Scottish Labour, bast*rds the lot of them

[weepiper]

 

[geminisnake]

 

[weepiper]

Gordon Matheson wants to blow up the Red Road flats live on television as part of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

I mean, what the fuck? They're going to forcibly evacuate 800+ residents who live nearby, but it's ok because theyr'e going to be

invited to join in the Commonwealth Games opening celebrations, either by soaking up the atmosphere at the fantastic Commonwealth Games Live Event within Glasgow Green or by attending local welfare facilities that will be open to them throughout the evacuation period.

(from the frankly embarrassing press release)

'invited' to go and stand in a park or sit in a community centre
How can they do something like this with absolutely no consultation of the people who fucking LIVED there? These were people's homes. The whole idea is just crass and tasteless. This only happened there a few years ago.

 

[danny la rouge]

It's weird, insensitive and incongruous. Like Scottish Labour itself.

 

[danny la rouge]

As it happens, I was speaking to someone last night who grew up there. She said she agreed the flats needed to go, but that she has many happy memories of her early life there. For her, this should be a solemn occasion, with mixed emotions. Not a replacement for a fireworks display.

 

[DotCommunist]

spokesbod on the radio said its about celebrating and embracing regeneration.

 

[weepiper]

spokesbod on the radio said its about celebrating and embracing regeneration.

It's a big fuck you to the working class is what it is.

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/04/03/red-road/

 

[danny la rouge]

It's a big fuck you to the working class is what it is.

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/04/03/red-road/

Well summed up. I'll read Bella Caledonia presently.

 

[DotCommunist]

It was only three weeks ago that we asked whether the east end of Glasgow is the “new west end“, and ten months since we asked whether the Commonwealth Games are ruining Glasgow. What’s happening in this part of the city is a textbook case of “urban regeneration”. It’s a multifaceted strategy but one which clearly has the 2014 Games as the thread binding much of it together. Buildings are being torn down across the area and others are appearing in their place, all moves towards gentrification, pushing rents up and social cleansing. This agenda is usually cloaked in language about “embracing the future” and “improving our communities”, but the real face of it slips through with alarming regularity (just two weeks ago they banned a meeting to discuss the housing crisis in the east end). And demolishing landmark council flats in a grand circus act for the middle classes – with tickets for the opening ceremony starting at £40.00 each – could not be any more blatant. It’s little more than an act of triumphalism by the council, a shove it in your face victory for the yuppification of the east end to be broadcast to 1.5 billion people around the world (or so they claim)

 

[danny la rouge]

It's a big fuck you to the working class is what it is.

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/04/03/red-road/

Good article.

 

[Anonymous1]

The demolition is no longer to be a part of the opening ceremony "due to safety concerns".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-27009806

 

[geminisnake]

So has anyone else had their leaflet of LIES from the Labour Party? Mine arrived a few hours ago and I'm f*cking raging!!
Apparently they opposed the bedroom tax, voted against it and will abolish it should they gain power! The register of who votes for what suggests otherwise.
Every page has TOGETHER on it. CNUTS!!!
danny la rouge do you know who I can complain most strongly to? I really want to print out a shit load of leaflets with the FACTS on it and put them through doors myself

 

[gosub]

What is the EUropean dimension to bedroom tax?

 

[geminisnake]

I don't know. It's supposed to be a EU election leaflet, the EU/Europe is mentioned only on the back page. 1 page out of 8

 

[danny la rouge]

So has anyone else had their leaflet of LIES from the Labour Party? Mine arrived a few hours ago and I'm f*cking raging!!
Apparently they opposed the bedroom tax, voted against it and will abolish it should they gain power! The register of who votes for what suggests otherwise.
Every page has TOGETHER on it. CNUTS!!!
danny la rouge do you know who I can complain most strongly to? I really want to print out a shit load of leaflets with the FACTS on it and put them through doors myself

Your complaint should be registered with the Electoral Commission. But I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm not sure "political party tells lies on leaflet" would stir them into action.

Pope shits in woods.

 

[geminisnake]

This made me laugh

http://www.snp-falkirk.org/new/2014/05/12/labour-take-fright-at-the-sight-of-snp-bedding-plant-sale/

 

[Quartz]

Hahaha!

But maybe the SNP have been cultivating triffids?

 

[weepiper]

Anas Sarwar spoke at the Glasgow Palestine solidarity demo today and the crowd were having none of him- heckled and booed throughout and had to cut his speech short as he was being drowned out by most of the crowd shouting 'off-off-off'. He tried to save it by starting a 'Free, free Palestine!' chant but no-one joined in.

 

[Quartz]

That's a shame. He may be a hypocrite but he has the right to speak.

 

[geminisnake]

And the people have the right to boo him off

 

[danny la rouge]

That's a shame. He may be a hypocrite but he has the right to speak.

He did speak. Not only that, what he said was reported by the BBC.

In fact, his speech was the only one reported by the BBC. Who also neglected to mention the booing.

BBC. Deciding what to tell you since 1922.

 

[danny la rouge]

Jim Murphy has been given £10 k by Portillo leadership backer, Alan M Sharr.

 

[weepiper]

Jim Murphy has been given £10 k by Portillo leadership backer, Alan M Sharr.

He's also been out-liked on facebook by a 16 year old laddie who works in a cafe

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/f...r-outpolls-murphy-for-scottish-labour-leader/

 

[Celyn]

Haha! Gaun yersel, Kyle!

 

[Celyn]

Jim Murphy has been given £10 k by Portillo leadership backer, Alan M Sharr.

Just out of the goodness of his heart, no doubt.

 

[danny la rouge]

McCluskey: Jim Murphy a death sentence for Labour

THE election of former Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy as Labour leader would be a “political death sentence” for the party, one of the UK’s most powerful union leaders has warned.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey attacked the East Renfrewshire MP, branding him a “Blairite” and the “candidate of division” in an article for the LabourList website.

Unite has already announced its support for the left wing candidate Neil Findlay in the race to replace Johann Lamont, who quit the Labour leadership last month.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politi...-murphy-a-death-sentence-for-labour-1-3604463

 

[geminisnake]

Cough, www.donotlink.com cough

 

[Celyn]

"Sunday Herald" says Gordon Matheson has been using public money to pay for him and aides to attend Labour Party conferences.

I'm really shocked to hear of sneaky financial jiggery-pokery by Labour in Glasgow City Council. SHOCKED, I tell you!

http://www.heraldscotland.com/polit...l-to-send-aides-to-labour-conference.26133563

Sunday 21 December 2014

THE leader of cash-strapped Glasgow City Council is facing criticism after spending thousands of pounds of public money to have his closest aides accompany him to Labour Party conferences.

Gordon Matheson is under fire after almost £4000 was spent on hotels, flights, train tickets, cab fares and restaurants for his adviser Paul Kilby and principal policy officer, Dominic Dowling.

The cash, which was spent attending four conferences, was hinted at in an obscure public record but only fully disclosed after freedom of information requests by the Sunday Herald.

Taxpayers forked out £2250 to send Kilby to Scottish Labour gatherings in Inverness and Perth in April 2013 and March 2014 respectively, as well as UK Labour conferences in Brighton and Manchester in September 2013 and September 2014.

In addition, almost £1500 was used to send Dowling to the same two conferences in Scotland and the UK Labour conference in Brighton.

The public purse covered delegate fees for both men, dining out at the conference, rail travel and flights for the Brighton 2013 conference.

The biggest expenditure was on hotel bills, which cost a total of £2125, of which £894 went on putting the two men up at Brighton's Regency-period Topps Hotel for three nights.

Although Matheson went to all four conferences, the council insisted it "did not incur any costs" in relation to his attendances.

In October, Matheson warned the council faced more cuts to bridge a £28.9 million budget gap next year.

He blamed the Scottish Government for "subjecting the people of Glasgow to year after year of disproportionate cuts" while boasting of the council's "clear political leadership and sound financial planning".

Both Kilby and Dowling have longstanding connections to the Labour Party.

Kilby, an adviser to Matheson since May 2012, was previously a researcher to ex-Labour MSP Cathy Jamieson from 2000 to 2008.

Dowling was Labour's main organiser in Glasgow for the 2012 council elections. During the campaign, the Sunday Herald revealed he had previously admitted Labour was bland and uninspiring, had put in an "abysmal" performance at the 2011 Holyrood election, and was seen as "a party principally of English interests".

In contrast, Dowling described Alex Salmond as a "politician of genuine calibre".

However, after Labour defied expectations and held on to all but one of its councillors in Glasgow, Dowling was made policy officer to the city Labour group, then promoted to Matheson's office.

The use of public money to send Kilby and Dowling to Labour conferences was despite previous anger over public cash and Labour events in Glasgow.

In 2010, chief executive George Black banned council spinoff companies from spending on political events, after the Sunday Herald revealed one firm, City Building, donated £2000 to Labour by hosting a table at a fundraising dinner and spent more than £50,000 on exhibition space at Labour conferences.

At the time, City Building's managing director was the husband of a Glasgow Labour councillor, its chairman was a Glasgow Labour councillor, and its "business development director" was Lesley Quinn, the former general secretary of Scottish Labour.

David Meikle, the sole Tory councillor in Glasgow, said: "It is concerning that taxpayers' money has been used to pay for council employees to attend Labour conferences."

The council last night defended the spending, and said an officer had once had his delegate fee paid for an SNP conference - although he claimed no other expenses.

A spokesman said: "The council employs a number of people to support the administration and the main opposition party in the council.

"Over the years, both parties have requested that these employees are permitted to attend their respective party conferences.

"The chief executive granted those requests as he believed there was a benefit to the council in those employees attending those conferences."

 

[weepiper]

This seems a good enough place to stick this:

Labour MP breaks ranks over Trident

He's my MP. He's only saying this now because he knows he's got a snowball's chance in hell of getting back in. He didn't turn up for the vote against renewing Trident, btw.

 

[Sue]

Used to live in Edinburgh South back in the day. Was a freshfaced Nigel Griffiths then.