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Letters - 27 April 2006
Two-year wait for methadone
I HAVE been reading in the Tele, and other newspapers, about the ongoing drug problem, not just in Scotland, but the whole of Britain and the Government’s “so-called” solutions.
I am a drug addict and have been for the last 10 years or so.

I support my habit through my benefits and also rely on my friends.

I am not a thief and don’t go shoplifting to fund my habit.

As most addicts do, I went to my GP for help and he referred me to Tayside Drug Problems Services, so I can be put on a methadone programme to wean me off heroin, as I really want to come off drugs.

I have been on their waiting list for almost two years and think this is a total and utter disgrace.

The Government should get its act together and shouldn’t have people waiting as long as I have.

If people got on a programme quicker, I think it would combat a lot of the country’s crime. — Concerned.

Widen tolls debate
IT IS disappointing to see the Tay Road Bridge tolls debate hijacked and reduced to a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Several questions remain unanswered. Which taxes will the Executive raise to cover lost revenue if tolls are abolished? When can Dundee City Council receive the £8 million still owed to it?

The debate should be held around creeping congestion. The truth of the matter is that there hasn’t been a road built that hasn’t quickly been swamped by an increase in traffic. Toll-free, it is inevitable this scenario would follow on the road bridges across the Forth and Tay.

There are three simple ways to sort the congestion in Dundee City Centre. First, site the tolls at the Fife end. Second, introduce windscreen tagging. Third, encourage more car users to share by charging driver-only vehicles.

Without this, Dundee’s city centre will soon find itself choked with car fumes. — Jim Mackie, Dundee.

Manifesto
AS A supporter of the British National Party, I find the manifesto more socialist than New Labour.

I and others turning to the BNP are neither Nazis nor racists. We are of the opinion that in our own country, British people should come first. Anyone wishing to come and live here should abide by our laws and respect our culture. — George Aimer, Kinghorne Road, Dundee.

Holiday romance
DID YOU fall in love on holiday and believe the relationship would last? If you are 35 or over, ITV1 is looking for British stories of holiday romances that, against the odds and despite the doubters, have stood the test of time.

We’d also like to hear about any holiday romance that ended with heartbreak, when you felt sure it would last.

If you have a moving personal tale to tell, please contact Mary on 0117 925 8589 at Testimony Films, 12 Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5RH or mparsons@testimonyfilms.com — Mary Parsons, Testimony Films.

Football match
AROUND 1990 I played football at Maryfield Astroturf pitch in Dundee on the same side as Kevin Small. The game started at 9.30pm.

The match was videoed by one of his mates.

If anyone has a copy I would be grateful if they got in touch. — Liam Haban, 63 Marloch Avenue, Port Glasgow, PA14 6LJ.

Dundee war dead

The war memorial on Dundee Law.

I RECENTLY visited the War Memorial at the top of Dundee Law and was very disappointed to find there are no names on it.

This must be very disappointing for visitors from abroad trying to find loved ones.

I was told that the names may be inside. Can someone enlighten me? — Disappointed.

[A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said, “There is a full Roll of Honour in the Central Library local history department in the Wellgate Centre, and another one in the Dundee City Council archives department in Shore Terrace.

“There is not enough space on the war memorial to display the names from both wars.”]

Wonderful gesture
WHAT A wonderful gesture by the group of Royal Arch Freemasons to donate £1000 to St John’s Church in Dundee after the despicable break-in.

I take my hat off to these gentlemen and long may their efforts go on helping the needy in our society. — Roadrunner.

So many walking sticks
AS A former citizen of Dundee, I enjoy revisiting the city from time to time and noting the changes that continue to take place.

However, a peculiar phenomenon seems to be taking the city by storm.

As I strolled towards the Wellgate Centre, I became increasingly aware of the number of people with walking sticks. Not just old people, but middle-aged and young.

None seemed particularly disabled. In fact, one chap was using his stick to poke his “buggy” along the street.

But one woman in particular had me literally open-mouthed.

She was racing along the High Street effing and blinding in hot pursuit of what I took to be her partner/husband…and she was pushing a zimmer frame. — Confused ex-Dundonian, Scott Street, Perth.

Fur trade
AFTER WATCHING the TV programme The McCartneys v. The Fur Trade I was motivated to write.

Some shops sell cute little cats curled up in baskets and furry key-rings made in China, where they skin poor animals to make these trinkets.

When I go to Greece in a few weeks time I will be contacting the newspapers there because tourist shops have these “gifts” on display.

Although I tell them they are made from animal skins they tell me they are artificial.

Please help these innocent animals. — Animal Lover.

Abandoned
HOW MANY people have six large items to dispose of in one go?

Dundee City Council charges £7 to uplift them, but the price is still the same for one or two items.

It’s little wonder furniture is being abandoned all over the city.

As we wheel our rubbish/paper/ garden bins out and take them back, surely we deserve a better and cheaper service for uplifting unwanted suites, beds, etc. — Tidy Mind.

THE ADDRESS for readers’ letters is - Readers’ Page, Evening Telegraph, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. They can also be placed in our post box at our offices in Albert Square, Dundee, emailed to us on letters@eveningtelegraph.co.uk or faxed on 01382 454590. We ask correspondents using a nom-de-plume or sending by e-mail to provide a name and address for reference purposes. The editor reserves the right to reject or edit any letter. Please keep letters as short as possible.*
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