Do I Suddenly Really Need to Have Three Labour Constituency Offices?

I have to admit that at the time in the morning I usually am heading to the bus I'm not that awake. So for weeks now I may well have walked down Hopetoun Street in Bathgate and turned right unto South Street to pick up my paper from the newsagents then had my head in it looking for a headline to blog about as I returned up South Street to catch the bus.

It may well me that the sign for the offices of Mary Mulligan MSP (pictured right) have stared me in the face for all those weeks since I posted this about Mary's name being removed from the offices near my house.

Now I'm not casting aspersions as I'm sure the claim for this new office is all above the board with the people at Holyrood. However, after 10 years of sharing office space, first with Tam Dalyell and then with Michael Connarty, why now does Mary Mulligan feel the need to burden the taxpayer with a second constituency office no more than 300 metres from another for the same party? Sharing offices between MPs and MSPs of the same party is not uncommon practice so why the need for the DMZ between the two now?

Is it because of the current unearthing of MPs expenses that are embroiling her Westminster colleague that she wants to distance herself?

Have they fallen out over irreconcilably? Michael has shown staunch support for Gordon Brown and lately the Speaker in a failing Westminster regime. Is Mary trying to distance herself from that?

I had specualted that maybe Mary was moving to Whitburn in preparation for the contesting the Airdrie, Shotts and Whitburn seat which may be approved by the Electoral Commission for Scotland this week. But as this office is in Bathgate that would not appear to be the case.

However, the fact that now we have two constituency offices in Bathgate (indeed Michael also has one in Grangemouth) so close to each other seems like a cause for explanation to the taxpayers and the electorate who share Mary Mulligan and Michael Connarty. At a time when other people and business in the private sector are tightening budgets and rationalising why have these two expanded in to even more office space?

Where's Something About Mary?

The other day I took this video of them changing the sign outside the Bathgate offices of the Labour Party.


Multimedia message on 12seconds.tv

Sadly it's not that clear but the white part of the sign that's visible announced the offices of the MSP for Linlithgow Mary Mulligan.

This evening I decided to go back past to see the completed work. After all it is only a handful of seconds longer on my trip home. I was greeted by this:



The sign is totally dedicated to Michael Connarty who I contested the seat of Linlithgow and East Falkirk against in 2005 and nothing about Mary. Now there are boundary changes coming up in 2011 at the next Scottish Parliament elections. Bathgate will become part of the Linlithgow and Bathgate seat but the rest of Mary's seat becomes part of Lanark, Shotts and Whitburn. As this is the part of the constituency that Mary lives in I suspect the change of signage indicates that she will be standing there.

Why Whitburn Needs the X33

When I first moved to Scotland and indeed West Lothian the after a few month living with the then partners family I moved into my own wee flat, it was in the old Croftmalloch ward of Whitburn.

While at the start of my time there I had my own little car but later on I didn't have my own transport. I had to get to work in Edinburgh and if I was on a early shift the only way I could guarantee getting there was to get on the X33 service (or it's equivalent then) to get into town. Even then with the vagrancies of public transport there were occasions that I failed to make it on time. I only had to get to Sighthill on the Western edge of the city heaven knows what others did who had to go the whole way into town.

As I worked shifts there were occasions that both in and out of Edinburgh I had to make alternative arrangements. For me that meant taking the 12 into Livingston and then hopping on a 27/28 onwards to Edinburgh and the reverse getting back out. There were occasions when I was leaving work at 8pm and not getting in before 10 if I was lucky with connections at Livingston's centre. on occasions I was not getting back from that finish before 11.

The X33 as with the X1 to Bathgate is a key service to deliver fresh workers to and from their place of work. Understandably a lot of West Lothian bound buses meander through Livingston to serve its various areas but the ones that by pass Livingston (like the X1 on which I am typing this) are key fast services that greatly benefit the community living beyond that hub.

As Angela Constance Livingston's MSP also points out in this week's West Lothian Courier "some people have to plan their daily journeys around their childcare arrangements and only the availabilty of the X33 allows them to do this".

Therefore I wholeheartedly support the efforts of the local elected representatives Michael Connarty MP, Mary Mulligan MSP and local councillors Jim Swan, George Paul* and Neil Findlay in trying to get this service reinstated unto the timetable as soon as possible. It may yet be withdrawn from Monday but it or an equivalent fast link is vitally important to the community of Whitburn.

UPDATE: Good news on Saturday I was checking the first website for Times of Buses to Glasgow and found that a limited one morning and one evening X33 service is to be reintroduced from Whitburn from Monday, Feb 9.

*Jim and George where my SNP and Labour opponents in that 2003 Croftmalloch contest.

Nat Council Leader Embroiled in Planning Scandal

The leader of West Lothian Council, Peter Johnston is facing calls for his resignation following a police investigation being called to look at a conflict in an £8m planning application involving Action to Save St John's Hospital (ATSSJH) Councillor Gordon Beurskens. The case had been referred to Lothian and Borders police by the chief executive Alex Linkston.

The application faced objections from the local authority's planning officers, but Cllr Beurskens who serves on the council's development control committee also acted as a consultant for the Aftondale application at Whiterigg, Whitburn close to the Robert Wiseman dairy to the east of the town. Similar to the controversial Trump development in Aberdeenshire the application came down to the chairman's casting vote. But unlike Martin Ford who voted for the status quo, my one time opponent in the old Croftmalloch Ward Cllr Jim Dickson used his casting vote to support the application.

It is alleged the Beurskens, who along with his two fellow ATSSJH shore up the SNP's slim majority in the council chamber, threatened to bring down the Nationalist administration if the application was rejected. Apparently there are emails sent from Cllr Beurkens consultancy address threatening the planning officials with just such an outcome. Council leader Peter Johnson was copied in on these emails yet failed to act to prevent this major conflict of interests, or the seemingly threatening and aggressive behaviour of Beurskens.

Johnston who stood for the Livingston Westminster seat for Livingston in Westminster and Holyrood elections in the past has been accused by the Labour group leader Graeme Morrice as being 'complicit' in the 'alleged wrongdoings' and is calling for the resignation of the council leader. The area's MSP Mary Mulligan has said she hopes that:

"alongside the Police inquiry there will be a full investigation into exactly
what happened in this case and that all papers are released."

Also stated that concern regarding the development's impact on employment at Wisemans was a major issue for her objections to the application.

Johnson has denied any indication of support for the application but also has stated that he thinks Cllr Beurskens will be exonerated through this investigation. One does have to wonder whether that is a thought based on hope over evidence but only time will reveal that answer.

Let's Pull Together Pulled Apart by Mulligan

Whilst the news of latest company in what was once known as "Silicon Glen" to relocate 140 jobs from its Linlithgow base is sad news the motion lodged by Mary Mulligan MSP about Sun Microsystems reeks of partisan politics.

"Parliament notes with deep concern the decision of Sun Microsystems to relocate around 140 jobs from its base in Linlithgow to Oregon in the United States of America; notes that one of the company’s executive vice presidents is Crawford Beveridge, a prominent SNP donor and member of the Council of Economic Advisers; understands that the Council of Economic Advisers exists to bring jobs and
economic growth to Scotland, not take them away, and believes that this is both extremely embarrassing for Alex Salmond MSP and extremely worrying for families
across Linlithgow and West Lothian going into the New Year facing redundancy. "

Only 45 of the 101 words in this motion relate to the situation the remainder are an outright attack on the SNP and there is no constructive action recommendation in what could be done. Basically it is shameful.

You wonder if she has deliberately worded her motion thus so that SNP list MSP and Linlithgow resident Fiona Hyslop cannot possibly lend her support to her motion? If so is this so that she can launch an attack that the local SNP have not supported her over a major employer in the area?

Sadly when Labour in Westminster are telling the other parties of the need to pull together to get through the credit crunch my Labour constituency representative at Holyrood is doing just the reverse. It is two facedness of Labour to call for unity in these hard times in one place yet for such a partisan attack when jobs are at stake in their individual patch.

I also find it quite bizarre that the Prime Minister and Chancellor love to point out that there is a global recession hitting us, that all that is going on is outwith thier remit. However, when parochialism is an effective tool one of their party's local representatives hides behind it being a UK, or in this case Scottish problem, even if the company is a global company with corporate headquarters outside these fair isles of ours.

Hat tip to West World

Update: Interestingly the Edinburgh Evening News has followed up on this story a bit since both me and West World blogged about it. It would appear that Mr Beveridge was a part time director with the company and as Sun Microsystems' spokeswoman has confirmed:

"Crawford Beveridge works part-time with Sun. The decision to close
Linlithgow was a manufacturing decision and Crawford was not involved in that
process.

"Had his participation been required, given his ongoing work with the
Scottish Government – in particular, the Council of Economic Advisers – he
would, of course, have had to remove himself from the decision making process
given the conflict of interest."

So heaven knows even more now just what Mary was seeking to achieve with this rant. Although she must now be wiping the egg from her face.

Constance Tries to Calm Storm

The letters page of the West Lothian Courier in recent has been red hot with insults and retorts over just where blame should be shunted regarding St. John's hospital. Some of the worse had come from Labour councillors and Labour MSP Mary Mulligan. Mary had been a junior Health Minister up at Holyrood at the time that acute emergency services were downgraded at St John's. She subsequently resigned her post to help fight for the hospital.

No at the time there were a series of public meetings. I attended one at Bathgate which occurred shortly after Mary's resignation as did Fiona Hyslop. At the end of that meeting all three parties agreed that the case for St. Johns was beyond politics and there was a verbal agreement to work together on this for the sake of the community in West Lothian.

However, in the lead up to last May's election it was Labour who broke ranks first and started to use the hospital provision as their charion of 'virtue'. The mudslinging in the press has made for poor and sad reading as the public figures seem constantly to seek to want to lay blame rather than propose solutions. Step forward Livingston's SNP MSP Angela Constance in this week's paper. She may have 8 years less experience as an MSP than Mary Mulligan but she showed true character in not getting involved in the custard pie fight, merely castigating those responsible for the damage they were inflicting on the whole stop the downgrade movement across the county. She went on to say the process is long and tough, something we all knew from day one but which Labour want to ignore, and outlined what movement had started.

So now that I've praised the SNP MSP from one half of West Lothian and the Labour MP from the other half all in the same week I think I'll need to lie down, if I'm not put down first that is.

On the MSPs Radar

Well my latest focus leaflet appears to have caught the attention of Mary Mulligan MSP as she has attacked it in the letter's page of the Linlithgow Gazette.

I have a number of issues with what is trying to convey to Local Residents.

Firstly she say she was 'unaware of any such proposal' relating to there being no improving of the Burghmuir junction on the M9 for West Bound access. If that is the cae I would like to draw her attention to the Scottish Planning Policy which came to a head last October and was mentioned on this blog. Also the fact that this proposal has been in discussion and consideration for over a decade shows a lot of inaction on behalf of Labour-led local authorities over a number of years.

Secondly she says that I should 'really listen to local concerns'. The fact that she lifted one point out of a list which is headed 'local people have been telling Stephen Glenn of their concerns about local transport' should be a clue. These issues have been raised by local Linlithgow residents who I have bothered to go out and meet on their own doorsteps. Many of whom have also told me they have never seen a politician on their doorstep ever before. I might just have to go home and work out just what percentage of the people I have spoken to have raised which local issue over hte last few months and supply these figures here.

Finally she says that such a proposal has 'mixed views' and will 'increase pressure still further on schools and public services'. Well maybe Ms Mulligan should be a little more au fait with what the town's community council is saying and discovering. For example in their response to the Council's West Lothian Local Plan 2005 stated that they carried out a single appraisal survey which asked:

Linlithgow town centre suffers from constant through traffic. Over the years there have been proposals to upgrade junction 3 of the M9 'the Burghmuir junction' to an all-ways junction so allowing traffic to access the motorway and avoiding the High Street. Would you support such a proposal?

The response was Yes 100% No 0%, so cleary we have very mixed views here.

The fact that Mary says that the junction would 'increase pressure still further' must make bad reading for any Labour candidates hoping to stand in Linlithgow. The fact that many local residents have already told me that they feel that development is already putting a strain on local schools and services is surely down to Labour-led council.

So that is a nice admission from the MSP. It shows that there is a problem in voted Labour at next years council elections as they are already failing the people of Linlithgow.

George Foulkes Taking Maths Lessons Off Salmond

It looks like poor George Foulkes former MP, former Chairman of Hearts FC has been taking maths lessons from Alex Salmond.

Mr Foulkes is looking forward to returning to politics for Labour on the Lothian list at next May's elections. This must spell disastor for some of the regions constituency MSPs in that event.

Even if Labour could maintain their second vote share from 2003 they would have to lose 3 constituencies before they pick up any seat off the Lothian list. So that would mean goodbye to Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow), Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) and Bristow Muldoon (Livingston). Of course if they are losing seats their second vote would also be affected as would that of other parties.

Interestingly the article in the Scotland on Sunday states that Foulkes will be helping Boyack and Martin Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) to retain their seats, no mention of West Lothian. Chisholm had an 18.84% majority and was the 19th safest of Labour's 46 consituencies in 2003. Is this a slip from the brain to the lip? Or does it show just how worried Labour really are about next May's elections?