This morning’s letters to the Courier editor discuss the Dundee wind turbines plan, a tribute to Kenneth McKellar, more on Christianity and an invitation to Jonathan Ross.
Either for or against; you can’t have it both ways Sir,-Mr Stewart Hosie, MP for Dundee East, really can’t have it both ways.
Either he supports the placing of the proposed two giant wind turbines, functionally useless — to all but those standing to gain financially — in the city’s port, or he recognises that they represent greed and municipal vandalism and must be firmly resisted.
They would bring false hopes for useful electricity production and curtailment of CO2 output, but at visual and money-wasting costs. His idea of the port becoming thereby a “centre” for renewable energy is entirely bogus, involving only expensive imports.
If he’s seeking voters’ support, Mr Hosie should deploy some keen business sense to his words and think again, deciding whether to back the Residents Against Tay Turbines or the motley crew of developers Forth Ports and foreign equipment manufacturers’ plan for unsightly, useless wind turbines set to spoil one of Europe’s finest waterfronts.
(Dr) Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Rd. West,Perth.
Natural for radio and recording
Sir,-It was with great sadness that I heard the news that Kenneth McKellar had died.
From 1966 till 1972 I was the conductor of the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra, and during that period conducted his hugely successful radio and TV shows.
He had a beautiful, light tenor voice which had the added attraction of being immediately recognisable, making him a natural recording and radio artist.
His repertoire was much wider than his international host of expatriate and home-grown Scots fans fully realised. He was perfectly at home with operatic arias, operetta, neapolitan songs, popular ballads, particularly the love songs of Robert Burns, but also in the more esoteric world of oratorio.
Testament to this was his being chosen by Sir Adrian Boult as the tenor soloist in his historic recording of Handel’s Messiah, along with that other great Scot, David Ward (bass) and Joan Sutherland (soprano) and Grace Bumbry (contralto).
His career could have taken a different path after this but, like so many other Scottish artists, the call of what we might term ‘The Road To The Isles’ was a siren song to fame and fortune which was difficult to resist.
He was a fine musician and a perfectionist, but easy to work with as long as we were all like-minded.
I cherish many memories of him. When he was topping the bill at the London Palladium in the mid-70s, I took my three sons and a party of their school friends on a birthday treat to see the show; Ken invited them all back stage, introducing them to his various co-stars, including Bruce Forsyth, and (a real treat for all those young lads) the beautiful chorus girls. I shall remember him, personally, as a great artist and a warm and genuinely humorous fellow professional.
Iain Sutherland.Former principal conductor of the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra.
No place for such malice
Sir,-If Dr Stephen Moreton (yesterday’s letters) really does not give a hoot about what Christians do why does he spend so much time and energy maligning them and insulting their beliefs?
Such malice has no place in a civilised, multi-cultural society.
John R. Nicoll.7c Queen Street,Broughty Ferry,Dundee.
Same rights as everyone else
Sir,-Having just caught up on last week’s letters, I feel compelled to enter the debate started by Messrs. Burrows and McMillan, and whose thoughts are endorsed by Alistair McBay.
Everyone in the United Kingdom has the right to speak their mind, demonstrate in all manner of means in public their beliefs and wishes and even practise their religion in public if they so wish, whatever that religion may be.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of certain other countries, which follow a certain other religion, banning open or closet worship of anything else on pain of flogging or imprisonment.
Scotland, as is the rest of the UK, is a Christian country, the practices and beliefs of which are thankfully endorsed by the likes of P & K Council and other such bodies. After all most people take Easter Monday as a public holiday!
I find it difficult to understand why anyone should take exception to the open recognition of what is the high point of the Christian year.
I have never heard of any British body suppressing other religions ‘alien’ to the UK. Last week we saw parades celebrating Tartan Week — no-one has suggested that to be homophobic, political or anything else, so what is the difference with a religion?
Why should other religions feel insulted? Have the above persons not witnessed Asian parades through Broughty Ferry and Dundee?
I suspect that Mr McBay is the same personage previously signing himself on several occasions in The Courier as chairman of the Scottish Branch of the British Secular Society, who through your letters in the past crossed swords, sorry, pens with me, referring to me as quote, “another religious fanatic”, for my suggestion that I am not afraid to stand up and be counted as a practising Christian.
I have never yet been invited to a gathering or demonstration currying support for atheism or agnosticism and would not wish to attend, but it may be interesting to hear what the stance is on secularism. I would still, however, prefer to retain my option in a free country as a religious fanatic of the Christian Faith and turn the other cheek.
Geoff Bray.Heather Croft,Letham by Forfar.
Feel free to go now!
Sir,-Jonathan Ross has said he “can’t wait to get out” and leave the BBC, because the atmosphere there has changed dramatically. He is due to leave in July.
If he feels this way he should leave immediately saving the BBC, and hence licence payers, three months of his outrageous £6 million a year salary.
Clark Cross.138 Springfield Road,Linlithgow.