Thursday, June 26, 2008

A SHAMEFULL DAY FOR RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL.

Today was full council and the SNP/Lib. Dem. alliance sunk to new depths. The meeting lasted for 5 hrs. and it started with cringing and squirming and clear signs of panic, why ? Well we witnessed a new way of starting the council meeting as the provost, who at least had the decency to look ashamed spent ten minutes reading out a list of the administration's achievements since we last met, are they panicking or what ? A simiar previous sign of panic was an SNP paper, rushed out to tell everyone how wonderful they are because of the huge well of criticism they were subjected to over the cuts to services they were making, the public though are on to them. As the late ex Councillor Brian Oldrey once said at a meeting baffling everyone "self praise butters no parsnips" he was from London.

Next on the list of shame we saw the SNP / Lib. Dem. cabal awarding an increase of 16.7 % to the highest paid workers in the council, yes we have to print that again, 16.7 % to the already highest paid group on the council, the dept. heads and executives, this takes them through the £100,000/ yr. barrier and means a rise for some of £11,500/yr.
The council has low payed staff on approx. £10,000, that means that someone gets a rise which is bigger than another workers salary. This is being done against a backdrop of savage cuts in Education, Elderly Wardens, Nurseries, Libraries and Housing Area Offices to name some of them.
"Putting the tin lid on it" as they say is the fact that UNISON are balloting for industrial action over a pay offer of 2.5% over 3 years for the other council workers, that's 2.5% a year or for the £10,00 / yr. employee approx. £350 / yr. while our lucky executive gets a rise of £11,500, this is the caring sharing SNP/Lib. Dems. in control folks.

Shameful attempts to justify this farce were made by the administration who are clearly unable to face up to the senior officers, this is the real SNP in action, as I said in the debate "even for the SNP with their flimsy grasp and the Lib. Dems. with no grasp at all of what is right and wrong let alone what is fair and decent, this was scraping the bottom of barrel"
The administration's message to it's UNISON members is clear, we don't have any respect for you and 2.5 % a year for the next 3 years is what we think you are worth, i.e less than inflation, they call themselves Scotland's party by the way !

Last but not least was a Labour motion calling on Council Leader Derek MacKay to apologise to past and present council employees and the last administration for saying that they had inherited a 'bankrupt council' as well as writing that the council was in the 'red' when he took control.
This is the "big boay done it and ran away" defence, used by him in a most disingenuous way to deflect criticism from him and the administration, his problem for him today was that he was asked to justify his remarks and couldn't.

Council workers and elected members past and present were insulted by his accusation that they were incompetent and left a bankrupt council, needless to say he could not back up any of these insults and resorted to bluster and avoided answering the questions.
Numerous attempts were made by the Labour Group to get the opinions of staff as to whether we were ever bankrupt or showing signs of it, not one single source could be found to support what he had said.
The absolutely wretched Cllr. McCartin tried to rescue him by saying he meant a "bankruptcy of ideas" which raised the kind of guffaws that only she can raise.
Cllr. Mackay and the SNP had a bad day today and there will be more, here and in Holyrood, he showed all the inexperience of a novice by not accepting that he had blundered and only succeeded in making himself look childish.

Which Party describes itself thus ? "We are a left of centre political party" that's right it's the SNP !

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Councillors got a 100% pay rise in May 2007 from 7.5K to over 15 K. for your wee part time job.

At the same many of your ex councillors got £20,000 TAX FREE.lump sum to 'retire'.

Allan said...

Well the evidence does suggest that the SNP/Fib Dems DID inherate an administration in debt... with £8 million a year (?) dissapearing in PPP re-payments.

Still doesn't excuse their shock remedy though, which brings me to your party Terrance. What would they do, which cuts would they make?

Anonymous said...

You were very obviously at a different meeting from everyone else.

But then you obviously live on a completely different planet from everyone else.

The meeting was nothing like your description and it shows you up for the liar that you are.

Anonymous said...

Labour left a huge financial black hole and the new administration are trying to rectify this.

All will become apparent very soon.

Labour will never get back into power in Renfrewshire again when the facts are published.

Anonymous said...

Councillor, stop being parochial and think nationally - Wendy becomes the first ever party leader to be suspended, (just as Blair became the first Prime Minister to be questioned by the police) and Labour lose their deposit in Henley.

I think I've died, gone to Heaven and can hear Winston conducting the Choir Celestial! How about you?

Anonymous said...

Having seen SNP councillors in action I can only empathise

Anonymous said...

you dont half talk sh@t.

Fifth behind Green party and the BNP?

Roll on the next elections. You hideous lot are going to get slaughtered everywhere. Especially in Renfrewshire where the voters dont even know you exist anymore.

Anonymous said...

"spent ten minutes reading out a list of the administration's achievements"

Perhaps they picked the idea up from 'Hash' Brown who, every time he is asked a specific question at PMQs, comes back with, er, "a list of the administration's achievements".

Shameful, I call it!

Anonymous said...

And today, Saturday, was the day we realised how all politicians are the same and Labour too can't be trusted.

Good riddance Wendy - we knew you'd go despite all your protestations to the contrary...

Anonymous said...

Wendy seems a bit unlucky. There are plenty of politicians who should have gone first, especially a fair number of Labour MPs.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it the case Terry that the 16.7% rise was to put these positions in line with the salaries in other councils for the same posts?

Wasn't it also only just over a year ago that the Labour administration approved a 100% rise for councillors on top of all their SRA payments and the ludicrous expenses of people such as Tommy Williams.

Get into the real world Terry!

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 26/06/08

This was decided by parliament, not by councillors and I think you will find that no party opposed it and you will also find that most councillors think it is too low.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Allan) 26/06/08

You don’t seem to grasp this. Bankrupt means a person or organisation who is in a position of not being able to pay it’s debts.

No-one can be found who seriously supports MacKay’s position.

“what would we do” the council has never been bankrupt so that question is meaningless.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(James) 27/06/08

Is there an argument in there somewhere ?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 27/06/08

Blair cleared, Wendy suspended at the hands of the SNP, you seem to be left with a lost deposit in a tory stronghold. Try harder.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 27/06/08

I seem to remember the SNP in Renfrewshire continuously making the point that, despite Labour being in power they got the biggest share of the popular vote.

Now, I wonder why they don’t mention that anymore, have you any idea ?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(David Duff) 27/06/08

You digress, I wonder why. This is new to Renfrewshire Council and smacks of desperation by the SNP.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(And then they were gone...) 09:41

I think that in the due course of time the SNP and the people who conducted this witch hunt will be the ones to suffer most.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Rumbold) 12:54

I don’t know who these MP’s are but this was a partisan witch hunt by the SNP and a vicious media, her attackers have come out of this looking ugly.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 13:32
1/ no.
2/ Councillors salaries were decided by parliament.

Macnasty said...

If Wendy was suspended at the hands of the SNP, it was on the basis of evidence supplied by her own Party.

Terry Lad, you have a viper nestling in your capacious bosom.

Allan said...

Its a very simple question. With rising debts caused by PPP repayments of £8 million a year, how would a New Labour administration square the budget without resorting to Council Tax hikes that many people in Paisley CANNOT AFFORD in this current climate?

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Macnasty) 12:59
God, you are hard work, where it came from is nothing to do with the SNP’s revolting actions, read my latest blog and try to pay attention.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Allan) 13:27

Here’s me thinking we are talking about Cllr. MacKay’s stupid statement about Renfrewshire Council being bankrupt, have you given that up ?

Labour published a budget recently go and read it.

Macnasty said...

Kelly @ 4.03

Terry, say this out loud - but slowly - in a darkened room and tell me if the message sinks in - It was a Labour member's tip-off that kickstarted the 'revolting actions of the SNP.'

Without that tip-off, the only cause for revulsion would have been to see the lassie getting whupped by Salmond every week.

Face it, she was stabbed by her own side and you should be trying to nail the ratbag what done it and ran away.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Macnasty) 17:36

You really are testing my patience, you better come up with something new, I’m getting fed up with this dross over and over again, I’ve been more than fair

Anonymous said...

Terry,

If I have said it once I have said it 100 times, Del Boay McKay is all smoke U Mirrors. The Boay is incompetent. Members in Paisley South SNP are wrenching at his antics.

The Boay has never had a real job in his life and now runs the 5th Biggest Council in Scotland. I think that the Labour Group better get ready for Administration in 3 years time.

The public are not fooled by this cabal of Nats/Lib Dems.

All we have seen is cuts/ junkets/ cuts/ more junkets/ even more cuts/ more gravy/ more junkets.

Terry,

I had to laugh I read an article in the press, and couldn't stop laughing, it was a picture of pint size Brian Lawson, who is knee high to a grass hoper, being sent to Brussels to speak up for the SNP Renfrewshire. Apparently when he got the airport he was asked if he was flying with an adult!!!!!!!!God Save us in Renfrewshire.

Big bold Iain Dep Provost told Del Boay McKay “our supporters are revolting" Del Boay replied “I’ve been saying that for years".

Keep up the good work Terry, I just wish more of the Labour Group would act/think the same way as you.

Anonymous said...

I dont envy the job Cllr Mackay and his administration have in clearing up the mess left by the previous disastrous nulab regime.

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Darren Wood) 07/07/08

Tell that to the school children who have lost their traffic control ladies and those who can’t get the subjects that they need, try telling the school teachers, the UNISON workers who get offered less than inflation while senior officers get a rise of £11,500 per year, the elderly who have had their wardens removed, closed nurseries, libraries etc. etc. it was all labour’s fault, aye right !

Cllr Terry Kelly said...

(Anonymous) 03/07/08

I have no respect for the politics of Brian Lawson, Ian Nicolson or Derek Mackay or the SNP but I have no personal feelings toward any of them, that’s sometimes difficult to maintain but I try my best.

Allan said...

http://humbug3.blogspot.com/2008/07/honeymoons-end.html