Burma

Been following the situation in Burma with dismay...it is difficult stuff to watch. It seems the authorities are very determined to crush the rebellion and they may succeed...this time. But history teaches us that the will of the people will eventually win through, though not without bloodshed and human pain.

Talk of a boycott of Chinese goods met with short thrift this morning from a local shopkeeper who said all the goods in the shop were sourced from China; all the clothes worn by those advocating a boycott were produced in China; and what good would a boycott do except hurt lots of poor Chinese? This will be a question world leaders will ponder. An easier target is probably the Olympic Games and the loss of face to the Chinese Government would be incalculable...but it is hard to see any of the big powers acting with serious intent...which makes me feel powerless...but how much harder for the ordinary Burmese person? Paradoxically their only real hope probably lies not with international governments but with the ordinary man and woman in China. Unless they show political support and so cause problems for the Chinese authorities then it is unlikely anything will change. I imagine, though I do not know, a watchful eye is now being kept on Chinese radicals, just in case.

TV Shopping

The last couple of days have been more party than hard work.

Last night was PEP's volunteer party night and it was a joy...staff and volunteers having a real laugh...many of our volunteers came to us very isolated with little confidence but you'd never have believed it. On average the volunteers 'give' PEP 1250 hours per month which is staggering. It requires a lot of management, flexibility and care but is very worth it to see people grow in confidence and skills.

Today, was Helen's final day: a leisurely and fun lunch with lots of happy remisicence and tonight, my mother who hasn't been too well recently, came round for a couple of drinks and some television shopping (her favourites QVC & Gems TV - and she's too poorly to wander round the shops)...it's a different way to spend a Friday evening, and my dad, if he was still alive, would have disowned us both!

£58 million reserves

...and another thing...Cllr Morris also revealed that the Coalition made no attempt to differentiate according to need when applying the cuts. As one person at the Muirhouse Community Council said, ' The need is not the same across the city.' ...then gobsmackingly...'the city is bankrupt. The Director of Finance has told us we need £58 million in reserves. That is why we made the cuts.'...£58 million reserves would have Audit Scotland crashing down on us, ordering us to rebate money to the taxpayers...she needs to do her homework better!

An uplifting message

'I will not be judged today by yesterday.....Today I begin again, focused on the success I will create today' - sent as an uplifting message from someone I count as a friend though we have never met...and it pretty much describes my approach to life...loosely translated - 'you're only as good as your last success'...so you've got to keep on trying.

Tonight at Muirhouse Community Council a motion is put ' That the council withdraw from all dealings with the local Coalition councillors for their attack on local projects and their failure to consult'. Looks at first it might be passed without dissent then a rethink - the motion is to be sent to the joint community council meeting next week...it gave Cllr Morris something to think about ...she scurried off early....

Sooks!

Friends drew my attention to the Evening News online comments yesterday in response to the Waterfront article. In particular to a 'conversation' about the two 'Sooks' websites. I try never to read them and never to respond since defending yourself against a lie is futile and you only end up validating their right to tell the lie in the first place.

Several online readers asked why, if they are lies, does the victim not retaliate with legal action. Believe me, even though I knew I probably wouldn't succeed, I have tried...not on my own behalf (sticks and stones etc etc and in public life you have to be prepared to take it) but on behalf of my many friends, some family members (one attack on my disabled, widowed mother was particularly despicable) and on the many organisations I work with who have found themselves dragged into a morass of crap simply because of their association with me. However, the authors know the difficulty of successful prosecution and abuse the legislative weakness.

I heard recently that one MSP was considering proposing legislation for more effective remedy...it can't come soon enough, I say!

Life is good

Another day...trying in parts, uplifting in others.

Trying...because I get front page and half of page 5 in the Evening News over a strip of green & blue tartan 16 x 68 inches which I was asked to wear at formal events when representing WEL. Two good photographs but a whole lot of inference that I was swaddled in the bloody stuff! Tartan (except as an accessory) is a fashion no no and there is, of course, another side to the story... of how a chief executive reared in the private sector managed to run rings round a Board full of experienced public servants....and that story will be told in due course.

Uplifting ....because today I caught up with two projects I took a chance on over a decade ago and both have succeeded beyond even my wildest imagination and in the process made a big difference to the lives of many....because my son in law seems to be recovering....because a close friend sent me a cheery letter and, fingers crossed, is winning his fight with cancer....because, no matter the trials and tribulations, life is good.

Conflicts and interests

The weekend could only be described as sleepless....family crisis involving an emergency admission to hospital and grandparents making late night dash across the city to collect 3 infants...late night problems with garage door at PEP involving removing all vehicles so we can at least keep the services going during the week...I don't function well without, at least, 3 hours sleep so it's been trying. I know the aphorism that God doesn't give you anything to bear that you can't, but sometimes He gets pretty damned close to the bone.

Also, the Evening News phoned to check again, on the details of PEP's lease of garage facilities with PEP. The conspiracy theorists are obviously still cranking it up. For the avoidance of doubt, PEP holds the original lease agreed on 22 January 2003 signed by the Transport Organiser and a WEL representative. This was updated on 31 March 2004 for insurance purposes - again by the Transport Organiser and a WEL representative. The original lease was agreed before I was a Board member at WEL or before Steve Izatt was in post. I presume it went before WEL Board members at the time for an 'in principle' approval. The updated lease would not go before the Board since it was simply an operational matter but if it had, I would have declared an conflict of interest and withdrawn from the meeting.

For readers' interest...when the current WEL Chief Executive, Colin Hunter, took up post he recommended a change in strategy which involved the company developing the North Shore plots to maximise short term income. I chaired the meeting which agreed this change in strategy even though I knew it would cause problems for PEP's garaging arrangements. At WEL, my first priority was always doing the best for WEL....being in public life means having to always manage these kinds of conflicts of interest. And there is no shame in organisations like WEL supporting an older people's project and all the other community groups it did. In fact, that's what they should be doing!

burning the candle

A busy morning at PEP as we move into the Autumn. It means a new learning programme for our adult learners, new programme for the Neighbourhood Group and a new programe for the Weekend Resource all of which requires a lot of planning and preparation ...on top of that we are moving our garaging arrangements to a temporary home while we seek a more permanent solution and are about to officially open the new neighbourhood garden...as ever a lot is going on and I am lucky to work with the staff I do who are able to rise to most challenges.

Later this afternoon I went to a party. Helen McQuade, Eric Milligan's secretary, who has worked with Midlothian Council, then Lothian Regional Council and finally the City of Edinburgh Council is taking early retirement after 40 years in local government. She is a STAR and will be a big miss. We are great friends and though I won't be seeing her quite so frequently I know we will continue to be so. Pat, her husband is a star too. His father was a Labour Councillor in Midlothian and though he has gone up in the world he has not forgotten his roots. There were many familiar faces at the party...Mr P Nolan, Mr J Gibson, Mrs P Herriott, Mr K Smart, Ms L Cameron, Mr A Jackson, Ms M Jackson aka Costello, Mr E Aitken, Mr M Hart, Mr P Smith, Ms T Gallo, Mr M Wilkinson to name only a few...conspicuous by his absence was Mr B Fallon. He was posted missing and will be in trouble when next we meet....

Tomorrow morning the Labour Party is holding a community conference where I am committed to lead one of the sessions then in the afternoon it is back to PEP to make up for lost time. This is called burning the candle at both ends and in the middle too.

Green machine falls short...

Another long one today ...Council meeeting went on a while ...no surprises in the decisions either. The Coalition, held together by elastic bands, stuck close and every vote went their way. But Jenny gave an interestingly honest response to my question about trust, loyalty and who she's actually dealing with. I'd say she doesn't trust her junior partners one iota and no matter how much Cllr Cardownie tries to ingratiate himself it ain't gonna work. They might all hang together in an anti-labour pact but the body language of his own and Lib Dem councillors is interesting. When he's speaking they look at the ceiling... speaks for itself, I think....

Best speech of the day (in my humble opinion) went to Jeremy Balfour (a Tory), the worst to Cllr Cardownie if for no reason that he berated the Greens on a wrong premise. He apologised - privately, of course: no public withdrawal for our Steve....the first time I heard Steve speak was 30 years ago at a Leith Labour Party Meeting. Alex Wood (remember him?) had just made one of his frequent demagogic rants and Cardownie (then newly joined from the SWP) riposted. They both made an impression for sheer volume if not content...but two Titans of the Labour Movement? ...not!

And finally....and only because I promised to reveal all at Council...this morning I went in early to speak to Ewan...and found Andrew (who shares the office) with his breeks at his feet. Before anybody gets carried away, the explanation is entirely innocent...he cycles into work (to reduce his carbon footprint, bless him) and changes from cycle shorts into trousers...so in answer to the many people who asked...his underpants are clean but definitely not green...

A long one

I'm very pleased that sense has prevailed and the North Edinburgh Arts Centre is to get a reprieve. Now the Board has to make their rescue plan stack up. Anything I can do to help, I will, including sending a cheque for their appeal.

Attended the Royston/Wardieburn Community Council last night which went well...and then on to the West Pilton Community Council...Allan Jackson has been a man of his word and moved things on with TIE. As a member of TIE's Board he is in a good position to hold them to account and he has got them to admit that if the Council lift their objections to the Access Road remaining closed then they can make the engineering work...now it's up to both Coalition councillors in Forth to put the pressure on their officials to play ball. Shouldn't be too difficult...there will undoubtedly be another public meeting and we'll see how that goes.

Two days back and two 14 hour days...by the end of the week I will have undone any good the holiday ever did...Council meeting tomorrow...- many deputations...it's bound to be a long one!

A remarkable number of junk emails

Last day of the summer holiday and my eldest son's 32nd birthday. We had a family celebration yesterday - his sister made him a birthday cake and his daughter his favourite banana and chocolate chip muffins so he was a happy man.

I have spent today catching up on over 300 emails, many of them junk: I don't understand why it is that the Council's filtering system can't weed out a remarkable number of junk emails which are plainly of a pornographic nature or are trying to flog viagra or other such drugs. I'm not the only person receiving them and no matter what I do they appear with unfailing regularity. I never open them and whenever one appears I just delete it. Maybe 50 of this sundry assortment this time...it's time BT got their act together and fixed this.

However, in among the dross was a number of interesting stuff, including a detailed list of proposed actions being undertaken to resolve the problems in Granton Crescent. It will be important to learn if the collective problem solving abilities of the local office and local police have been enough to sort the problem out. I intend to speak to the officer tomorrow to find out.

That's politics...

As holidays go, it was grand. Sun shone, apartment excellent - I spent a lot of time on the balcony reworking a novel I have been working on for a couple of years - I enjoyed myself. There was the occasional irritating moment -when friends phoned to alert me to the Evening News article on WEL.

I've now had the chance to read the articles - indeed someone kindly posted them as comments on this blogsite. Needless to say I don't agree with the interpretation and Cllrs Cardownie's and Morris' comments are, in some instances, adolescent - but I guess that's politics ...

The key things to remember are all the hospitality events and the single foreign trip I made were all reported to and approved by the Board: events, like the rugby and sponsorship of the Jazz Festival were intended to promote the company postively to key organisations & individuals as well as to a wider audience and are certainly not uncommon (councillors get invited to that kind of thing all the time and I'm sure Cllr Cardownie has enjoyed more than his fair share of such events...maybe not Cllr Morris yet since she's relatively new) and since councillors of all parties usually formed part of the guest list it wasn't as if anybody was being secretive.

In fact, Cllr Cardownie was frequently invited, usually said yes, then failed to turn up...presumably something more important turned up.

Hospitality and foreign trips are difficult areas for those in public life: usually they afford the opportunity for the kind of less formal networking that 'oils the wheels' or, in the case of visits abroad, good sources of learning but they are undoubtedly easy targets for criticism.

There are 3 choices really: you can make the 'safe' decision not to participate in any such events - in which case you are cutting yourself off from other sources of information and are working from the basis that there is nothing to learn from other places and other people: do this, and you certainly won't invite any negative public comment but I don't think you'll achieve much either. Or you can go to all and any such trips or occasions (I have known several councillors who adopt this approach) and you will enjoy your time in public life but will need to grow a thick skin to immunise yourself from the criticism you attract. Or you can do what I do, which is choose carefully which events you think you'll learn most from and for which you're prepared to accept the public stick when it (as it surely will) comes.

I learned a lot from the Boston trip. Most importantly I learned that all waterfront regeneration projects have a government building as an anchor and a bait for other investors. That's why I led the WEL Board to accept the offer from the Scottish Executive to locate a major national institution at the Gateway site (despite some headaches about making the plan stack up). When this is formally announced, along with the major benefits it will bring in terms of visitor numbers to Granton, it will be Cllr Cardownie and Cllr Morris who take the credit ...and I guess that's politics too.