Tears and Glass Eyes
I've been reading - with increasing amusement - recent press reports about Scotland's councillors 'voting' to accept a zero pay increase for the coming year, i.e. 2011 to 2012.
Now at face value this looks like real leadership - the kind of selfless, self-sacrificing behaviour that could bring tears to a glass eye.
But of course the reality is rather different - because councillors don't vote on their own pay - not even MPs decide their own pay and rations nowadays, for obvious reasons.
The fact of the matter is that the Scottish government decides whether councillors should get a salary increase - and the issue has already been decided for next year.
Because councillors pay in Scotland has already been frozen - for two years - between April 2010 and April 2012.
So voting on or agreeing to something that's already been decided by the Scottish government - makes the motives of councillors and their representative body, COSLA - seem rather less noble.
In fact it makes them seem a bit dodgy - for trying to pull the wool over people's eyes - though no doubt some individual councillors will disagree - with the nonsense that's being said on their behalf.
Which means that readers can dry their eyes - glass or otherwise - and stop feeling sorry for our elected councillors.
Because they are simply in the same boat as everyone else.
Now at face value this looks like real leadership - the kind of selfless, self-sacrificing behaviour that could bring tears to a glass eye.
But of course the reality is rather different - because councillors don't vote on their own pay - not even MPs decide their own pay and rations nowadays, for obvious reasons.
The fact of the matter is that the Scottish government decides whether councillors should get a salary increase - and the issue has already been decided for next year.
Because councillors pay in Scotland has already been frozen - for two years - between April 2010 and April 2012.
So voting on or agreeing to something that's already been decided by the Scottish government - makes the motives of councillors and their representative body, COSLA - seem rather less noble.
In fact it makes them seem a bit dodgy - for trying to pull the wool over people's eyes - though no doubt some individual councillors will disagree - with the nonsense that's being said on their behalf.
Which means that readers can dry their eyes - glass or otherwise - and stop feeling sorry for our elected councillors.
Because they are simply in the same boat as everyone else.
