Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

I shared yesterday's posts (No 'Mean' City and Daylight is the best disinfectant) with all Glasgow councillors, as well as the city's constituency MSPs and MPs - 100 local politicians in total. Now I haven't exactly been bowled over by the response, so far at least, but once the holiday period is over there will be a concerted effort to engage with key politicians across Glasgow including the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who represents Glasgow Southside.   Because August/September is going to be a crucial period in the fight for equal pay in Scotland's largest council - and the city's Councillors, MSPs and MPs are going to have to decide which side they are on. Do they stand alongside senior officials with their 'golden goodbyes' and discriminatory 37-hour 'rules' - or do they stand with the council's low paid workers who have been fighting for their rights to equal pay for the past 12 years. In other words, are they Bravehe...

Here are some comments from readers of the Evening Times on the latest fiasco at Glasgow City Council - which is either unable or unwilling to explain how one of the council's most senior officials received a parting 'gift' of £120,079 so that she could access her pension early. If only Scotland's largest council behaved so generously, to the thousands of its low paid employees who have been fighting for their rights to equal pay for the past 12 years.  Absolutely shocking how they get away with this is beyond me. F They are in the same bed as Holyrood, that is how they get away with it, plus our press is very weak, I think they are under the bed waiting on a space to get in. R Just remember, all this all took place when Labour were in charge at GCC! A Yes but the calamitous Chief Executive Annemarie O'Donnell has reigned through the bin lorry disaster , Rolls Royce donation fiasco accepting no responsibility or accountability - disgraceful C Maybe ...

Senior officials in Glasgow City Council claim to have acted in 'good faith' over the introduction of the WPBR and its blatantly discriminatory 37-hour rule. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary they insist their cockamamy pay scheme was a genuine effort to eliminate gender-based pay discrimination, yet at the same time  they refuse to answer FOI requests which would explain how senior officials conducted themselves, i.e. what they signed up to at the time the WPBR was introduced.  The reason given for refusing my FOI requests is that this would cost the council more than £600 to provide this information - yet the council's chief executive had no qualms about authorising a £120,079 'gift' to a senior colleague so that she could access her pension early. What does Stefan Cross QC think of this contemptible behaviour? - read on and find out.     ONE RULE FOR THEM, ANOTHER FOR US Mark Irvine's dogged digging of t...

Donald Trump made a terrible horse's ass of himself at the Helsinki summit, but he's now doubled down on this diplomatic disaster by inviting Vladimir Putin to visit the White House.      Old Foghorn and Putin's Russia (01/02/18) Donald Trump's favourite world leader must surely be Vladimir Putin because while the American president he has sounded off against democratic allies and friends in the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Mexico - 'Old Foghorn' has nothing much to say about the goings on in Russia.   Even when President Putin's repressive state tries to silence the opposition leader Alexei Navlany who has been the subject of a vile campaign of harassment and intimidation by Kremlin thugs.     http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42850198 Russian presidential elections: Navalny freed after day of protests Media caption - The BBC's Steve Rosenberg: "We were standing right next to Mr Navalny... it...