Purcell to quit

I heard very late last night on twitter and the political scrapbook blog that Steven Purcell, Labour leader of Glasgow City Council was to step down. I could scarcely believe it, but picking up the papers on the way to the pool this morning confirmed the story was real .

Being leader of Glasgow City Council is a big gig; come the general election, it could be the most significant position Labour in Scotland have. Scotland's biggest city has a massive budget and all the trappings of power that accompanies that.

Keeping going as the political leader of the city for five years must take it's toll, and the stress story certainly sounds believable. I hope Steven gets the time, support and space he needs to recover.

I wonder though, who will fill his shoes, and will they be able to unite a Labour group which has it's own rivalries and history. Whoever takes over will seize control of the considerable patronage available in Glasgow, doling out lucrative paid positions as senior Councillors, Committee Conveners, and places on arms length organisations. What will it mean for Glasgow Labour's relationship with the rest of the party, and with the Scottish Government (which they pettily refer to as 'Executive' whenever they can)? Interesting times lie ahead...

UPDATE: just had an email from the Council's Chief Executive, who says Councillor Jim Coleman, the current Deputy Leader, will take over in the interim and Labour will appoint a new leader in May. Lots of time for shenanigans, back-stabbing and dealmaking!

Happy news

The world, at least as far as my family, friends, facebook and the Cooncil are now all aware of this good news, so I reckoned it's time to share it with you: Joe and I are expecting a baby at the end of June, and I'm very nervous and excited.

I had a scan today, and am just into my twenty-first week.

I intend to be carrying on with my Council work as much as I can - and all the Labourites out there should know I'm certainly not going to be using pregnancy as an excuse to slack off on the election campaigning!

More importantly, with all the technology available, blackberry and such, I'll still be able to carry out my duties as a Councillor. It's a new challenge, but I aim to be up for it!

Things I do...

I tend to walk a lot in my ward. I'm not sure whether a lot of Councillors do, but I think it's important because you pick up a lot of details on your way.

Some of the things I notice aren't really that exciting. They're problems with litter, cracks in the pavement, potholes, blocked drains and bricks that have come loose from a wall. I know that these things matter to people, and affect the way we feel about our communities. I take a photo if I can* and report the problem the appropriate department of the Council, often Land and Environmental Services. They fix what they can, and send me a reply, then I check that it's been done.

I don't know if people notice the difference, and there's certainly no sign to say Councillor Thewliss got that fixed for you. Trying to make things better is a big part of what I do, and I've put a few of the recent ones below. I hope they helped someone!

Bellgrove Street
I was doing my recycling here when I noticed there was no bin for people to put used poly bags in. Instead, people were stuffing them down the sides of the bins and they were getting loose and blowing about. I asked for a bin to be placed here so that people could dispose of their bags and other rubbish more easily.

Bridgeton Cross
I'd been out to meet with a group, and noticed the huge puddle outside the station. I reported the blocked drain to Land and Environmental Services, who investigated and cleared an obstruction from the outlet pipe to the main sewerage system. The gullies along London Road are also going to be checked.




Ogilvie Street/Canmore Street
I don't have a picture of this, but I noticed there was a lot of litter in the area. I've asked for it to be cleared up, and I hope this will be done in the next week or so.

Bluevale Street at Inglis Street
There's a persistent problem with fly tipping here; it's a real eyesore. I've asked Land and Environmental Services to clear it up and try harder to prevent it happening in future.

Duke Street down from John Wheatley College

There's a three consecutive street lights not working here, so I asked LES to get them fixed.

* I now have the most incredible selection of photos of potholes, graffiti and litter!

Meetings and events

Today's going to be hectic - and very conversation-heavy. It sounds odd to my other half, who speaks mostly to computers, but a significant part of my job is listening to people. Speaking too obviously, but the listening's the really important part. Remembering what was said by whom and when, and what action I've to take when I get back to the office is a bit more challenging, especially when all the meetings are back to back.

This morning, I've got a meeting with parents from St James' and Queen Mary Street at 9.15, and a Royal visit to the opening of the Community Fire House at Calton Fire Station at 10.15. This afternoon, I've got the pantomime of Full Council at 1.30 and then casework to catch up on with several constituents to call back. I'm also still trying to get hold of some facts'n'figures for the school closure meetings next week.

If I get all my work done, I hope to go and see Motherwell play St Mirren tonight in the cup. Events have kept me away from the football for weeks, so it'd be great to make it along. It has the advantage of being able to switch the conversational part of my brain off for a wee while!

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.

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!

Congratulations to St Mungo's!

St Mungo's Academy in my ward are this year celebrating their 150th Anniversary. To mark this milestone the school are planning a year of special events, and I had the pleasure of attending the first of these, a Civic Mass and celebration, on Thursday night.

The mass was held in the very impressive setting of St Andrew's Cathedral - a place I have been past many times but have never had the chance to visit. The event was very well attended, with past and present teachers and pupils, and teachers from the associated schools in the learning community. The Mass was taken by Archbishop Mario Conti, but it wasn't as formal as I had feared and, even as someone who doesn't often get involved in religion, I took a lot out of it.

I'm sure I'll blog more about the celebrations as the year progresses.

A motion has also been lodged in the Parliament to mark the occasion:
S3M-984 Sandra White: Saint Mungo’s Academy—That the Parliament congratulates Saint Mungo’s Academy, Glasgow, on its upcoming 150th anniversary; further congratulates staff, pupils and parents, both past and present, for the excellent record of attainment and community involvement achieved by Saint Mungo’s; wishes all those involved well during their anniversary celebrations, and hopes that the caring ethos of St Mungo’s continues.

Dalmarnock Primary and London Road Nursery

I attended the official opening of Dalmarnock Primary and London Road Nursery today, and was very impressed by the show put on by the pupils. Many of the pupils had been given special responsibilities for meeting and greeting guests, and were a real credit to the school.

All the pupils were involved in putting on performances to celebrate the opening, from the nursery children who opened the event with a song about "people who help us", to the recorder players and the choir, and the very moving song which I was told had been composed in the school. One of the pupils presenting it said that the song was available to download, but I can't seem to find it. Once I track it and the composer down I'll post the details up. The whole school sang it and knew it off by heart; perhaps a replacement for Scotland the Brave?

Every colour, race and creed
May we celebrate indeed
A treasure tae this land
For aw tae see
And may peace and harmony
Keep us all in unity
Let's come together one and all

Chorus
For this one bonnie Scotland
This bonnie, bonnie land
Let's stand together hand in hand
And may the world it see
We can live in harmony
Working together for this one Scotland

May the Muslim and the Jew
And the Sikh and the Hindu
The Protestant and Catholic one and all
May we build our future high
And we never hear the cry
Of bigotry and hatred never more

Chorus

Sister Belle

Today, I visited the open day for the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, who are based in my ward and look after a selection of buses greater than the transport museum! The garage where the GVVT is based is currently used mainly to store, restore and exhibit buses, but they aim to become a "working museum" where visitors can see buses being restored.

It was great to see all the buses (some very old, and some more modern) so lovingly cared for and restored. People had even brought buses from other parts of the country to the garage for the open day - I was pleasantly surprised to find a number 20 from Aberdeen, a route close to the heart of every Aberdeen graduate as it ran from Old Aberdeen to the student's union!
I also found this familiar-sounding name...

Surgeries

For those readers who are also my constituents, I've put my surgery times and contact details on the side bar. Feel free to pop by and see me!

Working weeks, and a weekend off

Apologies for not having updated my blog - I've been a bit busy for deep thoughts on the world - or at least too busy to write these thoughts down!

I spent last week running around chasing up constituent casework and meeting organisations (including a visit to John Wheatley College's impressive new Haghill Campus, the employability and training organisation Right Track, and a meeting at the East End Healthy Living Centre).

So far this week, I've attended a meeting of the East End Drugs Forum, popped in to see the folk at Parkhead Credit Union, attended a public meeting in the Calton, and had a briefing from East End Community Homes on their plans for the Gallowgate. I've had surgeries too, as well as trying to get answers on constituency cases. I'm pleased to say that I've used public transport to get to the majority of these meetings (even taking my shopping to the public meeting!).

The weekend, of course, saw two of my fellow SNP colleagues Councillor Jennifer Dunn and Councillor Craig Mackay get hitched. They had a beautiful wedding down in Girvan, and I think it's fair to say a fantastic time was had by all. I'm sure they're going to be really happy together.