Lothian Labour – ‘people who put their own vanity, self-interest and ambitions [first], to be seen as king-makers, in positions of too much power’

By stewartb

In what is hardly a newspaper unsympathetic to the Labour Party in the Lothians, the coverage by the Edinburgh Evening News of the goings on amongst Labour councillors in the City of Edinburgh is noteworthy.

From the Edinburgh Evening News, December 19, 2024, under the headline ‘Edinburgh council elects Labour’s Jane Meagher ….’ we find this (with my emphasis):

(Labour) ‘Cllr Faccenda also abstained rather than vote for Cllr Meagher as council leader. She said there were principles which councillors were supposed to observe, the first of which was selflessness, defined as not allowing political interests to stand in the way of good governance.’

The Councillor is quoted: “I have heard in the two and a half years since I have been a councillor, within my group and in other parts of the council, repeated expressions and demonstrations of people who did not apply selflessness to the way they did their job. If you say something like ‘I did not stand to be in opposition’, you are not displaying selflessness – and you’re also undermining the very role of councillors, which is to represent their wards”.

“We in the Labour party have a further duty – to represent the people our party was founded to represent. And we have failed in the last two and a half years.

“We have failed to promote core Labour values and principles.”

The article goes on: ‘And she said the electoral system had failed the council because it had allowed “people who put their own vanity, self-interest and ambitions to be seen as king-makers in positions of too much power”.

It’s not hard to imagine the national coverage and negative framing of such remarks if they were being aimed by an SNP councillor towards his/her party’s leadership.

Labour have retained control of the Council with Tory and Lib Dem support.

There is history here. From the Edinburgh Evening News, June 28 2022, under the headline ‘Two Edinburgh Labour councillors suspended ….’ we find this: ‘Leith councillor Katrina Faccenda and Ross McKenzie, who represent Sighthill/Gorgie, both abstained in the vote at last month’s full council meeting that put their party into power. They were unhappy that as well as giving “non-political” posts like licensing board convener to the Lib Dems in return for their support on the day, the leadership had also given posts to some Tory councillors for their backing.‘

Back then: ‘Labour was elected as the new minority administration despite having just 13 of the city’s 63 councillors.’

Here it’s Unionist parties coming together to secure a city’s council for one of their number. Let there be no complacency about a similar threat to Scotland’s government in 2026.

6 thoughts on “Lothian Labour – ‘people who put their own vanity, self-interest and ambitions [first], to be seen as king-makers, in positions of too much power’”

  1. Unbelievably it was reported that Cammy Day “cast his vote” not “in person” but via “video link” to stop the SNP from taking over the running of Edinburgh council.

    Unfortunately once again the band, formerly known as “Better Together”, that is Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems, once again united as if one party in them all rejecting this SNP bid , which was backed backed by the Greens, and so Labour ,still now with a minority, will retain power.

    “Labour only has 10 of the 63 councillors that make up the city’s administration” according to the BBC.

    Only Labour could do this after the Cammy Day scandal and only both the Tories and the Lib Dems would support them under these circumstances, of course both the Tories and the Lib Dems are no strangers to scandals themselves so no big deal for them to do this.

    It is now 9.44am and still the BBC has no update on this Cammy day story on their website in their Scotland page, Scottish Politics page or indeed even more relevant their Edinburgh news page.

    There is also nothing in relation to the other Labour councillor Bryan Pottinger story either.

    #BBCwheeshtForLabour ( which is now getting to be a – bad- and-regular-habit via them, the BBC, in Scotland).

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. *which was backed backed by the Greens

      so they really backed it Ha Ha

      Hope everyone has a wonderful Xmas

      (We all need a wee (big) break from UK politics do we not)

      Liked by 1 person

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  2. [It is now 9.44am and still the BBC has no update on this Cammy day story on their website in their Scotland page, Scottish Politics page or indeed even more relevant their Edinburgh news page.]

    If all MSM press had made it a news item, then maybe just maybe BBC Scotchland might be forced to put a report up.

    They’ll be far too busy looking for ways to denigrate the Scottish Government.

    They aren’t a news site, they are a BRITISH institution.

    Never forget that. They won’t.

    Liked by 4 people

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  3. I see no difference between what is happening in Scotland and some Eastern European countries where Russia is calling the tune (and the shots in some cases).

    Politicians who owe their allegiance to power structures in another country and whose main interest is furthering their own interests at the expense of their constituents.

    We need a fundamental change to the way local government is funded and organised with political representatives having limited terms of office and being held far more accountable for their actions.

    Otherwise it is business as usual with little or no improvement for peoples’ lives.

    Liked by 4 people

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  4. I have tons to say about CEC as a resident in Edinburgh. One thing which I find bizarre is how they have been getting away with paying council employees more than is scared in their contracts. The cost to the council (public purse) is millions of pounds apparently, and to add insult to injury, the overpayments have been worse in the past year or two. What the…I noticed a big plampost sign recently a consultation to tell the council what they should cut to make £30milkion of savings. You could hardly make it up could you.
    Since Labour, Tories and Lib Dems plonked themselves into power at CEC in 2022 by coalition to keep the SNP out, the city has been wrecked. It’s a mess, the pollution is really bad, due to their (mostly unnecessary) roadworks, even blocking major routes for months at a time. They really are taking the absolute mickey out of the city.
    Why would an English HQd party want the capital of Scotland where their SNP, a Scottish ppolitucal party, sits, to look like a decent clean, well maintained European city..
    I have hundreds of photos of the mess, hoping to print some out one day. I take my camera out and every day there’s need to take photos of the mess around the city.
    It’s sad, because Edinburgh used to be a nice city, never rubbish strewn with barriers everywhere.
    Even if independence is secured are these England based parties going to run out councils? What’s the deal there?

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