It was depressing reading the responses from our Scottish politicians to the EU Commissions decision last week to exclude Dundee and other UK cities from the European City of Culture bid. They seemed more concerned about defending the EU and using the opportunity to political point score against Westminster, than defending Dundee. So I wrote this letter to The Courier which was published today..
Absolutely right David well said
Aye David , It’s their loss right enough . Being an Argyll man history will tell you we never had much love for one named Dundee but in the fifties and early sixties my education , my childhood dreams and aspirations , my entertainment and laughter flowed out from Dundee to my home, and about every home in the country . Its children’s publications were a must and our greatest disappointment of the week meant that father had arrived home from work before our school bus to have first read of the Friday comic.
Not much in that you may think , but as children we wanted to be able to read the words for ourselves rather than having them read to us ! The Dandy , The Beano , Oor Wullie , The Broons not forgetting Andre Glen , whose lifestyle we so envied , with his faithful collie , Black Bob . A school in every parish was the vision of Knox , but the schooling in the fifties gave Dundee its place as Scotland’s third city , not just of Jute , Jam and journalism , but of Scott , William Topaz McGonagall and The Rev Murray McCheyne . ( probably in that order too ) A young gaelic singer in the early sixties had a smash hit as he romanticised about the place and set the teenage heart alight to the hope of meeting that lassie on her way to a that very special place .
Ok , nothing spiritual in that ! . No quotes from Spurgeon Ryle or Stott to fire up the belly within. Probably disappointing to the reader , nothing from Sinclair Ferguson or Tim Keller but the legacy of literacy of children of my generation owes much to Dundee . Sad that the Europhiles have picked up the ” ba and gone hame ,” but I believe that something is stirring in Dundee that sooner or later they will all take note.
More power to your pen David , and feel free to correct anything you fell lacks foundation but before I sign off I have one little confession to make . In all my years I have never yet ventured to the city that’s Dundee !