FANTASTIC NEWS!! Congratulations to Ewan! Sheena is …

Comment posted Arbroath’s Councillor Ewan Smith now Angus Vice Convener of Education by A concerned Arbroath resident.

FANTASTIC NEWS!! Congratulations to Ewan!

Sheena is a very experienced councillor, having been on the Angus Education Committee for many years and also was a teacher. Her husband is Andrew Welsh,the popular SNP MP and MSP, who recently retired. Sheena and Ewan together will make an excellent team. Education in Angus is in capable hands.

Ewan deserves this success. Nobody has worked so hard as him to research the school situation in Arbroath. The amount of work he has done has been incredible. He has remained passionate to keep his children’s school open, often fighting against the odds, when most would have given up. If at this time last year, any one had predicted that Ewan would be Vice Convener of Education the following year, they would have thought them mad!! It goes to show that if you strongly believe is something, any thing is possible.

In the process, the former Education Convener, Peter Nield, who insulted both Mike Russell and Ewan with various threats, has had a humiliating defeat with not many votes. We are left wondering where the “silent majority” have gone!

It is quite hilarious that Ewan has ousted him from not only his seat in the local election, but also his convenership.

If Peter Nield begins to talk of “gerrymandering” (He used the wrong terminology in any case) or further threatens to report the Education Minister, Mike Russell, to the Parliamentary Standards Committee, he is going to look even more foolish.

A judicial review ordered by the outgoing administration to try to overturn the Scottish Government’s decision to halt the closure of Muirfield and Timmergreens Primary Schools in Arbroath was set to take place on the day of the elections, but was adjourned until the end of June. With a new administration in place, it is unlikely to go ahead, although is still hanging in the balance. It was estimated it could cost the tax payer at least £40,000.

Hopefully with Sheena and Ewan in charge of education,and a new administration at Angus Council, sense will prevail.

Thank you once again to forArgyll for covering the story so fully. At times of gloom, you gave us hope!

I have been reading your election results and see that you, too, have had a few changes in your council. All your repeated comments about elections come May, have proved correct.

Best wishes to all at forArgyll.

A concerned Arbroath resident also commented

• Thanks to Integrity and ARSN for those comments, and all your support through out. Yes it really is like a fairy tale with goodies and baddies. Hopefully, like in all good fairy tales, it remains with the happy ending!

  I agree, too, with you on the input from Sandy Longmuir and Justin Willey. Tremendous effort from them behind the scenes.

  Thanks again.

Recent comments by A concerned Arbroath resident

• Arbroath schools campaigner standing for Angus council
  Excellent news!! Ewan put an outstanding amount of work into the school project. I cannot think of anyone else who would have put in the same effort and shown such determination. Last year when I heard him speak and showing that he was so knowledgeable having researched the facts on the schools, I thought he had ideal councillor potential.

  I have a lasting image of ForArgyll’s cartoon impression of Councillor Nield as Mr Burns. I can just see him now saying,”I knew it”! Those of us who know Ewan,are very much aware that he is wishing to become a councillor for all the right reasons.

  Here is hoping that the “silent majority” will let their views be known once and for all! You have got my vote,Ewan!

  Wishing Ewan all the very best.

• Muirfield: a victory for right
  Much better article in The Courier today. This time a story with a happy ending!! A lovely photograph of beaming smiles from Ewan and his son and daughter. Incidentally Karen is not Ewan’s wife!! She is a mother with the same passion against the school proposal as Ewan, who just happens to have the same name!!

  The photograph is accompanied by words of wisdom by Ewan and Councillor Sheena Welsh.

  Ewan also featured on STV news last night. Ewan deserves all the happy stories he can he can get. He has done it for the children and not for political reasons. When you see happy smiling children, that is what makes it all worth while.

• Muirfield: a victory for right
  Agree with Integrity. Very disapppointed in The Courier report. It makes Ewan and MAG sound like they have deprived children of the money for the new school, which according to their report, may now go to sea front defences. Many will still believe this money aspect, and there is no mention of the £700K interest per annum, let alone paying back the £8 million, nor the cutbacks in teaching staff.

  Yes Audit Scotland giving clearance? Where, when? Where are the records?

  The Roads Dept definitely did not give clearance and I would question Tayside Police being too happy either without having sufficient parking spaces, or the congestion caused by it.

  Cleared by the Procurator Fiscal sevices? Just because there was insufficient evidence to prosecute does not make it permissible.

  It talks about Muirfield and Timmergreens schools being not filled to capacity. It does not say many schools have similar capacities, or SG’s aim to reduce class sizes especially in P1 to 18, or SG’s aim to increase Nursery places.

  Peter Nield complains that Mike Russell has used delay tactics for political reasons. If it were but known, the school would never have been voted in, but for council members sticking to their political Alliance group and not considering all the facts – which were flawed in any case.

  I was looking forward to Neil Logue and Peter Nield being given a slap in the face in the press, but here we go again. It is blame Mike Russell, Scottish Government,Ewan, MAG and any one else who has tried to stop the new school.

  I wish The Courier could give Ewan and others, the accolade they deserve as ForArgyll has done, instead of this account.

  Once again, a million thanks to ForArgyll for your marvellous well documented articles and your support.

• Muirfield: a victory for right
  WOW!! Absolutely fantastic news!!

  An enormous thank you to all who have worked so hard to get this achieved result. The sheer slog of hard work and investigation by Ewan and others has paid off.

  Congratulations to all for determination and persistence.

  I just hope now that the reasons for rejection by SG are made known fully to the public. Mr Logue accused Ewan Smith of promulgatting inaccurate facts. (Ewan had evidence to back all he said.)This would be a good time to “promulgate” all the facts, and not portray Ewan as the “bad guy”, which Angus Council have tried to do. Some of the evidence uncovered may come as a shock to those who were in favour of the proposal. Many are still in ignorance of the real cost of a new school, not to mention the latest revelations.

• Muirfield Action Group raises new doubts on validity of Angus Council’s Suitability Grading of Arbroath Schools
  More startling revelations! Another well documented, but concise piece of work, with back up evidence and explanations by Ewan and his team. Great research work. Thank you again to all whatever the outcome.

  I note in this account that “sea front” or “prevailing winds” are not mentioned, as written in Mr Logue’s letter Page 7 to Mr Moore. Was this added by Mr Logue for dramatic effect? Or was it muddled with other Arbroath or Angus schools, which are situated beside the sea front? Although Arbroath is a seaside town, neither Muirfield or Timmergreens are beside the sea front.

  Surely there is sufficient evidence now to halt this proposal.

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