Running a Whelk Stall

Renewed calls are being made today for the Scottish Government to take over the Edinburgh 'trams project' - from the bams who are 'running' things just now.

I wrote about this back in June and supported the suggestion - even though it amounts to a 'poisoned chalice' for Alex Salmond and his SNP government. 

But the truth is that elected politicians and senior officials in Edinburgh - have shown the world that they couldn't even run a whelk stall - if they were given one for free.

So the First Minister should put party politics aside - even though the SNP opposed the crazy idea from the outset - and rescue the good people of Edinburgh from those currently masquerading as our capital city's 'civic leaders'.  

Now this has some implications for local democracy - which COSLA keeps banging on about - the notion that local decisions are always better decisions.

Well tell that to people in Edinburgh because the 'trams project' provides convincing evidence -  that local government is not always better government - despite what COSLA says. 

Come to think of it what does COSLA have to say about the 'dog's dinner' - that Scotland's second largest council has made of its trams?

It's the biggest scandal in Scottish local government for years - yet the voice of Scottish local government has little - if anything - relevant to say.

So I say step up to the plate First Minister - and push all these people to the sidelines - because that is where they all belong.

The Whole Nine Yards (24 June 2011)

The Edinburgh Evening News is running a big campaign - unsurprisingly - over the scandal involving the city's trams, or the lack of trams - to be more precise.

The newspaper is calling for control of the project to be taken out of Edinburgh City Council's hands - and handed over to the Scottish government, presumably.

Now the obvious question is: 'Why would the government accept such a poisoned chalice?'

But in the circumstances I think that is probably the right call.

Because sadly local government has shown that it is simply not up to the task.

Regular readers will recall that the trams project only came about - because of political interference in the Scottish Parliament.

Where Labour and Lid Dem MSPs ganged up to force a minority SNP government to stump up £500 million - of taxpayers money to fund the doomed scheme.

Edinburgh City Council also chose to hand the project over to an arms length company or ALEO - a practice which has attracted great controversy in Scotland's largest council - Labour run Glasgow.

So the whole thing is a mess - not just a bit of a mess - but The Whole Nine Yards of a mess.

And the Scottish government is probably the only organisation with sufficient clout and expertise - to restore some sanity and public accountability.

In the meantime, I wouldn't spend another single penny of taxpayers' money - until the way forward is clear.