The coterie of writers, poets, inventors, chemists, soldiers, statesmen and monarchs who have graced Glasgow's George Square for centuries have received their marching orders ("Famous statues may go in £15m plan for city centre", The Herald, September 13).
Faced with a similar situation recently, the good citizens of Aberdeen rejected the despoliation of their city centre in the name of progress.
George Square has seen the struggle of Glaswegians through the centuries, the rent strikes, along with the fight against dilution in the factories (George Square Riot), down to more recent struggles for equality and nuclear disarmament. It embodies Glasgow's soul, it must not be surrendered to Disneyfication or commercialism.
Jimmy Johnston,
38 Merryland Street,
Glasgow.
I was appalled when I read that the statues in George Square are to be removed.
Who decided on this course of action? Ordinary Glaswegians certainly weren't consulted.
As an ex-Scottish tourist guide I'd like to stick up for the statues – they are always a great talking point and a wonderful attraction.
I can remember the sense of loss when the council chopped down the trees in the square.
What has happened to the statue of the big bird which was a feature of Buchanan Street? Are the statues in George Square to suffer the same fate? Who will prosper from the demolition of the square?
I urge Glasgow City Council to think long and hard before redesigning the square while reminding them of the trams fiasco in Edinburgh.
Anne Young,
23 Menock Road,
Glasgow.
I am surprised and dismayed at the proposal by Glasgow City Council to remove the statue of Sir Walter Scott from George Square and to relocate it "as a focal point in an area of regeneration".
Are those who are proposing this idea aware that Scott is on the cusp of a great revival with the opening of the new visitor centre at Abbotsford and the re-opening of Abbotsford House early next year?
This is an opportunity to be part of a fresh national and international interest in Scotland's greatest historical author. Where better to capitalise on Glasgow's Scott connection than to have his statue and column remain at the centre of George Square?
Keith McClory,
8 Viking Crescent, Houston.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article