Comment posted Argyll and Bute Council ‘Martha’s Blog’ press release under scrutiny by newsroom.
Absolutely. Logic and reason aren’t necessarily the answer to everything but they’re the best possible lender of last resort.
We were careful to say that the council ‘switches off her dinnercam’. That wasn’t banning her blog – a matter beyond their control.
Recent comments by newsroom
- Big welcome at Campbeltown for new Ardrossan ferry
We understand she carried about 60 passengers and although, flying around to catch as much as possible, we didn’t have time to count the cars coming off, we did look out for this and there were a respectable number of them. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
We appreciate that it is inconvenient for a light to be shone on doings your party would prefer to keep hidden in shady places from those it asks to vote for it.
That is a dishonourable contract.
As the former Alliance of Independent Councillors [which had nothing at all do with Michael Russell ] knows very well, when it was damaging Argyll and Bute by its conduct during the 2010-11 schools closure wars, we were even more vigilant in keeping them under scrutiny and publishing on their manoeuvres.
We had to be even more vigilant because they were skilled at keeping things under wraps – where the SNP has conducted its acts of political genocide en plein air. All anyone has had to do is draw up a chair.
It should be obvious from our stance in recent weeks that we have no ‘vendetta’ against Councillor Dick Walsh, whom we dealt with arguably more harshly than we have done with Mr Russell.
A central function of our role is to contribute to the holding to account of those elected to serve the people. We do our best to fulfil this fairly – and hard. But we have no vendetta against anyone.
In Mr Russell’s case we simply feel he is a hot air balloon who has imploded over Argyll and done a great deal of harm – profoundly so to his own party, which we used to support. The evidence for our view is in the public domain. - Radically new council group changes all the dynamics: party politics dead in Argyll
The fact is that the SNP councillors in the Argyll and Bute for Change group are not ‘SNP councilors’ in council group terms – as rules forbid membership of more than one group.
So the ‘Russell camp’ is definitely no longer in the council’s SNP group, although presumably they will personally vote in elections according to their preferences.
And IF the other 8 SNP members have actually joined [as opposed to supporting [the Argyll, Lomond and the Isles group, there is no formal SNP group at all in Argyll and Bute Council.
If this has become the situation, it means that the SNP as a party has no right of purview over the behaviour of ANY of its originally elected councillors, none of whom would now be SNP councillors.
You have to say this is fun. It’s not politics but it is a laugh. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
As given in one of the recent updates above – the missing person is Councillor Strong – from the, as of this morning, Argyll and Bute for Change Group. This would leave that group with 18 members but only 17 present to vote – which would not be enough to carry them to administration IF all other 18 councillors voted together.
This has to be likely but in the current situation the finessing is so arcane that one cannot be certain of anything until it’s done. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
The fact is that they were quite prepared to work with the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups – but were ordered by the the SNP to face expulsion from the party or to leave the administration that was planning just such a coalition.
We do not yet know what the SNP party position is today – although in our 14.15 update above, we have laid out the range of possibilities – but we do know that the 8 SNP Councillors have not resigned from the party.
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Even this analysis by Adrian Short is careless with the facts – translating the banning of the photographs as the banning of the blog, and this seems to have been quite a widespread mistake in media reports. Which just goes to show that even the experts can stumble over their words.
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Absolutely. Logic and reason aren’t necessarily the answer to everything but they’re the best possible lender of last resort.
We were careful to say that the council ‘switches off her dinnercam’. That wasn’t banning her blog – a matter beyond their control.
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Francis Horner raises a good point in the blog. If the three press officers recently suspended, sacked (sorry, resigned) didn’t write the offending press release, then who did? The chances are it was some inexperienced junior member of staff who’s been drafted into cover & pressured into producing a rushed effort by senior management on the verge of panic. A lot has been wrtten about Roddy McCuish’s role in all this but he shouldn’t have needed to go anywhere near it. It should have been dealt with by the senior Council management & they obviously weren’t up to the task. The new Council Leader must have been absolutely livid & rightly so. If this was old-style Central Government then somebody would soon be “off to spend more time with their family”. Choice of two I reckon.
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I picture the scene in Sally’s office last friday morning …..
Sally and Cleland see the proverbial s**t hitting the fan – the internet, twitter, radio, tv etc etc
Sally says “Cleland – what will we do – this is HUGE, where are our Comms team when we need them? We are in a big big hole here”
Cleland nonchalantly says “where’s the spade ? I’ll get us out of this hole”
Sally says ” Be careful Cleland – don’t say anything stupid and make it worse than it is!”
Cleland departing office, spade over shoulder “Trust me Sally, trust me”
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Calling Roddy McCuish ….. could you lift the ban on Mr. CJ Raeburn of 2 Queen Street Helensburgh G84 9QQ, from communicating with the council any further about the fact that developments surrounding the above property have resulted in the destruction of the living space and Mr. Cleland Sneddon’s notice served under the housing act is yet again another BOGUS notice, the second BOGUS notice received referencing demolition of the above property?
Mr. Raeburn have been banned as part of a Stage 2 Complaint, inspite of the fact that MSP Jackie Baillie had stated in writing that the council does have further involvement regarding the destruction via flooding and perpetual sewage leaks which have been allowed to be managed by the neighbors (The Non-Insured!) to despose effluent and storm drainage in order to do a cozy little favour for the public services namely: Scottish Water and Argyll & Bute Council …. Try lifting this ban!
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