropriate response, not a cacophony of crowing.
Ken Clark,
335 King Street.
Broughty Ferry,
Dundee.