Hello,
I know it goes against the grain a bit for me to be defending a Glasgow Labour councillor but whatever political differences I may have with 'The Purcell' I'm not happy to see him go and am fairly sickened by some of the web/media coverage of his resignation. Whatever my political beefs with the council, not least some of the school closures, the disputes with the trade unions and their rather shabby treatment of the fine folk from the cleansing department, gloating over this is an ugly sight. Say what you like about Purcell but he was the first Glasgow City Council leader in a very long time to be able to appear on the telly without you wanting to throw rocks at the thing to make the sheer toe curling shame stop.
I have no idea what the truth surrounding his resignation is, though I have heard a few rumours some credible and some of such a pathetic 'nudge nudge wink wink you do know he's a poof' nature that it's a miracle I am not doing time for assault or worse. I really have no earthly idea why your anti-gay type, in common with racists and misogynists need to be so evangelical with their views. Time and time again I've tried to terminate cliche ridden hate rants by informing the preacher that I'm not overly fussed by homosexuality, cannot help but think their ex-wife must have had a certain amount of right on her side and harbour no hatred towards Pakistanis.
Nothing works. Not even informing them that I am a leading member of the pc brigade and can have them thrown in prison for expressing un -pc views. I can't do any such thing and I've never met this pc brigade that persecutes Daily Mail readers so. It's desperation that makes me say these things. And so I stand flecked with someone else's spittle wishing the longest hard luck story in living memory would just end.
Incidentally my mother quite out of the blue has stopped buying the Daily Mail and informs me that it it an 'evil lying rag that ruins peoples lives'. As she and it are at one politically and I cannot get her to disclose what has offended her so much, I'd be delighted if anyone could supply me with any information that would help me get to the bottom of this strange but welcome conversion. Has Tanya Gold been writing for them again?
To return to Mr Purcell, I'm fairly irritated by the faux piety on display re the 'chemical dependency' rumours. Virtually everyone in politics is a rotten hypocrite on the subject of drugs not always by inclination but because if they were remotely honest about it the tabloids would rip them to bits, cheered on by a drink/drunk addled public who would do well to pay close attention to this poem by Burns before casting stones around their conservatories. I should also point out to my fellow Labour haters of all stripes that when the shoe is on the other foot and it will be, you'll all be squealing like Violet Elizabeth Bott about the unfairness of it all. Will you be happy to have your sneering and grinning cast up when it's your guy or girl in the firing line?
So before I'm compelled to record a 'leave Steven alone' You Tube clip can we skip all the 'much as it pains me to ask but I think only of the public interest' guff? Like I say I've no idea what truth there is in the 'chemical dependency' rumours but as he's resigned all his council positions it's no longer any of our business. The question as to whether any 'chemical dependency' affected his council duties answers itself -if you have to ask, then no it didn't. In any case even if it did what do you want to happen? Should the council re-employ him so that they can sack him for alleged 'chemical dependency'? Would you be happy to see one of the recreational drug or alcohol users you know treated that way? Really? Then you're a cunt.
Unless he's been accused of serious corruption or doing something unsavoury with my council taxes, I have no interest in knowing why he resigned. He had an office full of very capable staff who could pick up the slack if he wasn't up to the job. The hysterical notion that Glasgow was in the hands of a drug crazed Nero is as misguided as it is dishonest.
I love good gossip as much as the next man but tarting it up as concern for Glasgow is hypocrisy of the highest order.
Cheerio
2 comments:
I hadn't heard the sex rumours - frankly, it doesn't bother me but I can't imagine anything from the stream of innuendo other than a bit of problem wi' whisky going down well in the strangely puritanical and viciously backstabbing world of weegie faux-socialism.
Are they worried that this might give the SNP a few extra votes when Godon is finally dragged to the polls? A sort of 'getting your excuse in early' house-clearing by the proto-stalinists of West Regent Street?
Recreational drugs? Well, I'm a libertarian so my attitude to them is different to many but, a politician who resigns when caught doing something illegal (even if it is something I don't think should be a crime) - almost a national treasure!
WV - "gately"! I know Google do all sorts of pattern matching but WTF?
Ah the sex rumours just appear to be embellished versions of the stuff that has now been published in the papers -no doubt a fair few of these embellishments could be traced back to the council Carry Nations.
I should imagine that what's really got them rattled at the council is the organised crime angle on all this. Rumours of far more compromising links to gangsters and various councillors have been doing the rounds long before Purcell's time on the council.
I should imagine more than a few of his former comrades will be very keen for him to carry the can for anything else that might come out over this.
As you say it's rare thing indeed to see a politician actually resign after breaking the law. In the normal run of things we should be on day five of 'it was a mistake now let's draw a line under it'.
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