Councillor’s ‘Sieg Heil’ comment is a disgrace

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the East Kibride News.

The political times in which we live are fraught and polarised. For passionate politicians, keeping a cool head is essential because the decisions made impact on all of our lives.

Of course, there are times when things get out of hand in the heat-ofthe-moment. Frustrations experienced by some can be barely concealed.

However, there is a red line which cannot be crossed. Unfortunately, East Kilbride Central South councillor Gerry Convery did just that.

He has hit the headlines after blurting out the Nazi slogan ‘Sieg Heil’ during a meeting of South Lanarkshire Council’s executive committee last Wednesday.

Councillor Convery admitted he was “frustrated” with how a debate over school clothing grants funding was going.

It goes without saying that his comments are completely out of order, and especially so in the current climate.

And it is right that he has apologised and withdrawn his remark which should not have been uttered in the first place. A politician of Councillor Convery’s experience should know better.

This isn’t about curtailing freedom of speech or freedom of expression. This is about behaving properly as an elected representative, and using inappropriate and offensive language like this – whether yelled, spoken or mumbled – is simply not acceptable.

What happens next is for Scottish Labour and Councillor Convery’s constituents to determine.

There are times when it feels like some of our politics is in the gutter with how and what words are used not seeming to matter. We should be trying to raise standards, not lower them further.