The Mouse That Roared
COSLA - it seems - has finally found its voice with a belated intervention in the Scottish election campaign.
But is it a case of too little too late - because COSLA has been losing credibility for years - see post dated 16 April 2011: 'COSLA isn't working anymore'.
The Convention's chief executive - Rory Mair - has spoken out with a 'plague on all your houses' blast at Scotland's main political parties.
COSLA says their election manifestos are - 'unambitious, largely irrelevant and financially unsound'.
And in a nice 'Rolf Harris' touch Rory Mair received the backing of no less an authority than own his brother - Colin Mair - who happens to the the chief executive of the Improvement Service - another publicly funded body which supports the work of Scottish local government.
Now all of this is fine and dandy - but lashing out at the last minute and in all directions - is not going to win COSLA any friends - or influence the policy debate.
Where have the political leaders of COSLA been all this time?
For years they've been happy to go along with the council tax freeze - because it's widely popular with the voters.
Not one council has defied the Scottish government over the past four years over the policy - but now COSLA tells us they're fighting mad.
Aye right - I'll believe it when I see it.
Significantly there's not a word from any elected council leader - in today's media coverage - it's the highly paid 'professional' staff who are speaking out.
If I were still in the trade unions business what I'd be asking is:
'How come the Scottish government is able to give a 'no redundancy' pledge while making 10% cuts in its spending budgets - yet Scottish councils can't match that pledge - while making only 3% cuts in their budgets?'
Now if we started getting a straight answer to that question - then we'd have a real debate.
But is it a case of too little too late - because COSLA has been losing credibility for years - see post dated 16 April 2011: 'COSLA isn't working anymore'.
The Convention's chief executive - Rory Mair - has spoken out with a 'plague on all your houses' blast at Scotland's main political parties.
COSLA says their election manifestos are - 'unambitious, largely irrelevant and financially unsound'.
And in a nice 'Rolf Harris' touch Rory Mair received the backing of no less an authority than own his brother - Colin Mair - who happens to the the chief executive of the Improvement Service - another publicly funded body which supports the work of Scottish local government.
Now all of this is fine and dandy - but lashing out at the last minute and in all directions - is not going to win COSLA any friends - or influence the policy debate.
Where have the political leaders of COSLA been all this time?
For years they've been happy to go along with the council tax freeze - because it's widely popular with the voters.
Not one council has defied the Scottish government over the past four years over the policy - but now COSLA tells us they're fighting mad.
Aye right - I'll believe it when I see it.
Significantly there's not a word from any elected council leader - in today's media coverage - it's the highly paid 'professional' staff who are speaking out.
If I were still in the trade unions business what I'd be asking is:
'How come the Scottish government is able to give a 'no redundancy' pledge while making 10% cuts in its spending budgets - yet Scottish councils can't match that pledge - while making only 3% cuts in their budgets?'
Now if we started getting a straight answer to that question - then we'd have a real debate.
