Sir, – The planning department in Perth and Kinross, under devolved powers, has approved the demolition of St Andrews Church in Atholl Street, Perth.
Quite apart from the loss of another fine feature in Perth’s urban landscape the planners have refused to include a condition that the developers conserve and relocate the two fine stone First World War memorials within the church – despite the issue being formally raised by me in a comment on the planning application.
The planning officer concerned advised me that he is in dialogue with the developers about the preservation of the memorials but admitted that they will have no enforcement powers should the developers fail to find a solution.
Two other bodies whom one would have imagined to have an interest in these memorials are Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and Culture PK, who operate the museums service.
Apparently the trust has an agreement with the council which restricts their comments on planning applications to archaeological surveys and standing surveys. I doubt very much that the general public understands the restriction of their role.
Culture PK not only operate the museums service but have been actively promoting “Perth and Kinross Remembers” to commemorate the centenary of the Great War. Two requests to their chief executive for short term support towards a solution have elicited no response whatsoever.
One final thought. On Remembrance day in November the provost, councillors and chief officials of Perth and Kinross will parade to St John’s Kirk to commemorate the sacrifice of the men and women of the area who died in the First World War – at the same time as the diggers demolish St Andrews Church, and possibly these two memorials. Oh the irony.
Hugh Macrae.
Perth Road,
Dundee.
Right behind witch-hunt
Sir, – George McIrvine, Unison Scottish police staff branch secretary, Dundee Labour Party secretary and Dundee city councillor has been targeted by right-wing forces in their all-embracing campaign to frustrate and prevent the election of a left-led Corbyn government.
He has been informed by Labour’s Scottish secretary that a “complaint”, emanating from his trade union branch, accusing him of “anti-semitism” has been lodged with the Scottish Labour Party.
George was instrumental in the recent local gains for the left and shifting the city party to support for Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Richard Leonard who have all addressed local meetings.
I have known George, as a fellow trade union and labour movement activist, for more than 10 years and have yet to hear an “anti-semitic” remark from his lips and in my 46 years of activity in the local movement, he was the first trade unionist to bring police staff to active involvement.
His impeccable record of service marks him as someone who does not deserve this treatment and this spurious, unfounded allegation must be withdrawn.
The left has stood aside from this right-wing campaign for far too long, allowing it to fester.
Every trade union branch, Labour Party organisation and individual member should smother the party apparatchiks with a deluge of resolutions and messages calling for an end to this establishment witch-hunt and let the exoneration of George McIrvine be the catalyst for that victory.
Raymond Mennie.
Ashbank Road,
Dundee.
Zones must be enforced
Sir, – I totally agree with the government’s proposal for a 20mph blanket speed limit in all towns and cities in Scotland but we already have it here in Anstruther and very few obey the limit now. That includes most cars, buses and vans/lorries.
So yes, a blanket speed limit would be a good thing but how would it be enforced?
Manned camera units are only deployed in areas of known previous accident hot spots (allegedly). The three mobile, unmanned speed cameras that Fife Council were going to purchase and deploy were, to my knowledge, cancelled due to costs.
And what about all the new signage for 20mph limits? It has not really been thought through in my opinion.
One answer may be to have all vehicles fitted with speed tracker devices that monitor the driver’s speed and if a consistent offender breaks the limits they could see their insurance costs rise.
No doubt the human rights activists will hate that idea but it’s not worth introducing this new limit unless it is enforced in some way.
Charlie Burton.
Fowler Street,
Cellardyke.
Fewer limits, more patrols
Sir, – A speed limit is not a target; it is a maximum which may be dangerous under many road conditions. The present 30mph limit was introduced before cars had disc brakes, anti-skid braking systems or automatic collision avoiding braking systems.
A blanket 20mph limit will cause accidents because it will cause frustration and make drivers speed once outside the limit.
Sometimes 20mph will be dangerous, at other times pedantically slow. If the limit is 20mph most drivers will motor along at 18mph, a speed at which they will be overtaken by bicycles ridden by cyclists who may have little road sense.
There is also the cost of installing yet more cameras to monitor this scheme; such expenditure should be used instead to provide more traffic police.
It would appear, however, that Police Scotland are more concerned with branding their vehicles with an unintelligible language than furnishing enough vehicles and personnel to patrol our roads in numbers.
William Loneskie.
Justice Park,
Lauder.
Lambs deserve protection too
Sir, – While I am an avid supporter of wildlife, there is a limit to people’s over-sensitivity about the culling of ravens.
I watched two ravens systematically extricate a lamb from its mother and attack it until it was left lying on the ground.
The mother retrieved it and at the same time the ravens (now four of them) did exactly the same to the next two lambs, one by one, and launched a brutal attack on them.
This goes on all day, every day while the lambs are young – the ravens will peck out their eyes and tongues and attack the ewes as well.
I have seen this happen on numerous occasions and have seen lambs die from their injuries in Glenisla.
P Brown.
Longleys Farmhouse,
Meigle.
A coalition conundrum
Sir, – Only a short time after the last Perth council by-election, we now see the collapse of the Tory-led Unionist coalition.
I would like to ask voters, did you vote for candidates or “cannae-dae-its”?
Ron Greer.
Main Road,
Blair Atholl.
Nuclear needs another look
Sir, – Our entire energy arrangements are a waking nightmare brought upon us by the Greens, the EU, and Marxists intent upon the destruction of our economy.
Energy should belong to the State, and the State should be determined to build our strength, able to rely on a continuous and plentiful source of power produced by nuclear fission, the greatest energy discovery of the past two centuries.
Instead we have become a nation of wood-burning namby-pamby politically correct environmental flower arrangers.
A global laughing stock, as we sink into deserved oblivion.
Malcolm Parkin.
Gamekeepers Road,
Kinnesswood.
CalMac ‘offally’ welcome
Sir, – Wonderful news that CalMac is to take over the running of Perth Harbour. I look forward to being able to nip along the Shore Road for a ferry to Stornoway, the better to collect my supplies of that town’s tasty comestible.
Indeed, perhaps we can address the issue of the harbour’s failing fortunes by arranging direct imports of the offaly delicacy, satisfying the hitherto unrequited cravings of pudding- lovers throughout greater Perthshire, Fife and Angus?
Duncan Cameron.
Haddon Road,
Perth.
