10 hours is how long the City of Edinburgh Council meeting lasted today. 10 hours almost to minute of directionless, badly handled and incompetent decision-making where even good news stories are making people mad.Today the SNP/Libdems:
- used the Lord Provost's casting vote to shut schools
- admitted that their new plan for the Kings road roundabout is uncosted and without a timetable
- shelved the Meadowbank Stadium development
- admitted that if they could get away with it politically they would reintroduce robes for councillors
- refused to discuss the fate of yet another bus service being cut
- refused to lobby the Government for more money for investment in Edinburgh
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12 comments:
Impressive blog Ewan!
I think all reasonable folk are prepared to accept short term inconvenience for longer term benefit.
However, the Kings Road debacle really is something else...
What i can't understand is the long periods of inactivity with very little workmen presence?
There appears to have been very little work done in a fairly long period of time. (Since July?)
Why?
Cheers
Kenny
Kenny
thanks for this. I agree., most folk will cope with inconvenience for a change that is worth it but this seems to be inconvenience for its own sake. I have tried and tried to find out why its all taking so long but all I hear from the administration is that its something to do with subcontractors who "won't travel through from Glasgow until there's enough work to do!" Drives me nuts!
Ewan
Primary schools being closed down and nothing being done about Primary schools which are heavily overcrowded and falling apart at the seams!
South Morningside Primary where my daughter attends being one of those schools which is overcrowded - thank goodness the nursery was NOT put on site - 2 Primary 1 classes not housed within the school itself and kids eating their lunch in classrooms as there is no room elsewhere!
I would have been tearing my hair out after 10 hours - actually to be fair, I would probably have started tearing my hair out after an hour as it is plain and simple for the majority of people to see that a huge error has been made with the coalition of lib dems/SNP in our Council - never mind the fact we have the NATS as our Scottish Executive - oops should that read Government!
Thanks for your post Suzy. I couldn't agree more but then I suppose that's no surprise! I would admit that despite my best efforts we did not solve the South Morningside challenge when I was in charge but at least I knew how I wanted to do it and where the money would have been coming from.
Ewan
Is the Braids Centre completely unrealistic for South Morningside Primary Ewan?
I see it is now on the open market. The vision of it housing nursery and junior school is an amazing one but I am guessing probably a dream it shall remain!
Suzy
No its not but it will mean the SNP/Libdems being brave with their capital budget and we know what that means!
if you contact me by e mail (ewan.aitken@edinburgh.gov.uk) we can have a chat about this
Ewan
I think councillors need to begin with the basics regarding Edinburgh. Yet another area you are all failing no matter what party you are in.
Taexalla
If I thought that there was an easy answer to dog shite I would have implemented it years ago. I agree completely that dog owners that don't clear up their pets crap are disgusting idiots (see links on this blog), who need to get serious grip on themselves.
I have arranged to have dog wardens in the area. they are here every week and people do get fined regularly but actually, if I rang up and said some dog has been allowed to shit in my front drive, i would get the same answer. I know that it does not seem fair but what happens on our own property is our responsibility even if we did not cause it to happen.
Ewan,
Please feel honoured that I am visiting your blog from snowy Aeberdeen - been here for a couple of days visiting my folks.
During my stay I have had the pleasure of taking their dog for several walks around the streets and parks.
I have not seen a single pile of poo anywhere and I could dance across the pavements with my eyes closed without having to clean my shoes later.
I don't believe there is a difference in numbers of dogs per head of population. The difference is play as day and implemented by Aberdeen Council years ago - regularly placed dog litter bins.
Since there are none of these in Edinburgh - certainly none where I live, and there is dog poo everywhere (dog poo the council won't even clean up!) one can make the connection that dog litter bins work.
Try it!
As for my being responsible for what happens in my stair - nice try. One of the residents pays the council rent.
Taexialia
My guess is that your survey of Abderdeen streets was neither scientific nor a true reflections of the comparative quantities of dog poo.
I did get the number of bins in the area and in the park and yes it did help, but in the end its about people choosing not to clear up after their dogs, the close proximity of a bin or otherwise is not, in itself, a reason whether or not to clear up their dog's shite. It does not jump into the bin itself
Can you explain why the Council should clear up an entrance where its a minority owner? Or is that how it works, keep a tame council tenant and you get services that others don't?
Not a scientific study at all - I walked the streets of Aberdeen with a dog and saw ZERO dog shit and bins at regular intervals. The conclusion I came to is the bins are working.
I would love to know the locations of the bins you claim are in this area. I will be going out over the weekend to look for these bins because I have never seen one.
The council website demands that people carry their dog shit home with them and frankly you are NEVER going to persuade people to do that. You need to meet them half way and provide a place for them to put the baggie.
There are a few folk around here who get as far as picking the dog shit up in a bag and tying a knot in it and leaving it in the gutter. The next stage of that scenario is children throwing these bags at each other in delight. I have witnessed this on several occasions - nice one Edinburgh City Council!
It appears the council have created a loop-hole that means the paths from the street to flats is not theirs to clean and therefore they also can't fine people for letting their dog shit in one of these paths. That is crazy.
Why should *I* have to clean it up?
You people are incapable of taking responsibility for your failures or indeed for listening to suggestions from citizens - suggestions that have clearly worked elsewhere. I cannot believe you are actually arguing about this!
I am expressing a different viewpoint. I hadn't realised that wasn't allowed.
I remain unconvinced that there is no dog shit in Aberdeen.
i remain unconvinced that continuing to insult myself and those who work for the council as you choose to do is the best way to get yourself heard.
Sure, I wouldn't like to clear up dog shit in my doorstep either but sometimes in life that is what you have to do and taking your anger at having to do so out on others seem less than constructive to me.
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