I’ll be in all their faces if need be
Dreamers and ditherers all beware
I was buttonholed on Ayr’s High Street last week . . . funnily enough, by a man with the Scottish National Party’s yellow pin planted firmly in his buttonhole!
The gentleman was clearly agitated – but remained polite and courteous.
“Mr Shields . . . what has the SNP done to offend you? Your column last week was nothing short of a rallying call to the Tories to take over. Have you no respect for the thousands of voters who put the SNP in power?” “Sir, the Scottish National Party have done nothing to offend me,” I replied.
“But after almost a year in power, they have done nothing . . . . at all!”
“And if you want to talk about respect for voters, where’s the respect for the majority of South Ayrshire who voted Conservative – but ended up with a SNP/ Labour coalition?”.
Fair play to him, the gentleman had his answer ready.
“Aye – but the Tories clung to power with a Labour coalition – and that was a disaster!”
“Exactly” I replied.
We eventually parted company – amicably agreeing to differ – but his questioning style got me thinking.
Almost a year on since the 2017 local election – maybe it’s time for your columnist to remind everyone of its political stance.
It’s fairly simple . .
As long as my name is at the top – this page will never be on any party’s side . . . but in every party’s face.
And if the Nat’s think I’m Tory, the Tories think I’m a Nat and Labour think, well, anything at all really – I’m getting something right!
Back in April last year, I attended the SNP’s local manifesto launch. I’d have done the same for Labour or the Tories if they’d had one.
And if they did – I wasn’t invited. As I think I’ve said before, the Nats seemed organised and confident. Their bright yellow manifesto document contained the usual flimflam – but parts of it addressed major local issues and it contained some bold, new initiatives.
After five years of the most disjointed council in memory – this sounded like the new broom we’d all been waiting for. On May 4 – I voted SNP . . . and waited for the good times to begin.
Sadly . . . I’m still waiting.
The writing was on the wall at that very first meeting when the councillors voted themselves a pay rise!
An ideal opportunity to show that this council really was “different” was lost for the sake of a tenner or so a week.
The “in it for themselves” stigma could have been erased with a
single show of hands. Instead, it was a PR disaster.
In the weeks that followed, there was also no sign of the “inclusive” and “cooperative” regime the manifesto predicted.
My hope that twenty eight individuals could unite under a single objective - a better South Ayrshire – was quickly dashed. The feuding party lines were redrawn - and this time it would be the Tories left out in the cold.
The SNP wreaked revenge – with the help of Labour – who asked for the depute leadership and the Provost’s chain in return for their support.
The Nats were more than happy to oblige.
What’s happened since can be filed under “Not A Lot”.
And I began to wonder of the manifesto had been written by dreamers and passed on to ditherers.
We had the ludicrous LGTBI flag nonsense which only proved that party bickering transcends even common sense.
And then there was the bogus budget “consultation” which was a sham of unscrupulous deceit.
No Mr Buttonhole, last week’s column was not a “rallying call” to the Tories.
It was more of an alarm call to SNP and Labour that the swaggering - almost arrogant – running of our
affairs can’t be allowed to continue.
Depute leader Brian McGinley, in a very honest letter last week, says the council must act “legally and justifiably, with integrity, due diligence and process.”
Mr McGinley, that’s all this column has ever asked for.
The “in if for themselves” stigma could have been erased. Instead it was a PR disaster