A Week is a Long Time in Politics

Friends and colleagues may have noticed that there is another Lord Provost sporting the chain of office! Yes I have stood down as LP. After much soul searching I decided not to seek another term. To say it has been a busy five years would be an understatement..When it came to it however I was surprised to find I wanted to move on to new challenges and develop a closer relationship with my constituents. Being the only Labour Councillor for Sighthill Gorgie (where before there was two) I made a promise to those who selected me that if this was the case I would do the work of two in the area. Being LP again would have made this more difficult.
The other reason is that there is very little that I set out to achieve that I have not done in the five years. It has been a great privilege and honour to represent the City at home and abroad for five years and I have poured every ounce of energy I could muster into it. With a rough estimate of over 3630 official engagements and events it has at times been seven days with never more than a few days till your next major speech. Add to this my determination to do things in addition to what is required and it has been a full and demanding five years. I have enjoyed every minute of it however and look back with some satisfaction. Indeed there is very little of what I wanted to do that I have not done.
From Looney Dooks to London Marathons (3); from raising over £300,00 for the One City Trust to over forty defibrillators through St John and the City; from Community Garden Parties for unsung heroes of the City to taking the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to New Zealand and Australia.  The Queen became the longest reigning Monarch and I was the first person to speak to her that morning. We had referendums on the UK and Europe. It has been a busy time in Scotland's Capital City but throughout I have tried to promote and develop our sense of belonging and community, one city, our city and we are all in it together.