Comment posted Council Elections: the tally in Argyll and Bute by Tim McIntyre.
newsroom – I think BFOandC’s point was that Maurice Corry was on the slate as Conservative & Unionist, not independent as you have shown above. There are three Conservatives plus Donald Kelly elected.
Congratulations to Iain MacDonald in Ward 5 – evidently his driving policy of bringing some ‘glasnost’ to Kilmorograd has struck a chord with the electorate.
NB Neil MacKay was in Oban North & Lorn, not Oban South & Isles.
Interesting result overall – if Dunoon returns the same 3 (2 Alliance + 1 SNP) as last time, Alliance+LibDem+Tory will still be unable to form a majority administration, even if both MacDougall & R G Macintyre join them. But then neither would SNP+Argyll First+genuine independents… there will need to be some musical chairs amongst the party groups it would seem.
Recent comments by Tim McIntyre
- New SNP group leader unable to keep the sheep in the pen
Newsroom – I’m not sure about your use of the phrase ‘sheep in a pen’ – it seems to me that a more apt metaphor for the job of leading this party group within A & B is ‘herding cats’.
Another version I have seen is ‘minding mice at a crossroads’
- Patron of Northern Lighthouse Board incredulous at Tiree Array proposal
I was just responding to your own post, pm. It is pretty clear that major industrial economies across the world, including the two you mentioned yourself, are investing heavily in renewables including wind power. Thus your view that wind development is nothing but an economic ‘millstone’ does not appear to be widely shared.Your point about using per-capita figures is fair enough – but I notice you focused solely on China, and did not highlight that Germany’s wind capacity is around 3 times higher than the UK’s on that basis, and that even the US is ahead of us.
Are you sure that it would be cheaper to invest all our money in developing another country’s renewable resources, and a huge (and hopefully very reliable) cable to bring the power over, than to just invest in our own – which are by all accounts the best in Europe?
- Patron of Northern Lighthouse Board incredulous at Tiree Array proposal
China has 76GW of wind capacity and is expected to reach 100GW by 2015.Germany has 31GW of wind capacity and rising fast.
The US has 60GW of wind capacity, also rising fast.
The UK has less than 10GW of wind capacity.
There doesn’t seem to be much sign that building wind farms leads to economic problems.
- Fabulous results for Campbeltown AFC and Lochgilphead Red Star
And there’s more… Oban Saints under-14s also lifted a Dumbarton Football Development League Cup for their age-group on Sunday 12th May, at the end of a close-fought final with runners-up Lochgilphead Red Star u14s. The score was 4-3 at the Bet Butler stadium in Dumbarton.The cup success comes close to the end of a fantastic season for these boys who are also currently at the top of their 11-team league, with three games still to play.
A vintage year for Argyll youth football!
- Patron of Northern Lighthouse Board incredulous at Tiree Array proposal
Whatever the many factors to be taken into account by the Holyrood government when they come to consider this project, I doubt they will give much weight to a one-line comment given to the Daily Mail by a lady whose knowledge of the project to date appears to be: “They gave planning permission for 700 windmills on the reef around Skerryvore…”More amusing still is a comment later in the same article (and preceding another saying how advantageous it is to be able to see so much of the country from one’s helicopter): “The Princess Royal said Americans in particular tended to be awestruck by the wilderness in Scotland, adding: ‘They can’t get a grip of the fact that you’ve got all these people living here yet you get these remarkable empty vistas’”
Not that remarkable when you consider that much of the wilderness was created 150 years ago by her ‘sort’ forcing most of the ‘people living here’ off to… America! You’d think they of all people would have a pretty good grip of that
powered by SEO Super Comments
Just a query.
You say that the Conservatives and Unionists have got two seats, as before. The Argyll & Bute website lists four Con&Un councillors: David Kinniburgh, Gary Mulvaney, Maurice Corry & Donald Kelly.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
But Donald Kelly is not a real Tory, is he?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Unless he did a last minute U turn I thought that Corry, of Lomond North altho’ he lives in Helensburgh, stood as a Conservative.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
He did indeed. This was our mistake entirely. All the necessary connections have been made and we apologise to Mr Corry, to the Scottish Conservatives and to readers for the error.
Mr Corry’s win takes the membership of the Conservative group within the council to 3.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
It is a matter of public record that Donald Kelly declares himself to be a member of the Conservative party but does not join the COnservatove grop in the council.
He is one of the three founding members of the Argyll First group that really have brought change to the way many voters in Argyll now see local politics.
His local constituency have nothing withheld from them and have enthusiastically endorsed his position in a triumphant fist place .
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
And Maurice Corry – whom you list as an independent?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
He was wearing a blue rosette at the count and looked and sounded like the genuine article to me.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
newsroom – I think BFOandC’s point was that Maurice Corry was on the slate as Conservative & Unionist, not independent as you have shown above. There are three Conservatives plus Donald Kelly elected.
Congratulations to Iain MacDonald in Ward 5 – evidently his driving policy of bringing some ‘glasnost’ to Kilmorograd has struck a chord with the electorate.
NB Neil MacKay was in Oban North & Lorn, not Oban South & Isles.
Interesting result overall – if Dunoon returns the same 3 (2 Alliance + 1 SNP) as last time, Alliance+LibDem+Tory will still be unable to form a majority administration, even if both MacDougall & R G Macintyre join them. But then neither would SNP+Argyll First+genuine independents… there will need to be some musical chairs amongst the party groups it would seem.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Has anyone heard the rumour that Robin Currie, Donnie McMillan and Rory Colville are forming a breakaway independent group of councillors, ‘Argyll Worst’, with the primary intention of aligning themslves with whatever group can offer them extra perks in the form of financial benefit for chairing committees etc, of nodding when told to, of conveniently forgetting whatever promises they’ve made their electorates, and of formation flipflopping at their leader’s command?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Obviously 1300 people in Argyll disagree! Power to the People!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Possibly the funniest post I’ve read this year. Thanks Robert, for raising a smile on this frosty morning!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Heaven forbid we get the same ruling group. Another few years of that lot would be a disaster.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
the snp have chosen today of all days to award the northern isles ferry contract to serco , i fear a political stitch up
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
And the wonder is that at the same time that Keith Brown is trumpeting the benefits of Serco as northern isles ferry operator he’s silent on the shambles that is SPT’s Kilcreggan ferry service. It’s obviously the big picture that counts, the small communities can go to hell.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
But you can’t be both a Conservative and Argyll First as Donald chooses. Well you can but why do represent a political party if you don’t intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with your fellow party councillors? Saying that Donald is a fine Councillor, arguably the best in Argyll!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Maybe Donald’s not so much representing the Conservative party as just stating that he’s a Conservative voter in national politics – after all, presumably the vast majority of independent local politicians vote for one of the main parties at national level, but think that national party policies might be unnecessarily constricting – or inappropriate – when dealing with local issues at local level. I know this will be interpreted by some as just ducking the issue of committing to specific policies, and that this has been the core problem with the behaviour of Walsh & Co, but it’s surely a valid viewpoint for those local politicians who do have integrity.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Sandy Taylor , the successful first time candidate in Mid Argyll, is an SNP member
Like or Dislike:
0 
0