Comment posted Princess Royal to visit Helensburgh by Councillor George Freeman.
Robert, no great secret, the date has already been widely pulicised in the local press. The Princes Royal will visit the Victoria Halls in Helensburgh on 25 April to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Halls as well the work of Enable and Jigsaw.
The visit is being jointly hosted by the Friends of the Victoria Halls, Enable and Jigsaw.
It is most unfortunate that Cllr Vivien Dance, who is one of the Directors of the Friends of the Victoria Halls and who works with Enable and Jigsaw will not be allowed to attend due to the visit taking place just 8 days before the elections.
I am sure that she will be most disappointed that she will not be there. A photo opportunity missed just before the election.
Recent comments by Councillor George Freeman
- Labour MSP Rhoda Grant’s response to Struan Lodge decision
Having now taken the time to read the original Breslin / Blair motion and what FA tells us was eventually agreed by the Council yesterday, this appears to be a serious climb down by Breslin and Blair.It is now clear that the Breslin / Blair motion would not have been supported by the Council and that is why the compromise by Walsh had to be put forward. We know that the ten Helensburgh councillors support the closure of all Council run care homes because of the ridiculously high costs and would never have supported the Breslin / Blair motion.
Even the Walsh motion that was approved by the Council did not lift the moratorium on placing any new residents in Struan Lodge. All it has done has kicked the issue into the long grass for a couple of months. That was to get Cllr Morton and her Lib Dem colleagues and Cllr Mulvaney and his Tory colleagues to support the Walsh motion.
In their motion that they were forced to withdraw, Breslin and Blair had asked for the Council to rescind the moratorium on new admissions with immediate effect. They were forced to backtrack on this as it was clear that Walsh and the opposition councillors would not support such a proposal.
They should be asked why they decided that they would continue to support the moratorium when the opposition clearly had the numbers to force any decision through the Council and by doing so, have let the Struan Lodge residents and staff down.
- Three administration members vote against agreed budgetary position on Struan Lodge
Having now taken the time to read the original Breslin / Blair motion and what FA tells us was eventually agreed by the Council today, this appears to be a serious climb down by Breslin and Blair.It is now clear that the Breslin / Blair motion would not have been supported by the Council and that is why the compromise by Walsh had to be put forward. We know that the ten Helensburgh councillors support the closure of all Council run care homes and would never have supported the Breslin / Blair motion.
Even the Walsh motion that was approved by the Council did not lift the moratorium on placing any new residents in Struan Lodge. All it has done has kicked the issue into the long grass for a couple of months.
In their motion that they were forced to withdraw, Breslin and Blair had asked for the Council to rescind the moratorium on new admissions with immediate effect. They were forced to backtrack on this as it was clear that Walsh and the opposition councillors would not support such a proposal.
They should be asked why they decided that they would continue to support the moratorium when the opposition clearly had the numbers to force any decision through the Council and by dooing so, have let the Struan Lodge residents and staff down
- MSP v Council Leader now ‘last man standing’ face-off with SNP and Argyll the losers
MB, you say that “The whole M Breslin and Blair thing is a joke, whilst the two of them where turned over by there party it’s refreshing to see at least one did the right thing”.Given that he was elected on an SNP ticket, surely the right thing would be for Mike Breslin to resign as a councillor and then take his chance in the subsequent by-election as a Tory / Lib Dem / Labour / Independent candidate? Surely that would be the honerable thing to do?
It looks like he does not have the courage of his convictions.
- Struan Lodge on agenda for today’s council meeting
Simon, you are not far of the mark. How about the Argyll First lot (Philand, Kelly and McAlpine)? It is clear that they do not have the guts (or backbone) to take a hard decision and are happy for their own constituents to subsidise Struan Lodge in Dunoon when their own constituents will see services to their own eldery folk in the Mid Argyll area being cut. - Struan Lodge on agenda for today’s council meeting
Neil, it is clear that you do not have clue as to what you are talking about.
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It’s a sad reflection of our times when the date of such a visit has to be kept secret for security reasons.
I remember trying to drive from Connel to Oban when – unknown to me – the Princess Royal was in town and Scottish Water was busy destroying the A85. Such chaos have I never seen outside the Delhi ring road.
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Robert, no great secret, the date has already been widely pulicised in the local press. The Princes Royal will visit the Victoria Halls in Helensburgh on 25 April to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Halls as well the work of Enable and Jigsaw.
The visit is being jointly hosted by the Friends of the Victoria Halls, Enable and Jigsaw.
It is most unfortunate that Cllr Vivien Dance, who is one of the Directors of the Friends of the Victoria Halls and who works with Enable and Jigsaw will not be allowed to attend due to the visit taking place just 8 days before the elections.
I am sure that she will be most disappointed that she will not be there. A photo opportunity missed just before the election.
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Just for the record – there are no photo opportunities to be got – it has always been the case that this private visit would only be covered by Palace/Lieutenancy official photographer………….this is about community, disabled, charities, volunteers, and vulnerable groups and should not be politicised
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We doubt that there is any way this visit could be politicised because any attendance by any councillors will, of absolute necessity, be proscribed.
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Since when did the incompetent Mr Sneddon become”an Executive Director” ???
By order of Loudon? Or Walsh?
On the basis no doubt of his paper to the Rural Schools Commission which was passed without comment by the Alliance of incompetent Independents, although I suspect none of them will admit to it, or calim value from it in their election addresses.
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“Executive Director” only means that he gets an elected councillor taking notes for him when he attends public meetings.
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Super-Sally got something right for a change!
So no grandstanding by the power-hungry candidates of Helensburgh. Vivien Dance must be bealing, bet she’d already picked out a new outfit and handbag.
Nevermind Viv, have a wee cucumber sandwich over at the Waitrose site n cheer yerself up.
Not sure which is the funnier story this morning, this one or Rory Colville and his coat of many colours LOL
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Come on CSB! The Rory Story is streets ahead
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“Purdah” and how it is applied can be an illuminating concept.
The Oban Times, which even its most avid supporters would hardly claim to be at the cutting edge of political comment and social awareness, recently announced that it would be applying a political embargo during the run up to the council elections. How would we be able to tell? In the that very edition it managed to excise the names of some elected councillors from two reports while printing the names of other candidates for the same May elections within the same item.The same edition also managed to publish a wholly uncritical letter about the “superb performance” of the local area committee that must have come as some surprise to Oban and Lorn residents.
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Have a look at the OT today Ken, Council refused to answer their FOIs into Spygate. Has there been a change of management at the OT?
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she’s here now, just seen her, 25/04/2012 10.15am
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Photograph?
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