Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – My initial reaction after reading the article about free parking for Perth shoppers at Christmas, under the title ”Free after Three” was, ”why bother?”. What we as retailers need is free parking at weekends all year round.
The article stated a similar scheme was carried out last year and the council are yet to be convinced of its efficacy. If you neglect to actually collect car park usage figures and a footfall counter placed on the High Street showed there may have been fewer people on the High Street, surely you would realise you were offering free parking at the wrong time?
How many people do they think are going to suddenly descend on Perth at these times and more importantly who? Young mums will be collecting their children from school, city centre workers will, funnily enough, be at work and my older customers shop earlier in the day as many of them live out of town and don’t like driving in the dark.
You have published a few of my letters where I have been critical of our council and their lack of understanding over the challenges faced by all retailers in the centre and I think it’s quite telling not one has come to have a chat with me regarding the points I raised.
There was also an article by Dudley Treffry about city centres. He summed it up perfectly when he said: ”What city centres need are people.” He also wondered if part of the problem was that few councillors have a business background. I couldn’t agree more. For our businesses to survive, we need a real incentive for people to come to Perth all year round.
It’s a nod in the right direction, but our council needs to realise it’s going to take much more than three hours free parking on a Thursday and Friday afternoon between November 29 and December 28 for things to improve.
Laura Wilson.14 Rose Terrace,Perth.
Judges not just given restricted view of town
Sir, – Alan Murray (Letters, September 17) implies that the Beautiful Scotland judges who awarded Glenrothes the top prize did so because they were merely taken to a restricted area of the town.
This is definitely not the case. As well as the central part of the town and Riverside Park, the route took them through a variety of precincts such as Stenton, Pitteuchar, Auchmuty, Rimbleton and Collydean and also included a couple of industrial estates.
As well as the magnificent floral displays, the judges were impressed by the quality and extent of community participation in Glenrothes’ Beautiful Scotland submission.
If Mr Murray would like to make Glenrothes an even better place, may I suggest he joins the ”Take A Pride in Glenrothes” group as a community volunteer. We are always looking for new volunteers and in my experience volunteering achieves more than criticising from the sidelines does.
Bob Hutchison.Community volunteer,Take A Pride In Glenrothes,Rosemount Crescent,Glenrothes.
Despair if this is their best
Sir, – May I register my vehement objection to the Scottish Government’s proposed plan to allow our current 14 and 15-year-old teenagers to decide upon my future?
We have been told by the government that 16% of 15-year-olds cannot read well enough to assimilate facts, which tempts me to think this is the reason for their policy.
The privilege of voting within a democracy brings with it an appreciation of responsibility for and accountability to the country. Such attributes do not seem apparent within our present society.
Should this policy represent the best the Nationalists can do to prove their capability for government then I despair for the future of my country.
Alan Bell.Roods,Kirriemuir.
French don’t take it seriously
Sir, – Memories of the part played by the French paparazzi in the death of Princess Diana are still fresh and the fact they are now hunting her daughter-in-law is deplorable.
I once saw Chateau D’Autet from afar on a bend in a country road in Haute Provence but it would require a massive lens to take worthwhile shots from there.
France has the strictest privacy laws in the world which include not only a person’s private life but also the unauthorised taking of photographs and their publication.
Yet as a Franco-Scot I am ashamed to say the French do not take the law very seriously and have draconian statutes but risible penalties.
Dr John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Declining ability to debate?
Sir, – While reading the ”quotes” section of Saturday’s Courier (September 15) it was interesting to see a decline in Professor Dawkins’ ability to debate, discuss and argue.
It seems now that anyone who disagrees with the good Prof’s view of the world is a ”massively gullible fool”.
Surely he can do better than that or perhaps not.
Derek J Byrne.Teach an Cluana,Flocklones Hamlet,Invergowrie.
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. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.