March 1988
Dundee’s Day of Disaster
Yesterday’s rejection of Dundee by Ford was a sad day for Scotland and a complete disaster for the city.
Last night a choir of voices was raised. Suddenly there was nothing councillors would not do to bring Ford to Dundee. Unions urged and local M.P.s were bitterly disappointed.
They didn’t know…They hadn’t expected…They needed more time. All who should be been shouting a welcome when Ford chose Dundee five months ago were justifying, excusing and grabbing political handles to score political points on a pathetic “it wis nae me, it was someone else” theme.
If unions are not about getting jobs for people what are they about?
No wonder Ford’s patience ran out. Five months ago Dundee’s Labour M.P.s, along with Dundee and Tayside’s Labour Councillors, should have been banging inter-union squabbling heads together. Never again can they claim to put Dundee people first. Their fatally flawed allegiance lies elsewhere.
A job is a job is a job, and Dundee was being offered 500, with maybe as many again to follow. It was a chance all the world would go down on its knees and beg for, just to get in on the ground floor of car technology for the next century.
Dundee was to be the hub of motoring’s future, and inter-union squabbles have slammed shut the door. With its closing, many others will never open here- doors that would have opened to the sunshine of 500 salaries.
It is impossible to estimate what this plant would have meant in terms of a much-needed injection of the area’s economy with the prospect of more jobs for others. It would also have added to Scotland’s high-tech reputation.
Now its loss may have other unhappy reverberations. Dundee will be the city rejected by Ford. That will take some living down.
When Ford chose Dundee five months ago it should have been overwhelmed by hands held out in welcome, voices raised in greeting and efforts made to smooth its path.
Instead the chance of a lifetime for a city with many problems was received almost in silence by one side of the fence. City M.P.S, often too quick to condemn, were strangely slow to shout to the rooftops. District and Regional Labour councillors, rather than offend unions, chose not to speak up for Dundonians’ jobs. Union leaders put their own powers (and influence) before the prospects for people.
In the end none, with the honourable and realistic exception of the AEU, put jobs before politics or self-serving interests.
The result is an industrial and human tragedy.
120-Minute Thriller at Tannadice
Dundee Utd 2,
Dundee 2.
(After extra time)
Dundee United and Dundee must meet again to decide who will clash with Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-finals on April 9.
An incredible quarter final replay at Tannadice last night failed to settle the issue and Tayside’s top teams will lock horns once more at Dens on Monday March 28.
Venue for the third game was settled by the toss of a coin.
Last weekend’s first meeting was a non-event but both sides more than made amends in this re-match, serving up 120 minutes that the fans will talk about for years to come.
Dundee trailed at one stage to two brilliant Eammon Bannon goals, but a brace from substitute Graham Harvey hauled them back off the ropes.
The real Dark Blues hero was keeper Tom Carson. Deputising for the injured Bobby Geddes he turned in a truly remarkable display.
Time and again the former Dumbarton player denied United who had more than enough chances to win this tie.
With Ian Ferguson in for Miksu Paatelainen, Jim McInally replacing the suspended Maurice Malpas at left-back and Gary McGinnis in mid-field, the Tangarines turned an excellent display.
But if nothing else, Dundee are fighters and when all looked lost they fought back just as they did in the Skol Cup derby clash earlier in the season.
The match was played on a rain-sodden pitch made progressively worse by constant downpour but 17,055 soaked supporters had their money’s worth.
Dental School under Closure Threat
Dundee Dental School and Hospital has been earmarked for closure – and if that were to happen it would have a “catastrophic” effect on patient care not only in the city itself but far beyond, says dentistry chief Professor Derrick Chisholm.
The threat of closure has come from the governing bodies of the U.K, universities, the University of Grants Committee in London.
A.U.G.C. working group report deals at some length with dental education in the future concludes that a 10% reduction in the annual output of qualified dentists should not be achieved by a cut-back involving all dental school but by the closure of two Dundee and University College, London.
Dundee University has been given until April 11 to prepare its strongest-possible case for the retention of the dental hospital.
Dundee Fortnight Specials
Cyprus £345 (self-catering)
Santa Ponsa £299 (B&B)
Turkey £276 (room only)
Tenerife £369 (self-catering).
Free insurance or free transport.
Book now at Ramsay World Travel
Crichton Street, Dundee.
Queen’s Bar
Nethergate, Dundee
Monday to Saturday,
11 a.m. to Midnight
Sunday,
12.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Bar Lunches
12 noon to 2.30 p.m.
Coffee and snacks all day.
Sturrock to Return This Week
Dundee United has two reserve games this week – one tonight against Stenhousemuir and the other on Friday night against Hibs, when Paul Sturrock will make his return after his thigh operation.
Things are shaping up on the Dave Narey testimonial game front (writes The Sports Editor).
The Narey XI line-up against Tottenham Hotspur at Tannadice on March 15 will include former United player Ray Stewart of West Ham – and there may well be further interesting names added before the night.
For the stand and ground it will be normal prices, but there are tickets for the Executive Boxes (£10), old directors’ box (£7.50). These are now on sale at Tannadice.
Andy Stewart
George Duffus
“A Nicht at the Auld Meal Mill”
Caird Hall
Saturday, March 19
7.30 p.m.
Tickets available from
Advance Booking Office
City Square, Dundee
£ 3.00, £3.50, £4.00.
In Aid of Polio Plus Campaign.
Dinner-Dance
Saturday, March 19
Four-course dinner followed by Dancing
7.30 p.m. onwards £8.50
For parties of 6 or more, 15% discount.
Tay Hotel
Whitehall Crescent, Dundee.
Letter’s Page
Let the People See Them
Sir – I would like Norman Willis, Campbell Christie and Ron Todd of the T.U.C., together with the Labour M.P.s and local councillors, to organise another “march for jobs” like those in the past.
They could march through Dundee so that all the local unemployed can actually see the people who are preventing them getting work.
What is more far-reaching is the damage to the whole of Scotland by this whole Ford fiasco.
Only a fool would invest in our country. No wonder we are doing worse than the rest.
Surely it’s time that we, in Scotland, realise that we’ve got the ability to prosper without being wet-nursed by ill-educated fanatics.
J.C. Stephen, Kirkcaldy.Dundee M.P. s Condemned for Their Silence
Sir – This is a sad and solemn hour in the industrial life of Dundee and, indeed, of Scotland. The hopes of thousands of our unemployed have been dashed.
It is passing strange that the two Labour Members of Parliament for the city and Labour civic leaders sat for five months on the fence of apathy, perhaps too afraid to criticise there friends in the trade union movement, which sponsors so many of them.
Had the obstacle to the success of this project been anything remotely connected with private industry or the Conservative Government, the union and Labour wolves would have bayed for blood.
Dundee M.P.s and council leaders did nothing to ensure that commonsense prevailed and we are all now paying with a terrible price.
The offer by Messrs Tosh and Mitchell to fly to Detroit was too little, too late.
Despite the cries, “It wis na me,” the buck undoubtedly stops at the door of the trade union leaders and the Labour Party of Dundee, all of whom decided to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, were competent only to be impotent.
Never in the field of industrial relations have so few earned so deservedly the condemnation of so many.
(Councillor) Neil Powrie,City Chambers,
Dundee.
Household Hints
Buy One More roll of wallpaper than you expect to use especially if it has a large pattern. You may need more than you estimated and the dye in tow different batches of the same pattern may vary slightly in colour.
When Slug pellets are not effective against slugs catch them be placing saucers of beer or bran in the garden at night. Collect and destroy the slugs the next morning.
If A Path has become green with algae, scrub it with a fairly strong solution of household bleach and rinse well with cold water afterwards. Or a strong solution of kitchen salt will kill the algae. Keep beach or salt away from plants.
Sun, Sand and Sea can play havoc with hair. If you hair is bleached or colour-treated wear a light scarf or sunhat on hot days if you don’t want the shade to change.