Today’s letters bemoan the loss of Dundee’s architectural heritage, come to the defence of cats, query the source of river pollution, welcome signs of progress in the West Bank, reject the Pope’s remarks on secularism, and examine Europe’s treatment of Romanies.
Restoration of Royal Arch would boost tourism Sir,-I have belatedly come across Charles McKean’s excellent book that examines the destruction of Dundee’s architectural heritage and I am sorrowfully and cynically left with the feeling that perhaps the coat of arms should be changed to reflect the importance of the wrecking ball in the history of the city.
I wonder if there is a wealthy philanthropist or a long-established employer in the city prepared to finance building a replica of the Royal Arch? Surely this would have some merit for attracting publicity and tourism to the city?
Bruce Connelly.49 Caiyside,Edinburgh.
Let nature run its course
Sir,-Interesting to read the comments (September 21) regarding the decline in bird numbers. It would seem that the domestic cat is solely responsible, if other writers are to be believed.
The British Trust for Ornithology recently published a report into garden bird feeding in which it reported changes in bird feeding, changes in farming, the mass use of pesticides and mass urbanisation have contributed to declines in the number of birds.
The report also notes that some species of birds have actually increased over a 40-year period.
People tend to be hasty and look to blame domestic cats for any ills that fall upon them but I think its just a matter of people who don’t like cats needing to have a gripe solely because of their dislike of our feline friends.
Cats will kill birds, I agree wholeheartedly. Then again I am sure people would be writing into this column if we were overrun by mice and rats if their were no cats around. Live and let live and let the balance of nature sort itself out.
Gary Thomson.42 Beechwood Road,Arbroath.
Reclaimed land behind pollution
Sir,-Readers concerned for the environment must be appalled after reading your report (September 20) on the industrial debris at Broughty Ferry beach.
I have little doubt that fly-tippers are partially responsible and, if caught, should be severely dealt with.
However, the Tay, as Scotland’s longest river, will be seen by these irresponsible individuals as a convenient garbage chute as it passes through residential, commercial and agricultural areas on its way to the North Sea.
Commercial shipping could also be guilty if the crew adopts a chuck-it-over-the-side mentality.
However, it is my contention that councils have in the past, and are continuing today, to be the major source of the problem with their reclamation and anti-coastal erosion programmes. Below the surface of these works is a huge variety of debris similar to that found on Broughty beach.
R. H. L. Mulheron.28 Cowgate,Tayport.
Wealth eases Palestine tension
Sir,-For many people, the politics of the Middle East is either tragic or befuddling.
But former Prime Minister Tony Blair has injected a note of optimism in his speech to a travel industry conference (September 21).
Increased prosperity in the Palestinian settlements must be one route to encouraging a semblance of peaceful co-existence with Israel. The West Bank was once a by-word for friction, division, discrimination and intolerance.
Now, a rising standard of living, together with a determination by Palestine’s president to enforce law and order, is attracting investment and a rising number of tourists.
Of course, the Holy Land will always be a magnet for people of various religious denominations.
The fact that they can now travel there with increased security must augur well for the future.
Mr Blair has been criticised over the war in Iraq, his lifestyle and his association with a culture of spin. He deserves credit, however, for focusing on a key point that Israelis and Palestinians must accept each other’s existence and co-operate if civilised standards are to be maintained. It is too simple to argue that all Palestinians are a victimised, impoverished people, cruelly put down by a Zionist state.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Pope defends indefensible
Sir,-The claim by the Bishop of Dunkeld that the papal visit would be an occasion to remember has turned out to be correct, although not for the reasons that he had in mind.
The Pope’s reported remarks comparing aggressive secularism to Nazism will be long remembered.
They are an insult to the millions who have seen through the sham of organised religion. They are also in direct contradiction to Hitler’s own professed Christianity.
Norman H. Baynes, in The Speeches of Adolf Hitler, April 1922 to August 1939, provides the following quotation, “My feelings as a Christian point me to my Lord and Saviour as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognised these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them”.
Hitler’s Christianity was his justification for the Holocaust. The Pope’s attack has revealed how thin is the veneer of his church’s respectability.
Murray Duncan.100 Craigie Road,Perth.
Racist treatment of Roma people
Sir-The treatment of Europe’s 10 million Romanies is nothing short of disgraceful. On every social index, the Romanies do worse than any other European group.
The solution by some governments to deport them is not only immoral but probably illegal.
The French government ordered police to clear illegal camps, “with priority” to the Roma ones. Imagine substituting “Roma” with the word “black.”
Alex Orr.77/2 Leamington Terrace,Edinburgh.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.