Edinburgh council coalition’s socialists show their hypocrisy

Marketing Edinburgh promotes the Capital to the world

Despite the council’s SNP-Labour administration rejecting of any notion that council services can be outsourced, last month an appeal was issued for community groups to assume responsibility for gully clearing, to keep drains free of fallen leaves so streets don’t flood.

I’m all for community action and regularly go on litter picks, but it’s a bit cheeky to ask volunteers to provide a core public service for free when commercial arrangements which might also save money are apparently off limits.

Similarly the coalition has a cast-iron policy of no compulsory redundancies, but that commitment turned to solder flux last week when funding was withdrawn from Marketing Edinburgh and put up to 20 people at risk of redundancy.

Maybe it’s not as many as 20, might only be about ten. It’s an arm’s-length company so that’s ok then? It’s easy to lay people off when someone else has to break the news and I wonder how many administration councillors have sat across from someone and told them their job will no longer exist?

Some of those who approved that decision call themselves socialists. Hypocrisy isn’t in it.

Gorgie City Farm Newco?

Like most kids, my gang loved going down to Gorgie City Farm when they were little and Queen Elizabeth was charmed by the late Olive the Duck when she visited in July.

Now being liquidated, it is to be hoped that Gorgie City Farm Newco, GCF 2019, or whatever, can emerge if there is enough support and the issues which sank the old charity can be addressed.

Let’s hope the crowd-funding will keep it afloat.

In case you haven’t guessed...

My friends in the council administration are worried that the devious bunch who run this newspaper are passing me off as something other than a Conservative councillor, despite me mentioning my political allegiance virtually every week.

So from now on there will be a wee explanation at the foot of this page, not to inform readers, who I credit with sense and awareness, but to help out those administration colleagues who seem to think otherwise.

John McLellan is the Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston

Edinburgh council coalition’s socialists show their hypocrisy – John McLellan