Donald Wilson's blog

Libraries under threat!

2012-01-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

There is a questionnaire underway by the Council Administration (SNP/Lib.Dem) to try to cut the hours of Libraries. particularly for Sighthill Gorgie (my Ward) it is proposed to cut the hours of Fountainbridge and Sighthill. They have decided they need to make £550,000 of cuts in the library services and they are 'consulting' on options (Only one option proposed though and whats more you receive a threat of if you don't agree - where do you think the cuts should be make! That old trick, expecting the average citizen to make the cuts themselves. They still have not realised that they are the Administration and are supposed to come up with proposals.). It is too easy for them to hit the libraries as they clearly do not understand how vital they are, particularly in this economic climate and particularly in areas in need of regeneration like Sighthill. People there have been worried about the future of the library and the community centre as a result of the North Sighthill redevelopment. It would appear they were right to be concerned. The consultation lasts till 30th Jan. so I would urge all community activists and representatives to respond.
Click here to respond - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJDNJ7K

Totem Pole Project Update & Action

2012-01-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

I received the following appeal from the WHALE Arts Agency.....

'Subject: Totem Pole Project Update & Action

Hello

After much discussion and planning I am delighted to attach a copy of the schedule for the design and carving of the first Wester Hailes Totem Pole.

I would like to request your help in spreading the word about the project as widely as possible throughout the community so that we can ensure a high turn out at all of the sessions which are open to people of all ages.

DESIGN SESSIONS:
Friday 13th January 14:30 - 16:30 at WHALE Arts Centre
Saturday 14th January 14:00 - 16:00 at Wester Hailes Library
Saturday 21st January 14:00 - 16:00 at WHALE Arts Centre

The 3 design sessions will be chance for people to work with Robin Wood the lead artist on this project and put forward their suggestions for what the carved design of the pole will look like.
By the end of the 3rd session we will have an agreed design which can then be worked up as a carved pole at the end of January.

TECH SESSIONS
Saturday 14th January 10:00 - 12:00 at WHALE Arts Centre
Friday 20th January 14:30 - 16:30 at Wester Hailes Library
Saturday 21st January 10:00 - 12:00 at WHALE Arts Centre

The Tech 'digital inclusion' sessions will be taking place in January to ensure local people of all ages can get practical help and guidance on how to access the wide variety of Wester Hailes social history resources that are available through QR (quick response) Codes via mobile phones and online via computers as part of the project.

These sessions will also be an opportunity for people to add their own stories, photos, films and memories to the Wester Hailes social history archive.

Furthermore the sessions will allow people to suggest what other information they would like to have available through the QR codes on the pole for example 'What's On' info, a chance to suggest what they would like to see in the area, volunteering/timebank opportunities etc

If you would like a Tech Session to be run at/for your organisation or any local group please let me know and I will try to get it arranged.

CARVING SESSIONS
Taking place at WHALE Arts between the 30th January and 8th February

Morning Session
The morning session will be a chance to watch Robin Wood at work as the community's design starts to take shape and a 20ft, 300 year old, piece of timber becomes the only 21st Century Memory Pole in Wester Hailes - and possibly the world!!

Afternoon Session
The afternoon session will be a chance for individuals or small groups to get 'hands on' and have a go at carving the pole under the expert guidance of Robin Wood.

I will be in touch again early in the New Year to discuss the project with you but in the meantime any help you can offer in publicising the events would be much appreciated.

Have a great festive season.

Allan

--

Allan Farmer

Interim Chief Executive

WHALE Arts

30 Westburn Grove
Edinburgh
EH14 2SA
Mob: 07737 032 034
Tel: 0131 458 3267
WHALE Arts Agency is a company limited by guarantee (SC180118) with charitable status (SC020305)

www.whalearts.co.uk

We're on FACEBOOK - search for WHALE Arts Agency

Make a Donation to WHALE Arts - http://localgiving.com/whaleartsagency '

This project is good on many levels. It is participatory and gets people involved with the history of the area with a hands on skills approach.

Christmas is starting in Gorgie Dalry - it's official!

2011-12-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

People may remember that last years Christmas celebrations including the Lights Switch on Ceremony were cancelled due to bad weather. Fingers crossed for this year then as the arrangements have all been made. Full details at the GD website. A lot of work has once again gone into this weekend and special thanks must go to the Gorgie Dalry Community Council, the City of Edinburgh Council (especially Natalie Russell the Neighbourhood Coordinator), The Gorgie War Memorial Hall, the Gorgie City Farm, Pol Steele and 'the GD' website and the Gorgie Parish Church for pitching in. Financial contributions from the City of Edinburgh Council, the Gorgie Dalry Community Council, Sainsbury's and Scotmid. A true all round local community event. All that remains is for the community to come along. If you are there on the Saturday you might not see me but I will definitely see you - I will be in disguise ;-) .

Christmas is Coming!

2011-12-01T04:15:00.000-08:00

Due partly to the lack of the community newspapers I think it is vital to the health of an area to use all possible means of getting what is happening locally out there! I say this in case anyone thinks it is trivial to put these things on my blog. I make no apology for it however.

At Broomhouse I would recommend you try the Christmas lunch...

Christmas lunches at the Crescent Kitchen in the Broomhouse Centre.

Christmas Lunches are available on Monday 5^th, Tuesday 6^th, Wednesday 7^th, Thursday 8^th and Friday 9^th and Tuesday 13^th or Friday 17^th December. Pre-booked Lunches only. Cost £7.00 or Children’s Christmas Lunch £4.00.

The Christmas lunch menu is aimed at local people, groups and business and is very reasonably priced. All lunches are pre-booked only and there is a menu option for groups and organisations who would like to organise their own event in a venue of their choice.

For more information contact info@crescentkitchen.co.uk

Gorgeous Gorgie initiative .

2011-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

I know this may sound cynical but it has to be said. I have just read the article in STV Local about the Gorgeous Gorgie clean up. It is difficult to sit still for this. It is a thinly veiled attempt by the SNP/ Lib Dem Administration in the Council to make up for the damage they have done to Gorgie Dalry over the last four and a half years! Having pulled the funding on the much loved Gorgie Dalry Gazette, the Gorgie Dalry Partnership and the Gorgie Dalry Business Association they then have the cheek to turn around and appoint a 'Town Centre Coordinator' who recommends that we create, guess what (!), a community newspaper, a shop front (the Partnership) and a business directory (the Business Association). All good ideas and all of which we had till the present administration scrapped them because they thought they were a waste of money! I will contribute positively to anything that helps the area but I will not forget that it was the likes of the local SNP Councillor as Deputy Head of Finance who seconded the demise of these organisations that the area so desperately needed. Labour Councillors were derided at the time for campaigning to save these organisations, claiming we were 'scaremongering'. SNP leader Steve Cardownie repeatedly does a comedy act in the Full Council imitating the animals in the Gorgie City Farm, worried about having their funding cut. Just for the record - the petition we gathered names on was for the organisations in Gorgie including the Gorgie Dalry Partnership (not the Farm) and these were actually shut so far from scaremongering the petition was accurate. Also just for the record the SNP local Councillor was a Director of the Gorgie Dalry Partnership and actually helped write the application for funding which he then seconded refusing (?) causing the local charity to go into receivership.
The biggest irony of all is that the new SNP MSP Marco Biaggi is now calling for a community newspaper for Gorgie Dalry. He is right of course and we had a really good one - the Gazette. It was his SNP colleagues especially the Sighthill Gorgie Deputy Head a of Finance that got rid of it.

Don't get me wrong the new 'Town Centre Coordinator' is very energetic and I agree with all of her ideas but there is no money behind it and although I will help in any way I can, I do believe we are trying to recreate things we already had back in the days when Gorgie Dalry had money spent on it.

Calders Community Garden

2011-09-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Voting is now open (see previous post ) for the Wester Hailes Health Agency to get a grant from RBS for the Calders Community Garden project. It is a little bit complicated as you have to register but it is free and this is a marvelous project that really needs you votes so please stick with it!

'Below are instructions to register and vote for the Wester Hailes Health Agency to receive vital funds for the continuation of our brilliant community garden. We really, really need your vote so please do not be put off by the long list of instructions below!!

You'll first need to register with the RBS community force website before you can vote for us so please be patient.

Thank you for your support and please pass this email onto anyone you think would be interested.

best wishes from all the volunteers and staff at the Wester Hailes Health Agency.

1. Go to www.rbs.co.uk/communityforce

2. Register to vote by clicking on 'Register' in top right hand corner of page

3. Enter your details including email address and password. you will then be sent an email to your own account.

4. Go into your personal email account and confirm your registeration by clicking the link

5. You will be redirected to the RBS website. log in by entering your email address and password

6. Click on find a project

7. Search for 'Wester Hailes Health Agency' under project name

8. Click on symbol on map

9. Click on read more under blurb

10. Accept terms and conditions

11. Click vote now.

North Sighthill Demolition

2011-09-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Mixed feelings is the best way to describe the demolition of the North Sighthill high flats today. There were tears from residents recalling fond memories but also hopes for the future and excitement from the crowds who had gathered for the spectacle. For my part I said that this should be seen as the beginning of the process and not the end.

The Calders Community Garden Open Day

2011-09-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

Just back from The Calders Community Garden Open Day/Fun Day. The weather was OK but the event was tremendous! Dedicated enthusiastic people making a difference to the area, the environment and their own fitness!

Constructing boxes for bees to lay their eggs in for next year ( I have to say I didn't make this box even though I'm holding it!).

As I was being shown round by Joyce from the Wester Hailes Health Agency I was struck with how worthwhile all this activity was however in spite of real partnership working with, for example BCTV, the LPT, the Woodland Trust and the Waterways Trust, funding remains a problem.
The main activity is the 'Green Gym' who walk along from the Health Agency (as a warm up ) and then spend three hours working on the garden. To join in or find out more go to -

http://www.whhealthagency.co.uk/ and click on 'Garden Project & Green Gyms'. Aternatively phone David or Joyce 0131 458 3080

After the 26th September you can show your support for the Green Gym by voting for them to get funding from the RBS Community Force initiative. You can either click on the link below -

www.rbs.co.uk/communityforce

or phone 0800 2100 246

NB The vote doesn't start till the 26th Sept. and ends on 23rd Oct. @ 12 noon.

Obviously this would be a fantastic and welcome boost for the project.

End of the School Hols.

2011-08-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

As previous years the end of the school holiday seems to be one of the busiest times of the year for me. A by election tomorrow and things on every day!
Speaking of the by election it would be great if we could get Karen elected and displace the SNP Lib Dem ‘Administration’ who have been pretending to run the City for the last 4 and a half years. I say pretending as the lack of Leadership has been almost tangible. Most if not all of the innovations they would claim credit for were ours such as new schools like Tynecastle whilst projects like the trams have been allowed to drift into chaos. By the way don’t let the SNP kid you into thinking they have never wanted a tram project – they have been running the Council for the last four and a half years and if they had not wanted it it wouldn’t be being done – full stop! If this was the price of power then they traded away their opposition to trams in order to form an administration in the first place.
Vote Labour tomorrow and lets start putting Edinburgh back together!

An online survey for the new Local Community Plan

2011-08-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

As part of creating the new Local Community Plan for the South West Area the Neighbourhood Partnership has introduced an online survey. This is a very important document as it informs the decisions of the South West Neighbourhood Partnership. This an advisory committee which includes Councillors , the Police, Community Councillors, Health and Voluntary Organisations. It has a big influence on decisions made in the area so it is important to get the plan right (I Chair the Partnership at the moment). See statement and link below...

'Hi,

The Partnership Team have put together an online survey as another tool by which people can input into the priorities of the new Local Community Plan. This online survey is based on the data from the Community Conferences and focus groups which have already been held.

I am contacting yourselves because we want to get this survey to be completed by as many people as possible. Please promote this survey through the link attached on any websites or email lists you have:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HHQ27M3

Please feel free to contact me with any queries and thank you in advance for your assistance with this.

Graham Budd

Partnership Development Officer

South West Neighbourhood Office

10 Westside Plaza

Edinburgh

EH14 2ST

Tel. ~ 0131 527 3884'

Wheatfield Community Backgreen Open Day

2011-07-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

'Wheatfield Community Backgreen

OPEN DAY

Sunday 7 August 10 am – 5 pm
Visitors will have the opportunity to take tour of the garden which won the Beautiful Scotland Silver Gilt award and the Jim Murphie Trophy for Sustainability in 2010.

The Wheatfield Backgreen Association will be providing coals for the BBQ and visitors are welcome to bring a picnic.
Access to the community garden will be available through the black metal gate at the top of WheatfieldGorgie Road.
Lothian buses: 1, 2, 3, 25, 33, 38
Contact: wheatfieldbackgreen@hotmail.co.uk'

Local people cannot fail to be impressed by this fantastic local initiative.

Bad Start to the Hols.

2011-07-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

Typical! Start of the school summer holidays and in comes the 'man flu'! After an enormous bout of Bailie Duties and lengthy Council Meetings I end up bed ridden. The last few weeks have been my busiest ever with things on every evening and most weekends. Finishing up at the school, most important Council decisions for a generation (trams) , the always enjoyable Bailie Duties and local events and meetings. By the time you get to the Summer Recess you certainly need it.
Bailie Duties have a diversity that will never cease to amaze me. One example is the Friday before last when I rushed out of a meeting at the City Chambers and jumped into a taxi to get me to HMS Portland only to become mired in the congestion the city is rapidly becoming renowned for. The driver displayed some confusion as we approached the docks about where HMS Portland might be moored. Looking straight ahead I laughed and said I expected it would be the enormous naval ship just over to the left. Sure enough it was! After being piped on board and meeting the Admiral we were treated to the Royal Marines Band who finished up by playing the hymn 'For Those in Peril on the Sea' which merged softly into the last post. On the last note, seemingly from nowhere , the Red Arrows flew over our heads and spread out in front of us with the red white and blue trails streaming. I have to say at this point that at events like this I always think of my father who died ten years ago. He was a cook in the Mediterranean fleet during WW2 serving on the Abercrombie, the Kent and the Aurora. His stories include being head chef at a dinner on board ship at the Yalta Conference. Guests included Eisenhower, Stalin and Churchill - at least it may have done. There were two other dinners on two other ships to confuse any would be assassins. Dad's was the flagship and he was the Admiral's cook so it seems likely his was the real one but there you are, that is the story. The Admiral wanted my father to go with him after the War as his personal chef but he was under orders to get back to Selkirk to marry my mother ( and a good job too or I would not be here). We sang the same hymn at my fathers funeral so suffice it to say that the event was particularly moving and impressive to me. It could not have been a better start to Armed Forces Week.
Something important happened later on that Friday however that is worthy of a mention. All my duties done I headed for a bar in town to meet some friends. While I was there a young man mistook my City badge for a regimental one. I explained what it was and they introduced themselves. It turns out they were up for Armed Forces Week representing a group called 'talking 2 minds' who deal with the psychological effects of tours of action like Afganistan. They have achieved an over 80% success rate with just one course of treatment with others requiring more. They are very loyal to each other and emphasise they help each other as a group. I immediately took my badge off and gave it to the one who had spoken to me first and promised I would go down on the Sunday to Holyrood Park and visit their stall. The one I gave the badge to was so pleased and said he would wear it on his uniform the next day (which he did). These badges have little or no financial value but have the City crest and motto. They are sometimes handed out by the Lord Provost or Bailies. Was there ever a more worthy recipient? I handed out another three when I went down on the Sunday to their stall. One was to their fundraiser who had done two tours in Afganistan and something about an Afgan Warlord (I didn't want to press him on the subject). At any rate the experience had left him such that he was admitted to an institution down south from which he was 'rescued' by 'talking 2 minds'. As far as I am concerned the sacrifice these boys have made is every bit as great as those with physical injuries and can take just as long to heal - if they ever do. Visit the web site and support this charity. www.talking2minds.co.uk

Sighthill Bowling Club does it again !

2011-07-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I launched the Home International Bowling Championships at Sighthill Bowling Club. This is the second time this event , which is the most important in the UK Bowling calendar has come to Sighthill. The last time was four years ago (it only takes place every four years ) and I was told it was the quality of the greens and the tremendous way the Club had organised it the last time that had attracted the event back.
For me to go along and open it as a Bailie but also as a local Councillor was a source of great pride. The opening ceremony was tremendous. A feast of colour with all the teams in national strips. The teams of Scotland, England Ireland and Wales all processed onto one of the greens , followed by the umpires and lastly ourselves who stood in the middle to deliver our speeches. It brought tears to the eyes of seasoned bowling veterans. It was quite a spectacle and no one could fail to be impressed. When the games started the pace was fast and exciting with many going on simultaneously as two countries battled it out on each of the two greens. It is on again tomorrow (3rd July) and whether bowling is your sport or not I would recommend it as a fun filled day in the beautiful sunshine. What a tremendous thing for the Club and the area!

Bon Jovi

2011-06-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just back from the Bon Jovi Concert in Murrayfield - fantastic! Also there was something about it being a short walk to the house that put the icing on the cake! Having something so immense on your doorstep just sums up the joys of living in Edinburgh. The rain held off for the duration of the concert but I think even Bon Jovi was genuinely surprised at the ability of the crowd to turn bad weather into a momentous occasion. Definitely one to remember.

Gorgie Dalry Gala Day!

2011-06-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yes - last week it was 'Altogether in the Park' and this weekend it's the Gorgie Dalry Gala Day! Plenty going on in the area. The trouble is due to the shortness of volunteers the advertising can often be a problem so not enough local people know it's on.
The Gala Day starts at 12 on Saturday (11th June) and runs till 4:30pm at Murieston Park off Dalry Rd.. For details of the program see STV Local. Something for the whole family from the Tricky Ricky Magic Show to Zumba Fitness. Come along an support your local area or just come and meet new people. Lots of stalls, Groups and organisations (I'll be there of course!).

All Together in the Park

2011-06-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

A big weekend for Broomhouse, Sighthill, Parkhead, Wester Hailes and beyond - the annual 'All Together in the Park'. It is in Sighthill Park on Saturday (4th June) from 11am till 4pm. Alistair Darling is opening it at 11. I'm going along - should be good! Something for everybody. Local groups, organisations, stalls, entertainment etc. If you are new to the area or just want something fun for all the family to do why not come along.

Gorgie City Farm REAL Farmer's Market

2011-05-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Latest news from the Gorgie City Farm -
'This Saturday sees the 3rd Gorgie City Farm REAL Farmer's Market. The Market will run from 9.30-2pm. The following stall holders will be attending :

Blackmount Beef
Perthshire Preserves
Caurnie Soap
House of Isham chocolates
GA Thomson fishmongers
Simple Simons Pies
Apple Pie Bakery
Crème de la Cupcake'

All this and the Farm as well! Sounds good to me!

Personalities and Elections

2011-05-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

I always get disappointed when elections seem to come down to personalities. The media encourages this as it enhances the viewing figures. Surely people can see through the hollow but emotive words of Alex Salmond, waxing lyrical on impossible promises having failed miserably to fulfil most of the old ones. Police numbers, class sizes, local income tax, school building and of course, independence (well - a referendum), all promised but none delivered. No doubt some people would criticise other parties including Labour for the same thing but the fact is the SNP chose to go it alone in the Scottish Parliament, compromise with no one and failed to deliver! What answer have the SNP come up with - forget about all the old promises and come up with some new ones, more ludicrous than the last. If it sounds good just say it, never mind whether it can actually be done. Ian Gray by contrast is more thoughtful. I have always seen this as a quality. I would urge people to look at the policies and then get out there and get this Country moving in the right direction.
Take a look at Sarah Boyack's excellent local website to see the truth about SNP promises.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-16T03:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to one and all ! Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me in 2010 (and there have been many ) . Lets get the bad stuff out of the way first then we can end on a high note. Another year another family bereavement. I am beginning to look forward to a year that doesn't start off with someone close to me dieing.
Last year ended well with the birth of a new grandson and also winning the Edinburgh East Labour Party Christmas hamper in the raffle! Don't normally win things in raffles so I was astonished. It was enormous - I could hardly lift it.

From My Pics

Memories of the cold weather are, of course mixed. Normally I love the snow but on this occasion the excitement quickly went sour as rubbish piled up, accidents occurred and people became trapped in their houses.

From My Pics

A bit late bringing the garden furniture in this year?

There was a Herculean effort by the South West team at the Council. Council staff and I would also single out bus drivers went above and beyond and I would personally say a huge thank you to them. Of course there were lessons to be learned, particularly the length of time it took to get round to the residential streets due to concentrating on the main roads. Everything I referred to Council staff was dealt with promptly however and the communications were excellent!

Christmas Light Switch on Cancelled!

2010-11-30T04:43:00.000-08:00

Disaster - the Christmas Light Switch on Ceremonies have all been cancelled (including the one in Gorgie Dalry) due to the weather conditions. I fully understand why they have done it though. It is so they can concentrate on gritting / clearing roads and safety has to come first. Disappointing but the right decision I think.

Christmas is here!

2010-11-28T03:29:00.000-08:00

The celebrations have started all over the ward so it must be officially Christmas. The impression is helped by the fact that there is at least a foot of snow outside - and still falling! Gorgie Dalry has been particularly well organised this year putting up a special Christmas what's on, courtesy of The GD and Pol Steele who runs it. Communications in the area have not been this good since the days of the sadly lamented Gorgie Dalry Gazette (who had there funding pulled by the Lib Dem / SNP Council Administration four years ago). Pol has made a huge difference to the area from the successful campaign to save the Gorgie War Memorial Hall to the thus far equally successful campaign to keep the Dalry Swim Centre open. The online campaigns have been vital and is know looking like an exciting development as it goes from strength to strength. Long may it continue.

For my own part I will be donning a well known disguise on Saturday for the party at the Gorgie Mem. and then compering at the Christmas Lights Switch on Ceremony on the Sunday (5th Dec.) . Big surprise for Hearts fans at the switch on ceremony (?).

Check out the The GD website for details...http://thegd.org.uk/christmas/

2010-10-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

Pleasant visit.
Volunteered to do a Bailie duty last week which is worthy of note. I was visiting Jeanette Brown who is 107. She is in a care home in my ward so it was all the more significant that I was able to stand in for the Lord Provost and attend. It was something I will always remember. How pleased she was to see me and how much she obviously enjoyed my visit was humbling. To be able to do something like that for someone else makes it all worthwhile. I will remember little things like, when I was putting my Bailie chain back on, having let her try it on as she said she had enjoyed trying on the LPs a few years previously, she lent forward and buttoned my jacket and adjusted it to get it just right (that is what my mother whom I recently lost would have done). She said she thought I looked good in the photos we took! Still looking after others at 107! I gave her a small civic gift but she was just as delighted with the LPs paper carrier bag that it came in , saying 'Do you want this back ? ' 'I said of course not! ' and she clutched it tightly and she said 'Good , you can't have it back it's mine!' . She was lovely to talk to and amazing for 107. She likes the home she is in . The care staff clearly make a fuss of her and she deserves it. The staff were excellent. By way of philosophy she said she would like to have her whole life to live again , wouldn't change a thing but just would like to live it over again. She said the secret of long life was a not a secret but just to be happy and contented.

2010-09-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Time Time Time!

Never enough time. So what's new? Quite a lot.

A strange but interesting couple of weeks. First two weeks back at the school of course (not counting the in-service days the week before). Easy to forget how mentally demanding teaching is. My results were as expected (couple of exceptions in both directions) so I am generally pleased about that .

Now that I have replaced Ian Murray on the Police Board I have been taking the opportunity to observe a variety of activities including firearms training last week. That was the 'strange' one. Interesting though. Very clever intelligent headphones that are capable of deadening only the loud bangs of the guns but allowing you to hear even a whisper from the person next to you. How does that work? Very impressive score on the targets.

On a happy note it was the official celebration of the saving of the Gorgie War Memorial Hall last Saturday. Grant Stott said a few words and introduced me and I in turn introduced Sarah Boyack MSP.

There were three purposes to the event-

1. To celebrate the saving of the Hall. It was a marvelous campaign involving a petition , Facebook, the Internet, deputations and yes, even T shirts! Support for the Campaign came from everyone from the British Legion to (most importantly ) the community. These proposals should never been brought forward in the first place. The campaigners won by pointing out the truth. The truth that community space in Tynecastle was too small to accommodate the activities of the Hall (not to mention the safe outdoor green area). The truth that it is a War Memorial and it neither could be nor should be moved , it is already in the right place , the heart of the community with everyone from children to the elderly meeting around it. The truth that it has survived for 128 years since Gorgie was a village and laterally adopted by the Council to be held in trust for generations to come. I could go on! What on earth was the Lib. dem. / SNP Council thinking?
2. To make sure people know that it has been saved.
3. To encourage local people to get involved. We (I have joined the Management Committee) are particularly looking for anyone with time to spare and financial expertise. Although saved in the short term (16 months) the Hall has to develop the ability to run itself over this time. All help would be great.
Attendance at the event was excellent including stalls from the local Police and groups such as 'Health Help for All'. We even got the weather and were able to use the aforementioned safe green outdoor space.

2010-07-01T02:35:00.000-07:00

Two events at the new Tynecastle High School in under a week! The official opening last Friday and the Concert and Awards Ceremony on Tuesday evening (29th of June). A highlight of the official opening for me was ex-pupil Jenny Douglas singing over the rainbow. I was glued to the series and, of course, voted for her. She lit up the auditorium with her presence and sang beautifully ( without a mike ).
The school is very like I remember seeing it on the original artists impressions and it has been heralded as , if not the best then certainly one of the best of the PPP2 schools in terms of design and implementation. From the eco friendly heating (working too well in the auditorium - it was boiling!) to the Smartboards in every classroom. The staff have always been good at Tynecastle but now they will have the tools and the environment to reach new heights. Most of all though it was a joy to see the effect on the kids, polite, articulate and enthusiastic; Clearly delighted with the new school. This is an exciting development for Gorgie Dalry .
All of the above aside however, one disappointment is the size of the community 'wing'. It is really one side of a corridor or more specifically ; a reception area , one full sized classroom , a smaller classroom and toilets! So much for shoe horning the Gorgie War Memorial Hall and Gorgie Dalry Community Association (the centre at McLeod Street) with their busy programmes into it. Cllr. McLaren must have thought it was the Tardis! Speaking of the head of Education, Children and Families I cannot escape the irony that not only do myself and the others in the Labour Group get never a mention for the fact that it was us that brought forward the plans, developed them and signed them off before the Lib. Dems. and SNP tool over but the Lib. Dems. voted against the buiding of the new school not once but three times! The new Tynecastle is there in spite of the Lib. Dems. not because of them. Such is politics.
Anyway lets not dwell on the past the Community Centres are staying where they are for the moment (due to a successful campaign with which I helped) and things are starting to look brighter in Gorgie Dalry.

2010-06-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder to folks in the area that it is the Gorgie Dalry Festival tomorrow (Saturday 12th June). The opening is at 12 for 12.30 in Murieston Park. We still miss the Gorgie Dalry Gazette for this sort of thing but maybe electronic means can make up for it a little.

2010-05-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

It was a good week for me last week. Mainly this is due to the decision of the Education, Children and Families Committee to keep open the Longstone Community Centre and the Gorgie War Memorial Hall. The Sighthill Community Centre is still to be relocated in the , now empty Westburn Primary school sight. Personally I would rather have kept the primary school and I opposed its closure by this Lib. Dem. / SNP Council but I suppose you can't win them all. Although this relocation is bad news at least there is a site in the plans for the development of North Sighthill for a replacement and we will just have to make sure one actually gets built!
The 'Gorgie Mem' was the best campaign I think I have ever seen. This shows the strength of feeling in the local community and I was proud to support them in any way I could. There is no question in my mind that the campaign caused a reversal of the proposals to close the Mem and Longstone. People power at its best. This Lib. Dem. \ SNP coalition in the Council started of the consultation telling local people that the decision to save this money had already been taken and that secret talks had taken place to decide which of the 45 community centres across the city should be put forward for closure. Strangely enough 4 out of the 6 were in the South West of the city and people in this area should never forget that. It was impossible to criticise the deliberations of the group set up to decide on where to make the cuts as the meetings were held in secret with even opposition local Councillors being excluded. Local people were told if they wanted to save a centre from closure they would have to say which ones should be closed instead! This was a shocking travesty of a consultation and the fact that it arrived at a reasonable outcome for Longstone and the Gorgie Mem is down to the strength of their campaigns and not the Lib. Dem. and SNPs ability to listen. It also has to be added that the Labour Group would not have closed any community centres as we protected these front line services and took the cuts from elsewhere.
This is the second time I have had to fight to save the Gorgie Mem. from this Lib. Dem. \SNP Council, they tried to close it a couple of years ago as part of the Schools Rationalisation Program ( which thankfully fell apart). Hopefully the Administration at the Council have at last seen that this is a War Memorial , sold to the Council for a nominal sum (£70) in the 1930s for safe keeping, and also a vibrant community centre proving a unique friendly atmosphere and irreplaceable safe green space. It is disgraceful that it was ever put forward for closure in the first place.
See below thank you statement by the Chair of the Management Committee of the Gorgie Mem..

Keep the Hall Open Campaign – A Success!!!!!

Dear Hall users and supporters,

I am writing to tell you about the success of our campaign to save the Gorgie War Memorial Hall. After months of campaigning since we were first informed of the proposal for closure we are delighted that at Edinburgh Council’s Education, Children and Families Committee meeting last week they voted to keep the Hall open.

Our campaign emphasised the strength of public support for the Hall as well as the strength of public feeling that a war memorial should be protected. We also emphasised the potential that resides in the Hall as a community space. Consequently, as well as voting to keep the Hall open the Committee also encouraged us to do what we can to make the war memorial a more significant feature of the Hall; to develop the potential of the Hall to appeal to more people in the community; and to build up the strength of our management committee.

We are happy to take on these challenges because, having gathered substantial support for our campaign from the community, we feel that the people of Gorgie value the Hall and would be happy to invest further in it. Perhaps you feel that you have some ideas to offer the management committee about how the Hall could be run, or about how the Hall could be developed? If you do then please don’t hesitate to let us know on the phone number above or by giving Dave or Wendy a message.

In order to realise our potential one of the most important things we need to do is to build up the strength of our management committee. The current volunteers have done a fantastic job, and I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to their hard work over the past months in particular. However, we are always looking for volunteers from our supporters and user groups to serve on the management committee. I would be delighted to welcome you if you feel you have an hour or so to give each month to help keep the Hall open, keep it economical and to help make it a versatile space for the local people to use. Now that we have saved the Hall please consider serving on the management committee to help ensure that we are not faced with closure again in the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the campaign to save the Hall. As a management committee we were overcome by the enthusiasm of everyone’s support. Hall users, supporters and members of the community wrote to the Council, signed the petition, came to the public meeting, and offered us words of support and kindness. Thank you.

I hope you will continue to enjoy the Gorgie War Memorial Hall. As a community centre it is an important community space and as a war memorial it is an important community marker.

Best wishes,

James Aitken

James
Chair, Gorgie War Memorial Hall management committee

2010-05-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

Excellent article on the attemps to close the Gorgie War Memorial Hall. One of the best articles I've seen in the EN or is that because the issue is so clse to my heart? Read it for yourself.

2009-11-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

The relaunch of the 'Gorgie Dalry Christmas lights Switch on Ceremony'. After a poor shadow of a ceremony last year I put it to the Community Council that if anything was going to happen this year they would have to organise it now that we have lost the Gorgie Dalry Partnership (funding cut by the Lib. Dem / SNP Administration). They have done a great job however at short notice and it looks like we have the makings of a decent ceremony again this year. For details see below...

2009-11-02T03:01:00.000-08:00

Saw an interesting page by Ed Miliband today about an article that the Government has had made about climate change. It hits right at the heart of one of the issues I feel most strongly about. As the effects become ever more clear there is still an increasingly desperate sounding group who persist in ridiculing any attempt to do anything about it.Things like wind farms and solar panels can in my view contribute a significant percentage of the worlds energy needs especially if you consider them being on houses and buildings in addition to the farms themselves. As soon as I decide what is the best configuration I will be putting them on my house. And, yes I do like the look of them ! An Admin. Assistant in the Council once told me she thought they looked like 'hope' and I have never forgotten it. Even if we can't reverse the trends global warming what harm does it do to clean up the atmosphere? It reminds me of the interminable arguments about the link between smoking and cancer. The time for discussion is past, we need action now , and quickly.

Anyway here is what Ed says ....click on the link and watch the advert.

'As part of an effort to raise peoples’ awareness of man-made climate change and what we can all do about it, the government had this advert made.Now, whipped up by the sceptics, nearly six hundred people have complained about it in a bid to get it banned.We need to show that the climate change sceptics are a tiny, if vocal, minority and that action to make the public aware of climate change has real public support.Sign up to Ed Miliband's campaign at EdsPledge.com '

2009-10-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

Just seen an interesting message from Hilary Benn .....

'The ban on fox-hunting – that Labour Party members from across the country worked so hard to achieve – is under threat. Yesterday, at a time when our Labour Government is focused on tackling the recession and securing our economic recovery, the Tory spokesman on Animal Welfare re-affirmed that the Tory Party, if elected, would set aside Government time for a vote to repeal the ban. And make no mistake - David Cameron and members of his top team have made it very clear that their intention is to see the return of the cruel spectacle of foxes being torn to pieces in Britain’s countryside. So I need your help. Please sign up now to Back the Ban.We need to make sure that as many people as possible know that a consequence of voting for the Conservatives at the next election will be an end to the ban on fox-hunting with dogs. I’m going to be campaigning alongside animal welfare organisations on this in the coming weeks and months and it will help a lot to know if you’ll support our campaign. Sign up now to pledge your support for my campaign. Once you’ve signed up I’ll be in touch by email next week to let you know exactly how you can help. Together we can make sure that as many people as possible know that a Conservative Government would mean an end to the ban so many people worked so hard to introduce.
Thank you
Hilary Benn '

I have always felt strongly about this one. I don't believe the nonsense that it was a humane way to keep the numbers down. How could being ripped apart by dogs be humane? But the final argument for me is that fox hunting is not banned, you just can't use a real fox! Fox hunting has become more popular since the ban so surely that means killing the fox isn't the important thing. In throwing the javelin for example, which originally came from throwing spears in war, you don't still have to throw it at someone. Why then in Fox Hunting would you still have to use a living fox?

2009-10-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - time for the ....

'Wasps Artists' Open Studios Weekend 2009
Saturday 3rd October 11am - 5pm
Sunday 4th October 12pm - 5pm '

Of course there are exhibitions from the Highlands to Selkirk in the Borders (where I am from) but I like to go to the local one at -

'West Park Place Studios, Dalry: Regular visitors will know that the artists always put a cafe together in the basement space for the weekend. This year the cafe in the basement exhibition space will be run by Delish Salad and Sandwich bar and will be the perfect place to meet and talk about the work on show. If you can't wait until the weekend, you can visit Delish at 59 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2BS. '

It is well worth a visit and we usually buy something. Prices range from the expensive to the very reasonable. Or just go along to look at the wonderful art works.

2009-10-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

See below local activities at the Whale Arts Centre. Quite a variety! 'Let's Dance' is well timed with the return of 'Strictly' to our screens. Bring back Arlene - that's all I'm saying.

Free Workshops for Adult Groups in South-West Edinburgh.
WHALE is delighted to be able to offer the workshops below FREE OF CHARGE to groups in South-West Edinburgh. Workshop times are flexible so can be arranged around the time that your group usually meets and can either take place at your group’s usual venue or the WHALE Arts Centre.

Let’s DANCE
Dancing is a great way to have fun and to keep fit! Let’s DANCE workshops are led by expert tutors who are experienced in working with beginners. A range of dance styles are available including salsa, ballroom and swing! 1 or 2 hour workshops available.

Creating a Character
At heart everyone is an actor and this workshop will enable participants to release their inner drama queen! Aimed at complete beginners this is a fun, interactive workshop involving games and exercises to develop characters and scenes. A chance to play! 1 or 2 hour workshops available.

Film and the G20
This workshop is offered as a partnership between the World Development Movement (WDM) and the Reel Lives Film Club at WHALE. On the 7th of November the G20 (twenty of the richest nations in the world) are sending their Finance Ministers to St. Andrews to decide on their solutions to the global financial crisis. Residents of South-West Edinburgh have a particular interest in this because it is our MP, Alistair Darling, who will be representing the UK at this meeting. This workshop uses film clips to engage groups in discussions about what the G20 is, the effects of its policies and how it can be challenged. 1 hour workshops available.

For further information, to arrange a workshop for your group or to suggest other possible workshops and collaborations please contact Gavin Crichton on 458 3267 or adult@whalearts.co.uk

Further information on our weekly workshop programme for young people and adults can be found at www.whalearts.co.uk

2009-08-27T02:58:00.000-07:00

More local activity. See below....

Looks good!

Back to School for me! Due to the fact that I only teach Mon., Tues, & Wed. and in Midlothian the kids only came back on the Thurs. , I didn't have any classes till this week. It was good to see the kids again but it is easy to forget how tiring a full days teaching actually is. It is a bit like being an actor but the performance lasts six hours a day. Not complaining though - love it.

Another date for the diary is the South West Neighbourhood Partnership Meeting. I was centrally involved in the development of these local Committees and I Chair the SW one (just been reappointed for another year). As well as Councillors for the area they have representatives from the Police, Fire, the Voluntary Sector, Health and Community Councils. It is also open to the public and this time (a first for any Neighbourhood Partnership ) we are giving it a theme and splitting into 'surgeries' so you can ask your questions or make your points to the right people. If you live in the South West area and would like to ask a question or make a point on the subject of Community Safety and the Environment please come along. See poster below....

2009-07-21T02:17:00.000-07:00

It just gets worse. Now a second fire at the British Heart Foundation exactly a week after the Balmoral Bar. Three injured firefighters but thankfully no fatalities. The funeral is tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd) for Ewan Williamson - the firefighter who was killed at the Balmoral fire trying to save others trapped in the fire. A true hero then. What a tragedy. There is to be a dignified procession starting at 12.30pm from Tollcross fire station via George IV Bridge and heading down the Royal Mile to St Giles where a memorial service will be held. I for one will certainly be lining the route and I'm sure others will wish to do so.

2009-07-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

I got back from my holidays this weekend only to find there had been a really bad fire in Dalry Rd. at the Balmoral Bar. The message on my answering machine says a firefighter has been killed and another seriously injured. All the other occupants of the tenement appear to have been rehoused in B & B or staying with friends and relatives for the moment. Hoping to get the full details tomorrow but for know my thoughts are with the family of the deceased and the family of the person in hospital.

Everything else seems to pale in importance after that but to return to trivia, my holiday had its ups and downs. We had planned carefully to visit Dublin and at the same time go to the Bruce Springsteen concert. Yes, I'm a life long fan. I don't just like the music, I like the person. His politics and his down to earth unpretentious attitude. Sadly the company we bought the tickets from on the Internet turned out, as far as we can tell, not to exist! Their ticket lines rung dead and they didn't answer our emails. I Googled them and it seems lots of other people had the same problem. At any rate the tickets never arrived and the event is past. Needless to say I will not be leaving it there. The moral is to go for well known established names if you are booking tickets for events. Luckily I logged on to Ticketmaster and got us tickets for the Hampden concert instead so all was well that ended well. We had a nice city break in Dublin and still saw the Concert in Glasgow.
See below the songs he played.

Edit this setlist | More Bruce Springsteen setlists

He was on stage bouncing around for five mins. short of three hours! It was fantastic. I nearly went to see him 30 years ago in Minneapolis / St Paul - but didn't. I have regretted it ever since - till now. The below gives you a flavour ...my own personal favourite 'Born to Run' (not shot by me - I found this on You Tube).

2009-05-13T03:08:00.000-07:00

We are just about at the end of the spring clean up season and heading rapidly into the park festival / fun days. The first one is in the Fun Day at Hailes Quarry Park (off Murrayburn Rd. - just past the bus depot). 11am till 3pm. Lots of events and activities for all ages. If you have not been to this one before than it is a great day out for all the family. It is easy to miss the park but there is a big sign at the entrance so you can't really miss it once you know it is there.
More events to come though so watch this space.

2009-04-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

In spite of it being a fortnights holiday from the school (in my case of course that is just an opportunity to concentrate on Council work) it has been very busy. The running theme seems to have been participation in things in the local area so it is only right that I do what I can by putting them up here on my blog to encourage people to get involved.

A couple of 'spring cleans' to start with -

Dalry Community Park Spring Clean - on Sat 18th Apr. Volunteers will meet at St. Martin’s Church at 14:00 and then make their way to the nearby Community Park.

Dalry Colonies Spring Clean - on Sunday the 26th April 2009 at 1300 hours.

Last week I attended a very interesting public meeting in St Brides (Orwell Terrace) organised by the Edinburgh Community Backgreens association (ECBA). Although they have been going for a few years now very limited funding has meant they have had to consolidate the few sites they had already started (one in the Wheatfields and one in Dalry). Successful bids for additional funding this year have meant that they can now look at expanding to new sites.

The idea is a simple one, in areas where the backgreens have fallen into disuse and become overgrown residents can choose to put these backgreens together and organise them as a single resource. Look at their website for a full explanation of how it can work. I have been involved with this from the start and fought , back when I was Councillor for Shandon , to get the first pilot up and running in the Wheatfields. The initiative and startup funding came from Dunedin Canmore Housing Association with an additional grant (pushed through by me) from the Council's 'Local Development Committee'. I am really pleased to see the project picking up in this way and if anyone knows of backgreens that would benefit from this project or would like to participate through Grow Your Own courses or clean up days then click on the website for details.

Lastly and on the same theme I have had various meetings with the new Friends of Saughton Park. In their own words .....

We are a group of people who are dedicated to improving the facilities and amenities in Saughton Park for the benefit of the whole community. We want to see the park returned to its former position as the jewel in the crown of this area and make it a place for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to join us you can do so by completing the form on the contact us page of our website http://www.friendsofsaughtonpark.net/ or by contacting the secretary on 0131 443 1007.

I was inolved in starting up the Friends of Harrison Park when I was Councillor for Shandon and this has gone from strength to strength making a real difference. I would urge therefore local people to sign up and get involved. You can tell I love Saughton Park as I have it on my banner at the top of this blog.

2009-03-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

This week was dominated for me by the Creating Smarter Cities conference here in Edinburgh. It was particularly significant as Edinburgh was the original 'Smart City' and I personally played a major role in its creation and development. The original vision was to have efficient accessible services suited to citizens needs but also (and this is the smart bit)joining up and working in partnership with others in the city to offer solutions to citizens problems. Sounds quite straightforward, but it certainly hasn't been. Gordon Mackenzie of Microsoft pointed out in their new headquarters in Waverleygate on Monday evening that the partnership model developed by Edinburgh City Council and BT was the one used by them worldwide. A pat on the back for the E-Government Division headed up by Andrew Unsworth and of course me since I was the Executive Member responsible for it. Brendan Dick of BT Scotland followed with an excellent contribution charting the journey we had taken in Edinburgh and drawing attention to the small but incredibly successful digital inclusion pilot 'Everybody Online' in my own area of Gorgie Dalry. Another highlight for me however was meeting my old friend Eric Goubin from Belgium. We met during the Demos project and like most of the other members we developed into a group of close friends. Demos was unusual in that participants felt they were on a journey of discovery, grappling with the theory and practice of citizen participation. We became so in tune with each other that it had a strange effect of almost distancing everyone else with whom you did not have that same shared understanding. The worth of the project was so acknowledged by us all that we have organised annual transnational meetings ever since even though the project officially ended years ago.

2009-01-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Looking back on the year (and I have to say I am glad to be looking back on the year!) there was not much good in it for Sighthill Gorgie Ward. The year started off with the Gorgie Dalry Partnership going into liquidation as a result of the cuts imposed by this Lib Dem / SNP administration. The GDP for those who do not know organized things such as Christmas! This year there was no Santa in Gorgie Dalry, no children’s party, no selection boxes for the kids, no 'Best Dressed Christmas Window' and no Switch on Ceremony. The lights were switched on by some unknown council officer on the quiet. These things take months to organise and having scrapped the organisation that did it there was no one to take its place. The irony is that the GDP brought in sponsorship from local businesses such as £600 last year from Sainsbury’s for the children's selection boxes, so the cut in Council core funding has cost the local area thousands in donations for local projects and events. We told the Lib Dem / SNP administration this but they scrapped it anyway.
The year went on as it had begun with the scrapping of the Gorgie Dalry Gazette and the West Edinburgh Times – again Council funding withdrawn. The two biggest and best of the community newspapers, free through the letter box - gone. These vital local links needed and wanted to expand their delivery areas to include the new multi member wards but instead this administration withdrew their funding.
Every month seems to have brought new horrors such as the withdrawal of the 20 bus (we wanted to subsidise it till the end of the year but this was rejected) and even at the end of the year when the festive season had already begun they announced the closure of Westburn Primary (for reasons which were based on false information and assumptions) and lastly the Wester Hailes Rep. Council has had to be dissolved through lack of funds! That spells the end not only of the Rep. Council but probably many of the 15 Neighbourhood Councils which reported to it as well! So much for active citizens and informed participation. Make no mistake where the blame lies for all this, withdrawal of funds by this Lib. Dem./SNP Administration. As someone said to me the other day it's not rocket science, freeze the Council Tax, less money in so cuts across the board. And if it wasn't enough they should have said so instead of signing up to to the Single Outcome Agreement.

So the question remains - ‘What have I been doing about it?’

Being in opposition has meant that our ability to protect the local community has been seriously limited. Being voted on to the Chair of the South West Neighbourhood Partnership has helped a bit as I was able to use what little power has been given to these organisations to fight against these cuts minimise their impact.
I was very involved in the development of the Neighbourhood Partnerships which were designed to devolve decision making down to local areas. This administration however have failed miserably to give them real teeth or even respond positively when they bring something forward.
Neighbourhood Partnership local community grants however have benefited a variety of deserving local projects such as the Gorgie City Farm and the Broomhouse Centre.
There is not enough in this fund however to prevent the major closures but we took the fight to the Neighbourhood Partnership and the full Council through motions, questions and debates. There has not been a single month when I have not been proposing motions, asking questions or contributing to a major debate.
The year has also been characterised by numerous deputations from local groups and organisations fighting against the stringent cuts which have been imposed.
Getting round the multi member ward is a major challenge with calendar clashes virtually evening however I believe I have achieved a presence in the area with careful juggling and regular weekly surgeries.
Being made Labour’s Bailie is a responsibility I take very seriously believing as I do that it is important to be visible in the civic life of the city. I have also tried to do things locally wherever possible such as handing out the Garvald awards for achievement to people with learning disabilities at St. Brides. Local people and groups seem very pleased to have a Bailie who is also a local resident.
Other notable civic duties were when I read the ‘Complaint of the Black Knight’ in Fountainbridge Library and unveiled a plaque in the Cowgate to commemorate 500 years of printing in Edinburgh. I also unveiled a plaque on International workers memorial day in Princess Street Gardens which was to draw attention to health and safety at work and commemorate those who have died in industrial accidents. I highlighted the hazards of asbestos which has now become the subject of a major public awareness campaign.
I think there is everything to fight for in the new year. The administration’s cuts are far from finished and there are many challenges for the area in the months ahead. The Lib Dem and SNP Councillors for this area seem unable or unwilling to do what is best for local people. It therefore falls to us, the Labour Councillors, MPs and MSPs to defend local people and those who cannot defend themselves and that is as it should be since that is what the Labour Party is all about.

2008-11-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the big news in my world has to be the Full Council on Thursday. Specifically the closure of Westburn primary. A travesty if ever there was one. The vote went to another 29/29 split and the Lord Provost closed the school with his casting vote! Surely another travesty. See below the notes of my speech though it was all to no avail.....

Consultation – widely described as a ‘shambles’.
Initial proposals full of mistakes. Eg 3rd lowest role – then had to admit it was the 14th. Then sent round an erratum changing it to 3rd lowest capacity but this is based on assumptions about accommodation which are also demonstrably false!

Sticking with this for a moment because it is central to the proposal. What are in fact the ICT rooms and Library are not allowed to be counted as general purpose space at Westburn and have been counted in other schools. This is apparently because they don’t have doors on them and it was even suggested that they should move the ICT suite and Library out into the corridor!
Criteria have at best not been intelligently applied with things being worked out on paper without looking at the actual reality in the school.

The condition of the school is portrayed as poor based on a survey done in 2003. The reality is that it has had 750,000 spent on it in recent years including, since that survey a new roof, new boilers, upgraded internal lighting, state of the art disabled toilets, not to mention teaching facilities like Smartboards nursery play equipment …..the list goes on and on…they have even got brand new staffroom lockers and kitchen facilities. The fact is that anyone walking around the school would think it was well equipped, well maintained and very fit for purpose …modern bright and well decorated. Not at all as it is portrayed on the consultation proposals.
Speaking as a teacher myself I know that assessment is for learning not for closing schools. Attainment statistics need to be taken in context and the context in this case is a high number of kids with very challenging backgrounds and home lives.

Westburn is a happy constructive learning environment that parents are happy to bring their children to and the kids are happy to come to. It is seen as a safe and happy place by all including the local community. There have been slurs on the competence of the staff and yet staff at Westburn are involved in and actually delivering in service training across the Region. The school wins awards for example the ‘Green Pencil’ award for Creative writing and the Standard Life Edinburgh award for working with a school in Malawi.

Overall then there seems a huge gulf between the school portrayed in the consultation document and what actually exists. The decision to close this school was based on grossly misleading and downright wrong information. Attempts to rectify these errors have not helped the situation. Objections from far and wide have produced only a digging in of heels by Children and families. This school should never have been proposed for closure, the reasons for closing it are false . The reasons for keeping it open are many. This is a well loved and well resourced school with hard working and dedicated staff and is a vital and central part of the local community. I understand the need for the rationalisation of school accommodation but for the reasons that I and others have stated closing Wesburn is a terrible mistake – don’t do it.

I said more than that but you can get the idea from the above notes.

2008-09-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

Just back from the demolition of Broomview House It was dramatic in more than one sense of the word! There were tears and cheers. Some applauded with genuine delight and some clapped politely but with a look of sadness on their faces. I never stayed there and have only represented the area for a couple of years now so I would not try to guess what people were thinking. One long standing resident on the way to the viewing area said that although this could be a step towards something much better going in in its place you had to remember what a great thing it had been when it had first been built. He added that there had never been anything wrong with he building but some of the people who had been put in it that had caused the problems. Another resident joined in saying the most of the flats were kept clean and tidy and the concierges had always done a good job with the communal areas. Certainly I was in Broomview House many times as part of my election campaign and afterwards to visit constituents and the people I spoke to were friendly, decent people. At anyrate there is clearly a good community here and everyone needs to try to ensure that these people have a say in what goes in in place of the skyscraper. Perhaps we have just moved on in society so that the high rise or that kind of communal living doesn't work anymore. It is true that the same social problems such as anti social behaviour are present in many tenement stairs. I find myself sad for the loss of the good (a bit like a funeral), glad at the loss of the bad and also hopeful that with community involvement we can put something good there in its place. in any event it was a momentous occasion.

2008-07-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

People at the School talk about winding down for the summer holidays, as usual however I find myself winding up rather than down. It has to have been two of the busiest weeks I have ever had. I hardly know where to start! First we have a new excellent Labour group leader - Andrew Burns. Wendy Alexander has resigned and we have started the process of electing a new leader at the Scottish Parliament. If all of this wasn't enough to be going on with, at the local level we have the disastrous announcement that Tesco is closing the Wester Hailes branch. Local people are still angry at the decision of B&Q to relocate to Hermiston Gate from Longstone and Gorgie. People of this area already know they find it hard to get to Hermiston Gate either by foot , bus or in fact car as if you go out to the by-pass you have to go all the way to the end , round the roundabout and all the way back just to get in! Vulnerable people and people with mobility problems will have real difficulty getting to the new store if Tesco decides to close the one in Dumbryden and open a large one in Hermiston Gate instead.
Meetings... a new record for my time at the Council - 12hours 20mins for the full Council last Thursday. I thought I was seconding an uncontentious motion to hold a reception to mark the contribution made to the city for over 30 years by the Gorgie Dalry Gazette and West Edinburgh Times. These papers were recently closed by the Lib Dem / SNP Administration and they also blocked an attempt by the South West Neighbourhood Partnership to get them started again. So much for the localisation agenda! No real reason has ever been given for withdrawing their funding and certainly without a doubt in the areas they served they were regarded as a community created, independent voice keeping people informed of what was happening in the area. This role made them a vital part of the local community and their loss is going to be deeply felt for some time. An example of this is the Gorgie Dalry Festival which is normally publicised in the Gorgie Dalry Gazette devoting a whole centre spread to photos. This year as a result in spite of the Community Association running around putting up posters the numbers were down with many local people saying they did not know it was on! I was surprised therefore that Cllr Nick Elliot-Cannon put in an amendment to the motion at the full Council effectively saying they were not having a reception and adding that Services for Communities were looking at options for alternative 'value for money' communications. I pointed out in my speech that thinking that another council publication could take the place of the independent local community newspapers showed a complete lack of understanding of what they were and why this was such a loss to the area. People will miss them more and more as time goes on.

This week, by contrast, has been mostly civic. Monday was the 'Ceremony of the Keys' , Tuesday the Garden Party and Wednesday the investitures for the Order of the Thistle. The Ceremony of the Keys is a grand spectacle as is the 'Shooting for the Edinburgh Silver Arrow' (all of which I attend as a Bailie) and I don’t think we advertise these things enough. The passers by that were there loved it but if more people knew it was on they would want to come along.

Would it be a crime to admit though that I am looking forward to my holidays?

2008-06-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well that is all I'm going to get of the Common Riding this year. The Crying o' the Burlie and the start of the Busin o' the Colours. Still it counts. When you are a Souter (someone born in Selkirk) you are drawn like a magnet.
People come back from all over the world for Selkirk Common Riding. You can spot the flags hanging from windows. I spotted a Canadian one as I was leaving. Of course I'm missing the big day which is a source of sadness and annoyance to me but I have to go on an in-service in Glasgow and though I would normally catch the first and second drums before heading up to Edinburgh the time I would have had to leave to make a previously unvisited destination in Glasgow made it unworkable. The Common riding gives you a sense of who you are and also a continuity that is unique. I've been going literally since I was born and I know I'll be going till I die. I see people every year that I don't see any other time (because they come back for it too). The casting of the colours to the tune of 'It's up Wi' the Souters o' Selkirk' then 'The Flowers of the Forrest' played by the Burgh Band culminating in the two minute silence is an emotional and enduring experience that never leaves me. Sigh. Ah well maybe next year.

NB Pictures are from 2006

2008-04-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

I've just been informed that the film they were making for the launch of the Everybody Online project in Gorgie Dalry is on YouTube. I've embedded it below. Although launching on 6th of February the project was first organised and brought forward by the Council's E-Government Division, BT, the now demised Gorgie Dalry Partnership (Council Cuts - don't get me started on that one again) and of course myself. As more and more of the Council's services and communications move over to ICT and the Internet it becomes increasingly important to take local communities along with you. So much is available and with more needing to be done online, I believe that to be truly healthy, a community must be encouraging and extending access as well as promoting the many benefits of digital incluson. I would describe this as fighting to address the 'Digital Divide' which is something I have always felt strongly about.

2008-04-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Reporting bad news to the local area gets too depressing after a while although of course it is virtually impossible to find a positive side to the closing down of the Gorgie Dalry Gazette, the West Edinburgh Times and the Gorgie Dalry Partnership to name but three. Given the enormous contribution these organisations have made in the Sighthill Gorgie area the 'disinvestment' strategy employed by the Lib. Dem. / SNP administration is doing catastrophic and irreparable damage to the local community.
There is a sense of shock and anger at every community council, neighbourhood council and residents association I attend. Even the organisations that are left have received cuts that threaten their future. This administration clearly does not believe in the voluntary sector at all!
The relatively small sums of money involved represented fantastic value for money including as it did volunteers and local support that could not be replicated in straight council services. No doubt the administration would try to blame this, as they have everything else, on the previous administration but the fact is that from the second Jenny Dawe signed on the dotted line to take the money from the Scottish Government and freeze the council tax they forfeited the right to blame anyone but themselves. If they were not being given enough to do the things they wanted to do then clearly they should not have signed! Supporting these local groups and organisations is obviously something they do not want to do then.

2008-02-20T01:47:00.000-08:00

Budget time ! The Lib Dem/SNP administration will reveal their budget on the 21st Feb which could be bad news for anyone who stands to lose out as it is also when the decision gets made! They have even gone as far as to call it a 'disgrace' for anyone to leek anything in advance of this date. Not much consultation here then. We on the other hand have been firing out our intentions using every method of communication we can think of (eg see the website). If I was being cynical I might think that the Administration was trying to discourage deputations or citizens coming up to the City Chambers. We know already that they do not like deputations and have been known to attempt not to hear them. We will see what happens this time. See below budget statement from Ewan Aitken.

Dear Edinburgh Resident

Still Standing up for Edinburgh

I wanted to write to you directly and outline our 2008/09 budget proposals for the City of Edinburgh Council .

Edinburgh Labour may be in opposition but we still have a vision for the City that reflects our values and our priorities. We left the present administration an award-winning city of low unemployment, a strong economy, clean streets, successful schools, and with a great record of investment in green spaces, roads, arts, creativity, and services for the vulnerable, the young and the old.

Our alternative budget for Edinburgh would keep that record strong and sustainable. Here are just 20 of the many reasons why the Edinburgh Labour budget would provide the coherence, clarity and conviction that this city needs. More details are contained within the accompanying leaflet, and I would welcome the chance to answer any queries you may have – do just get in touch … all my contact details are as below.

Budgets are about choices. These would be some of our choices.

By cutting waste and reducing bureaucracy at the centre, along with careful use of the resources available, the Edinburgh Labour Budget would provide support for …

Our schools, investing in our young people by:

Preserve school based budgets, not cutting them as the LibDem/SNP administration already have
Creating ‘School Based Trusts’ to build 5 new schools
Increasing the money available for school building maintenance
Increasing support for School and Pupil Councils to £100,000 , not cutting it like the LibDems/SNP
Continued support for the Youngedinburgh programme

The vulnerable, being there for our citizens in their hour of need by:

Investing £3m of new money for home helps and other individual care packages
Restoring the £750,000 of cuts in home care made by the LibDem/SNP administration
Increasing spending on young people with learning difficulties by £750,000
Restoring cuts to the voluntary sector grants budget
Protecting Community Learning and Development from the LibDem/SNP proposed £833,000 of cuts

Our economy, building on the 50,000 jobs we helped create in 10 years by:

Creating a single ‘Edinburgh Bureau’ for inward investment and marketing
Creating a ‘Princes Street Trust’ to re–invigorate shopping and bring homes into the many un-used upper floors on Princes Street
Investing a further £20m in roads and pavements
Investing in more affordable homes
Restoring cuts made to supported bus services

Our Sport and culture, keeping Scotland ’s Capital healthy, active and creative by:

Investing in cycling in the city
Investing additional money in the International Festival
Investing in the Kings Theatre
Refurbishing Glenogle baths
Investing an additional £19.5m in National and Regional sports facilities and the Royal Commonwealth Pool

And much more beside… we have the vision, the political will, and we have the experience. We know what needs to be done, and how it can be done, to keep Scotland ’s Capital strong and safe, caring and creative.

Yours sincerely

Ewan Aitken
Councillor Ewan Aitken
Labour Group Leader – City of Edinburgh Council

Download the Labour Group Budget Leaflet in PDF here

2008-02-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a busy day even for me ! Busy in a good way though. In the morning I had a meeting with Council officials to discuss the problem of statutory orders of repair covering properties that have no access to the communal stair. Seems pretty clear cut legally - if there is no firewall between the attics then two properties are considered one for communal repair purposes. This , obviously, could come as a shock to some householders.

The afternoon was almost entirely taken up by the launch event for the Everybody Online project being piloted in the Gorgie Dalry area (1pm - 5pm. I was there till 4). I was speaking at the launch event as the Convenor of the South West Neighbourhood Partnership. It was made all the more relevant for me though by the fact that I was the Executive Member for the Smart City until May last year and and am now the Labour Group Spokesperson for same. See below my speech although I managed not to look at it so there may only be a rough correlation between this and what I actually said....

I am delighted to be here as convenor of the South West Neighbourhood Partnership today to mark the launch of the EverybodyOnline project. I have been closely involved and felt passionate about this project from the beginning being then the Executive Member for the Smart City.

¨ The City of Edinburgh Council has a Smart City’ vision; a 10 year investment programme with BT Scotland to deliver efficient, joined up interactive public services using a wide range of new technology. For example, Council Papers Online, paying for council services online and providing free internet access throughout all local libraries.

¨ We realise however that not everyone has yet mastered the online world and recent research in Gorgie Dalry, commissioned by Citizens Online, showed that although most of the new young professionals were avid internet users nearly 40% of the 55+ year olds, and those not in work, didn’t as yet understand the benefits of the new technologies

¨ It is important that we give everyone in our communities the same opportunities to participate and so I am delighted that the City of Edinburgh Council, Capital City Partnership, the Gorgie Dalry Partnership, BT Scotland, Age Concern Edinburgh IT and Citizens Online have created a partnership to actively promote the use of Information & Communications Technology amongst those who would otherwise be excluded through this EverybodyOnline project.

¨ There will be an emphasis on developing new skills, greater confidence and more active participation in the local community. Results elsewhere have demonstrated that these will in turn lead to the creation of new jobs and opportunities and a more vibrant and prosperous local economy.

¨ The success of this project will depend on everyone working in partnership and partners working together and I call on you all to grasp this opportunity with both hands so that all the residents of Gorgie Dalry can be online citizens and realise the benefits and opportunities that this new world brings.

¨ This project is dear to my heart for two main reasons first it opens up the Smart city to all – always felt that in a sense the more successful we were developing services on line the more , potentially we contributed to the digital divide – widening the gap between those with access to the new or improved services and those without. This is the other side of the coin – at the same time as you are moving services onto for example the internet like Council Papers or Planning applications you have to be working to ensure that everyone has access. 2nd One of the hardest things to do is take the benefits of new technology out to local neighbourhoods. Edinburgh cannot be a truly Smart City unless it includes everyone and engages local people.It is not just about access it is about encouraging people , providing training , showing people the benefits of the new technologies.

¨ Thank you to once again to City of Edinburgh Council, Capital City Partnership, the Gorgie Dalry Partnership, BT Scotland, and Citizens Online. I wish the project every success!

There was a good attendance and people representing a wide variety of local groups, voluntary organisations, Community Councils, the Neighbourhood Partnership, Council E-Government Division etc. as well , of course as local people who just dropped in to see what it was all about. It was very enjoyable for me as well as seeing the project getting under way to be able to chat to such a wide collection of local groups such as Health Help for All at Springwell House and ACE IT at Caledonian Crescent.

Gorgie Dalry and the surrounding area is truly lucky to have such a large number of dedicated, hard working and largely under appreciated local groups and organisations. The Gorgie Dalry Partnership for example, which has on its Board a unique mix of representatives from the local Business Association and Community Council and provides a broad range of services to help local people into work, has been central in bringing forward the Everybody online Project. Fountainpark (Gorgie Dalry Partnership Member) provided the venue for the launch - free of charge. The Partnership also organises events like the Gorgie Dalry Christmas Lights Switch on Ceremony (as well as organising the lights themselves); the Best Dressed Christmas Window Award; the Annual Gorgie Dalry Customer Care Awards; administrative support for the Gorgie Dalry Community Association, The Gorgie Dalry Community Forum; providing premises for surgeries, meetings consultations on local developments and a drop in shop where local people can be given advice and find out information on a wide variety of topics. The list is almost endless. If I seem to be laying it on with a troul it is because the Partnership had it's just over £20,000 budget cut by £2000 in the last quarter of this year and on the basis of the answer to a question on the subject posed at full Council in which Economic Development stated that it did not fit with there core objectives (which is clearly untrue!) , I think we have to conclude that there is a threat to the rest of the funding in the new budget due to be set on 21st February. Of course the SNP / Lib Dem Administration have not set their budget yet but there is nothing wrong with emphasising how important groups like this, the Gorgie City Farm, the Gorgie Dalry Gazette etc. are to the local area and what a disaster it would be if they were lost through short sighted, short term, relatively minor cuts when perfectly pheseable alternatives are being put forward which would not hit direct front line services to local citizens. Sometimes these services are for the most vulnerable and in greatest need and sometimes they enhance and enrich the lives of local people (like Everyone Online).

2007-12-12T04:08:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas has really started when we do the Gorgie Dalry Christmas lights switch on. It is always a heart stopping moment when this years celebrity, Iain Waugh from Forth 1, throws the switch, hoping they will actually come on. They did. All credit to the Council's engineers. I MC'd the proceedings which, along with the traditional carol singing featured the wind section from Tynecastle High School and the Choir from St.Martins Church. The Reverend John Conway also from St Martins gave the Christmas message and Cllr Nick Elliot-Cannon presented the Best Dressed Christmas window (won by The City Florists on Gorgie Rd.) . Joining us on the stage were Cllr Eric Milligan - my fellow Labour Councillor for Sighthill Gorgie and MSP Sarah Boyack. The grand finale of course is Santa who hands out presents to all the kids. Santa's sleigh organised by the Edinburgh Lions Club. Afterwards all those involved retired into Robertsons Bar who for several years now have been kindly donating a free drink and a buffet. The whole event is organised by the Gorgie Dalry Partnership who do a fantastic job but it is typical of Gorgie Dalry to see so many local companies and groups getting involved. Multi Party, multi organization all coming together in the Christmas spirit. Great!

2007-12-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

I never seem to get time to do this, post an entry that is . Time time time. As Christmas gets closer I get busier - happens every year. Same for everyone I know. I love Christmas though and really look forward to it. Some of the things that make me busy are a a joy as well of course like the Gorgie Dalry Christmas Lights Switch On tonight. I love the carol singing and the Christmas spirit. Its at Gorgie City Farm on Gorgie Road at 6pm if anyone wants to come along. There is a children's party beforehand in the Tynecastle Community Association centre in Mcleod Street then everyone comes along in a group for the switch on ceremony. The actual switching on of the lights this year is being done by Ian Waugh of Forth 1.

There is a cloud of course in the form of the terrible murder which occurred in the Ward last week. Terrible not just because of the nature of the crime itself but the effect it will no doubt have on residents and perceptions of the area. All I can say from personal experience is that since becoming a Councillor for the Ward in May I have met hundreds of residents in the vicinity and found them all - without exception to be genuine, good, friendly people. Not saying everyone is like that of course but I've met enough now to know there must be a good number. A terrible thing.

2007-10-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

This has to be a record - I had a feeling I had been at meetings every night for a while but I've just checked back three and a half weeks and it's true - a meeting every night (also two out of three Sundays). Before anyone gets the violins out I should add that I am thoroughly enjoying it. The geographic area of the new ward is vast but it is good to get out and meet different groups and people. There is a sense of foreboding out there though after last months drastic cuts were pushed through being directed as they were at the voluntary sector, the elderly, people on low incomes and the vulnerable in general. The Gorgie Dalry Partnership, for example has received a letter stating that its funding will be reduced by £2000 in this financial year. When the total budget is just over £20,000 this represents a serious blow to the viability of the organisation. Areas like Gorgie Dalry, Sighthill, Wester Hailes, Broomhouse etc are all bracing themselves for the impact of the cuts to be felt - and it will be! See the report that went to the Council by clicking here. Of course the SNP / Lib Dem 'Coalition' will claim that it is all our fault for running up an overspend but the fact is that whatever its size or its cause these cuts are the choice of the current administration and we have put forward alternative measures which would not have impacted on front line services the way that their measures do.

2007-08-25T03:25:00.000-07:00

Well - I've just about calmed down - or at least stopped shaking with rage at the hypocrisy of it all. Yes, I'm talking about last Thursday's Full Council meeting. Supposed 'Liberal Democrats' and SNP denying the citizens of Scotland's Capital City their traditional right to address all the councillors on a subject as important as our children's education and the centres in our communities! ....And all the time talking about citizen participation and increasing involvement of people in decisions of the council!! In the first few minutes of the meeting I found myself bouncing to my feet to contradict Lib Dem assertions that deputations had been spoken to and had agreed not to speak preferring a 'more appropriate forum' - not true. The public gallery, the European room and the quadrangle were full of angry parents, an MP and an MSP who had come along with speeches prepared and were not allowed to. As the Evening News said they left angrier than they arrived. 'Point of information Lord Provost' (with hindsight I suppose it wasn't really a point of information but I was too angry to care at the time) I shouted 'that's not true - there are deputations here now in the gallery waiting and wanting to speak'. Other than the obvious I was angry because this had undone in a single blow everything I and the previous administration had tried to do, creating Local Development Committees and then the new Neighbourhood Partnerships, to increase citizen participation in the affairs of the Council. An 'affront to democracy ' as Andrew Burns rightly puts it.

All this is before we even begin on the proposal to close 22 school and community centres. Along with my colleagues I spoke at length on how these cuts did not make any sense. Click here to see what I said. Taking the Gorgie War Memorial Hall as an example, I said, you can't sell it or close it because it is a War Memorial. It gets a tiny grant from the council for all the varied work that it does with the local community and it doesn't even have a single full time community education worker! So why is it on the list for closure. The whole report is poorly thought out. No one has talked to the staff or visited the places on this list. I ended by calling it a 'disgrace'.

2007-08-02T03:44:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how the summer holidays from the school fills up with other things to the extent you wonder how you ever managed to fit it in! In my case of course the school holidays are just an opportunity to concentrate on the council and constituency stuff. Also the opportunity affordes itself to do major renovations on the house. I feel a growing sense of urgency to get it all fitted in before the 20th of August when the school starts back all be it I am only part time.
Renovations took an ugly turn when on my way to bed I heard a rustling and saw a dark mouse sized object shooting along the exposed under floor pipes. Sigh - why do these things always happen just as you are off to bed?
I have just done a couple of updates to the Labour Groups new vision statement 'Labour's Priorities for Edinburgh'. It was poorly received at the Council (as you might expect) from the other parties but we had hoped they would see past the old adversarial politics and take it for what it was - a completely positive look at what we would like to see for the city. This is us being serious about the new politics. I have always believed that citizens are not interested in politicians just contradicting each other for the sake of it but want us to work together to find solutions to the problems we all face. I know this is naive given that we work within a party political system but I also believe that there is an opportunity here with the new system to be less adversarial and more positive.
Speaking of communications the Labour group will be producing a Labour Group leaders report roughly every month (to coinside with full Council). Jenny Dawe is reviewing the official 'Leaders Report' which we brought in and has made it plain she is not really in favour of it. I think anything that lets the people know what we are doing is a good idea. If you would like to be emailed a copy of the Labour Group report let me know on donaldwilson@edinburghlabour.com .

2007-07-31T03:04:00.000-07:00

The duties of a Bailie are varied indeed! One of the most interesting recently was the commemoration of the Scots who died in the American Civil War. The news wrongly reported prior to the event that there were up to 500,000 casualties. I discovered however that this was the number of Scots who took part on both sides (since the total number killed was less than 800,000 it seems unlikely that the vast majority of them were Scots). A truer figure was apparently likely to have been between 100,000 and 200,000 which of course is still a staggering number.

The event itself was excellent drawing attention as it does not only to the involvement of Scots but also to the only War memorial to the fallen in the American Civil War out side the States. And a magnificent memorial it is with its statue of Abraham Lincoln and a crouching slave reaching up.

The event was the first of its kind but it is hoped to make it an annual event.

Here is what I said (if interested) :-

"I am honoured to be here this morning, representing the Lord Provost and City of Edinburgh Council, at this memorial service to commemorate the first Battle of Bull Run on 21 July 1861. This was the first major land battle of the American Civil War during which many Scottish soldiers fought and died.

In particular I would like to welcome Mr Peter Ferrier who is here as a Guest of Honour and is the grandson of an American Civil War Veteran.
Sir, we are delighted that you are able to be with us this morning.

There can be no more fitting location for this service than here at the Lincoln Memorial, thought to be the only American Civil War Memorial outside the USA.

This wonderful statue was erected in 1893 after the widow of a Sgt Major McEwan, who served in the 65th Illinois Voluntary Infantry, approached the American Consul General for financial assistance. Having discovered that Sgt Major McEwan had been buried in a pauper’s grave, the Consul – Mr Wallace Bruce – approached the Edinburgh Corporation for a burial site for Scots who had served in the Civil War.

I am very pleased indeed that the city fathers of the day donated this piece of land so that the American Consul could raise funds to erect this memorial and statue of Abraham Lincoln.

As you can see, the memorial also depicts a freed slave – a most appropriate image in the year when we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery Act here in the UK.

Finally, I would like to thank the Rev Dr Bill Mackie and the One O’Clock Gun Association for putting so much effort into organising this event to commemorate all those, and particularly those from Scotland, who fought and died in the American Civil War.

Thank you."

2007-06-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

It's strange how life turns around. On the up side in Sighthill Gorgie we defied the trend and returned two Councillors for Labour. Andrew Burns was elected for Fountainbridge Craiglockhart and Sarah Boyack won Edinburgh Central for the Parliament.

On the down side Labour had been conspired against and lost power in spite of being the second largest party in the Council. Oh well, that's STV for you. Fairer in one way (more votes counting) and grossly unfair in another (parties with fewer Councillors having more decision making power).

To my surprise however I was honoured to be made a Bailie (no- it's not a spelling mistake - it's two 'l's for Glasgow and one 'l' for Edinburgh) in the new Council.

This is a civic post which supports the Lord Provost. It comes with a Chain of Office - see photo. I have always seen it as part of my duty to attend civic ceremonies and this has apparently been noted.
So far I have attended several major events including the Adult Learners' Week Awards and Scotland's Gardens. The Adult Learners' Week Awards was a particularly appropriate one for me to do as in addition to the civic welcome I was asked to present the 'John Smith Award' at the end of the evening. The excitement was added to by the fact that the winners who were sitting at my table were completely unaware that they had won! i showed masterful restraint and didn't so much as drop a clue until I went up onto the stage to announce it. The winners were 3TFM, a community radio station broadcasting to the three towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenson with an emphasis on health. Following an intensive learning program they successfully broadcast live for 28 days providing 672 hours of music and content having trained 150 volunteers and 30 live presenters and studio crew. Over the past year they have organised national conferences , delivered keynote addresses and helped new community radio stations. Worthy winners.
I also got the opportunity to say a few words about John Smith in whose memory the award was being presented. I knew John only slightly but counted myself privileged to have done so.
At any rate I am very pleased and would thank the Council for the appointment as Bailie.

2007-05-08T02:50:00.000-07:00

Well the elections are over and I was re-elected. The whole thing was a very strange experience under the new system. I would like to thank all the people who voted for me first, second, third or fourth (there were four places)! I will however work hard for all the people of Sighthill Gorgie over the next four years. I will work together with the other three Councillors elected (Eric Milligan - Lab; Nick Elliot-Cannon - SNP;Joanna Toomey - SLD) for the good of the area. I have not forgotten all the issues and problems which were communicated to me over the phone or in person on the campaign trail and I will be pursuing these right away. Thanks again - I consider it an honour and will work hard.

2007-04-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

Well what a morning! Excellent weather and excellent response on Gorgie Rd.. Makes you wonder who they ask for these opinion polls? Not everyone supporting us of course but a good spread of supporters, 'not interested's and very few against. Not a single person stated they were voting SNP which seems strange given that you would think that their confidence levels would be high and therefore they would be pleased to tell you. They were there of course, further up the road and I must admit to some satisfaction that as we were walking past them a young woman had engaged them loudly and aggressively on something to do with money. I couldn't quite make it out but she was clearly not a supporter.

It was all very polite though - which is as it should be among everyone engaged in the process of democracy. None of us are bad people we just don't agree on many things. Pretty fundamental things though, such as the breaking up of the UK which surely everyone must know is the central policy of the SNP however hard they try to distract us with other things. A referendum - this is just a ploy to let people flirt with the idea but then change their minds later! Voting SNP is voting for independence and it would be a lot more honest if they would admit to it instead of trying to separate themselves from it. Without independence the SNP is nothing and hopefully more and more people will realise this between now and the election.

2007-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Another weekend closer to the elections (3rd May). The stall was on Dalry Rd. on Saturday. The Sun was out and the temperature is begining to rise - in more ways than one! Outside Somerfield (left) was a good few degrees below Gorgie Rd. (right). The reception is always friendly. I never fail to be warmed at the busy vibrant feeling of genuine community that you get on Gorgie Dalry Rd. especially on a Saturday morning. I love it and have always been proud to be a part of it.

Still need to attend to other things though like on Tuesday we had the last Executive. It was six hours long with over seventy reports! Rumour has it that this was nothing compared to the Licensing Board on Friday which ran from 10am to 6.30. People trying to get things through before the uncertainty of May.

A major event for me next week however will be the Edinburgh Medal and address by Dr Richard Horton tomorrow evening (Monday). As the Chair of the Edinburgh International Science Festival I am saying a few words at the reception afterwards. I presented the Medal last year in the Hub to Professor James Lovelock who gave a very emotive and topical address on global warming. He concluded somewhat depressingly at the end that it was too late for renewable energy such as wind power and the only thing which would have a noticeable impact would be nuclear power. I think this is substituting one problem for another. I am a passionate believer in renewable energy and recycling (I drive a Toyota Prius hybrid electric car and was responsible for bringing forward a report to the Council enabling us to put micro generating turbines and waterwheels at a variety of Council owned locations). I am certainly looking forward to this years address!

2007-03-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

The election starts here

Well, that's the campaign started in earnest - we are into our campaign shop (294 Gorgie Road) and the manifesto was launched yesterday.

Our ten key pledges are -

help save on everyone’s energy and household bills by offering a free “eco-check” and low-interest loan to every home
create a new £200m “homestake” fund to help low income residents buy their first home
keep the Council tax down to the rate of inflation for the next four years
make sure every young person leaving school is qualified to go straight into work, or into training, or into more education. We don’t want anyone left aside
improve the quality of the city centre through investment in and around Princes Street,
boost the employment rate in the poorest areas of the city to within 3% of the city average.
set up a 24-hour fast-response Community Safety Team, with police officers, in every neighbourhood
offer affordable childcare for children between 3 and 14 to all families in the city who need it
create green energy projects inside the city funded by donations to a new gold standard “Edinburgh Carbon Offset Trust”
give every Edinburgh voter a “shareholder’s discount” of a free fortnight’s travel on their bus pass

Read the full text at www.edinburgh.labour.co.uk .

Of course that doesn't mean we haven't been out pounding the pavements for weeks now. The reception has been generally good but my concern remains that if too many people vote the same way where Labour is fielding two candidates (like in my ward) in terms of first and second choice then the second choice will not get in. Interestingly I spoke to a Lib Dem on Friday who was just as concerned as me about this. The other aspect that takes a bit of getting used to is the sheer size of the ward - 12000 households taking in everything between Dalry and the Calders. It is well worth a visit to the Boundary Commission's ward maps to check what area you are now in. I have to say though - I love every minute of election campaigns.

2007-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Good news for Gorgie Dalry!
Last week the Council Executive passed a report putting Gorgie Rd. and Dalry Rd. at the top of the list for CCTV. Local people have been voicing their desire for this in recent months including a petition from local businesses. I have been putting the case to the Council for these streets and am therefore delighted to have been so successful that we have ended up at the very top. Between this and the new 'Pub Watch', which was started up a couple of weeks ago by the Council, the Police and local pubs, I am sure this is a welcome and significant step forward for security and quality of life in the area. I have lived most of my adult life in this area and have always been struck by the strong sense of community. The local shops are part of this and this should be a welcome boost for them as it will help to prevent vandalism and malicious damage to shop fronts.

2007-01-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

I am delighted to have been selected as one of Labour's candidates to stand in the new multi member ward of 'Sighthill/Gorgie' in the May 2007 local government elections. The ward for which I am presently the Councillor is Shandon but this will cease to exist at the elections in May this year. Shandon will be cut in half with Gorgie (which is part of Shandon at the moment) going into 'Sighthill/Gorgie' and the bit which is actually called Shandon on the map going into Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart (click here for boundary maps). I have been a Councillor for eight years and take great pride in a large number of achievements in my ward such as the renovation of Harrison Park and Council agreement to the brand new secondary school to replace Tynecastle. I bring a proven track record to the new ward but I am very interested in what citizens in this new area (click link above to see boundary map) think about local issues or just in general. For my own part I believe in open green spaces, affordable housing, good, well equipped local schools which offer real opportunities for children and young people and a good local economy (local shops etc.).

2006-12-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

One exciting prospect which is being discussed in Smart City circles at the moment is WiFi or the Wireless City. At first glance it is hard to spot the full potential of this but the longer you think about it the more useful it becomes. Imagine for example young people in schools being able to take the computer around from class to class instead of relying on how well kitted out each room was. Visitors would be able to get information on what to see and where to eat etc as they are walking round the city. Social Workers would be able to look at case work while on the move. You could get broadband in your house without the need for a land line.
The most exciting thing of all for me though is to be able to do something about the digital divide and digital exclusion. This divide exists within Edinburgh and the more we rely on new technology to provide services and deliver new ones the more we need to continue to address these issues of exclusion. This Labour administration is very proud of measures like free Internet access in all Libraries and the whole Peoples Network project and there are specific digital inclusion pilot projects planned for Gorgie Dalry and other areas of the City. Wireless would allow us to take this a stage further however by helping us to provide access to hard to reach or vulnerable groups such as people on benefits. Other cities such as Birmingham and Philadelphia are signing up to have WiFi across the city centre. It seems to me the Council should be involved in this but only if it helps us to run the Council more efficiently and also help is to fight digital exclusion.

2006-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

With a background as a Computing teacher in a Secondary School (I still do some supply teaching) and the Council's Smart City person it was inevitable that I would set up a blog. I think this is a wonderful way to communicate directly with people so please feel free to make comments. There are not enough opportunities for people to tell Councillors and the Council what they think and this often leads to a sense of frustration and powerlessness. Well I'm here and I'm listening even though I may not always agree with everything everyone says.