There I was yesterday, hurling along the reasonably quiet road to Perth, when the car radio emitted the news of Stephen Purcell's immediate resignation from his post as Labour leader of Glasgow Council, the largest council in Scotland. It is understood he will remain a councillor.
'Exhaustion' was the reason given with the pressures of the Commonwealth Games and the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport fiasco cited as likely causes. The news item then broadcast a decidedly tepid few sentences from Iain Gray and a glowing tribute from Alex Salmond who praised Mr Purcell's professionalism - in particular his contribution towards bringing the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Glasgow.
For many years I supported a couple of mental health charities and certainly hoped that, in this 'enlightened' age, the stigma of mental illness would have evaporated but sadly that is not so.
If Mr Purcell is suffering from exhaustion then he deserves privacy to recover in his own time. However, he hasn't helped his situation by cloaking his departure in intrigue, with the heavy hand of his personal lawyers taking control and the employment of the PR company Media House, even though Glasgow Council has an effective PR department.
The blogosphere has some interesting comment and those which have caught my eye are Anna Raccoon, Go Lassie Go (who has other links), The Universality of Cheese and Munguin's Republic. Angus Macleod pays his tribute to Mr Purcell, noting that there are few, if any, in Scottish politics who are giving any credence to the notion that this is just s temporary blip in Purcell's career and that he could soon be back. He is of the opinion it is simply not going to happen.
Not only will his departure as leader of Glasgow Council be a loss to Glasgow but it is a devasting blow to Labour just weeks from a general election.
I wish him well.
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11 comments:
Congrats SR on making the 'rolling' blog posts on Politics Home!
Well deserved!
If it is drugs or alcohol, as the latest BBC article suggests, covertly, then the prudish tendency of Glasgow Labour may push him on to the national stage quite quickly (where that sort of thing seems to be more tolerated :( )
Goodness me WFW, I had no idea. Thanks for letting me know.
Oh SE, you are awful, but I like you. :) He has a very hectic social life I understand as well as a demanding job.
Purcell had some good points.
Well he had ability and he didn't always conform to the partei line.
But all that was negated by his advocacy of stand along companies taking over public assets that should remain within the remit and control of the public sector. by that I mean council departments, their property and assets.GHA springs to mind, merely a tool to assist in public asset stripping. Glasgow City council are not renown for their transparancy or accountability and resorting to the privateer sector and commercial confidentiality certainly does not inprove on that situation of secrecy behind closed doors. The largest local authority in Scotland also seem to think that Weegie's public assets belong to them and not to Weegies.
and it is the Council's right to see fit what is to be done with them, be that disposal as surplus to requirements or whatever without undue 'interference' from the 'rightful' owners of public amenities, services and assets.
I far as I'm concerned ,the bank of resources and assets garnered by many years of investment, thrift and by gift donations, collectively or by public spirited individuals. Even those assets obtained by public subscription over generations have been plundered and decimated by narrow minds for vey short time gain, with no thought for the future best interests of those whom they allegedly serve.
I would agree re GHA wisnaeme. So many £millions down the drain when housing could have been built/modernised.
Many councils lack transparency. Just a few years ago Dundee council sold off, to a developer, the old Dundee Royal Infirmary for £760,000 - a paltry sum.
This hospital was built by the public subscription of the good folks of Dundee and yet councillors feel they can sell it off for more or less peanuts. Some of the houses nearby were worth the same.
It would seem any involvement with Labour creates a whole new meaning to 'Government Health Warnings.'
I like that RA. :)
Guido has a whole load of innuendo up ...
Thank you SE.
The weegies are leaking like the proverbial sieve now: BBC.
Bit early for a liquid lunch with a 'friendly' journo, though ...
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