There’s a lot to be said for the personal touch – it can knock down walls and win people over with one small gesture.

Unless the walls are made out of Raac (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete), it would seem.

Someone famous once wrote how American bank tellers were trained to make customers feel as though they were old friends.

I felt something similar when I met the King in Aberdeen when he was still Prince of Wales.

A brief encounter of just a few minutes left a vivid lasting impression.

It’s just a knack which he has perfected over the years: as though you were special and the most important person in the room at that precise moment.

Let’s now take a look at the Raac people at Torry in Aberdeen, for example.

Specifically, owners who bought their homes from the council or other private proprietors who had previously completed similar transactions with the authority.

They now face ruin due to weaknesses in Raac “concrete” used in construction years before (more Aero-looking than concrete, it’s been said).

Devastated to see Aberdeen City Council offering to “rescue” their homes at slashed knockdown prices, at up to £50,000 less than they might have otherwise received

The council much prefers to describe their offers as realistic “current market value”, but don’t be silly – we know which is the more accurate........

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