Garden vote

It is unseemly that the leader of the SNP appears to be stamping his feet and demanding, among other things, that members of the Labour group resign en masse. Most politicians experience losing the vote at some time, and it can be very embarrassing and humiliating. But that’s democracy.

However, there seems to be some confusion over the timing of the plans for the gardens. They were not plucked out of the air four years ago by Sir Ian Wood, as seems to be the current thinking. The proposal first appeared almost 20 years ago, and some of the same names supported it then as now.

Sir Ian Wood was prominent in the wish to raise the gardens then. Grampian Regional Council also had its input, as did the city-centre traders, who did great work in identifying which buildings would be enhanced with the use of judicious lighting.

The plans produced for the gardens then were much less elaborate and cost a lot less, but the same arguments were made about attracting greater investment in the city centre (at that time, though, there was no problem in attracting investment to Aberdeen, and Union and George Streets were a pleasure to walk down.

Now they both need a face-lift and the present administration’s intention to put some money into the centre of the city to make it a pleasure to visit is to be welcomed. Aberdeen District Council, as it was then, was not interested in raising the gardens and the matter was forgotten, and presumably the drawings and plans shoved into the back of a cupboard – until a few years ago.

I can remember when business people had both a personal vote and a business vote, which was hardly consistent with the principles of democracy.

If the business community wants to have a say in how local government spends its very limited budgets they should put themselves before the electorate and let them choose.

I would warn them, however, that running a business for profit is very different to running any sort of government, as balancing the disparate needs of the young, the old, lighting, education, social work and all the other calls on their finances has to be budgeted for.

Morag Morrell

Dalrymple Circle

Aberdeen