Reflection following an absence

Blogging has been non-existent of late for two reasons - catching up with case work after the stunning Glasgow East By Election and the relentless whirl of satin, net and glitter involved in preparing for my wedding day tomorrow.

The 24th of July was phenomenally exciting - I couldn't quite believe what was unfolding before my eyes, and my stomach was doing flips. I didn't want to take my eyes off the ballot papers, even when John Mason arrived at the count! I found myself fixated by the boxes where the ballots were stacking up, trying to discern exactly how many bundles were in the Curran, M and Mason piles. When the result came, I couldn't have been happier and more relieved (as many people saw from my reaction on various news programmes!).

The pub afterwards was sweatier than... I can't describe how sweaty it was actually, but bear hugs for those returning victorious from the count were still mandatory. You could've lit up the city from the energy in the Barrachnie. So many deliriously happy people, basking in the knowledge that all their hard work had been worth it.

Glasgow East By Election

Apologies for the lack of updates - I've been incredibly busy juggling work and the by election, as well as trying to throw together a wedding!

As Indygal so nicely reported, I also spent two nights in hospital after a dog bite went nasty. It was a disruption I could have been doing without! After a lot of IV antibiotics, the infection stopped tracking back along my hand and my finger returned to it's normal size. The staff at the Royal Infirmary were great, and made sure I was fighting fit before they let me go.

I'm not the only one who's been bitten during the campaign - four of us were swapping stories yesterday afternoon - so you could surmise it's a risky business delivering leaflets! I've had a lot of narrow misses during the campaign so far, so I'm certainly wary when I'm out working.

I wish more dog owners would think of the risks posties and activists take just a wee bit more and install an external letter box. We don't get our fingers chewed, people get their mail in one piece. I could put a picture of my finger up to make my point, but I don't want to put you off your dinner...

East End 5K

I surprised myself today - not just by getting out of bed at 7.30am on a Sunday, but by completing the East End 5K in 37 minutes. I'd not had time to do any training whatsoever, and the last time I did anything like this was a schools cross country in sixth year (an experience I'd rather put out of my mind!). Thanks go to my co-runner David Linden, who stuck with me during the run, despite my suspicion that he could have achieved a slightly better time otherwise!

I was quite sporty at school, playing hockey and taking part in various events at the school sports, but these days I really don't have the time to do much and I really don't consider myself fit. My only exercise is running for buses in high heels! I hope that next year I'll be able to do some training and improve on my time.

There was a really diverse mix of people on the run, from people with buggies and dogs to competitive athletes. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, regardless of where they finished. There was a goody bag at the end, which featured two "export size" caramel wafers - a real treat! Runners did also get a banana, but I'm a big fan of Tunnocks and easily impressed that way.

Gossip wise, there was a bit of an animated Labour confab between a few East End Councillors and the MSP for Shettleston... I wonder if this news has anything to do with it?

The Hills Are Alive...!

I couldn't go to sleep tonight without blogging on the absolutely phenomenal performance I saw tonight at St Mungo's Academy.

As the title suggests, their school show this year is The Sound of Music. I was blown away by the quality of the performances and the professionalism of everyone involved - from the extras to the stars, the stage crew and lighting to the orchestra. The singing, even the diction, of the performers was amazing. All the hard work of the past ten months or so was completely worth it, for the whole thing was perfect.

It was an absolute pleasure, and I'm strongly contemplating going again for the last night tomorrow. If you're after a great night out, head to St Mungo's!

Votes at 16 gets Scottish Government endorsement

I was on the train to the Electoral Reform Society's STV: One Year On conference in Edinburgh yesterday when I got an email from ASWAS letting me know that Bruce Crawford MSP, in his opening speech at the same conference, had given the Government's backing to Votes at 16. I was actually so excited I shouted out on the train, and was almost glad I wasn't at the conference yet as I might have jumped up and hugged the Minster for Parliamentary Business!

It's always nice to see things that you believe in carried through. As I'm sure you'll remember, the SNP backed the YSI's resolution on votes at 16 at Conference last October. Everyone knows the arguments for votes at 16 - democracy, fairness, no taxation without representation - but it's interesting to look particularly at the Local Government level. Young people are closest to many services provided by the Council, but it's often the case that they have little say in how they are run or when they operate. Youth services, for example, don't tend to provide services over the weekend, which is precisely when they're needed most. Because under-18s aren't electors, they have been overlooked. I don't believe that should be the case but it has been the reality.

When the franchise is lowered (and I'm getting more convinced it will be), parties will have to listen to young people rather than demonising them; that's definitely a step in the right direction.

Timing is everything

So, the same government who managed to force through 42 day detention managed to misplace some top secret files on a train. Our lives in their hands...

Unionist tactics

It's like reading their minds... (with thanks to Steven Marwick for flagging this up to me!).