Glasgow School of Art site should be sold and redeveloped

Use the money raised to have a custom-made Art School built on vacant land on the outskirts of the city, with access to public transport. This is a chance to make a difference: to have the type of studios needed for installation art, for sculpture, and show areas. Use the money to fix our roads, to maintain our parks and sports arenas, swimming pools and soccer pitches.

No-one is going to replicate the old "Rennie Mackintosh" art school, which isn’t fit for purpose in these modern times. The knee-jerk reaction when the first fire destroyed most of the original woodwork, that it would be rebuilt in the same style, is out of date now.

Lesley P Lyon, Glasgow.

• NHS Scotland collapsing, hungry kids, homeless families and local government going broke. Do we really need to spend £100 million on rebuilding the Glasgow School of Art?

We should get real and spend money on what people actually need.

DP Miller, Glasgow.

Glasgow School of Art Fires: Find all articles in the series here

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Memories of the McAdam brothers

YOU carry a picture today of brothers Colin and Tommy McAdam in action against each other in the Old Firm League Cup Final 40 years ago ("Remember when... First Sunday final passed off peacefully", The Herald, March 26) This brought back great memories for me. I was pals with Colin when we were young and living as neighbours in the high flats at Kingsway Court in Scotstoun. We kicked a ball together after school on the pitch at the flats along with Tommy, who was a few years younger than us and when Colin signed for Clydebank Juveniles he persuaded me to join him at their training and I then signed on. Tommy being younger, he played for the Colts team.

Even back then you could see the brothers were a special talent with Colin being a big personality, courageous and dominating and Tommy perhaps a bit quieter but very skilful.

Colin was the centre forward at Clydebank and my claim to fame was when I signed he moved to centre half and I took the number nine shirt...a fact I never wearied of reminding him of in the years to come.

It was so sad that Colin passed away a number of years ago though the memories still remain.

James Martin, Bearsden.

I survived a surfeit of violence

AMONGST recent hand-wringing issues some considerable time and column inches were devoted to the dangers of children being exposed to violence on the internet and how to control it I don’t think any of the reporting elevated the issue to a crisis but one could sense that there was an “emergency” bubbling away which could easily evolve into an existential crisis if new restrictions were not introduced.

I would encourage those involved in the debate to consider the circumstances and viewing habits of my own childhood.

My sister and I were allowed and even encouraged to consume a diet of cartoons like Tom and Jerry despite the violence it portrayed as Tom tried to do away with Jerry. Similarly, the road runner continued to evade the coyote despite the latter’s deployment of all kinds of weaponry including what would today be called improvised explosive devices. Dastardly and Muttley, in a spin-off from Wacky Races, devoted their energy to to “stopping the pigeon”. The Tasmanian Devil obviously had serious anger management issues and Popeye showed the power of performance-enhancing substances (in his case spinach) The redoubtable Elmer Fudd stalked Bugs Bunny with a double-barrelled shotgun and murderous intent.

Fifty years later, although it may be for others to judge, I don’t think it turned us into homicidal psychopaths (though my sister can get a bit snippy at times).

There is clearly merit in supervising children’s viewing habits but perhaps we need to dial down the hysteria and ask a simple question: what’s up, Doc?

Keith Swinley, Ayr.

Our picture of the McAdam brothers in action during the 1984 Scottish League Cup Final (Image: Newsquest)

The love of a Down's child
RON Lavalette’s letter (March 23) brought back memories of my late cousin, Nan, who had Down’s syndrome. Nan was a loving girl with a tremendous memory and she had a great love for music. Her mother was told, when Nan was very young, that she would not be able to read or write. Her mother taught her to read and write and on occasions my sister and I would receive short letters.
Her father once said that they probably had more love and joy from Nan than some parents had from a child without difficulties.
R Allan Richardson, Beith.

Problem with cats? It's a skoosh

I SYMPATHISE with Angus MacEachran's problem with the neighbour's cat using his garden as a toilet (Letters, March 26). I have found that a super-soaker water gun, loaded and primed at the back door, is quite effective, even if it might take one or two episodes to convince the cat that you mean business. It is also quite effective on squirrels at my bird feeder, and can be a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the same tactic for slobbering dogs in pubs as the collateral damage can be problematic.

John Jamieson, Ayr.

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A square meal? Not really

YOU reported on National Square Sausage Day and the butcher who produced the “world’s largest square sausage slice” ("Butcher creates ‘world’s largest slice’ weighing in at more than two kilos, to celebrate National Square Sausage Day", The Herald, March 26). The slice weighed in at over two kilograms and measured 30cm by 40cm; so not a square. I realise that the “square” sausages purchased in butchers are indeed not square. They are quadrilaterals, or more accurately, isosceles trapeziums. But I suppose National Isosceles Trapezium Sausage Day is a bit of a mouthful.

Bill Stewart, Glasgow.