Sold down the river

Jan 30 2009

AS an Honest Man born and bred, I am totally disgusted with South Ayrshire Council in their plan to close the Gaiety Theatre.

A jewel of theatrical architecture, and also a listed building, part of our heritage and culture. Do the occupants of the County Buildings not know that there is more to life than politics? Most of them live outside Ayr and seem to conduct a vendetta against our town. Over the years they have sold off all that the citizens of Ayr owned under the Old Town Council, such as The Civic Theatre, Carrick Street Halls the Pavilion, the Art Gallery and Auld Ayr Museum among others.

Plans were abandoned to build a new bridge over the river at Academy Street, so that we still have the ridiculous traffic system at the New Bridge, where two lanes suddenly become one lane to cross the river.

We fair no better with government.

The High Court no longer meets in Ayr, our maternity and children’s hospitals have gone to Crosshouse, and now the Ailsa, with many jobs going to Irvine. Recently the Benefits Agency was transferred to Kilmarnock, and now the Income Tax Office, with 70 jobs, is going to Irvine. I have a theory that unless you have a motorway within a mile, then you are on the periphery to our politicians.

This is the Year of the Homecoming and I’ll bet all the action will be in Alloway, and not in Ayr.

He worshipped the Auld Kirk, wrote two of his most famous poems about the town – The Twa Brigs and Tam O’Shanter. Tam used to be celebrated by a Burns Ride to Alloway, but, as usual, funds were withdrawn by the district council. Could this event not be resuscitated? Perhaps as a charitable event? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if South Ayrshire did something positive for a change? What a hope.

Honest Man

By email.