TELE POSTBAG ‘Alba man’s tax position is ‘naked electioneering’’
‘Ex-councillor’s position is clever but cynical’
YOU must admire the efforts of former Alba Councillor Christopher McEleny to remain relevant to Inverclyde politics (‘Alba party need guarantee over council tax freeze’, April 1).
The cost of those council tax billboards and letters couldn’t have been cheap. I only hope all the Alba activists Christopher referred to are real and not just a figment of his imagination.
While we have had our disagreements over the years, I have always respected Christopher’s intellect and passion for Inverclyde. If I was a nationalist, I would certainly vote for him at the forthcoming UK General Election ahead of the SNP incumbent.
That having been said, Christopher’s position on the council tax freeze is nothing more than naked electioneering, just like his former colleagues in the SNP.
He cares nothing about the vulnerable service users who will see their care packages reduced or the council staff who will lose their jobs. It is all about votes.
His strategy is clever, but also cynical and transparent at the same time.
Christopher is seeking to capture the votes of those who have become disillusioned with the SNP and are actively considering voting Labour to remove the Tories from
Downing Street. At the same time, he is also targeting nationalists who could never bring themselves to vote Labour but who are equally disillusioned with the SNP.
That’s why he is challenging both myself and SNP group leader Elizabeth Robertson to state our respective group’s position on next year’s council tax.
I obviously can’t speak for Councillor Robertson, but if he wants to know the Labour Administration’s position, I refer him to my letter of March 19 to the Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, which can be found in the papers for the
Council’s Policy & Resources Committee meeting of March 26.
COUNCILLOR STEPHEN MCCABE Leader of the Council Elected Member Inverclyde East (Ward 1)