| Letters - 28 June 2005 |
| Cost of being nice |
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| I AM so annoyed with the action taken by traffic wardens in Dundee after I stopped my taxi at the rank in the Seagate, near Lloyds Bar. |
| My fare, an elderly woman, needed help across the road and round into Murraygate with shopping bags.
I left my car on the rank to help and what happens? I get a ticket. I explained to the warden what happened but he said I had to appeal.
So I did and I still have to pay. Apparently I shouldn’t have left the taxi unattended.
All I was doing was helping an old lady. It just shows you what being nice does. — Truly Mad Taxi Driver.
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| Flats boarded up and empty |
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The empty block of flats in South Road.
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| CAN ANYONE tell me what is to happen to the block of boarded-up flats in Dundee’s South Road? Are they due for demolition? If so, why and when? Are these houses surplus to requirements?
I would have thought there were tenants in Dundee who could be housed there. — Home Alone, Dundee.
[A Dundee City Council spokesman said, “This block, along with a number of adjacent blocks, is surplus and will be demolished following rehousing of the remaining tenants in other blocks. There is no date set for demolition.
“They are considered surplus due to the continuing lack of demand for certain types and sizes of houses because of population decline and changes in the housing market across the city.”]
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| No decision on toilets |
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| I UNDERSTAND Dundee City Council has decided to close the Castle Street and Lochee toilets to save money. For years the staff has won awards for the high standard of these toilets. These were presented by councillors at a reception in the City Chambers.
These staff are the lowest paid and the closures mean a loss of eight jobs and a service to the public and visitors. Maybe they should start trimming at the top — councillors’ expenses, convenerships, etc. — Bursting.
[A Dundee City Council spokesman said, “There is an on-going review of toilet provision in the city, but no firm decisions have yet been taken.”]
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| Still a parking problem |
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| Traffic MAY well have increased in King Street, Broughty Ferry, but I do not believe it is because of the new one-way system in Brook Street.
Councillor Webster states King Street is narrow because of on-street parking.
Well, two things emerge here.
Firstly, Brook Street is only partially one way for a very short distance.
Secondly, there was, and still is, a parking problem on Brook Street with people there for lengthy periods in loading/unloading spaces.
If the local authority changes the existing system to suit the people in King Street, does that mean it is all right for the parents and old folk to have increased traffic in Brook Street? — B. C., Monifieth.
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| Britain has sacrificed |
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| IT HAS been interesting watching Jacques Chirac, the old man of the old Europe, scrambling about desperately trying to save the EU from apparent crisis.
Weakened by the French rejection of the European Constitution, the French president has sought to deflect attention by raising the matter of the “English cheque”.
Chirac believes Britain should make sacrifices for the long-term stability of the EU.
Britain has sacrificed enough, hence the £3 billion rebate that comes our way.
Discussions on the rebate should only take place as part of a wider discussion on the EU budget.
This should include the massive £7 billion in farm subsidies that goes to French farmers. — J. Brown.
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| “Young gun” Tories |
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| DAVID DAVIS is (again) the wrong choice for Tory leader. We crave prime “young guns”. Even dynamo Ken Clarke, with his jazz music image, is simply too elderly.
True, a music ambience seems to coat politicians in a “daddy cool” light (eg Tony Blair was in rock band Ugly Rumours).
However, I recall Michael Ancram’s TV performance of Peter Sarstedt's 1969 No. 1, Where Do You Go To My Lovely? This was sacrilege.
It’s time for youthful ebullience at the helm — a handsome salesman whose chief attribute includes a luxuriant head of hair. — J. I. Matthew.
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| Tough enough sentence? |
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| THE CONVICTION of an illegal hare courser by Perth Sheriff Court is welcome news, but is 120 hours of community service a tough enough sentence to deal effectively with this nasty idea of enjoyment?
We are dealing with a species in critical decline, urgently in need of protection and in no way an agricultural pest. — Katherine Watson, Stockport, Cheshire.
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| Bingo night |
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| TURRIFF HOUSE, a residential unit for older people in Dundee, is holding a prize bingo evening to raise funds to purchase a 42-inch plasma screen TV for the residents.
It takes place on Thursday, June 30, in the Taxi Club, Rosebank Street (eyes down at 7.30pm), and the entrance cost of £1 includes a raffle. — Liz Andrew, Unit Manager.
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