Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Thanks for getting this back out there @jolenebuntinguk I'm the person who recorded this video back in June of 2019, Which ultimately resulted in me being expelled from school. I'm glad I was able to expose what's being pressed on students in the current school system. https://t.co/lueEhxGMXQ — Murray Allan (@_MurrayAllan) August 31, 2022 Sometimes it’s the only way to expose bullies and wrongdoing - because bullies don't operate out in the open. I take my hat off to the young man involved in this incident.  

When it suits her purpose Nicola Sturgeon claims to be  First Minister for the whole of Scotland including the majority of voters who don't support the SNP. Yet it seems the only Scots she ever plugs and promotes as First Minister are fellow nationalists and/or Indy supporters - windbags like Brian Cox who feels the need for 'Scotland to be free' so much that he lives in America.  No Fool Like An Old Fool - Brian Cox ( November 09, 2021 _ 'There's no fool like an old fool', so they say, and Brian Cox seems determined to prove the accuracy of this old adage with his claim that the Scots are very different and have different sensibilities from our southern neighbours. Cox, of course, lives in New York and has another family home in London where he seems perfectly settled, along with his 'different sensibilities'. Mind you, I've always thought that folk from Dundee are a bit strange, but 'that's life' as they say.   Brian Cox - Strange Socia...

#Glasgow tonight pic.twitter.com/JuSBwl6IvD — ronniemcgowan (@roketronnie) August 30, 2022 While the rubbish piled up and the bin strike rumbled on in Scotland's councils, Nicola Sturgeon was busy with no less than her fifth appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe. Is this the serious business of government or show biz?   

I wonder why SNP delegates decided to vote for such a politically lightweight councillor from Moray, one of Scotland's smallest councils, to become COSLA President - right at a time when Scottish local government is having to fight for its very existence.  

With SNP Ministers, SNP MSPs and SNP MPs employing so many senior councillors I suppose it's not surprising that Scottish local government has lost its voice in recent years.  The cosy relationships and lack of independence between different layers of government in Scotland is truly shocking.  SNP Politicians - Abusing Public Trust and Gaming the System ( August 08, 2022 ) It's time for an honest discussion about councillors pay in Scotland because there's no doubt some individuals and their parties have been gaming the system - with the SNP the worst offenders by far. Now I agree that councillors should be properly rewarded, but a sensible balance needs to be struck and someone independent of the politicians ought to be standing up for the public interest - to prevent a 'nose in the trough' free for all! The present system lacks transparency and openness and while councils have to publish what councillors are paid - this does not extend to the time councillors spen...

So the background to COSLA's new President is that Cllr Shona Morrison was  employed by an SNP minister (Richard Lochhead) while acting as Moray Council Convener - see link below to the council's register of interests.  Interestingly, the role with Richard Lochhead seems to have been conveniently dropped according to the latest register dated 01 August 2022. https://moray.cmis.uk.com/moray/CouncilandGovernance/Councillors/tabid/63/ctl/ViewRegisterOfInterest/mid/383/id/19/recordID/28/pagefrom/ViewPerson/tabfrom/7/ss/False/Default.aspx Date of receipt of by monitoring officer: 18/01/2022 1) Remuneration Employment, offices held, trades, professions or vocations declared for income tax purposes. Moray Council – Council Convener Non-Executive Director - NHS Grampian Richard Lochhead MSP - Case Worker Now I find it difficult to accept that any councillor (never mind a senior councillor) could do all three jobs effectively at the same time, and still provide 'value for money...

A timely reminder from the blog archive that senior SNP politicians see nothing wrong with a full-time SNP council leader (Cllr Ellen Forson) also being employed as Office Manager for Keith Brown, an SNP MSP and member of the Scottish Government. But how can any politician in an important leadership position serve two different masters at the same time? Introducing Some of Scotland's 'Low Paid' Councillors (2) Hot on the heels of Glasgow's Mhairi Hunter comes Cllr Ellen Forson who retained her seat in last week's council elections. Cllr Forson served as the SNP Leader of Clackmannanshire Council (up to the elections) - a full-time job which attracts a salary of around £30,000 a year. Incredibly, Cllr Forson had another job as Office Manager for the local SNP MSP, Keith Brown, who also happens to be Scotland's justice minister. Again I reckon Cllr Forson's earnings must have been around £45,000 to £50,000 a year from these two jobs - perhaps even more. And ag...