The local and national media gathered excitedly in the City Chambers on Thursday to watch the city's budget for the year ahead be debated and voted on.
For the first time, almost in living memory, there seemed to be a real prospect of the ruling Labour administration losing the vote.
The fact the outcome of the vote was so much in doubt tells us everything we need to know about the state of Labour in this great city. In short, the administration is in meltdown.
In the space of a couple of days, Labour went from having a comfortable majority on the council to having virtually none.
It did so, not because there had been an election, but entirely as a result of its ineptitude and in-fighting.
One disaffected councillor after another resigned or rebelled and the administration resorted to ever more desperate tactics to win the vote.
The low point of the day was surely the allegation by Councillor Anne Marie Miller that a senior Labour councillor threatened to take away her disabled son's apprenticeship if she voted against the administration.
If the allegation turns out to be true – and I have no reason to disbelieve Councillor Miller – or if the party fails to investigate and hold the responsible person to account, the whole sorry episode will rightly stain the reputation of Glasgow Labour for many years to come.
as the opposition in Glasgow City Council, people might think the SNP would be happy to watch Labour fall apart.
If it was only the reputation of Labour at stake, that might be true.
But the fact is Labour's shenanigans are bad for Glasgow. The city is now run by an administration that is not fit for purpose.
How can a group of people who can't even hold themselves together be trusted to lead the city forward?
It is time for change in Glasgow. There are big challenges to be dealt with, from the state of the roads to the urgent question of youth employment.
THE city needs an administration focused on these matters, not one focused only on its own desperate struggle for survival.
Glasgow, in my view, also needs an administration prepared to open up the council to public scrutiny and sweep away the secrecy and lack of accountability that has come to characterise its decision making.
The SNP proposal for a Petitions Committee to give the public direct access to the council is a good one.
The city we all love needs new leadership. The people of Glasgow deserve it and the men and women who work for the council deserve it.
As we head towards the council elections in May, the SNP will be working hard to persuade the public we can provide that new and ambitious leadership.
We moderate all comments on Evening Times on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
"There are big challenges to be dealt with, from the state of the roads to the urgent question of youth employment"
"There are big challenges to be dealt with, from the state of the roads to the urgent question of youth employment"
GLASGOW City Council hit the headlines last week but not for positive reasons.
The local and national media gathered excitedly in the City Chambers on Thursday to watch the city's budget for the year ahead be debated and voted on.
For the first time, almost in living memory, there seemed to be a real prospect of the ruling Labour administration losing the vote.
The fact the outcome of the vote was so much in doubt tells us everything we need to know about the state of Labour in this great city. In short, the administration is in meltdown.
In the space of a couple of days, Labour went from having a comfortable majority on the council to having virtually none.
It did so, not because there had been an election, but entirely as a result of its ineptitude and in-fighting.
One disaffected councillor after another resigned or rebelled and the administration resorted to ever more desperate tactics to win the vote.
The low point of the day was surely the allegation by Councillor Anne Marie Miller that a senior Labour councillor threatened to take away her disabled son's apprenticeship if she voted against the administration.
If the allegation turns out to be true – and I have no reason to disbelieve Councillor Miller – or if the party fails to investigate and hold the responsible person to account, the whole sorry episode will rightly stain the reputation of Glasgow Labour for many years to come.
as the opposition in Glasgow City Council, people might think the SNP would be happy to watch Labour fall apart.
If it was only the reputation of Labour at stake, that might be true.
But the fact is Labour's shenanigans are bad for Glasgow. The city is now run by an administration that is not fit for purpose.
How can a group of people who can't even hold themselves together be trusted to lead the city forward?
It is time for change in Glasgow. There are big challenges to be dealt with, from the state of the roads to the urgent question of youth employment.
THE city needs an administration focused on these matters, not one focused only on its own desperate struggle for survival.
Glasgow, in my view, also needs an administration prepared to open up the council to public scrutiny and sweep away the secrecy and lack of accountability that has come to characterise its decision making.
The SNP proposal for a Petitions Committee to give the public direct access to the council is a good one.
The city we all love needs new leadership. The people of Glasgow deserve it and the men and women who work for the council deserve it.
As we head towards the council elections in May, the SNP will be working hard to persuade the public we can provide that new and ambitious leadership.
Commenting & Moderation
We moderate all comments on Evening Times on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.
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