Fact and fiction - you couldn't make it up

Been a busy day. Stephen I has confirmed his departure for pastures new and this has brought fresh time demands in an already impossible schedule. Naturally, I am pleased Stephen is able to develop his career, test his skills in a new environment and I wish him well. But now there is work to be done establishing transitional arrangements and making sure the company is able to sustain progress. There is a good (but small) staff team at WEL and this will bring added pressure. I am working hard with key shareholder representatives to make sure things go smoothly.

I had an interesting session with Forth Ports earlier - a demonstration of their consultation strategy on their new masterplan for Leith Docks and beyond. It is certainly impressive and I wish them well. Their difficulty will be keeping it relevant as time rolls on. My own experience with Granton points to a moving population who either never knew or have forgotten the original consultation process. Relegating community consultation, once the initial 'big bang' is over, to the 'pending' list is a mistake: it needs to be constantly worked at, even if it doesn't seem like there's a lot to be said.

There is a group of 16 older people who are learning the political history of Scotland at PEP and I've been asked to lead a session on the history of local government which means a lot of research and unearthing some interesting facts: did you know there was no form of Scottish local government till the 11th century? Did you know that the first feudal system was established to further the interests of the 3 Estates? The second major system to protect the interests of industry and capital? And most recently, to further the interventionist ambitions of central government? I'm currently reading about Wheatley's reforms and Major's - none of which seem like history since I lived them all. And I'm looking forward to the section on local government post Scottish parliament. That will require a chapter all to itself!

I once wrote a novel about local government in Scotland -fiction based on fact -and everybody who read it said it was good: a few agents even wanted to know if I'd written anything else: it was good, they said. Only nobody wants to read about councils, they said. Make it Westminster and we'll sell it. So that's on my to-do list when I've got time. Write another novel, but one people would want to read!