More of that kind of thinking please...

Yesterday, Labour had an away day to plan tactics for the next 6 months ... everyone is in good heart...(Dunkirk spirit and all that)... and enough intelligence to know it isn't easy. I'm keeping silent on the outcomes but it will be interesting to look back at Christmas and judge whether we've had any success.

One thing is becoming very clear though: Dave Anderson was a good appointment for the city. He's even managing to make this lot look creative...the city room enacted at the Quadrangle was effective...and let's have more of that kind of thinking please.

Big fat zero

The day started with a 9am Labour Group meeting where quip of the morning went to Ricky Henderson. Learning that the Lib/SNP Coalition plans a new lighting system (temporarily scrapped because of the negative blogger reaction to the Evening News story), Ricky says, 'So the Council Chamber is going to be a red light zone.'

Throughout the day the SNP corner periodically flagged up a red flag...they wish...

Andrew Burns scored palpable hits twice... catching Marilyne out in yet another big lie, this time about school catering, and knocking the Administration onto the ropes over a school building programme that's just not going to happen in the next 3 years - Labour has initiated or built 34 major school refurbishment or rebuilding in the last 8 years - for the Lib Dem/SNP it looks like a big fat zero during its lifetime. 34-0: a rugby score!

An 8.30pm finish is a joke - an hour and half given over to a presentation from Terry Farrell was an hour too long...and if we hadn't had that then we wouldn't have had an hour long evening adjournment either. But I bet you, Labour gets the blame.

hundreds of years of political independence neutered

At Monday's Group meeting we had a laugh about the proposed new 'traffic light' system designed to keep politicians' speeches to time. One wag was heard to quip, 'Does it do bells too?' Our new Lord Provost has a habit of nodding off if speeches go on too long and an alarm bell as well as a red light would help keep him on his toes.
Mind you, I can't blame him - some speeches are murder and if I could switch off enough I'd fall asleep too.

Seriously, though...the Lib Dem/SNP Coalition has brought Edinburgh Council to a sorry pass: we don't set our own tax levels any more, we let national government dictate our strategy and let officers write our single outcome agreement i.e. local political priorities for the next 4 years and now we are letting officers time-keep our speeches...they have neutered hundreds of years of local political independence within 12 months...not bad going eh?

Edinburgh has little clout at COSLA

Busy morning at the Council where the new Economic Development team are strutting their stuff - both Dave Anderson and Greg Ward are now in place and I hope this is the start of some good things to come.
We start with a discussion on a vision for Edinburgh - it's all very well being at the heart of a city/region plan but we need to know where we want Edinburgh to be in 5 years time. I am pleased the committee accepted my request to hold an away-day where, in a more informal setting, we might be able to lay 'party' considerations aside to debate the next step change for our great capital.
Then on to a discussion about the divi-up of Scottish Enterprise's national community regeneration budget following its restructuring ordered by the Scottish Government. I am frankly horrified to discover Edinburgh has so little clout at COSLA that we have let a £25 million budget be grabbed almost lock, stock and barrel for 4 regeneration companies and streetscape work in Glasgow, leaving a miniscule £2 m to be spilt between the rest of Scotland.

Tom Buchanan tried hard to rescue the Administration from the reality of this incredible failure by asking for a strategic report on streetscape work for Edinburgh and how we can persuade the Scottish Government to fund it...but if it's anything like schools we've a dog's chance and none.

Tea at the palace

More on Eric at the Palace...in conversation, a Palace official jokes with him on being snapped drinking tea at the Garden Party said,'But they'll never know what we put in your tea, Eric.'

Drinking a cup of tea - an ex Lord Provost twice removed

My invitation to the Queen's Royal Garden Party at Holyrood House fell through the door at the weekend.
On opening I find a colourful insert promoting a new service - you can buy your very own video of your day at the Palace.

Inside very fetching photographs of the Queen and Prince William - both very famous faces...imagine my surprise on discovering the only other person featured with a photograph to himself is my mate Mr Milligan...drinking a cup of tea. Now it is a very long time since Eric ever drank a cup of tea in my presence...usually a pint of extra cold Guiness or a slug of buckfast! Just goes to show the latter did him no harm with the folk at the Palace either.

I understand 5000 invitations go out across Scotland for the Garden Party. Not bad for an ex- Lord Provost twice removed

Lost the plot

Time for Marilyne Maclaren to go, I think. I watched her on TV last night...lying through her teeth, I thought. As my very assiduous colleague Andrew Burns has outlined - cuts in kitchens have never been before a committee then last night I listened to drivel about how 'I urged my officers to go out there and promote school meals to keep the kitchens open and so they did and now I am delighted to be able to save the kitchens'...this is all fantasy...she should go for her own well-being. She has lost the plot.