I couldn’t agree more with Mark Cowell’s and James Nisbet’s comments (28 October) concerning the award of the Stirling Prize to the Scottish parliament building.

The architecture, not to mention the budget, is deplorable. One can only describe it as fussing and farting around.

It seems ironic that the imposing Royal High School built in the 1820s and located nearby at Calton Hill, was fitted out with a debating chamber in the late 1970s as a Scottish assembly, and currently lies redundant. Repair estimates are quoted at about £1m. Surely this would have made far better use of public money and, I quote, “ensure it has a use of national significance”.

On the point of cost control, if the Italians, often berated for their lack of organisation, can do it, as shown in your article “Turin Triumphs” (18 November, page 60) then Ken Livingstone and the Olympic committee should take note.

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