Edinburgh Council leader Adam McVey has abandoned principled SNP colleague Alison Dickie over bullying and intimidation claims – John McLellan
Bad enough though it was, the reaction of her own party leader was arguably worse. Twice Councillor Adam McVey had the opportunity to defend her and twice he left her to swing.
He could have said how he disagreed with the views expressed in her recent Evening News article but didn’t doubt her sincerity. He could have said that he respected her passion even if he didn’t agree with her methods.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBut no, he chose not to challenge a cutting attack on a party colleague and Councillor Dickie would have felt thoroughly exposed when only one SNP councillor, Neil Gardiner, came to her defence.
I have no doubt she would have mounted a robust defence herself, but she was absent due to ill health which made the attack even more cowardly.
Clearly Councillor Dickie and I have very different views on the constitution, but the allegations arising from years of what the authority had to accept was maladministration are not party-political matters, yet she is being ostracised for standing up for what she believes to be right.
If anything exposes the culture within this council, it is the council leader’s abandonment of a principled colleague, in favour of defending whatever faith council employees have in “the system”. The irony went whistling over his head.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdJohn McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.