Sorry Nic, this film plan is a reel dud
DID nicola sturgeon, starstruck at meeting alan cumming (Mail) and basking in the luvvie limelight of the scottish Baftas, commit scotland to creating a film studio on a whim?
i do hope not. Film studios require huge investment (taxpayers’ money, of course) to set up and then they have to compete with existing studios.
scotland’s studio would be competing directly with ireland’s long-established ardmore studios in county Wicklow.
its history has not exactly been smooth and the Dublin government recently divested itself of its shareholding.
Film studios need to offer tax breaks to film-makers – this is an industry in which the lowest bidder always wins.
so even if we got a studio up and running, how much would it put into public coffers?
Would it be exempt from the sorts of SNP taxes that are driving other businesses to the wall and, if so, why? Because it would provide photo opportunities for the First Minister?
and how many jobs would this expensive white elephant create?
Would it, for instance, cover the imminent loss of 845 jobs at Dundee’s Michelin tyre plant?
SANDRA ROBERTSON, Aberdeen.
is the truth that the SNP wants a scottish film studio to cover the embarrassment of having the nationalists’ favourite movie, Braveheart, shot largely in ireland?
PETER THORNTON, Glasgow.
since he lives in new York, why doesn’t alan cumming (Mail) involve himself in the politics of the United states?
after all, there seems to be enough going on over there to keep him occupied. leave scottish politics to us who live here, alan.
WILLIAM DUNLOP, Ayr.
i NEVER listened to sir sean connery telling us to vote Yes from the Bahamas and i won’t be listening to alan cumming jetting in from la or new York to give us the benefit of his wisdom.
SAM KENNEDY, Edinburgh.