Independence coming soon?

Very interesting results in a '10th-year of devolution' poll out today ...

... now, you can't deny there are many positives in the wider poll-material for the Nats, but the last few paragraphs here must be extraordinarily frustrating for them?

Longer-game required; and that fact being more openly espoused may - I suspect - actually help them?

The end of an era

Junior had his end-Primary-School dance at Craiglockhart this evening - high excitement indeed ;-)

... the most enormous pink limousine caused traffic-chaos on Ashley Terrace at the end of the event: 'nothing new there' do I hear the wags mutter?

Anyhow - a great time appeared to be had by all.

Edinburgh Award 2009

Went to the presentation for the Edinburgh Award this afternoon ... Chris Hoy was the recipient this year; following in the footsteps of Ian Rankin (2007) and J.K. Rowling (2008).

Thoroughly enjoyable event - and, it has to be said, that Chris Hoy seems remarkably unaffected by his whirlwind of a year ... he gave a very gracious, and down-to-earth acceptance speech and by the number of people who queued to have him sign their programme, I'd say he struck just the right note :-)

Edinburgh-bound ;-)

On my way back from that ERS AGM now - Notebook seems to be working fine ;-)

... pleased to say that I've been re-elected Chair, and indeed the whole 'Officer Group' has remained unchanged. Given that, only in December, there was a wholesale upheaval then I do think it will be of some benefit to have a bit of stability now.

Looking forward to getting home :

• Thursday - evicted from Council Meeting
• Friday - all day spent in a COSLA Meeting
• Saturday - all day spent in an Electoral Reform meeting

I definitely need a politics-free day tomorrow!

Off to London

Off to London this evening (on the sleeper) for the Electoral Reform Society AGM ...

... I'll take that new Notebook, and let you know my fate when I'm travelling back up tomorrow night!

More important than Party Politics

Obviously been reflecting a bit about getting 'chucked out' of the Council yesterday - not a pleasant experience. Especially not on the casting vote :-(

Anyhow - on the issue of substance, I have no intention whatsoever of letting things drop.

Irony is, given the Party Political nature of my eviction, the whole episode was nothing to do with Party Politics - it's about all Politicians following due-and-proper process; respecting local democracy; and not riding roughshod over basic good practice.

I'll continue to asks questions about those issues - whether inside or outside the Chamber.

COSLA meeting in Clydebank

Had the unbridled-joy of attending a COSLA Convention meeting over in Clydebank today ...

... all the main agenda details can be found here.

Scintillating stuff; every second ;-)

Evicted from Full Council :-(

No - that headline isn't a joke ... I really have just been evicted from the Full Council meeting (around 1pm) for apparently behaving offensively?

Even my most ardent political opponents have been texting to say they're stunned. Seriously.

Here's what happened:

The whole episode occurred during 'Council Leader's Report/question time', when Cllr. Jenny Dawe (the Council Leader) answered a question from Cllr. Ian Perry (one of my Group colleagues) about EDI, and I responded with a further question. She thereafter accused me of calling her a liar.

Frankly, there is simply no question that I used the word 'lie' or 'liar' in my comments to the Council Leader.

The Council Leader had said, in response to an earlier question, that there was no written/signed letter relating to Councillor Gordon Mackenzie's resignation from the Board of EDI. There is such a signed document - I have it in my possession - and I responded to the Council Leader that she was being less than truthful in her response.

I stand by that.

The signed-document in question is a public document, as it was given to me as a background paper for the report that went to Policy and Strategy on the 9th June, you can see that main report here. I have the 'background paper' signed-document as a PDF.

The real issue here is the conduct of the (supposed?) Chair of EDI - Gordon Mackenzie.

As I indicated yesterday, Gordon Mackenzie resigned from the Board of EDI on the 9th June at a meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee, a decision which was formerly recorded at the time and was backed up by a signed document indicating that he would leave the EDI Board with effect from the 23rd June.

On the 24th June, Cllr. Mackenzie chaired a Board Meeting of EDI which summarily removed the Acting Chief Executive from post. There was no attempt beforehand to inform elected Councillors on the Policy and Strategy Committee, or Councillors on the Board of EDI, about the circumstances surrounding Cllr. Mackenzie remaining in post.

There is clearly a blatant disregard for 'due and proper process' being displayed by this Administration and they are simply playing fast-and-loose with local democracy. It's not acceptable, and I will not stand by and watch it happening without speaking truth to those currently in power within the City Chambers.

I may have been kicked out of the Chamber - on the casting vote of the Lord Provost it has to be added - but it won't stop me doing what I should be doing as Leader of the main Opposition Group in the City Chambers: asking difficult questions of those who are running our city.

1st day at Tynecastle!

Junior's first full day at Tynecastle High School today!

... he's visiting this Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, before starting-proper in August. Pleased to say all appears to have gone well.

... both parents were clearly far more nervous than he was :-(

Abject confusion at EDI

Strange goings-on at EDI today --- literally a few months ago, we were being told all was well and the Chair publicly stated:

“The last period of trading has demonstrated EDI's resolve and ability to seek out new opportunities, ensuring that we're well placed to weather current market conditions.

"Looking forward - and despite those difficult market conditions, we can be reasonably optimistic. A recent review of EDI by our shareholder, The City of Edinburgh Council, has reaffirmed the view that we remain a key vehicle for developing the city's assets.

"We expect that the relationship with the Council will provide EDI with further opportunities for development in the year ahead."

Well, today, I hear the Acting Chief Executive has (in effect) been summarily removed from post, and a new 'private consultant' is being parachuted in to take over.

At their Board Meeting this afternoon, three elected Members (2 Labour and 1 Conservative) all resigned over these actions.

The whole situation is further muddied by the fact that the Chair of EDI resigned from his post at a meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee on the 9th June (decision to be effective from the 23rd June), yet today - the 24th June - he chaired the Board?

Serious questions do need to be asked about just what-on-earth is going on here??

Tram-TV

Tram-TV is here!

Really, it is: you can check out some of the videos from here ...

... surprisingly, there is no sign of our local 'Tram Champion' :-))

ERS Council 2009-20011

Found out this afternoon that I've successfully managed to get re-elected onto the 'Council' of the Electoral Reform Society --- whose elections are held using STV, I should hasten to add ;-)

Each 'Council-term' runs for two years; so now duly elected for June 2009 through to June 2011 ... a lot of electoral change is about to happen in that two year period: of that I'm certain!

The organisation's AGM is this coming Saturday, and new 'Office Bearers' will be elected then. I'll report my fate in due course ...

Full Council this week ...

Full Council meeting this week in Edinburgh ... the main agenda can be found here, and all the papers are up on CPOL: you can search for them here.

I'll regret saying this - but, surprisingly for a June meeting, the main agenda seems remarkably light and perhaps it may be a quicker gathering than I'd first anticipated?

That's probably the 'kiss if death' and we'll be stuck in the Chamber until 10pm now :-(

No change in Aberdeen?

I see that the Lib-Dem Leader of the Aberdeen Administration has been forced out of office this evening ... not certain that it will really make that much difference?

I suspect that any 'real' difference will actually be made in 2012 when the next Local Government Elections come around ...

Allotment and 'running for life'!

Managed to get over to the allotment late this afternoon ... it really is a blaze of colour at the moment: as you can see!

Click on the photo for a close up --- and you may even see a newt: we now have two in the pond ;-)

- and, as part of the 'race for life' training (with my better-half) we ran back along the Water of Leith and the canal; with junior setting the pace on his bike.

... needless to say, he beat us back to the flat by quite some considerable time :-(

West-coast weekend

Stayed over on the West-coast Friday/Saturday, and went to a 'Scottish Association of Labour Councillors' (SALC) event in Glasgow during Saturday ...

... main topic was 'Local Government finance', and was again refreshing to hear debate about future plans, as opposed to looking backwards/navel-gazing :-(

Returned to civilisation late Saturday afternoon ;-)

Ten years of devolution ...

Over in Glasgow this evening to hear Iain Gray give a 'tenth anniversary of devolution' speech ... thoroughly enjoyed the event, and very refreshing to listen to a bit of serious thought being given to the achievements (and frustrations) of the first ten years of devolution ... better still, was to hear equally serious thought being given to the next ten years of devolution.

... needless to say, the speech will get zero press coverage :-(

If I can find a link to the text, I'll put it up on the blog in due course ...


UPDATE - speech text can now be found here

No new schools for Edinburgh?

Sad I know, but I've just listened to the statement from the Education Secretary --- pretty thin gruel; but much, much worse was her response (in questions thereafter) to Ken Macintosh wherein she said that now new money was being made available (a point that is questionable in itself?) then it would be up to Local Authorities to deliver the schools.

Astounding --- not only has she failed to name ANY (Local Authorities or) schools to be built today (that will apparently have to wait until September 2009) she clearly plans to blame Local Authorities for the subsequent failure to build any new schools prior to 2011.

An acceptance indeed that not ONE SINGLE new school contract will be initiated, and then that school built and actually opened all within this term (May 2007-May 2011) of the current Scottish Government

But sadly proof, if ever it were needed, that:

• P1 to P3 class sizes being over 18
• Nursery provision being less than 600 hours a year
• and no new schools being built prior to 2011

- will all be the fault of Local Authorities, and nothing whatsoever to do with the Scottish Government.

Historic Concordat - don't make me laugh :-((

As I've repeatedly said over the last few years; Local Government in Scotland HAS been emasculated and will subsequently be blamed for all the 'political ills of Scotland' come late 2010/early 2011.

And how ironic that the Political Party of "Independence" has removed that very same thing from the tier of Government they control.

Scottish democracy is the weaker for it.