I feel that Glasgow's problems began seriously when John Major's abomination of Strathclyde Region resulted in the then Scottish Development Department under the direction of the Tories breaking up the local authority set-up of regions and districts to the severe detriment of Glasgow District compared to Edinburgh District.
Glasgow lost a substantial area in Lanarkshire that was giving it income and capable of development. By contrast Edinburgh gained a huge area,bincluding the airport and even my son's village in Ratho, a mile outside that city's old boundary. Thus Glasgow shrank to 176 square kilometres whilst Edinburgh grew to 264 square kilometres, much of it now being developed for housing.
This attack on Glasgow has been constant, and has continued with the Scottish Parliament: Edinburgh got some help with its trams, probably helping, with Scottish Government agencies, to attract flights from Glasgow to Edinburgh; the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) not really supported by SNP then the land required sold, another nail.
Edinburgh has, at all-Scotland expense the national galleries: Glasgow provides its galleries to the west of Scotland at Glasgow's expense. There is currently no help for the People's Palace, no surprise there.
Thus Glasgow, as has been said before, provides and pays for many services used by outlying areas but strictly well within Glasgow's orbit. Meanwhile Edinburgh has been given huge new areas with scope for new development and potential wealth.
It will not be many years (months even) till Edinburgh's population easily exceeds that of Glasgow with all the wealth to support its public services, while Glasgow can only watch.
John A Taylor, Dunlop.
Read more letters
- Glasgow disaster underlines the need for tax reform
- Don't tell me not to feed pigeons. The're cleaner than some humans
- Bricking it: how Lego has lost its imaginative roots
Rounding off the corners
Bill Stewart (Letters, March) 16 asks "what's in a name?".
The four corners of Union Street/Renfield Street and Gordon Street are as follows: South-west (Union Street/Gordon Street): Union Corner (Orr & Sons building/formerly Forsyth House) since 1851
North-west (Renfield Street/Gordon Street): RW Forsyth building;
South-east (Union Street/Gordon Street): Ca' d'Oro building;
North-east (Renfield Street/Gordon Street): Saxone Corner/Saxone building.
The Union Corner fire isn't the first in recent times either. On November 25, 1998, the building at the Saxone corner of Gordon Street and Renfield Street was destroyed in a blaze, creating significant traffic disruption in Glasgow city centre at that time.
Even earlier, we had the Ca' d'Oro fire in 1987.
George Kirrin, Beckenham.
Pooled resources
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken talks about the possibility of a five-star hotel on the Union Corner site ("City ‘may move to acquire blaze site’", The Herald, March 13). I suppose we should be grateful that at least it won’t be more student boxes. She goes on to say that a luxury hotel needs a swimming pool and that "the Blythswood Hotel managed it". I seem to remember that the pool was already there from the building’s previous use as the Royal Scottish Automobile Club.
Stuart Neville, Clydebank.
The beauty of pigeons
I was very glad to read Mark Smith’s article (“Time to check your attitude to pigeons. They are not the problem, you are”, The Herald, March 16).
I was beginning to think I was one of the few who really liked pigeons, and seagulls. When you look at them closely, the plumage of both birds is beautiful; the seagulls’ feathers of pure white and the rainbow shades among the grey feathers of the pigeons.
As well as inhabiting Central Station the pigeons do enjoy Buchanan bus station as well, especially Gregg’s, hopping about under the seats, hoping to catch a few crumbs of flaky pastry from your sausage roll. Their boldness seems to pay off as some of them become quite plump.
Mark Smith is quite right that it’s the humans who leave the mess and detritus that is not only harming the pigeons' feet, but encouraging more of them to hang about public places to pick up the food particles left in litter.
And anyway, who can forget Long Distance Clara from Pigeon Street, the heroic female role model pigeon long-distance lorry driver in the BBC show of the 1980s.?
Pigeons clearly have developed many skills so maybe they’ll be able to stand in for humans some day.
Irene Munro, Conon Bridge.
• What a fuss being kicked up about the Glesga pigeons. We should embrace their gentle presence, unlike the scourge of the gulls.
Have we forgotten the old refrain, "I know you've got a pigeon chest, that's why I love you like a doo"?
Come on everyone, feed the birds, tuppence a bag!
Steve Paterson, Findhorn.
Football crazy
For one who does not understand football and is bored and infuriated by interminable discussion and analysis, Iain Stuart (Letters, March 17) has much to say.
I was fortunate in having a father who took me to watch Queen's Park in 1946. For 80 years, I have faithfully followed a team whose existence has mirrored the ups and downs of life, and provided a source of conversation, even amongst many who, like Mr Stuart, do not understand football.
In a Manchester pub, I was asked which team I supported, Rangers or Celtic. Answer: Queen's Park. End of conversation.
David Miller, Milngavie.
• How I agree with Iain Stuart's views on football.
To my mind it's about obscene amounts of money, violence off and on the pitch, and in the west of Scotland, the added problem of sectarianism.
Gordon Berry, Ayr.
In with the bricks
I did enjoy Jim Thomson's letter (March 16) on the sanitisation of Lego and the impact on creativity of children.
I had a very enjoyable couple of hours playing with Duplo (essentially Lego for really little people) with my grandson at the weekend. As he is just a little over two years old, I decided just to let him run loose and leave him to decide what he wanted to construct with the range of pieces he had at his disposal.
It's too early to say if architecture or building contractor will be his future but by heck he did enjoy himself. As well as giving him the freedom to use the pieces as his young mind saw fit, toys like Lego are very valuable for building small children's handling skills.
Willie Towers, Alford.
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