Hogmanay

2007 has been a big year.

A grandson born, an election won (and lost), a son married, a brother married, 3 good friends died, one new friend made, cancer beaten - then throw into the mix, difficult challenges at work, a house fire, my mother only now recovering after a long period of ill-health, a dog lost and returned and millions more wee trials and tests and it is safe to say it's not a year I will forget easily.

For Labour it has been a year with destiny - and one we need to learn serious messages from. We can never be more Scottish than the Scot Nats; never be more Tory than the Tories; never be more individualistic than the Lib Dems: nor be more green than the Greens. Tony Blair's great rainbow coalition of interests has been shattered and Labour needs to rediscover its unique selling point - no-one can be more socially just than us, more caring for the many or be more prepared to stand up against inequality and injustice. It is time to regroup and rethink - it is time, once again, to start with what we stand for.

Edinburgh is facing up to a new destiny too. Facing strong competition from Glasgow to be Scotland's first city and with a city council driven by a coalition of self interest, indecision and posturing it won't be long before the wheels fall off the wagon.

It won't be at the budget for already it seems that the Liberals have all but caved in to SNP demands - it won't be at school closures or at anything the Council has to decide because, truthfully, the two ruling parties will always find a fudge that let's them stay in charge. They have already opted for the 'do nothing' strategy, the 'wait and see and something might crawl out the woodwork' option.

So we will wait and wait till the wheels will fall of the wagon when the cupboard marked 'strategic decisions' is bare, when there are no ambitious plans left by the previous administration to complete - when all the big decisions are being taken elsewhere or by other people, when it will be clear our council is an irrelevance - and we will wake up to find actually we don't need the council to set the council tax (that's being done by the Scottish executive), or to develop the city (that's being done by Forth Ports) or to build major transport links (ditto Scottish executive) etc. etc. And at the same time Glasgow will have pulled ahead as a result of huge national investment (in the Commonwealth games) and focussed leadership...

To reprise a famous election anthem, things can only get better!

Happy New year to all my readers - I know there are a lot of you out there 'coz you tell me so - - I wish you all the best for 2008