Local people need to embrace opportunity

Sir, – I was deeply disappointed to read that protesters are planning to disrupt the festivities for the V&A when it opens in less than two weeks (“Group plans V&A Dundee opening weekend protest”, Courier, August 27).

I would have thought that an £80 million museum opening in a city with historic unemployment issues, paying the living wage to all staff and promising to bring in hundreds of thousands of extra visitors a year to the city, would be welcomed by all.

Apparently that is not the case – at least not for the far left who dislike the fact that some of the waterfront regeneration will be based around the service industry.

I can see why anywhere else this could be considered a problem.

However, all waterfront units are being obliged, by the council, to pay the real living wage.

The position of those planning to protest seems to be very much simply a case of “service jobs = bad”.

Yet this is to ignore the fact that a city having good restaurants, bars, shops, museums and so on and so forth, brings in further investment.

It also encourages more jobs to the area.

This all contributes toward making it a more attractive place to live and work.

Dundee is right now the envy of the nation.

It is undergoing one of the most ambitious redevelopments in the world.

People need to get on board with these exciting times for Dundee and stop talking our city down.

Jack O’Neil.

17D City Road, Dundee.

Picture: Kim Cessford. A proposed protest by activists during the V&A opening weekend has left one correspondent feeling disappointed.