Mutineers Deserve Short Shrift
Now there may be concerns about how the matter was handled - either by the Labour party or the council itself.
But what does not seem to be in dispute is what Councillor O'Rourke actually said - and how offensive and inappropriate these remarks were at the time.
So let's hope the reported 'mutiny' amongst other Labour councillors is given short shrift - because that's what it deserves.
Serious disciplinary charges should not revolve around nit picking or technicalities - the real issue is what was said - and the behaviour of the councillor involved.
"Councillor sacked for rape remark makes move to overturn decision"
by Gerry Braiden
A Labour councillor may take legal action to overturn a decision to sack him from several political posts for remarks he made about a nine-year-old alleged rape victim.
Willie O’Rourke, 72, is understood to be claiming Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson had no remit to investigate him and that the process leading to his suspension has been compromised.
It comes amid near mutiny by Labour councillors over how their party and leadership have handled the affair.
Mr O’Rourke was chairing a personnel appeals committee when he made the comments that led to a police complaint to the Standards Commission.
The row has heaped pressure on Mr Matheson, with many of his group openly revolting over what they believe was a politically motivated suspension.
Senior officers within Strathclyde Police are also furious at suggestions by at least one leading councillor that the force was behind Mr O’Rourke’s comments being made public.
Several councillors accused Mr Matheson and the authority’s chief executive, George Black, of “throwing Willie to the wolves” at a meeting of the Labour group this week.
It was claimed the party had been swift to “hang out” Glasgow councillors since the resignation of former leader Steven Purcell, while affording protection to MPs and MSPs whose behaviour falls short.
While Mr O’Rourke continues to have several councillors defending him others are aggrieved at the failure to follow party procedures. This, they say, could open the door for a return to the fold by Mr O’Rourke, a scenario that would cause some embarrassment to Labour as a whole.
Mr O’Rourke was suspended last week after he was reported to have asked if the child victim “wanted it to happen”, during a disciplinary panel into the dismissal of a care worker accused of her rape.
Yesterday it emerged that Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson contacted Mr Black with a copy of Mr O’Rourke’s comments, three weeks before they were made public, recommending the matter be dealt with by the council.
But Mr Richardson was told in a letter from Mr Black that it should be referred to the Standards Commission.
One administration source said: “We’ve got to separate what Willie said and how it was handled. We need to put emotion to the side and look at what happened when this information fell into the hands of senior people in here.”
There was no comment from the council or leader’s office."
