Local Politics
The Herald reports today that local politics in Scotland are in a real state of flux at the moment - following the recent elections to the Holyrood Parliament.
Tom Gordon - the newspapers political editor - tells of two more councillors who have switched their allegiance to the SNP.
The moral of the story is that it's always useful to share your point of view with local politicians - whether on equal pay - or anything else.
Local councillors, MSPs and MPs are elected to serve the interests of local voters - and should respond to anything you raise with them - in a serious and professional manner.
So don't be backwards - about coming forwards.
Two more councillors switch to the SNP
"Two Scottish councillors shifted their allegiance to the SNP last night, including a former election agent for Labour peer Lord Foulkes.
The SNP are now predicting more defections ahead of next year’s local elections.
The decision by independent councillors Glynis Sinclair in Highland and Douglas Campbell, in South Ayrshire, to join the SNP brings the number of new council recruits to four since the SNP’s landslide win in the Holyrood elections.
In the immediate aftermath of the result, Mike Dillon and Marie McGurk defected from the Liberal Democrats to the SNP on Renfrewshire Council.
The collapse of the LibDem vote on May 5 has raised hopes in the SNP of more councillors changing sides before next May, in order to qualify for SNP candidate selection.
Sinclair, who was a LibDem before turning independent, said: “It is never easy to change to another political party but it became clear long before the Westminster election that the Liberal Democrats were losing touch and I have long seen that the SNP reflected the values of both myself and my constituents more directly.”
Campbell, a former leader of the Labour group at South Ayrshire Council and an election agent to Lord George Foulkes when he was an Ayrshire MP, said he no longer recognised the Labour Party, but praised “the dedication of the local SNP group and SNP Government in delivering positive measures for the communities of north Ayr.”
McGurk added: “I’ve been thinking about this for some time. There are changes in Westminster and decisions made by the LibDem leadership which have left me unable, in all conscience, to continue my membership of the party.”
Aileen Campbell, the local government minister, said: “Locally and nationally these four councillors represent many people turning to the SNP as their natural party.”
The SNP was the biggest winner at the last local election in 2007, returning 363 of Scotland’s 1222 councillors, followed by Labour on 348, the LibDems on 166 and Conservatives on 143."
Tom Gordon - the newspapers political editor - tells of two more councillors who have switched their allegiance to the SNP.
The moral of the story is that it's always useful to share your point of view with local politicians - whether on equal pay - or anything else.
Local councillors, MSPs and MPs are elected to serve the interests of local voters - and should respond to anything you raise with them - in a serious and professional manner.
So don't be backwards - about coming forwards.
Two more councillors switch to the SNP
"Two Scottish councillors shifted their allegiance to the SNP last night, including a former election agent for Labour peer Lord Foulkes.
The SNP are now predicting more defections ahead of next year’s local elections.
The decision by independent councillors Glynis Sinclair in Highland and Douglas Campbell, in South Ayrshire, to join the SNP brings the number of new council recruits to four since the SNP’s landslide win in the Holyrood elections.
In the immediate aftermath of the result, Mike Dillon and Marie McGurk defected from the Liberal Democrats to the SNP on Renfrewshire Council.
The collapse of the LibDem vote on May 5 has raised hopes in the SNP of more councillors changing sides before next May, in order to qualify for SNP candidate selection.
Sinclair, who was a LibDem before turning independent, said: “It is never easy to change to another political party but it became clear long before the Westminster election that the Liberal Democrats were losing touch and I have long seen that the SNP reflected the values of both myself and my constituents more directly.”
Campbell, a former leader of the Labour group at South Ayrshire Council and an election agent to Lord George Foulkes when he was an Ayrshire MP, said he no longer recognised the Labour Party, but praised “the dedication of the local SNP group and SNP Government in delivering positive measures for the communities of north Ayr.”
McGurk added: “I’ve been thinking about this for some time. There are changes in Westminster and decisions made by the LibDem leadership which have left me unable, in all conscience, to continue my membership of the party.”
Aileen Campbell, the local government minister, said: “Locally and nationally these four councillors represent many people turning to the SNP as their natural party.”
The SNP was the biggest winner at the last local election in 2007, returning 363 of Scotland’s 1222 councillors, followed by Labour on 348, the LibDems on 166 and Conservatives on 143."
