With the discordant clang of an iron rod falling from a flume, the Olympia debacle is back in sharp focus.
The Dundee City Council response, or lack of one, to the seriousness of this has been startling.
What if my child was under that piece of iron? Am I comfortable taking them to the Olympia? Those are questions mums and dads will be asking.
And it is imperative they are answered because Dundee needs a swimming facility in which everyone feels safe – otherwise they won’t go there.
What did your council do to address this danger at a city recreation centre?
Did they rush to the scene? Hold an immediate press conference? Announce a decisive plan to deal with the new problems?
Did they vow to parents nothing like this will ever happen again?
No. None of the ruling group did a thing.
We got a virtually meaningless statement, alarming in its failure to grasp the importance of the issue, then (several days later) the head of design and property services (not an elected councillor) said a few things.
That’s not enough.
I’ve never talked down Dundee in my life. Demanding better for the city is the most pro-Dundee thing you could do.
How long can these mumbling, fumbling, bumbling councillors be allowed to wander along in their aimless way – doing nothing, saying nothing – before there is a truly terrible incident at the Olympia? Better hope it isn’t your family there that day.
Wasting the city’s money is one thing, allowing children to be put in danger – then staying silent hoping no one noticed – is quite another.
But, Dundee folk, I am also surprised at you.
I’ve written about the Olympia several times and the reaction online or by email can be angry, insulting, threatening – but so what. None of that puts me up or down – and the nonsensical ones are amusing.
However, one response gets my dander up.
When failures are mentioned, or complaints made, or some council plan is questioned, there are accusations this is “bad-mouthing Dundee”.
Nonsense. I’ve never talked down Dundee in my life. Demanding better for the city is the most pro-Dundee thing you could do.
Sycophantic apologists, or those who pretend everything is fluffy/lovely/happy, are facilitating poor performance.
Raise your standards. Don’t grovel to anyone’s fancy job title.
We should all be sick of the council making mistake after mistake and never taking responsibility – the fire alarms scandal, roofing debacle, turning away top music acts, this latest Olympia embarrassment.
When the city deserves better we should all be pro-Dundee and say it deserves better. Councillors should be told to do more, say more, pay more attention to what voters want.
And sometimes a complaint is justified, no matter which party you support. Pretending all complaints are party politics-motivated is the refuge of hard-of-thinking zealots.
When local lives are in danger I don’t give a monkey’s what councillors think of independence, gender, or green issues – their priority is to represent their people.
They should, at the very least, have the integrity and sense of responsibility to face difficult situations like iron bars falling on play areas, as well as smirk for the camera at coffee mornings.
Councillors: Do. Your. Job.
STEVE FINAN: I’ve been accused of bad-mouthing Dundee by writing about Olympia scandal – and it’s nonsense
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14.02.2024
With the discordant clang of an iron rod falling from a flume, the Olympia debacle is back in sharp focus.
The Dundee City Council response, or lack of one, to the seriousness of this has been startling.
What if my child was under that piece of iron? Am I comfortable taking them to the Olympia? Those are questions mums and dads will be asking.
And it is imperative they are answered because Dundee needs a swimming facility in which everyone feels safe – otherwise they won’t go there.
What did your council do to address this danger at a city recreation centre?
Did they rush to the scene? Hold an immediate press conference? Announce a decisive plan to deal with the new problems?
Did they vow to parents nothing like this will ever happen again?
No. None of the ruling group did a thing.
We got........
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