Month: May 2015

I am enormously grateful to all the people who have expressed their support over the last several days. I have had numerous emails, calls and people speaking to me in the street saying I have their backing. If the commissioner for ethical standards does decide to investigate this complaint, then I will not be able… Continue reading How Argyll & Bute Works: Complaint against me update

In the past few days some of the new group of SNP MPs have made their maiden speeches in the House of Commons. Here are two very different speeches from Argyll & Bute’s Brendan O’Hara and East Edinburgh’s Tommy Sheppard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4NObZwYJDk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhwMoPF6540 Enjoy

Yesterday’s post (read here) has kick started a response from Michael Russell MSP. Overnight he has solicited support from people he was able to contact so that the press release below could be issued before any notification from the Ethics and Standards Commissioner. I am very grateful for this and reproduce the press release as… Continue reading Argyll & Bute: How it works: Complaint against me and the response so far

I have just received my post and in it was a letter from the council chief executive Mrs Loudon. She and her colleagues have submitted a complaint against me to the Ethics and Standards Commissioner. If the commissioner decides to investigate the complaint I am not allowed to say anything in public about the proceedings.… Continue reading Argyll & Bute: how it works: a complaint against me

I have spent time and effort in this blog being critical of the way Argyll & Bute works, or not. That is right and proper in my view because there is much that is wrong with the council. Only yesterday I spoke to one of the lowest paid members of staff who told me in… Continue reading HOW ARGYLL & BUTE MIGHT WORK BETTER

It’s often said that Dunoon has a very run down appearance and the state of Dunoon Pier is often cited as an example of this. On Saturday I happened to meet Brian Wilson and his son in The Argyll Hotel and we had a brief chat about things. Brian hadn’t been back in Dunoon for… Continue reading How Argyll & Bute Works: Dunoon’s Historic Pier

I attended the above on behalf of South Cowal Community Development Company (SCCDC) to hear how the land reform movement was progressing through community ownership. SCCDC failed  in their bid to buy the Castle Toward estate due to the owner, Argyll & Bute Council, being unwilling to budge on the price they were demanding. The… Continue reading Community Land Scotland Conference, 21/22 May 15

I have been in Inverness the last 2 days at the Community Land Scotland conference, of which more later this weekend. For now, back to the scandal of Cllr Walsh’s undemocratic activities in concealing from the public and most councillors what is being discussed. Michael Russell MSP has tabled the following questions in the Scottish… Continue reading HOW ARGYLL & BUTE WORKS: THE BUDGET: NOW MSP ASKS QUESTIONS

I regret the fact that this blog seems in many ways to be one that is having a go at Cllr Walsh but the reality is that much of what goes on in Argyll & Bute revolves around his way of operating. That way of operating seems designed to ensure that he has maximum power… Continue reading More of Argyll & Bute and how it works, or not.

Last night over 40 people attended a hastily convened meeting to discuss the shenanigans going on in the council over the way they are handling the impending budget crisis for Argyll & Bute. The cuts from the Tories will be passed on to the Scottish Government in due course and perhaps as much as £37m… Continue reading How Argyll & Bute works: the community fights back