Glasgow must be an unbelievably stressful place to live and work. Then again, their politicians are not as tough as their popular image.
Steven Purcell, the leader – or rather, ex-leader, of Glasgow City Council- so ‘alarmed’ members of his family when they visited him at the week-end, that they persuaded him to resign from his job on Monday, citing ‘stress‘. What was the sight that greeted their eyes?
Before announcing his resignation, Mr Purcell, described as a ‘rising star’ of Scottish politics, took care to hire a team of high powered lawyers, and a crisis management PR firm, to handle his resignation for ‘health reasons’.
Health reasons? It is a catch-all, closely followed by ‘to spend more time with my family’. The last person to bail out of Glasgow politics on ‘health grounds’ was David Marshall MP. An event which was closely followed by the revelations of his tangled financial affairs.
Purcell has already survived extremely stressful situations publicly, when his marriage to Katrina Murray collapsed in 2006 following his realisation that he was gay – and did so without high powered lawyers or PR crisis management firms.
The mind boggles at what could be behind this latest drama. Twitter rumours speak of an embargo on the main stream media.
To be sure the blogosphere will oblige.
Anna is the landlady of the Raccoon Arms. She lives in the Monbazillac area of South West France and still takes a keen interest in British politics.
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What’s he really done.
Has he been looking for badgers?
Am I to understand that he only found out he was gay after he was married? Late developer? More like a mariage of convenience on his part!
Oh dear, how sad, never mind – I’m sure that the Weegies will survive, somehow.
What is it with modern politicians and their necks that are too feeble to hold their heads up straight when being interviewed. You’re not all Princess Diana!
Perhaps he is coming out as hetro. Or the family walked in to see him wearing an England shirt…
If he’s hired lawyers and PR people before resigning let’s hope taxpayers aren’t footing those bills.
My money is on the unfolding scandal at the SPT which is the Strathclyde Partneship for Transport and is the severely truncated offspring of the late SPTExecutive which was kneecapped because, well because it somehow was not working.
Its job was to dole out public subsidy to private contractors serving the Strathclyde area.
Although the board consists of different political hues it is the private fiefdom of Labour (West of Scotland ya bastard subsection).
They seemingly have been mispending (allegedly) the taxpayers money and jaunting around the World and clocking up big private car miles checking out Shanghai Maglev trains and Manchester transport infrastucture, coincidentally just before, during and after Glasgow Rangers European Cup Final match.
Both the Chief Executive and his Deputy have just resigned because of ill health , both West of Scotland Labour Mafia, and have been replaced with more of the same.
Alex Salmond the Scottish FM said in the Holyrood Parliamentary chamber that the SPT needs to sort themselves out before he has to. I paraphrase because the Herald website is down or at least their lead story on Purcell is down. Thick as thieves they are in West Central Scotland.
Now the man who runs it all has also resigned on the grounds of ill health.
Must be something in the water.
Incidentally this story was bubbling around the Scottish Blogosphere before the “Scottish Useless Press are Us” got belatedly on the story.
Something still to “come out” methinks but I am not betting on The Herald or Pravda Brown Broadcasting Corp doing it.
Just watch the Scottish blogs. There lies the way forward
Thank-you bugger, I was hoping for an orange stuffed in the mouth and black silk stockings…..but a financial scandal will do I suppose!
Anna, I’m more than happy to oblige. Your place or mine?
Er, make it a Satsuma if it’s you – I’ve heard tales…….
Thaddeus,
Ever since your comment we’ve been hit by a rash of viagra spam….just saying like.
West of Scotland NuLab members going to Rangers games – shurely shome mishtake?
Did Purcell and Alex Salmond put aside any differences for their visit to Sri Lanka last year to see Glasgow get the Commonwealth Games or were they chummy beforehand and have since fallen out?
I thought SPT sounded familiar. There was this post from Subrosa last month: Corruption within the Labour Ranks
Sorry to digress from the Purcell story but as far as you SPT hypothesis heres a couple of things regarding the SPT story that you wont find out elsewhere When RC, who along with various others has since resigned coz the shit hit the fan, took over the reigns of the SPT he took with him a whole entourage of cronies, all arselickers who done little but happily lorded over the workers ( most of whom know and have been doing their jobs for years ) telling them how to do their jobs
There is a lot more to come out in this one, wait for the fireworks…..
I understand a top woman labour councillor’s husband who is an MSP is a very good friend of ‘stressed out steven’.
I can’t say too much on this at the moment. Why do you think he has surrounded himself with a legal team?
The papers where about to run a story which will rock the Labour party to the core, and there are people moving heaven and earth to stop it.
Watch this space…
“Thaddeus,
Ever since your comment we
Aye I’m sure there’s a lot more to come out on this one. SPT is perhaps the straw which broke the camel’s back. Labour are playing it very cool. Iain Gray’s comment on radio was visibly lacking in praise for Purcell and Alex Salmond sounded excessive in his compliments by comparison.
Think I’ll hold off for a wee while before I post on it, but it won’t be a Scottish paper which finally cracks the facts.
Over at Rab;s Rant he thinks that Stephen Purcell as been drinking too muck Coca Cola.
http://joanmcalpine.typepad.com/joan_mcalpine/2010/03/the-blogosphere-is-bristling-with-rumours-as-to-reasons-for-stephen-purcells-resignationtory-bearis-very-unsympathetic-to-ru.html
the missing link
Well you know what they say about cocaine being the drug of choice of people with too much money/people who are paid too much.
Maybe we are paying our Councilors far too much, just as we are our MPs
Obviously these are just random statements and I’m in no way whatsoever referring to Mr Purcell “condition” ( …Hmmm! )
Sorry to depart from the Steven Purcell chat but I felt I had to respond to the SPT “mole” rant on the misuse of public money with regard
to SPT’s poet in residence. Firstly I work in the private sector and do not have the insight into SPT, which the mole claims to have. But like most people, I do pay taxes and have issues with how that money is being spent. However, I cannot see how a poet at SPT, who’s remit includes engaging Glasgow’s school children to become more involved in literature can be viewed in a negative way. Sadly many children leave school with literacy levels that are way below the expected standard, which inevitably leads to them being left in the margins of society. Should an initiative that tries to address this be discouraged? My nephew’s class at Bellahouston Academy, (where the catchment area is one of the most deprived in Europe), had such a positive experience when they entered the poetry competition organized by the SPT poet.
One of our most famous exports is Rabbie Burns – I loved the subway’s homecoming tribute to the bard – a pop art Burn’s carriage. A subway journey is an opportunity to engage with many people across the strata of society and crucially tourists. It is the perfect platform to showcase Scottish talent and we should be maximising that for the benefit of our tourist industry.
Is it so bad that a drab subway journey is brightened with a humorous poem? Should it not be applauded that a poet is exposing children to literature, by using a journey on the subway as a starting point?
I’m sure the mole and perhaps others feel that it shouldn’t be down to a transport body to address literacy in our society. But thankfully some people have the ability to see the bigger picture. Well done SPT.
Well, it could be worse – at least it’s not Simon Armitage.
http://www.spt.co.uk/culture/poetry/
“Rabbi Burns”
Ha! Sorry I meant Rabbie Burns
Ooops!
What exactly is a
“As I
http://www.theglaswegian.co.uk/glasgow-news/school-news/2010/02/18/garnetbank-primary-pupils-go-underground-with-spt-bard-john-rice-102692-22052721/
Hmmm!
Yes I hate poets!
I really hate poets!
Their alliteration, assonance, measure and rhyme!
They choose their words, however absurd
There
Gill?
You aint the particular SPT poet in question trying to justify yourself are you?
As for my previous statement
“What exactly is a
No I’m not the poet in residence. I just feel that it shouldn’t be a choice between a modernised subway system and a poet in residence. We’d all be behind a modernised subway system, but I’d like my own journey and that of visitors to be the most positive experience that it can be. If that involves a bit of poetry, some art installations and the occassional subway festival, then I’m happy to pay my taxes . I just don’t want to live in a grey drab world.
“But if I go into an ice cream parlour and give the guy behind the counter my money I expect a bloody good ice cream! I
English Viking, that is terribly brilliant.
whit on earth is the pope going to think of us.he might cancel his forthcoming visit to the city.i was so looking forward to the headlines.”anti gay pope refuses to allow gay council leader to kiss his ring”.
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