Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – The article about Perth City Hall in the Courier of July 25, headed ”More time for potential developers”, was very interesting.
An undistinguished, insignificant little windswept square will not bring thousands of people and millions of pounds to Perth.
The proposal to demolish the hall is even more ludicrous when one considers the excellent facilities offered by the North and South Inches which, by virtue of their size and proximity to the city centre, can and do, extremely effectively, host events of all kinds which really do attract thousands of people to Perth.
As for Mr Bullough’s expressed hope ”the council will now ask anyone who has a fully-financed business plan to submit it as a matter of urgency and ensure that no more time is wasted”, the council has decided to give developers three months to submit proposals (a very short period for anyone starting from scratch) so there is no point whatsoever in hurrying to submit an incomplete scheme since that will not advance matters by a single day, though it might be the case that any such hurried schemes would be much more likely to be rejected.
With regard to his comment that ”no fully costed alternative to demolition has ever materialised”, that’s hardly surprising considering the council hasn’t marketed the building since 2004.
Furthermore, the claim by the council that demolition of the hall ”was the preferred option of residents” has been very clearly proved wrong by a number of different surveys and their claim that it would ”bring millions of pounds to the city” demonstrates, in my opinion, the poor judgment of the councillors and officials who exercise control over matters of public policy.
Finally, it is good to note the constant mantra of ” the City Hall is a rotting shell” has been dropped since my widely published photographs of the interior clearly demonstrated that it is in fact in virtually pristine condition.
J E D Cormie. 4 Craiglea Road, Perth.
Hypocritical rant in Paris
Sir, – I was outraged by Madonna’s ignorant and hypocritical, attention-seeking rant about poverty, hunger and suffering while performing at a pop concert in Paris.
It beggars belief that she thinks she has the right or experience to talk about these issues, she has a net fortune worth more than $650 million, someone worth that amount of money does not know what hunger or financial poverty is, does not worry about how to pay an energy bill or a mortgage.
If she really cared about the people she was supposed to be speaking for why did not she not donate the fee she would have received for the event to the causes she claims she is so concerned about?
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.
Proud of athletes
Sir, – How proud I was when listening to Hannah Miley and David Carry, from Inverurie and Aberdeen, respectively, speaking after they had swum in their events in the Olympic pool.
Missing out on medals has not discouraged them. Thanking their training team and families for all their support, their obvious delight in taking part in the competition was obvious to all who listened.
What a contrast to the bitter and divisive comments previously from our great leader, Alex Salmond, urging only support for the Scottish Olympians. He who claims to represent all Scots was an embarrassment to our nation. He certainly does not represent me, nor, I suspect, many Scots.
George Cormack. McLauchlan Rise, Aberdour.
How would Scotland cope?
Sir, – The sums involved with Scotland’s proposed separation from the UK are simply staggering and worth considering before voting in any referendum on the matter.
The UK national debt is presently one trillion pounds. That is to say, a million million pounds.
In the event of independence, it is unlikely that Scotland would be able to walk away from its share of that debt and the usual 10% calculation would make Scotland liable for one hundred thousand million pounds, which is about £20,000 per man woman and child.
How would an independent Scotland cope with such a huge initial burden? This is certainly something that has to be explained.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
No need to worry
Sir, – Every summer, the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin coastal edges to its two-mile-thick centre, experiences some degree of surface melting.
For a few days recently the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Oceansat-2 satellite detected that the thin layer of melting had increased from 40 to 95% of the area.
This was unusual – but not unprecedented – for mid-July and certainly not cause for alarm as Alan Hinnrichs (Letters, July 30), would have us believe.
It was an interesting phenomenon but the area has already refrozen so we can rest easy in the certainty that Al Gore’s prediction of a 20-foot sea rise is still as daft as ever.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Brilliant display
Sir, – What a brilliant display of wild flowers on the North East approach towards Glenrothes – much nicer than the usual formal planting seen everywhere. This will also be a lot more environmentally friendly for the various insects. Glenrothes is to be complimented on its floral displays and green areas.
L Knowles. West Port, Falkland.