Today’s letters from our readers cover the topics of humanitarianism, the Tay Bridge junction, an oar in the V&A at City Quay, the banking crisis, and the fossil fuel levy.
We must find money for humanitarian helpSir, It is interesting that Bill Duthie (November 1) chooses examples to suit his non-humanitarian beliefs.
India and Malawi, 12 Mercedes luxury cars and private jets, India buying hundreds of aircraft from Russia, yet fails to mention organisations such as Save the Children who work in the UK to lift children here out of poverty.
They also save millions of lives worldwide. A sum of £3 will buy a mosquito net that saves a child from malaria. And £30 will save the sight of a child in Kroo Bay in Sierra Leone, where one in four children dies before reaching five.
One bowl of rice will give a child another day of life, buying time for aid to reach them.
When a woman in Malawi wakes to find her child dead from starvation, she feels no different from a woman in Dundee or Aberdeen.
Does it really matter where they were born? Is an African child less important that a Scottish child?
Should we not be working towards eradicating disease and hunger rather than saying British money should stay in Britain and it is too bad if hundreds of children die every day for the price of a packet of cigarettes?
Ben Gallacher.Pitalpin Court,Dundee.Tay bridge problem solvedSir, I write to express my delight at the new traffic arrangements at the north end of the Tay Road Bridge.
As a regular traveller from Broughty Ferry westwards over many years, I always approached the previous junction with more than a little trepidation.
This was due to the actions of a lunatic minority who seemed to believe that, because they lived in Fife but worked in Dundee, they were entitled to travel northwards at speeds often in excess of 70mph, with little slackening in pace as they hurtled down the west-bound off-ramp.
They then proceeded to force their way across several lines of traffic to gain their preferred position going round the station roundabout. I lost count of the number of accidents and near misses resulting from the flawed junction design.
This minority is now being compelled by the presence of traffic lights, linking the bridge to the east/west dual carriageway, to behave in a rational manner and to cease their cavalier disregard for other road users.
I hope that this new design will figure in the final design. Dundee has a real opportunity to do something special with the riverside, which I hope will not be missed.
In the meantime, my congratulations to those who designed the new junction.
W. H. Macfarlane Smith.42 Holly Road,Dundee.Unwelcome interventionSir, Dundee Civic Trust should not at this late stage in the V&A architectural competition be allowed to get away with suggesting that half the short-listed candidates should be disqualified because proposals are either entirely or partially offshore (October 28).
There was a clear steer given in the design brief for proposals that extend into the river. To suggest making that grounds for automatic disqualification after the competition has closed, risks bringing the whole process into disrepute.
What I want from the Dundee V&A is something different. Of course, the water chemistry of the estuary and the effect of sand, lichen, staining, wind and birds will have an impact on whatever building is chosen.
But given that research into the impact of wind on buildings began after the rail disaster on the Tay in 1879, it is little more than speculation to suggest that architects will have failed to take account of such basic engineering design issues.
And to disqualify Snohetta on that account is a mistake. For me, the Norwegian design is the one that best fits the brief and the location.
Neil Robertson.4 Glamis Terrace,Dundee.We are reaping what we sowedSir, Derek Farmer in his letter (October 29) gave an excellent analysis on how the banking crisis came about under Gordon Brown and the Labour Government. This fiasco was a man-made disaster with Gordon Brown as one of its leading architects.
The FSA was but one of the toothless innovations from the former Chancellor to end “boom and bust”.
Gordon Brown was exceptionally lucky in his term as Chancellor, presiding over a prolonged property boom and multi-billion pound tax revenues from third-generation mobile phone licences, oil and gas flows from the North Sea and the sneaky taxation of pensions funds.
However, he was smart enough to provide various pensioner benefits and tax credits to make many feel grateful.
Well, we now see the consequences of his years of economic deception.
(Cllr) William G. Walker.Ragnar House,Bogside,Alloa.Eco con trick on bill payersSir, Alex Salmond’s used the phrase, “a giant swizz”, to describe Westminster’s retention of fossil fuel levy cash. But it is also a very apt description of the filching of money from all electricity bill payers, ostensibly to save fossil fuels (October 29).
In reality, it is a stealth tax devoted to the profits of the few, developers (mainly foreign) wind turbine manufacturers and landowners.
At the same time, our land and seascapes are being damaged.
Mr Salmond says that, “most folk are too sensible not to realise what’s happening” Were that correct, an outcry would now halt further installations of these virtually useless windmills, but, alas, too many of us have been conned by politicians who seek the votes of the gullible over the best economic and practical interests of our nation.
(Dr) Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Road West,Perth.
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.