Time to pay some credit

Sir, – Clark Cross questions the estimated cost of rebuilding the Glasgow School of Art (Letters, July 13).

It is a legitimate query during these times of austerity, when protecting our artistic heritage flies in the face of cuts to our public services.

However, the legitimacy of his argument falls away at his attempt to use the issue to have a sly dig at the present Scottish Government.

He cites the mismanagement and spiralling costs of both the Holyrood Parliament building and the Edinburgh tram project as reasons as to why any rebuilding of the Mackintosh facility should be viewed with caution.

Mr Cross should bear in mind that both these projects pre-date the current administration, and were opposed by the SNP at the time.

The tram fiasco, like so many other examples of unionist folly, is yet another fine mess being tidied up by the SNP.

The most striking example of a project being wholly run by the current Scottish Government is of course

the Queensferry Crossing, which was hounded by criticism from the unionist parties and their media allies.

Now completed it has been lauded by the World Economic Forum as “an exemplar of how to do major infrastructure projects” and named as the “Project of the Decade” at the recent Ground Engineering Awards.

Once again this shows an honest appraisal of the Scottish Government occurs when political axe grinding is absent.

Mr Cross rounds off by proposing that any funding shortfall incurred in rebuilding the GSofA should be covered by Nicola Sturgeon and her ministers, not by taxpayers.

I will leave aside that the FM and her ministers are also taxpayers, but if tokenism is what it takes to satisfy the gentleman, will he demand “large donations” from Theresa May and co, or indeed the Queen and her family, to aid the renovation of the palaces of Westminster and Buckingham? Ken Clark. 15 Thorter Way, Dundee.