“The Lib Dem leader begged colleagues to put the Tories into power to block the SNP,” he claimed. “We won’t sign up to anything delivering power to the Tories,” he went on.
But what about Councillor McVey’s begging when he met my erstwhile Conservative colleagues to ask what he needed to do to get them to “sit on their hands” during the crucial vote which could have put an SNP-Green coalition in control?
A deal was possible, he said, because of departures from the Conservative group, presumably including yours truly, because his loathing of me was no secret.
He offered to make a Conservative councillor the Deputy Lord Provost, a purely ceremonial role, but that Cllr Jo Mowat could also continue as convener of the governance committee, a key audit function traditionally filled from the biggest opposition party.
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Councillor McVey was therefore offering a deal which an honourable leader would have ruled out. I’m also told he also proposed a pay rise for senior councillors. Green councillors piled in too, which might surprise their new holier-than-the-Pope virtue-signallers.
I’ll paraphrase his words: Councillor McVey begged the Conservatives to block Labour and the Lib Dems and was prepared to give a Conservative a powerful committee post so he could cling on.
He says the administration should “start being honest about their deal.” So should he about his.