Wed. Nov. 19 Th. 08 on this blog carries a spoof song based on the “Twelve Days of Christmas” OK I’m not Irving Berlin and I wrote it in about 5 minutes but, it has just proved how devious and dishonest some people who support the closure of South Primary are, they are on a downward spiral and they are looking more and more desperate. All the references in the song are anti closure, anti the SNP led council and supportive of the parent’s campaign.
I have now been accused by some of questioning the integrity of council officers by writing this song so, for the avoidance of doubt and to shoot this particular Fox from SNP supporters, I will put the record straight. None of the references in the song are directed at officers, they are directed at the SNP led administration and are based on conversations I have had with the parents and campaigners for the school, I have been a councillor for nearly 10 years and my relationships with officers has never been anything but harmonious. We have disagreed many times but strictly on a professional basis and that remains the case i.e. I disagree with the education dept’s apparent intention to close South Primary but I do not question their integrity. This in fact contrasts with the behaviour of the SNP who over the years have treated council officers appallingly and accused them of all kinds of dishonest goings on culminating with the outrageous smear by Cllr. Nicolson against council officers whom he accused of nepotism and bias toward Labour when appointing people to jobs, this got him a ban of one year by the Standards Commission, a body that I am familiar with to my cost but, for different reasons.
I have written many articles about South Primary and contained within these articles are several references to council officers, some critical but based on our honest disagreements, a search of the articles will also find several references to the Director of Education Mr. John Rooney, a man whom I trust and unhesitatingly describe as a man of honesty and integrity and Mr. Naylor of the education dept. whom I praised for his candour at meetings, this suggests I think that accusations of dishonesty by officers by me would be at best contradictory and at worse plain stupid. The tactics being used by the SNP supporters clearly smack of collusion and smears, this as I have pointed out before is no surprise to anyone who knows them but, I doubt if they are fooling anyone.
The Battle for South Primary goes on, can we win? Yes we can!
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13 comments:
Terry,
I am a first timer on your site, I picked up my elderly mother tonight, as she had been at a pantomime in Glasgow with the Thursday Club.
She was very tickled when I picked her up tonight due to the fact that Glenburn's former SNP councillors had also attended and she told me that most folk in Glenburn still have lots of time for them.
That got me thinking so I asked my mother who or how many councillors attend these meetings now, although she is in her eights, she is still as sharp as a knife, she told me that cllr's Green, McMillan from Labour had attended, Mr Adams from the SNP was a regular attendee, Cllr Cameron attended when she had nothing better to do and just spoke down to the pensioners, as if she was a towering intellect, I remember when she washed dishes in the Gleniffer hotel and was the quiz hostest in St Peter's men’s club.
To my amazement she told me that cllr Jim Michael sent his scarf to one and only one of their meetings, what utter contempt, if Mr Michael can't speak, how can he be a councillor and collect £20 thousand pounds per year, this I find not very funny and I don't think it went down well with the pensioners.
I work in the business community in Paisley and was at a meeting earlier this year when cllr McKay was the invited speaker, this pompous little boy turned up, must have just left high school and began to expand on all the positive things his and I mean "his "council was doing for Paisley and Renfrewshire.
St Mirren Brae, opened up to traffic, pointless, has created more congestion, has not helped the town in any shape or form, the Christmas lights, what a let down, ever since I can remember the lights were always a feature around the Abbey, next to the town hall, generations of Paisley's kids visited these lights, my own mother and father took my brother and I and that was not yesterday, what has happened to the lights over the river cart, these have not been switched on, is this due to the fact that they are too busy paying cllr Michael and the officials high salaries. God only knows what this bunch of amateurs will do next, Cllr Kelly I have to be honest and say that I am not pro Labour but let me tell you one thing, I just might be come the next elections, this town in terminal decline, Argos is moving to Linwood and the shops are closing faster than Jim Michael claiming his expenses.
Terry, if you have any sway within Labour in this town, it is time for your party to take their clothes off, please, this town needs you!
Tom McCabe.
Paisley.
So who are 11 chiefs a cheating?
(Anonymous) 03/12/08
I assume you meant “take your gloves off” I get the impression that Cllr. Cameron has some pretty serious enemies out there judging by the comments that are sent to me, some of them have to be binned. I suppose she is doing her best but she is just not up to being a convener of education, that has become blatantly obvious, but the ones who put her there are to blame.
Jim Mitchell (I assume you mean him) has been a disgrace as a councillor for years, he has no political sense or loyalties at all and if England and the English didn’t exist he would have no involvement in politics, his is the politics of grievance, nothing else.
As for Cllrs. Past jobs or their expenses, none of it interests me it’s their inexperience and incompetence which bothers me, added to their arrogance it makes them a sorry bunch, unfortunately the people of Renfrewshire are paying the price for them.
So who are 11 chiefs a cheating? (Anonymous) 13:12
When the great American songwriter Don McLean was asked what he meant by some of the imagery in the brilliant rock anthem ‘American Pie’ “bad news on the doorstep, the devil on the sidelines in a cast, Satan dancing with delight, we sang dirges in the dark” etc. etc. he thought for a while and then said “it means I never have to work again”
We artists don’t feel the need to explain ourselves to someone who doesn’t even give his/her name. If we explained the meaning of every line the magic would be lost. There is however a particular meaning to every line what I wrote, honestly.
I have to agree with the comment relating to Cllr Cameron and her role as Education Convener. I find it frankly terrifying that someone with little educational background of their own, much less any experience of working within the education system, is given such a position which carries with it a casting vote on all issues voted on by the Education Policy Board. I suspect her arrogance is a thinly veiled attenpt at hiding her own awareness of just how ill-equipped she is for this role.
(Anonymous) 14:33
I have no idea of Cllr. Cameron’s educational background but I have watched her over the past 18 months and she is indeed well out of her depth. She has gained a reputation for arrogance and aggression which could in fact be her trying to cover up her glaring inadequacies.
I know that the parents of South School are appalled by her attitude and I get the impression that John Rooney the director of education would rather be elsewhere when she decides to speak, but she’s not my problem thank goodness.
Would John Rooney, Education Chief, be one of those Council Officers who got a salary increase that sent you ballistic. Or is he now one of the good guys?
(Anonymous) 08/12/08
Neither John Rooney nor any other council officer is allowed to award themselves salary increases, it’s the SNP who do that.
I have never thought of John Rooney as a ‘good guy or a bad guy’ I have always had a cordial relationship with him and he has, as I’ve said before my trust and respect, he does not decide what happens the SNP do that.
Re Rooney.
Had Labour been in power and refused his salary demand, I doubt you would have had Rooney's trust and respect.
Councillor, the SNP did not pluck figures out of the air - the greedy b*****s demanded increases of that magnitude.
(Anonymous) 18:30
“I doubt you would have had Rooney's trust and respect”
You seem a bit mixed up here, I have no idea at all whether I have the trust and respect of Mr. Rooney you would have to ask him that.
“the greedy b*****s demanded increases of that magnitude”
I don’t think that it helps to call people “greedy b******s” but there is an important point here and that is that we (Labour) would not have given them that award and, I don’t think that they would have dared approach us with the request.
They clearly see the SNP as easier to persuade, that IMO is because the SNP don’t have any values, insulting their own workers does not bother them.
Well, following the debacle known as the Full Council Meeting yesterday, my local ocuncillors (excluding Councillor Devine) have clearly nailed their colours to the mast.
A motion was raised to take the vote concerning South primary to a full council vote. The deity that is Councillor Mackay imparted his wisdom to his eager folllowers,and explained that it was best to continue with the vote at Thursday Education Policy Board meeting on Thursday, as then it would be "done and dusted and out of the way, and there would be some certainty" Sorry to have been such a burden, councillor.
A full council vote would have afforded those councillors whose wards are affected by the proposed (and certain) closure an opportunity to speak. However, this opportunity arose yesterday during the discussion and yet my local councillors chose to stay quiet. The campaign to save our school has been very high profile, and yet neith Councillor Adam, Mitchell or McGurk offered any explanation or justification as to why they openly support closure of this school. One would then have to assume that they have no justification.
Even the First Minister had something to say on the financial aspect of our argument, but clearly our Councillors know better.
It is now down to our elected "representatives" to vote. Will they follow the guidance in the report issued by the Education Department which summarises the responses to the consultation and still recommends closure (how objective), or will they see the madness in closing a young and vibrant school whilst 2 of the remaining 3 primary schools in South Paisley have had their buildings classed as "poor" by the Scottish Government, and spend £5 million per school on refurbishment?
(Anonymous) 15:59
I have just written an article about this farce at the council meeting.
The South parents were threatened with expulsion from the meeting and the remarks made by Cllr. McCartin and Cllr. Mackay made it very clear that the education meeting on Dec. 18Th. 08 at 13.00 hrs. is a
“Fait accompli”
You say 'The Battle for South Primary goes on, can we win? Yes we can! '
Looks like Oh no you cant !
Who can justify 100 kids in a school built for over 300 ? Only the Labour Party !
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