More Scottish Government money comes to Glasgow!

I'm attending an update event on the Commonwealth Games tonight at Tollcross Leisure Centre (5pm, all welcome!), so I was particularly pleased to see in my news feed this morning that Glasgow will be getting even more money from the Scottish Government related to the Commonwealth Games. 

The Scottish Government are already providing 80% of the funding for the Games; this additional sum of over £1m will go towards the redevelopment of the Theatre Royal and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

I've heard a few people in arts organisations mention that they were a bit concerned that the focus would be sport, sport, sport in the run up and legacy for Glasgow 2014, so it's good to hear that these important cultural venues will be getting investment too. 

From the Scottish Government press release:

"Culture and External Affairs Minister Fiona Hyslop confirmed the Scottish Government has allocated more than a million pounds from its 2011/12 budget for work on the Theatre Royal and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Scottish Opera will receive £605,000 to progress plans to upgrade the Theatre Royal while the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) will receive £413,000 towards the redevelopment of its new home at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Ms Hyslop said:

"Hosting the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is a fantastic opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the people of Scotland.

"The Scottish Government's funding commitment will enable Scottish Opera and the RSNO to take the first steps with the redevelopment of these venues, enhancing the programme of cultural activities on offer in 2014 and beyond and supporting Glasgow's continued status as UNESCO City of Music.

"These projects form part of the major regeneration work going on in Glasgow in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, which includes more than £1 billion of infrastructure projects which are already helping generate significant economic benefits for Glasgow and the whole of Scotland.

"The Scottish Government is passionate about delivering a successful Games which is not only a spectacular sporting extravaganza but which also showcases Scotland's world-renowned culture and creativity. Our intention is to make a further substantial capital contribution to the overall construction costs of the Theatre Royal Redevelopment and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall projects."

Winter update

I've received the following information from Glasgow City Council. I hope it's of some help.

As you are aware, significant snowfalls have wreaked havoc across central Scotland this morning. Although all our priority routes were in good condition at 0800 hrs this morning, the intensity of the snow meant that they were quickly covered.
 
The atrocious conditions have resulted in a suspension of all other operations including refuse collection and all of our available resources are currently deployed on arterial roads and footways. Routes to schools and hospitals continue to be treated as a priority.
 
Most public transport operators have suspended their operations and we are working with them to provide whatever support we can.
 
Difficulties on the adjacent motorway network have resulted in traffic either queuing within the city or attempting to find an alternative route.
 
Our most recent forecast suggests that the snow will move away southwards this afternoon, clearing by 1500-1600hrs. Thereafter, it will be dry with long clear periods, although there is the chance of a few freezing fog patches overnight. It will be very cold once again with widespread ice. Tuesday and Wednesday will remain very cold but mainly dry with lengthy clear spells. During Thursday and Friday, a strengthening north-westerly breeze will bring more cloud and eventually slightly milder conditions with occasional light rain and drizzle too.
 
LES will continue to operate around the clock in dealing with the current conditions and will endeavour to return all services to normal as quickly as possible.
 

Updated information on the adverse weather conditions can be found here: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/News/adverseweatherupdate.htm

Updated information on school closures can be found here: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/GoingtoSchool/generalinfo.htm

The Council has also been putting updates on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/GlasgowCC

If you do not have a Twitter account you can still get updates via SMS from Twitter using their Fast Follow service by texting follow GlasgowCC to 86444 in the United Kingdom. To stop following text unfollow GlasgowCC to 86444. Standard messages rates will apply.  More details on the Fast Follow service are available on the Twitter site. 

 

Questioning Question Time

I was so irritated by Question Time last week, I actually took the bother of emailing them rather than just grumbling as usual.


"I was deeply offended and disappointed by last night's edition of Question Time, in particular by Mr Dimbleby's quite deliberate marginalisation of issues of importance to Scotland.

It seems to me that by moving Question Time to various locations allows viewers to gain an insight into topical debates in the Nations and regions which make up the United Kingdom. I would find it interesting to hear what is going on in Wales, for example, and feel that for viewers elsewhere, it might be interesting to hear what is being debated in Scotland.

This week Scotland saw a significant change in the law, arguments over priorities in education, the proposed closure of military bases and maintaining of aircraft carrier contracts; meaty issues all. None of these were discussed.

Furthermore, hosting Question Time around the UK gives an opportunity to hear from Scottish politicians from a range of parties (including the Greens, who have been represented in the Scottish Parliament for eleven years now) and from the Scottish Government.

Quite disgracefully, Nicola Sturgeon was consistently interrupted by David Dimbleby, and was not allowed to present the positions of the SNP and the policies of the Scottish Government. The SNP have a serious contribution to make, which was not reflected in the manner in which Nicola Sturgeon was treated by Mr Dimbleby. Comments by other panellists also struck me as having more than a hint of patronising sexism, which went unchallenged by the host.

The issue of Megrahi was dropped into a debate quite purposefully and deliberately by Mr Dimbleby, who then called for comment by the four other panel members but not Ms Sturgeon, whose Government took the quite legally and morally correct position to release a dying man. The last time Question Time was in Scotland, the issue was also raised, seemingly with the purpose of attempting to embarrass the Scottish Government. It was not a 'current' issue in the press, or a matter which required further debate; the decision has been made and is final! I find it quite unacceptable that your programme makes it seem as though this is the one and only issue significant in Scotland.

I find it unacceptable that Scottish issues have no outlet in UK-wide programmes such as Question Time. Scottish issues are never debated when programmes are held outwith Scotland, and when the programme is held in Scotland, apparently we're not allowed to debate Scottish issues then either.

Health, education, crime, and a whole host of other issues irrelevant to devolved parts of the UK are debated week in week out on Question Time without proviso or clarification. It's about time that the rest of the UK got a proper opportunity to glean information about what is important in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and each of the English regions. If hosting in different locations is not to be an opportunity to do this, there's little point in the show moving from London at all.

I hope for better, but thus far and increasingly more often, I am left disappointed.

Kind regards,

Alison Thewliss"


The response just arrived, looking remarkably similar to that issued to Joan McAlpine:

"Dear Ms Thewliss

Thanks for your feedback regarding ‘Question Time’ broadcast on 28 October 2010.

We appreciate some viewers felt chairman David Dimbleby showed anti-Scottish bias by reminding Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon about the programme’s wider UK audience.

‘Question Time’ approaches every edition with a broad and wide-ranging remit, covering the major events in the political landscape during the week. We travel across the UK, and local examples are often cited by audience members to highlight a wider point. However this does not mean that the programme seeks to discuss only regionally-specific matters.

On this occasion the panel were expressing their sentiments on the announcement of the most recent GDP figures for the UK. During this discussion Deputy First Minister Sturgeon said “there’s another point on growth, it’s important for a Scottish audience”.

David simply interjected to remind Deputy First Minister Sturgeon that not only was she speaking to the studio audience in Glasgow but also to viewers across the UK.

One of his key roles as chairman is to keep panellists to the specific question under discussion and not to potentially divert to other party political points. He was not stopping her from raising a regional/national point - as has been heard in recent weeks with the al-Megrahi case or the Corus steelworks matter - but simply reminding her of the core programme need for this point to resonate with and be relevant to a UK-wide BBC One audience.

Thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

BBC Audience Services"

I despair.

I spoke to Tory Councillor David Meikle yesterday, and he described the long conversation he had with a member of the Question Time team before getting selected to attend. He's not a nat by any stretch of the imagination, but felt there were plenty of Scottish issues to discuss, all of which were ruled out by the member of BBC staff he spoke to. A letter in today's Herald describes a similar conversation.

This evident anti-Scotland bias is unacceptable, and it has to stop.

Alexandra Park

Bank holiday Monday, so I headed with my picnic basket to Alexandra Park.

I really love it there - it's peaceful, and you get a great view of the city from the top of the hill.

Homelessness

I feel it's important to find out as much as I can about how different services in the Council work, particularly when a paper is coming up in front of a committee I sit on. That might not sound unusual, but trust me, when I notice Labour Councillors chatting, reading newspapers or checking up on the cinema listings during committee, I feel that the opposition on the Council are the only ones doing the leg work. The SNP group often recieve briefings, and do a lot of digging before we go to Committee. It's the responsible thing to do.

We've had a couple of reports in recent months on homelessness. I've been to visit the Women's hostel in the south side, an alcohol hostel in my ward, and saw round Bell Street before it closed. Having attended a recent 'one year on' event, I went out on a "shadow shift" last Tuesday night with members of staff from the Glasgow Street Service.

The Street Service is formed from a partnership between the Simon Community and Barnardo's, who previously ran separate services in the city. The website puts it thus:

GSS provides advice and support to access accommodation and other services such as medical, addiction and mental health services.

They offer practical help and emotional support to those sleeping rough, at risk of sleeping rough or becoming homeless and those having difficulties accessing other services.

There's a great deal of behind the scenes work, advocacy and casework that I didn't get to see last Tuesday; what I did do was accompany KB, an outreach worker, as she went round the city centre. KB pointed out spots where people are likely to be found rough sleeping, and talked about the way in which the team go about their work. Contact with their clients comes through face to face interaction, and a free phone number 0800 027 7466. Arrangements are made to meet with clients at times suitable for them and help offered.

The difficulty comes in finding accommodation to prevent people from sleeping outside; there are just not enough beds, or homes for people to move on to. A gap exists between the closure of old, inadequate large scale hostels, and building more small scale units; this is filled to some extent by expensive B&B accommodation and services purchased from other providers.

The locations of various projects were pointed out to me, and I was quite surprised at the number of places in or near the city centre which I had walked passed not knowing their purpose. We visited a project in Tradeston which helps people recover from alcohol problems, and popped into a soup kitchen near Central Station where people can get advice and a hot meal. I was taken aback at the number of people at the soup kitchen. The scale of homelessness in Glasgow is somewhat hidden from view; there are so many who depend on charitable services to help them to get by.

Times are difficult in the Council; spending cut backs are very real. I wonder though how much more services like this can take. This contrasts hugely with the Commonwealth Games (will at least bring more much-needed housing) and the money Labour politicians are demanding for GARL.

As with any visit I've done, I'll certainly think on what I saw and heard, and hope to work towards a better solution. Thanks to all the staff who supported me.

Pipe Band Championships

I'm annoyed and disappointed by the news that the UK Border Agency has made a mess of the visa applications of the Lahore Pipe Band, who were aiming to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships on Saturday. A trade delegation from Lahore have also had their applications refused.

The Worlds are an amazing international event, bringing bands from around the world to Glasgow Green. We are extremely privileged to have such an event in Glasgow.

I saw the band compete in 2007, and they added a splash of colour to proceedings otherwise marked by torrential downpours. It was great to see, among the sea of black overcoats, the green, red and gold headdresses of the Pakistani pipers. It's a real shame if they're not going to make it over in time for the Championships.

I find it really difficult to understand why this type of misunderstanding happens time and time again. When Motherwell played Flamurtari from Albania a few weeks ago, there was a very real possiblity several of their team being refused entry into the country due to visa problems with the UK Embassy.

This kind of problem seems fairly regular in football, particuarly for some players. Jason Scotland (who famously featured in an Irn Bru ad!) has recently had difficulties in completing his signing for Wigan due to visa delays. This wasn't the first time he had faced the problem though, having had difficulties when playing for Dundee United and St Johnstone.

If you're coming as part of a delegation, and there are no reasonable barriers (criminal records, previous issues when visiting) to coming to visit for a few days, why do these problems keep cropping up? Is it because the UK Border Agency have no knowledge or interest in events in Scotland? Are they genuinely unaware or unsympathetic to the needs of large groups travelling for work or leisure?

Whatever the reason, it seems crazy in this year of Homecoming that tourists keen to visit Scotland find the UKBA slamming the door in their face.

Blogging roundup

The last couple of weeks have been hectic, so I'm going to do a quick sum up of the things I've done and the places I've been. Then I'll do conference, then I'll start on this week (Thursday already? You've gotta be kidding!).

Thursday the 9th was a fairly busy - I started by modelling for my good friend Fiona, who designed my wedding dress. My gown had taken a bit of a pounding in the ceilidh but Fiona had managed to put it back together again, and return it to a pristine condition. It's nice to have it, but it's more useful to use it - Fiona is exhibiting in a number of upcoming wedding fairs, and I managed to be pursuaded to pose for her. I've yet to see the photos, but I hope there's something she can use. From there, I had to high-tail it to Hamilton to attend the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Board, still scrubbing wild makeup from my face!

I'm a substitute member on the SFR Board, so I don't get the opportunity to go to many meetings. It was important to attend this one, however, since the closure of Parkhead Fire Station in my ward was on the agenda. I appreciate things can't stay the same forever, and that the current station isn't ideal, but I don't think the proposal to close it and merge with Cambuslang (on a new site over the river in South Lanarkshire) is the right call. The FBU aren't keen either. With huge change in the area, including the Commonwealth Games arena and velodrome, I think there's more to be considered. The SNP and independent member on the Board all voted against the move, and Labour (including the Glasgow members) voted for the closure. I intend to blog more on this later; as the plans will go out for consultation, there's a lot still to play for.

The evening of Thursday 9th was the annual St Mungo's Academy Awards Ceremony. It's tremendous to see young people doing well and excelling in their chosen subjects, and I was proud to see how well the pupils had done. It's a real treat to attend. The event itself is very slick (as it needs to be when you're giving out so many prizes!), and entertainment was provided by the school orchestra, jazz band and the choir. One of the nicest things was the pupils who left at the end of the school year coming back in numbers to recieve their prizes. At my school, the prizegiving ceremony was at the end of the summer term, with prizes based on prelim results. The hall would be oven-like and everyone wanted to get out to let the summer holidays begin. At St Mungo's, the prizes reflect the actual post-appeal results. There was extra pride when the pupils who achieved 5 A Highers and 8 Standard Grades got up to take their bow. Doing it this way allows those still at the school to see for themselves what opportunities lie before them - work, travel, college, uni.

Saturday 11th - Scotland Norway. Having neglected to get tickets, I watched the game in Coopers with the usual suspects. It was bad. Very bad. There were many sorrows to drown, and there may have been some whisky involved.

Sunday 12th - I attended the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust Open Day, and even managed to get my mum, dad and husband to come along and admire the beautiful buses.

There were a lot of very special and rare buses on show, some the only ones remaining of their kind. A good number had driven to the event especially for the open day, while others are garaged there permenantly. Some vehicles from the Glasgow Museum of Transport are being looked after by GVVT while the preparations are made for the move to the new Riverside Museum.

My parents (who're not that old!) enjoyed seeing some of the buses they used in times past, lovingly and painstakingly restored. A range of trucks, vans, and even a tank were also on show.

As you can see from this picture of the outside of the garage, there were plenty of visitors to the open day. Some of the buses were even running a free hurl to the Museum of Transport, and when I headed off to the Kelvin Hall after lunch, it was quite exciting to see a convoy of vintage buses running along Argyle Street.

The Kelvin Hall was hosting the Acrobatic Gymnastic World Championships. I watched and was impressed by the Gymnastics at the Olympics, but I was totally blown away by the agility and strength of the competitors in this event. You'll be able to see from the video some of the amazing feats, but seeing it in person was breathtaking. The gymnasts, male and female, were able to do the impossible. Flips, tumbles, throws, balancing feats. Huge skill, and I would imagine, massive pain, but truly phenomenal perfomances through it all. Check out the videos and the gallery - you'll be amazed.

Abercromby Street Clean Up

I had the pleasure of helping out Friends of the Calton Weavers and the children of St James Primary in my ward with their clean up in Abercromby Street cemetery on Thursday morning. It was a clear bright day, and the kids were very enthusiastic and keen to learn more about the history of the area.

The clean up was supported by Clean Glasgow and Land and Environmental Services, and covered in Saturday's Evening Times.

Common Wealth?

I recently attended the showing of a 'rough cut' of a video, and am pleased to be able to link to the finished version below. It illustrates local people's hopes and fears about the Commonwealth Games. I think it's a very important and well-considered work, and have put it up here for people to have a look at. Comments would be most welcome. Please pass on the link http://vimeo.com/1605372 to anyone you think would be interested!


Common Wealth? - East End hopes & fears for the 2014 Games from Peter Gerard on Vimeo.

Inner East End – Common Wealth?

This DVD was produced through a partnership with Faith in Community Scotland, Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS) and The Village Storytelling Centre in Glasgow. Our plan for this project was to produce an 8 to 10 minute video exploring the aspirations and fears of local people from Glasgow's Inner East End with relation to the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2014. Many of the local communities in the East End of Glasgow fall within the poorest 5-15%, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), it is important to us to ensure local people can express their views in relation to the legacy of the games.

We interviewed people from the Inner East End with the aim of covering a range of different backgrounds and experience to express the diversity within the communities. The number of participants was kept low so the video maintains focus and the individuals are able to speak freely.

Approach
The approach to interviews was designed to stimulate free-flowing conversation, hoping to get to the heart of people's feelings about the Games and their dreams and fears for the future of their community. Each interview was conducted in an exterior location relevant to the interviewee and the issues being discussed. Interviews began by showing the subject a video clip of the announcement of the success of the Bid and the excitement of crowds in Glasgow. This "trigger" encouraged those interviewed to react to the clip and begin talking about his or her own feelings.

What Now?
The DVD will act as a ‘discussion starter’ for an event which will bring together both local people and strategic partners to sit together and discuss how people’s hopes can be realised and how their fears can be addressed.

It is hoped that further funding can be secured to re-interview some of those who participated in this DVD, alongside some new faces, as the years roll forward to 2014. This will allow us to monitor progress on the original hopes and fears as well as keep in touch with new ones which will naturally evolve as the games approach. It is also hoped that a similar exercise can be carried out after the games to measure the impact the games have made in the local area.

Directed by Peter Gerard
Interviews & Research by Julie Dawid & Peter Gerard
Camera by Leo Bruges
Editing by Andy Green
Music by Mick Cooke
Story Consultation by Rachel Smillie

Recycling, reclaiming, reusing

Tuesday is bulk uplift day in my street, and on a Monday night, everyone start putting out their junk. Some items are more junky than others - boxes and things which have clearly broken - but other items could be re-used. I often feel like adopting some of these unloved pieces of furniture as some of them are in quite good condition, but I know I don't have the room.

In my living room, there's a prime example of what can be saved - it came from the bins near Partick Station. I was going back to the City Chambers that day after dropping off some shoes at the cobblers on Dumbarton Road, and there it was. I stopped for a minute and stared at it. Oval, sixties, with a glass top. Pretty thing. Did it belong to anyone? I was looking around, trying to decide if I could lift it and if I could how I would get it home, when a van drew up next to me. A guy jumped out and said "I just threw that out this morning hen, if you want it, take it!". It turns out he was from the second-hand furniture shop across the road, and couldn't sell it. I picked it up, and took it back to the office on the train. After a brief stay there, it is now in my home, and very lovely it is too. Cleaned up nicely, and I'll re-varnish it when I get time. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but if I hadn't picked it up it would most likely be in a landfill site.

This morning, I saw two lovely dining chairs among a big pile of stuff outside my flat waiting for collection. Solid wood, just in need of a varnish and maybe being re-covered. I couldn't bear the thought of them being chucked, so I dragged them up the stairs to my flat. I don't know if I'll have room for them or not, but the bin lorry has just been and I feel I did the right thing.

I understand that people's tastes and needs change but there's no need for good furniture to be thrown out like this, none at all. Glasgow City Council have recently supported the Glasgow Furniture Initiative to pick up and prepare furniture for re-use. This furniture can then be sold on at reasonable prices to people on low incomes. There are lots of other such schemes in the city, such as those listed on Glasgow Greenmap. This is good for the environment and good for society; I very much hope it's a success.

Safety on the streets

I was a left a bit bemused by this article in the Sunday Times, which reveals that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted she would not feel safe walking around London after dark.

Let's firstly get out of the way the major issue here - that if you are a Minister of the party which has governed the country for more than ten years and you don't feel that you could safely walk outside in the dark, that's surely an admission of some kind. OK, you could argue that London is a very very big city, and that it follows that as a vulnerable solo woman in that city you might feel that you'd be more likely to be a victim of crime.

However, there's also the issue of the Minister being entirely out of touch with reality:

In the interview, Smith, the first woman home secretary, was asked whether she would feel safe walking on her own around Hackney at midnight. She replied: “Well, no, but I don’t think I’d ever have done. You know, I would never have done that, at any point during my life.” Asked why not, she answered: “Well, I just don’t think that’s a thing that people do, is it, really?”

People sometimes have no choice; no access to a private car (never mind a Ministerial car!), no trains, no buses, no cash for a taxi, so shank's pony is the only way home. If the Home Secretary doesn't appreciate that, she really has lost touch with the very people she is supposed to be looking after.

I'm perhaps a bit too reckless for my own good but I have wandered home on many occasions on my own at night, most regularly in Glasgow these days, but also when I was at Uni in Aberdeen and when I was an intern in Brussels. I've been lucky, as no harm has come to me so far. I do know people, including my partner, who have been attacked. What reassures me (in a strange way) is that all of the incidents I know about have been random, pure bad luck and the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I believe that I'm likely to be a victim at some point, but that there's no point in worrying about it as there's little you can do in that situation.

Since I was elected, I've often walked home from my surgeries, on my own, in the dark. Do I feel vulnerable? Occasionally. There's nothing like a drunken learly football fan to make you want to cross the road and hurry on your way. Do I fold and avoid walking in Glasgow at night? Absolutely not - what kind of public representative, what kind of person, would that make me? Perhaps one like Jacqui Smith.

One final footnote:

After the interview, a worried aide called The Sunday Times saying the wording had not come out as the home secretary had intended. She said Smith had recently “bought a kebab in Peckham” at night. The south London district is one of the most deprived in the capital.

Aye, right!

Finnish Independence celebrated in Glasgow

As most folk will know, the City Chambers in Glasgow has a flagpole sitting proud on the top of the building. Usually, it flies the saltire (as seen in this picture from the summer), but on special occasions other flags are flow; for example, the European flag flies on Europe Day, the Glasgow coat of arms flies when full Council meets and, on Thursday this week, the Finnish flag was flying. Why? Because the 6th of December is Finnish independence day.

It's nice to see that the powers that be in the City Chambers like to celebrate the independence and success of other nations, although it's a shame that they don't seem to share the SNP's passion for Scottish independence, and consider such petty things as national self-determination something of a distraction. Just a thought!

Glasgow did it!

Totally delighted by today's news that Glasgow has won the Commonwealth Games bid for 2014. I was at the Old Fruitmarket for the announcement, and I've never been in a room so tense! My hands were shaking as we got closer and closer to the result.

After the result was called, I headed out to the Bambury in my ward to join the celebrations. It's great news for the people of the East End of Glasgow, and the folk at the Bambury were excited for what the future holds. I hope we can all make it live up to their expectations.

Off to work with my fingers crossed...

So today's the day. By lunchtime, we'll know whether or not the Commonwealth Games comes to Glasgow or goes to Abuja. I've got a few butterflies in my stomach; this is such an important decision for the city and for the people I represent. I hope our team in Sri Lanka have done enough to convince the Commonwealth delegates that we're the best choice.

Closer and Closer

I've been having a bit of a stress the past few days - it seems like hours are slipping away as if they were minutes! I've been printing and delivering leaflets, campaigning at locations around the East End of Glasgow and in the City Centre, and trying to get some food in between times - I didn't have dinner til about 11pm last night!

Work on covering "my" ward is progressing well - I was very grateful last night to have a hand leafleting from a friend from Aberdeen. With his help, we got a nice chunk of the ward done, and I completed some more on my own this morning. With all this running up and down tenement stairs, I should be thin as a rake by the 4th of May! Gyms? Who needs them?!

With all the campaigning, it's even been hard to keep up with the news - I'm getting most of my information over the radio these days as I zoom about. It seems as though everything is really kicking off election-wise in Glasgow. Posters are going up, the SNP are opening rooms around the city, Labour appear to be camping out in a shop below my flat (as anonymously as possible, with shutters down!), and I was even accosted by an SSP member on my way out this morning! Right, back to the printing...

Anti Blair Demonstration

As Blair was in Glasgow on Friday, I was asked to take part in a demonstration outside the Labour youth and student conference where he was due to speak.

There weren't many protesters outside the Crowne Plaza - some anti war people, some folk from Greenpeace, and our wee band. I suppose the lack of numbers was mainly due to the timing - most people wouldn't be able to get out of work, school or uni at 1pm on a Friday.

The thing which struck me most about the demonstration was the hugely over the top security. Like the demo I attended at Faslane, there were far more police than protesters. I wonder what Labour's Duncan McNeil would've made of this, after all the grumbling, fuss and headlines he made about policemen being pulled away from front line duties to babysit demonstrators. Will he be complaining in the press? Accusing Blair of putting his constituents' lives at risk? Somehow, I doubt it.

Commonwealth Games

Today's Herald carries news of Glasgow's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. I'm really excited about this, not least because significant parts of the games will be held in the area I hope to represent come May.

Looking around just now, there are huge gaps in the landscape, areas left vacant and decaying. Some of the land is contaminated by long-gone industries. In my view, the East End of Glasgow has been neglected by the Council - so many areas seem so uncared for.

I don't believe that the East End of Glasgow should have to rely on the Commonwealth Games to get investment, but I do believe it's a great opportunity to provide new facilities.

The plans show that Dalmarnock will be the location for the athletes village - which afterwards will provide much-needed new housing in the area. I hope that the East End in it's entirety is considered as part of the plans - it's easy to build a shiny new "village", but if the problems (poor health, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, crime and lack of decent housing) that many residents face are not dealt with, the area will continue to be left behind. I intend to fight to ensure that all residents benefit from the investment the Games will bring.

I still have a niggling worry that if Glasgow doesn't get the games, that the Scottish Executive will pull the plug on funding regeneration, especially after reading this part of the Bid website:

"The Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council have agreed to underwrite the costs of staging the Games. This will be on the basis of an 80/20 split. It is expected that the majority of the 80% of costs to be covered by the Executive will be new money committed to the sports and major events budget."

With this kind of split, the Council might not be able to pick up the massive funding gap. So I'll keep my fingers crossed til the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) make their decision on the 9th November this year.