A busy man...

Looks like Inverclyde's favourite Tory is going to be a busy man over the coming weeks.

MSP Candidate, Depute Provost, acting Convener of the Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee and Graeme Brooks campaign manager!

He may not stand much of a chance in Glasgow Shettleston but my money is on the big man to beat the Lib Dems into 4th place, despite the fact that he clearly is just a paper candidate.

Mind you, there is even a chance that Graeme Brooks will beat the Lib Dems in Inverclyde.

CENSORED!

It looks like the local SNP are trying to silence me.

One of their Councillors (who shall remain nameless) has made not one but TWO complaints against me to the Standards Commission about postings on this blog and about the fact that I have a link in my Council email signature to the blog.

Given the professional way in which the complaints forms have been completed I suspect that the gentleman in question has received a bit of help with them.

I wonder what other local SNP politician might have an axe to grind with me?

So enjoy my posts as long as you can: I might be put off line some time soon!

Disagreeing with my Leader...

I see that the Leader of my party was sharing a platform today with the Lib Dems and Greens in support of a Yes vote in the AV referendum.

Ed's view is that AV is the best way of ensuring that progressive parties can stop right wing Tory governments being elected.

The flaw in his logic of course is that when that so-called progressive party the Liberal Democrats had the choice between forming a progressive alliance or entering into a coalition with the Tory right wing they chose the latter option.

As I have said on many occasions: you cannot trust the Lib Dems.

The only sure way to defeat the Tories is the election of a majority Labour government.

That is why I will be voting No on 5 May.

Funding boost for community groups...

The Council's Grants Sub-Committee, which is chaired by my Labour Colleague Jim Clocherty, today allocated £51,000 in funding to a range of voluntary organisations.

Among the groups to benefit were:

Quarriers' United Football Club £1,000 (Equipment)
Port Glasgow Old Men's' Club £3,000 (Repairs)
Three Wards Community Council £7,000 (towards a new play park at Boglestone)
Port Glasgow Boys Club £850 (Strips and travel costs)
Broomhill Amateur Football Club £500 (Travel costs)
Broomhill Boys Football Club £500 (Equipment costs)
Greenock Cricket Club £1,000 (Running costs of summer cricket camp)
Lady Alice Bowling Club £2,000 (Upgrade toilets)
Branchton Community Association £5,000 (Summer play scheme)
Larkfield Amateur Boxing Club £3,000 (Running costs and equipment)
Greenock Juniors £500 (Football strips)
Royal Gourock Yacht Club £500 (Sailing dinghies to start Cadet Section)
Inverkip Community Enterprise £3,500 (Improve heating at Inverkip Pavilion)
Inverclyde Cat Rescue £1,250 (Running costs)
Inverclyde Amateur Swimming Club £1,000 (Equipment and coaching courses)
Inverclyde Youth Theatre £2,000 (Equipment and running costs)

All groups who applied will be notified of the outcome of their applications shortly.

Councillor Clocherty commented: "I am delighted that the Council has been able to support a wide range of community and voluntary organisations across Inverclyde with this funding. These groups do a fantastic job, enriching the lives of the people of Inverclyde. Those groups that have been unsuccessful in this funding round can re-apply in the new financial year, which starts on 1 April, when further funding of over £400,000 is available for distribution by the Sub-Committee."

Mission Creep...

Just been watching the latest Pentagon briefing on the conflict in Libya.

I have to say that Vice Admiral Bill Gortney struggled manfully - but unsuccessfully - to convince me that the coalition forces have not extended their mission to bring about regime change.

Our governments must think we are extremely gullible or just don't give a damn.

It is absolutely clear that coalition forces are providing air support to the 'rebels' as they push west towards Tripoli, in contravention of UN Resolution 1973.

Whether or not you agree with this strategy, can we not at least expect our governments to be honest with us?

During questioning Vice Admiral Gortney stated that there were no confirmed reports of civilian casualties as a result of coalition action.

It is a pity that no one asked him how many Libyan soldiers, sailors and airmen have been killed.

It seems that our concern for human life does not stretch that far.

Off to a bad start...

The Tory and Lib Dem campaigns for the Scottish Parliament have got off to a bad start.

Glasgow Tory councillor David Meikle has withdrawn from the city's regional list, alleging electoral malpractice.

Mr Meikle, who was originally sixth on the Tory Glasgow regional list, had demanded an investigation into the ranking of candidates.

The top Tory candidate on the Glasgow regional list, Malcolm MacAskill, earlier dropped out of the race, after discussions with the candidates' board.

And Edinburgh councillor Iain Whyte decided against standing in the Glasgow constituency of Maryhill and Springburn saying new rules could have cost him his current position on Lothian Health Board.

A top Liberal Democrat candidate for the Scottish elections has quit the party.

Hugh O'Donnell was the leading candidate in the party's Central Scotland list.

Mr O'Donnell said he was unhappy with the direction of the party in Scotland and the UK Tory/Lib Dem coalition.

Mr O'Donnell, who served as a Central Scotland list MSP for four years, will now stand as an independent candidate in the region.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he criticised the party's Scottish leader, Tavish Scott, and said founding principles had been "subsumed" by a desire for position and power.

Mr O'Donnell claimed the leadership of the party in Scotland could no longer be regarded as either Liberal or Democratic.

He wrote: "Instead of fighting for the causes so many of us believe in, they devote their energy to quashing dissenting voices, views, people and policies."

Mr O'Donnell said he and his colleagues had been told not to air grievances about the Tory/Lib Dem coalition: "I can no longer be party to the control freakery, the 'image is everything' attitude, and the dictatorial style of doing things”.

He continued: "Since that fateful day, I have watched helplessly from the sidelines as this government at Westminster has attacked every vulnerable group in Scotland, from carers to disabled students to migrants, with some of the most draconian policies I have ever seen in the name of cuts."

"Not a word of criticism from the party leadership in Scotland has been uttered - even though the contempt shown for Scotland and, indeed, the federal structure of the party knows no bounds."

He added: "This is not the same party I joined, full of enthusiasm, all those years ago."

"I can no longer be party to the control freakery, the 'image is everything' attitude, and the dictatorial style of doing things."

"It is a party I no longer want to be part of and neither should other principled Liberals."

Still planning to remain with the Lib Dems Ciano?

David Cairns MP...

David's friends and colleagues in the Labour Group were shocked to hear that he was seriously ill in hospital in London.

We have sent him our very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. He is in our thoughts and prayers.

Smoke free play parks...

I see from the most recent citizens' panel survey that 87% of respondents supported a proposal to make children's outdoor play areas smoke free. I would very much endorse this view.

I am pleased to report therefore that Inverclyde is the first area in Scotland to initiate a pilot of smoke free play parks.

Appropriate signage will be erected at four sites - King's Street in Gourock, Battery Park in Greenock, Coronation Park in Port Glasgow and Birkmyre Park in Kilmacolm - in the coming weeks.

The rationale behind the initiative is to avoid exposing children and young people to adult role models who smoke in an attempt to make smoking less attractive to young people. This is something I am sure that we would all support.

The week ahead...

Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.30 Meeting of Inverclyde Alliance Board
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Meeting of the Council's Policy & Resources Committee
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 Meeting of the Council's Local Housing Strategy Group
Friday
At work all day with no Council commitments

The future of Bouverie Street...

I see from today's Greenock Telegraph that my fellow Ward 1 Councillor, David Wilson, is concerned about the future of the Bouverie Street tenement building in Port Glasgow.

While I recognise that the tenement has architectural merit I am not convinced that even a major refurbishment would secure its long-term future. With only 40 of the 116 flats occupied it is clear that residents have voted with their feet.

I agree with David that the building has great views over the River Clyde - I remember this well from the time that my grandparents lived there - but that alone is not sufficient to justify spending millions of pounds refurbishing it, assuming of course that River Clyde Homes can come up with the funding.

I await with interest the outcome of the residents' survey.

AV or not AV that is the question...

I have received a few begging letters in recent weeks from both sides in the 'great' debate over the proposed change to the voting system for the Westminster Parliament, which were promptly filed in my blue recycling bin.

While previously I thought that the AV system had attractions I am firmly in the NO camp when it comes to the referendum on 5th May.

I do admit that one of the reasons for this is that the Lib Dems are behind the referendum as part of their strategy to secure permanent coalition government in the UK. This is despite the fact that they would actually prefer the introduction of STV, similar to the system that we now have for Council elections in Scotland.

The golden rule of British politics is never trust the Lib Dems!

If the electorate was to vote in favour of AV we will end up in Scotland with 4 different forms of proportional voting systems - for the Scottish, UK and European Parliaments and local councils - with each system only being used once every four or five years. I think this is a real muddle and shows what happens when political fixes between parties are put before the interests of the electorate.

Road repairs...

I have just been advised by the Council's Roads Service that they will be carrying out much needed carriageway repairs in 3 avenues - Bute, Islay and Mull - in the Port Glasgow part of my ward during the week beginning 4 April.

Bute and Mull Avenues will both be closed on Monday 4th April until Tuesday 5th. Islay Avenue will be closed on Tuesday 5th April until Wednesday 6th. Local diversions will be in place.

It's hurting - but it's not working...

It's hurting...

The Tory-led Government is hitting people across the country hard through their reckless cuts which go too far and too fast. Yet at the same time they have chosen to cut taxes for the banks this year.

Did you realise that:

•The VAT rise will cost families with children £450 this year alone
•Tax credits and child benefit will be frozen from April
•Petrol prices are soaring with the VAT rise adding 3p per litre
•Economic growth has stalled
•Unemployment is rising again – now at a 17 year high
•Nearly 1 million young people are now out of work

But it's not working...

George Osborne’s decision to cut too far and too fast has threatened the already fragile economic recovery.

Ten wasted months in office and this Government still has no plan for growth.

We need a plan that puts jobs and growth first. Getting more people into work and the economy growing strongly again is the best way to get the deficit down.

Labour's 5 top election pledges...

Here are Labour's top 5 election pledges for the Scottish Parliament:

•We will guarantee apprenticeships for qualified youngsters and give people who are unemployed for six months the chance of a real job.
•We will ensure that criminals who carry a knife go to jail, and we will put the rights of victims first.
•We will halve cancer waiting times so you see a specialist and get results within two weeks, and will end the postcode lottery for care of the elderly.
•We will put literacy teachers in classrooms to focus on the basics for every pupil, and there will be no price tag on university education.
•We will freeze the council tax for two years, to help your family through tough times.

Scottish Labour - fighting for what really matters

And they are off...

So the Scottish Parliament has been dissolved ahead of the election on 5 May and the campaign proper is underway. It looks like being a close run thing again between Labour and the SNP to see who emerges as the biggest party.

Of course we also have the UK referendum on the proposed new voting system for the Westminster Parliament on the same day as the election. Mind you I don't see many people getting too excited by this in the weeks ahead.

What's the end game?

I watched some of the Parliamentary debate on Libya tonight.

While the vast majority of MPs are clearly convinced that the government was right to promote the UN resolution and participate in the military action, they don't seem as clear about what the end game is.

Mind you the government itself is a bit confused with the Defence Secretary and Downing Street sources hinting that Gaddafi could be a target for assassination, while senior military officers have stated that this would be a contravention of the UN resolution.

While regime change may not be the stated intention, I am not sure how this sits with coalition forces attacking Gaddafi's troops when they attack the 'rebels' but standing back while the 'rebels' themselves advance on areas held by Gaddafi's men.

I suspect that this story has a way to run.

New MUGA open for business...

The new £150,000 floodlit multi-use games area (MUGA) in Kilmacolm's Birkmyre Park is open for business. The MUGA can be booked for a modest charge through the Inverclyde Leisure gym in the park pavilion. It is suitable for a variety of sports, including football, tennis, basketball and netball.

The cost of the MUGA is being paid for by the Birkmyre Trust, which is administered by the Council. This new facility complements previous investment by the Council in the refurbished pavilion and play park.

The week ahead...

Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.00 All Members' Briefing by Strathclyde Police on serious and organised crime
6.30 Meeting of the Woodhall Task Group
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 All Members' Briefing by Riverside Inverclyde
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
3.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
Thursday
At work all day with no evening Council commitments
Friday
Again at work all day with no evening Council commitments
Saturday
9.30 Surgery at Kilmacolm's New Community Centre

A beautiful morning...

I was up bright and early this beautiful morning and spent two hours going around Kilmacolm delivering newsletters for my Labour colleague Stuart Clark, who is our candidate in the Renfrewshire North and West seat at May's Scottish Parliament Election.

I would have been finished in half the time if I had been able to get my 15 years old son out his bed to help me. Never mind he will be well rested for his football game this afternoon!

Similarly perplexing...

While as a humble councillor my main interest is in local politics I still retain a keen interest in national and international politics, something I developed growing up in the 70s and 80s, when there was conflict in the middle east and we were governed by a right-wing Tory government (some things don't change).

I have tended not to post too much on international politics as I often don't feel I have enough information to make an informed comment and also situations as rarely black and white.

The Iraq war is a case in point. I am still trying to work out if riding the world of a vicious dictator was the right thing to do despite the carnage that followed and the highly questionable basis on which 'we' went to war.

The current situation in Libya is similarly perplexing.

It has been interesting watching someone like Lib Dem grandee Sir Menzies Campbell, who vehemently opposed the Iraq war, make the case for intervention in Libya to bring about regime change. I am sure this has nothing to do with the fact that his party is part of the coalition government.

A few weeks ago it looked very much like Gaddafi was on his way out as the 'rebels' seized control of large parts of the country. Western powers were content at that time to stand back and let events run their course. With Gaddafi's forces having re-gained the upper hand 'we' have now secured a UN resolution that effectively gives the western powers carte blanche to destroy Gaddafi's forces, paving the way for a 'rebel' victory.

Despite the UN resolution there are those who would question the right of any country to intervene in the internal affairs of another country in this way (see the Stop the War Coalition website stopwar.org.uk).

There is also the question of how popular the uprising against Gaddafi is.

If the vast majority of the Libyan people are desperate to get rid of him how has he been able to turn his fortunes around so dramatically in the past couple of weeks?

Could it be the case that he does enjoy the support of a significant proportion of the Libyan population?

Are we dealing here with a situation where a small, ruthless elite are trying to subjugate the people of Libya or have we been observing a civil war where both sides can claim a degree of popular support?

Despite watching a lot of coverage of the conflict in Libya I don't know the answers to these questions.

Who knows how events will unfold over the coming days.

I pray for a peaceful and just resolution to this conflict.

Victory for Labour at by-election...

Below is a report from today's Paisley Daily Express. Congratulations to Labour candidate Roy Glen on his victory.

I could not help noticing how badly the Lib Dem candidate did.

Sure you don't want to change your mind Ciano?


LABOUR supporters were painting the town red this morning after winning the Paisley South by-election.

Six candidates had thrown their hats in the ring for yesterday’s by-election, triggered by the death of veteran SNP councillor Jim Mitchell.

And it was Labour man Roy Glen who polled the most votes with a majority of 717 over the SNP’s David McCartney.

Speaking after the election result was declared at 12.28am, Mr Glen, 61, said: "I am pleased that the voters of Paisley South have delivered their verdict on the policies of the SNP and Lib Dem alliance. This result sets the scene for next year’s council election."

Mr Glen, a community learning officer in Glasgow, lives in Paisley with his wife Winnie, 58. He has already served as a councillor in the town between 1999 and 2007.

Turnout was 30.4 per cent and 4,215 votes were cast. The count went to a third stage with votes being reallocated.

Roy Glen (Labour) 2121

David McCartney (SNP) 1404

Allison Cook (Conservative) 441

Gary Pearson (Independent) 198

Ross Stalker (Lib. Democrats) 139

Jim Kerr (Scot. Socialist Party) 82

"ill-natured" - me?

I see that Lib Dem Group Leader Alan Blair has described me as "ill-natured" in today's Greenock Telegraph for simply pointing out that if he had genuinely wanted the Administration's support for a car park in Cardwell Bay he should actually have spoken to us before Council budget meeting.

I am reliably informed that I have also upset former Lib Dem Provost Ciano "we should all work together" Rebecchi with my post "Will Ciano be next?".

If Ciano is denying that he has any intention of quitting the Lib Dems I am more than happy to accept his word.

Mind you this may not be the most politically astute decision he has ever made given the plummeting popularity of the Lib Dems.

Warm words are not enough...

I was pleased by the way that Monday's Ministerial visit to Clune Park went (see the excellent coverage in today's Greenock Telegraph)and the general commitment to the regeneration of the area given by the Housing Minister, Alex Neil.

That having be said, warm words are not enough. We need specific commitments from the Government to change legislation and provide funding to allow us to address the issues in Clune Park.

With an election only weeks away we will be looking to the new Housing Minister - whoever he or she is and whatever party they represent - to deliver on the general commitment given by Mr Neil.

A matter of priorities...

I see that Lib Dem Group Leader Alan Blair is blaming the Labour-led coalition for state of our roads, telling us that the coalition voted against Lib Dem plans to spend extra money on roads in the last 3 budget meetings.

What Alan conveniently forgets to mention is that in advance of each of these meetings he refused an offer of discussions with the Administration, preferring instead to wait to the day of the meetings to reveal his proposals, full in the knowledge that they would be voted down in favour of the Administration's own proposals.

There is no doubting that our roads are in a very poor state - not helped by the extreme weather in the past two Winters - and require huge investment to bring them up to standard.

They of course did not get into this state in the last 4 years. The underinvestment goes back a long number of years, including the 4 years that Alan was Leader of the Council. I don't remember the Lib Dems spending tens of millions of pounds on our roads, which is what it would take, when they were in power between 2003 and 2007.

Back in opposition Alan sees an opportunity have a go at the Administration.

The reality is that there will never be enough money to do everything we want. As politicians we have to decide what our priorities are.

Alan would like better roads to drive his 'Jag' along while I would like better schools for my kids to attend.

I make no apologies for making investment in new and improved schools a higher priority than investment in roads.

That having been said, at a time when the Lib Dem-Tory Coalition in Westminster is cutting public spending, with a knock on reduction in the funding the Council receives from the Scottish Government, we have maintained our planned level of investment in roads and lighting - £5.7m over the next 3 years.

The Lib Dems did propose spending an additional £1.4m from the Council's reserves on roads and lighting in the coming financial year, 2011/12. The Administration decided instead to spend this money on the regeneration of Port Glasgow Town Centre and the renewal of the Clune Park area.

Again a matter of priorities.

Will Ciano be next?

I have heard rumours in the Municipal Buildings that ex Provost Ciano Rebecchi might be set to follow in the footsteps of his former colleague George White by quitting the Lib Dems.

Ciano is said to be increasingly frustrated by the leadership of Lib Dem Group Leader Alan Blair.

Mind you it could be that Ciano has one eye on next year's Council elections. Having struggled to get elected as a Lib Dem in 2007 Ciano might think that he would have a better chance as a independent next time around, given that the Lib Dems' national popularity has plummeted since they went into coalition with the Tories.

I suspect that if he is thinking of quitting Ciano will wait until he sees how Ross Finnie gets on at May's Scottish Parliament election before making his mind up.

The week ahead...

Council duties taking second place to parental responsibilities in the early part of the week with my wife away to an outdoor adventure centre for 3 days with her primary 6 pupils:

Monday
7.00 Start work in Glasgow
9.15 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow
10.00 Meeting with the Housing Minister, Alex Neil, at Clune Park
12.00 Return to work in Glasgow
2.15 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm
3.00 Picking my son Dylan up at school
4.00 Picking my daughter Phoebe up at school after athletics
5.00 Picking my son Ronan up at school after badminton
No Council commitments in the evening, thank goodness. Got to make the tea, get the homework done and everything ready for the morning!
Tuesday
Starting work at 9.30 this morning as I have to get the kids out to school.
12.30 Leave work to travel to Greenock
1.30 Attending a presentation by education consultant Keir Bloomer on his views on the future of Scottish Education - promises to be an interesting debate
4.00 Meeting of Education & Lifelong Learning Committee
5.30 Picking the younger kids up from my wife's cousin's house
My evening will be taken up with dropping off and picking up at football training, Brownies and Youth Club and more homework!
Wednesday
9.30 Another late start at work so I can drop the kids off
2.15 Leave work to travel to Kilmacolm to pick the kids up from school - my wife should be home for 4.00
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly of the Labour Group
No Council commitments in the evening - I think I'll need a rest!
Thursday
A full day at work. In the evening I will be attending the Slaemuir TARA meeting at 7.00 in St Francis Primary School.
Friday
Another full day at work with no evening commitments

Ministerial Visit to Clune Park...

The Housing Minister Alex Neil is visiting Clune Park on Monday morning. He will have a short meeting with the Clune Park Task Group, which I chair, and then go on a tour of the estate. It looks like we might be joined by some members of the Scottish Parliament's Local Government Committee.

The Housing Minister has also agreed to meet a delegation of tenants from Woodhall who are concerned that recent changes in housing association funding has put phase 2 of the Woodhall new build project at risk. River Clyde Homes will be represented at the meeting as well.

Monday promises to be an interesting day.

Well done Simon...

It is good to hear again from Simon Hutton (“Support for car park plan”, Telegraph 9 March).

There was me thinking that young Simon had gone to ground after his disappointing result at last year’s General Election and his Party forming a coalition with a right wing Tory Party. I now find that Simon has been elevated to the prestigious position of Chair of Inverclyde Liberal Democrats.

Simon is perfectly correct when he points out that I and the majority of the Council voted against the Lib Dems’ proposal to spend £250,000 creating a car park at the former Adams Boat Yard in Gourock, although I am informed that there may actually be some dubiety over what boat yard the Lib Dems are referring to.

I also plead guilty to voting against the Lib Dems’ proposals to cut the posts of 10 classroom assistants; to increase burial and cremation charges by 20%; and to cut £440,000 more from the Social Work budget than the Administration. No wonder former Lib Dem Councillor George White could not bring himself to support the Lib Dem budget.

Mind you the Lib Dems voted against some of our proposals as well.

They voted against our proposal to allocate an additional £300,000 for the redevelopment of central Gourock, bringing our total funding commitment to £2.2m.

They voted against our proposals to spend £1m on the regeneration of Port Glasgow Town Centre and £500,000 on the renewal of the Clune Park area.

They voted against our proposal to spend another £300,000 on play areas.

The Lib Dem proposal for a car park at Cardwell Bay was of course nothing more than a political stunt.

If they had been serious about this proposal they would have approached the Administration in advance of the meeting to seek our support. Instead, as they have done every year of this Council, they refused to speak to us, knowing that without our backing the proposal would be voted down.

And what have they gained from this charade?

A chance for young Simon to get his name in the Telegraph again!

Well done Simon. Alan Blair must be very proud of you.

The week ahead...

Monday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.00 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow
1.30 Taking part in a tenant-led inspection of the Oronsay estate with River Clyde Homes and Park Farm TARA
6.00 Surgery at St Francis Primary School
7.00 St Francis Primary School Parent Council
Tuesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow
2.00 Tour of Clune Park estate
3.00 Meeting of the Safe, Sustainable Communities Committee in Clune Park Resource Centre
7.30 Kilmacolm Civic Trust Annual General Meeting
Wednesday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
1.30 Leave work to travel to Port Glasgow for a personal appointment then pick my kids up from school
4.30 Weekly meeting of the Administration Group
5.30 Weekly meeting of the Labour Group
Thursday
7.30 Start work in Glasgow
2.00 Leave work to travel to Greenock
3.00 Meeting of the Regeneration Committee
7.00 Meeting of Kilmacolm New Community Centre Company Board
Friday
At work all day

The power of the press...

Having read last night's post about the Housing Minister not coming to Clune Park after all a journalist from our local newspaper The Greenock Telegraph contacted his office this morning. Low and behold the Minister is now available to come to Clune Park within the next 2 weeks and will call me directly to agree a suitable date.

We should never underestimate the power of the press!

You couldn't make this up...

Earlier this week I received a letter from the Scottish Government's Housing Minister, Alex Neil MSP, finally agreeing - after nearly a year of me asking - to visit the Clune Park area of Port Glasgow to see at first hand the challenges faced by the Council and local residents. Delighted by this news, and conscious of the impending Scottish election, I immediately asked officers to contact the Minister's Diary Secretary - as requested - to agree a date for the visit.

You can imagine my shock - and I have to say disgust - when I was advised by the officer who contacted the Minister's office that Mr Neil would be unable to visit Clune Park before Parliament is dissolved for the election. The Diary Secretary suggested that we contact Mr Neil again after the election of 5 May, assuming he is still a Minister!

You couldn't make this up.

While I am extremely annoyed by the way the Council has been treated by the Minister, this pales into insignificance when compared to how the people of Clune Park have been treated. To raise their hopes and then dash them in a matter of days is an absolute disgrace.

I am bloody sure that if Clune Park was in a marginal constituency the Minister would have found a space in his busy diary to visit within the next couple of weeks.

I sincerely hope that Mr Neil is not the Housing Minister after 5 May if this is the way he treats people.