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Friends and readers. The cream of Holywood and various hangers on have been out in force collecting their gongs and goodie bags for being very well paid over indulged individuals who in some cases get paid more for a movie than some countries national debt.

The madness that is the fim industry never ceases to amaze as tens of millions of dollars get flung at making a blockbuster which more often than not is complete guff. Real life is what these tens of millions should be flung at in order to highlight what is really happening in society today and not make believe up on the silver screen.

The plastic protected world of celebrity is stomach churning but we watch in our droves as the performers perform and churn out more and more trash that is very thinly called art. Todays real world of hostility and greed takes no prisoners and leaves casualties a plenty as the most vunerable and weakest are left to fend for themselves in an increasing cruel world dominated by the few who have the financial mussle to dictate the rules by which we are all forced to live by.

Your job your home your self respect and self esteem can be removed at a whim, that dear friends is reality not million pound trashy movies. Tomorrow who knows,  next week who cares but there is always tinsel town to put us right and charge us for the pleasure and then pay self indulge third rate actors millions of pounds for the pleasure of them giving us mere mortals their scripted words of wisdom.

Yes dear friends the winner is all those that convince the rest of us that what we see on the screen is real and it’s really great acting. The magic roundabout was as good if not better than whats on offer today isn’t that right Zebadee        

Friends and readers. Pilton Sucks tries to open up the doors of information and a little bit more so our readers can get involved and enjoy at the same time if that is at all possible.

Our readership comes from far and wide bringing with them a variety of comments and opinions which gives us more scope to improve our content. Who was it that said the pen is mightier than the sword, we tend to agree. Pilton sucks has a rhy view of things, for if you are in a bad situation don’t worry it will change, if you are in a good situation don’t worry it will change, sums up most of which many of us live with and have to deal with the best way we can.

What remains is the pieces that we try and fit together in order to get through our daily lives were those that seek excitement are left wondering why, and those that opt for the simple life look on as if to say, is that it, is that what’s called excitement. In our lives we will come to one or more crossroads and it is at that juncture we have to make decisions or if you will prioritise what is important.

Opportunities come rarely in life sometimes you may see them other times not, the characteristics of opportunities are hard to disect and possibly not worth that much consideration but then again that’s only an opinion.

Let us take an example of human nature as churned out on our screens and played into real life. Question. Why is it that more often than not the baddie is always seen as the desirable element yet the decent person is always or in the main seen as a wimp, curious don’t you think. All or most fall and worship at the feet of the one’s most likely to harm you, yet those that try and follow a decent path and are least likely to cause you harm are dismissed as not being tough enough to make the grade.

This to any sensible person is of course tosh but you may be suprised at just how this attitude can form and be dished up as the main course. Let us try and offer a simple look at how life might be enhanced. If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner you have learned how to live. And can we add our own little bit of what we think.

The best portion of a man’s life- his little nameless unremembered acts of kindness. Yes dear friends the pen can indeed sometimes be mightier than the sword.       

Friends and readers. Workplace bullying is back in the news after revelations about our noble Prime Minister practising this dark art.

Our own revelations about the Muirhouse Social Work Centre and what occured there brought reaction far and wide in condemnation of this hideous crime of workplace bullying. We revealed the details that were leaked to us from our source at Waverley Court outlining what actually happened and the cover up that followed.

We can now reveal that both perpetrators are no longer working at this Centre in Muirhouse, One is now working at the Dalkeith Social Work Centre within Criminal Justice and the other thug is working in a Criminal Justice project in Grindly Street Edinburgh. Both these bullys are still in a position to abuse staff and we can also reveal that no action was taken against them by their employers, so much for staff safety.

The senior member of staff responsible for taking the appropriate action Michelle Miller buried her head in the sand and allowed bullying to go unchecked, protecting a criminal act in order to give the perception of business as usual. We revealed that Two members of staff initally complained about ill treatment from their line manager and his side kick but this soon became from reports that we received five staff members including rumours of other districts in the city voicing their concerns about what was going on.

Still as you know no action was taken to punish these two deviants, just more cover ups to conceal what we had uncovered. Pilton Sucks launched it’s own investigation and what we found out was a catalogue of mis-treatment that was clearly known about at senior level but a blind eye turned to it.

Pilton Sucks built up it’s own dossier which showed up serious workplace bullying which we offered to pass to Health and Social Care Director Peter Gabbitas, we have yet to get a reply. Pilton Sucks also received numerous contacts from staff members past and present which confirmed what we already knew. One senior worker told us of seeing first hand behaviour which she deemed totally unacceptable but because of covert threats made to staff regarding talking to anyone about what was going on she contacted Pilton Sucks to give us the details.

The threat of action being taken against staff who spoke out against this culture of bullying is at the very least disgusting and in itself warrents outside investigation. We received a number of reports concerning Muirhouse which also received press attention as pressure mounted to clean this place up, still no overt action was taken, until very recently when a night of the long knives type operation took place removing from post the chief culprit after yet another reported incident this time involving a female member of staff subjected to abuse.

Each time the same name came up and consistently we logged this as part of our increasing dossier. Pilton Sucks bought to you the horrors of workplace bullying which shocked our readers judging by the comments we received. We told you how a member of staff re-deployed to Muirhouse broke down after just a few days after being subjected to taunts and abuse from these two bullys.

Late last year we were informed that this person had following his experience in Muirhouse retired due to ill health, a disgraceful episode and one which was ignored by senior staff. We understand although not confirmed that court action was at last initiated but we have no reports of what transpired.

Friends and readers Workplace bullying is a crime be in no doubt about that, it can ruin lives and destroy careers, worst still if those charged to deal with this sort of behaviour do nothing as in the Muirhouse case and the bullys/s are allowed to get away with it.

What happened in the Muirhouse Social Work Centre was this city’s shame and to allow these two criminals to continue in employment without so much as a warning is a clear sign of impotence by those that were in a position to do something about it. The following names are those that should hang their heads in shame.

MICHELLE MILLER

RON LANCASHIRE

DON MILLAR

JOHN TYSON

and of course thier co-conspirators in HR whose only remit is to subject staff to as much abuse as possible since it is more fun and easier than dealing with the real issue of staff protection. 

This incestuas department where ass licking rather that ability moves you up the greasy pole highlights the need to have a root and branch clean out of those that would cover up abuse rather than do  anything to stop it.

Pilton Sucks could not be bullied and brought you the facts of how several members of staff in this centre were subjected to physical and emotional abuse by two limited indiviuals protected by a department that did not have a clue what to do so did nothing but subject the victims to further abuse because it was easier than punishing the real criminals.

But now workplace bullying has come to the fore again only this time it has real implications for those involved. Edinburgh City Council can still do the right thing and punish these two criminals and lead the way in a clean up operation. Pilton Sucks will be happy to supply the names of these two criminals to our elected politicians. 

Friends and readers. Our noble leaders are telling us that we are in the midst of the biggest depression since the thirties, this one just like the rest man made and like all the rest the average Joe will pay the price.

But this time global greed has brought us to the verge of economic disaster so why then do the people of this nation have to pay for the greed of global capitalism. The money that was around did not suddenly disappear into a black hole and the banks which caused this problem have used our cash to shore up their reserves.

Our Government went along with this and the next lot will as well. The one big difference is that the Conservatives will as one of their priorities cut taxes for millionaires, but if you are not a millionaire which is most of us then you won’t get an extra penny.

The confidence trick is simple, this country is a very rich one,  of that there has never been any doubt, just look around you and you can smell the wealth, problem is though it’s in too few hands who control where and what happens to it. Meanwhile all the rest of us mere mortals have to pay the price of the decrease in wealth for the few, through cuts and increased taxes.

The story of  course that we are given is something quite different it is one of austerity measures and belt tightening forced on us by the powers that be. Tell someone the same story often enough and they will believe it. We bailed the financial instistutions out and now once again have to pay this time in quality of life.

Deregulation of the financial institutions allowed this damage to be caused all because the Government could coin it in,  in tax revenues while turning a blind eye to activities which bordered on immoral leaving very poor countries in destitution and us in rich countries paying the price. So dear friends as we ponder on what the  future holds for us all it is important to remember not to be tricked into believing that it is all our fault and the only remedy is pain for all and plenty of it, that is of course unless you are one of the ruling elite with a permanent membership to the establishment club and are fully shielded from the cold wind by the protection of the taxpayers pain and suffering.

Friends and readers. If we are to believe our annointed leaders or the ones that hope to be the green shoots of recovery are upon us, aren’t we the lucky ones.

Let us take a short trip down memory lane to remind ourselves who in fact got us into this mess, and much if not all of this mess inflicted upon the average citizen who of course will be or indeed is in line to pick up the tab for the cost of the clean up.

The financial mess our little planet is in was caused by greed and calousness on the part of those who thought they could make a quick buck on the backs of others, that dear friends more or less sums up capitalism as we live it. On the floor of the various stock exchanges round the world our lives were bought and sold more than once when we could not be bought and sold anymore we could not pass go nor collect our £200 and went bust, but there within lies the rub, those that bought and sold us just shrugged their shoulders with a, that’s life attitude so we the taxpayer helped them out so they could carry on paying themselves large sums of cash this time because the debt was not as big as forecasted, wasn’t that generous of them.

Looking for the green shoots of recovery is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack only this needle pricks and makes as all bleed and bleed till we are dry. Dear friends as we cling on to the hope that tomorrow will be a better day our honourable leaders make pronouncements of recovery and the sun beginning to shine while at the same time sharpening their knives ready to cut into our quality of lives once more telling us all that this is the medicine needed to aid recovery. Why then do the Government in our name allow taxpayers money to be spent on bonuses for bankers just because the debt is not as large as first thought, it is still horrendus but that dosen’t seem to matter as we the people will be picking up the tab in the shape of more cuts and job losses and much more austerity to come and that’s just the cake the cream has still to go on yet.

And what dear friends could that cream consist of. Well it is certainly clear that local authorities will face the brunt of the economic savagery to come which will of course affect us all. All our esteemed leaders and the ones to come are foretelling of nightmare scenarios coupled with the fact that frontline services will be protected, will someone please explain to our political elites that all services are front line as we the people pay for and are the reciepients of said services.

The Organic Mirage is exactly that, there are precious little if any green shoots of recovery and the economic desert waste land is spreading through out the land and not an oasis in sight. The Torries will just get their sun loungers out and bask in the desert while the people will burn and hurt. Cameron and co will do nothing they are establishment clones and only a mere tinkering with the status quo will be required to show their true colours. Labour have lost their way after years in office and have begun to show signs of real fatigue. But of course there is still hope, our blue blooded friends in the Tory party are only 5 points ahead in the opinion polls so someone must be listening to Pilton Sucks, as that’s not nearly enough to form a Government not a majority one anyway and thank god for that. The people who will bother to vote must equate the real issues that confront us and not the pussy footing about that the Torries will give us, hammer the least able to defend themselves and hand out gifts to their well heeled pals.

A hung parliament at this time might just be what the doctor ordered, where consensus makes for common sense and pragmatic politics where all the peoples interests are put first, not just those that have the loudest voice or the biggest wallet. In times such as these there is an argument to revolutionise our whole set up and bring into public ownership the means of production distribution and exchange, failing that this is not the time to chuck people onto the scrap heap but invest in our future.

Don’t be fooled into believing that we must butcher our services in order that we can survive or tax increases on those least able to afford them, this is a fools gold policy and one destined to failure. If we can bail out failed and corrupt financial institutions with billions of taxpayers pounds then we can care for those that picked up the tab US.               

Friends and readers. Workplace bullying has now reached the highest levels of Government with our noble PM himself being accused of this hideous practice.

Pilton Sucks broke the story some time ago of serious workplace bullying within the Muirhouse Social Work Centre and we lead a public campaign to out this practice into the public arena. Since we broke the story some time ago both the perpetrators of this criminal act have been moved to pastures new in an attempt to cover up what went on.

Pilton Sucks has kept up the pressure for action but still nothing has happened and the two criminals in question have escaped punishment, but Pilton Sucks remains hot on their trails. Both are still employees of Edinburgh City Council and both are still in positions of responsibility much to the shame of this City Council.

Workplace bullying was systematically carried out by these two thugs and at one stage reached the ears of the press but was managed to be covered up by the powers that be.

Shame on these indiviuals that done nothing and allowed this criminal act to be carried out and place staff at risk from two no-necked thugs who took pleasure in abusing staff knowing that they could and would get away with it.

But now workplace bullying has hit the headlines again and looks like it could be an election issue. There is no excuse for those that would abuse others within the workplace that is unless of course you are employed within Edinburgh City Council who allow these hideous practices to go on and then try and cover up and deny that this practice goes on.

Slowly things are beginning to change with a recognition that this behaviour is totally unacceptable and the perpetrators must be punished. What our Politicians must do at City level is make sure that this is hammered home and all those found guilty of workplace bullying be punished and exposed.

Employees have a right to feel safe at their place of work free from the virus of workplace bullying. Highlighting this problem at the highest level of Government brings home this fact to every employee everywhere. It’s just a great pity that two mindless thugs may have escaped justice just because their superiors did not know what to do or just plainly walked away and allowed victims to suffer.

SHAME ON YOU.

Friends and readers. Today dear friends Pilton Sucks is in somewhat of a reflective almost nostalgic mood, and to that end and with election fever in the air or something akin to it we take this opportunity to go down memory lane and take a little stock. Hope you enjoy it.

Scottish feeling against England did not cease with the death of William and it soon became evident that only closer union could prevent complete seperation. James VI had dreamt of a united Parliament, Cromwell had actually summoned thirty Scottish members to sit at Westminster, one of William III’s last acts was to send a message to his ministers urging  them to consider how union might be effected.

In accordance with William’s wishes, commissioners from both countries were appointed in the first year of Queen Anne’s reign to discuss terms, but they could not agree, and their meeting came to nothing, there were great difficulties in the way. England jealously guarded her trade with the colonies, Scotland mindful of the failure of the Darien Scheme and anxious to become a great commercial nation, demanded equal trading rights as the price of union.

The act of Settlement of 1701 settling the crown upon the Electress Sophia and her Protestant decendants, had been passed by the English Parliament without consulting Scotland and this naturally gave great offence north of the Tweed. Feeling was so strong that in 1703 the Scottish Parliament passed an Act of Security, declaring that on the death of Anne, Scotland would choose as it’s sovereign a Protestant descendant of the House of Stewart, but not the same person as England, unless the northern kingdom were granted freedom in religon. government and trade.

To provide the means for carrying out this act, it was ordained that the whole Scottish nation be put under arms, and drilled regularly once a month.

This dear friends endeth the history lesson hope it was a bit of an eye opener and helps you in a very small way to think about your vote come election day, there is an opinion out there in the bigger world that should Cameron and his unionist party take 0ffice come May we will be but a colony once again, but it is as we say just an opinion, what do you think.     

Friends and readers. During these times we live in you may perhaps pause for a while to consider, where do we go from here? good question, and one with numerous answers depending on your point of view.

In this green and for now not very pleasant land we live in it falls to those that have put themselves forward sometimes we think in the pretence of looking after your interests. The Camelot style Government of former PM and now media darling Tony Blair is but a memory, replaced by the dark knight and micro manager Gordon Brown, who seems sometimes to be something of a lost sheep wandering around looking for the safety of the flock who have decided to abandon him to the wolves of his own party.

For Brown it is now clear his days are numbered what makes this crystal clear is the real lack of enthusiasim coming from the pretenders to the Labour leadership. We are on the countdown to E day and the vultures are hovering waiting to chew on the carcus as they move into position ready to swoop should Labour as the polls predict do anything other than win an outright majority.

For us mere plebs and onlookers the real tradgedy is while the elected Government should do what the punters elected them to do, behind the scenes knives are being sharpened in readiness for  a Labour defeat and a Brown Retiral to spend more time with his family.

The other part of Camelot up here in Bonny Scotland Cameron who has parctically no support other one or two die hards has promised more Powers for the Scottish Executive, read a cut in grant from Westminster and a realignment of the Barnet formula which means tax increases for the Scottish punter outwith any hikes the Torries will certainly put in place.

Cameron has quickly realised the benefits of a Scottish Government not so his mob can get any more seats that indeed would be a bonus, but a quick fix to saving cash and punishing Scots voters for having the cheek to try and govern themselves.

Camerons real distaste for Scotland is obvious he supports Andy Bell Goldie who frightens voters with her matronly type politics and her copy of Thatchers Biography which she has firmly clutched to her heart. The Tories hate Scotland they always have seeing it has a place to come hunting shooting and fishing where strange people live that sometimes wear odd clothing and have strange customs.

You can believe that this part of Camelot will come in for a real hiding if the Bullingdon boys get their way, they might even sell us off to the highest bidder or float us on the stock exchange to raise a few quid in order to lower the taxes of their elitist pals.

Yes dear friends the Camelot of King Arthur and his knights of the round table may just be a fable set to charm the minds of people, but the round table that would be king Cameron will be no fable and his dark knights will set about us with gusto and hunger. Nothing and nobody will be safe as King Cameron and Sir Lancelot Osbourn his trusted aide-for the present anyway- put their plan into action should the voters take their happy pills and vote them into office.

Camelot if it existed is no more and it is now stuff of legends Merlin worked his last piece of magic many moons ago and Guenivere is or was Camelots Helen of Troy. The search for the Holy Grail goes on what and were ever it is, but for the voters of this Camelot beware the Holy Grail of devolution something which the Tories never wanted and still don’t will be underminded at ever opportunity and Scotland may well be forced down the road once again of being the poor neighbour who asks for more only to be thrown into the dungeons for daring to question King Cameron and Lancelot Osbourn.

Friends and readers. Today is the most important day of your lives. Why? because every day is. To breath, to think to wonder of the riches of life that surrounds us and to try and breath it all in. We are all but cogs in the great wheel of turning and turning as we make our way through these lives of ours never really knowing what is in store for us.

Yes indeed we want,  possibly even desire any number of things but when we get right down to it, do we consider what really matters, what is really important in building a quality of life that makes everything else worth while. So much that surrounds us today is about what we can have or own that will make life so much better and enhance it to heights we never dreamed possible.

But dear friends when we get right down to it it’s all an  illusion created by advertisers who don’t give a dam about you but the bottom line of a balance sheet somewhere. We are bombarded by advertisements offering us utopia in abundance if only we had this particular item, from three piece suites to the latest toy, and if you don’t have the latest high tech HD TV to view these delights then your neighbour Mr.Jones will leap ahead of you in the quest for the perfect Utopian existence.

But spare a thought for a moment dear friends about the real need in society, one which  advertisers and media people ignore because there is no profit in it, and that dear friends is what we put into our own lives to make it all worth while. The crazy madness and speed which life is led lt means simply that at some point we will meet up with ourselves on the way back and wonder what it was all about.

If we are daft enough to read or even worse believe what we read in our free press then we were born to be mugged. We are constantly bombarded by this and that much of which is trivia and tittle tattle designed to give us the cheap thrill that sells the tabloid crap which inpersonates real news and current events.

Election time is coming and if you read the Tory press then it is all done and dusted before a vote is cast and Bullingdon mates Cameron and Osbourn will walk into Downing Street and make the lives of the worst off even more of a misery than they already are. Democracy is the big loser in all this as pressure is exerted on us to cast our vote the way the media barons think we should.

At one time it was reported that the Sun Newspaper could elect Governments, what dear friends does that say about both the paper and the voter. If it’s wrong in your life then fix it without the help of some opinion poll that tells you what is wrong.

All know that the Tories will make your life a misery and than tell you it had to happen for the sake of the country, what they forget to tell you is that it is also for the sake of their pals as well. When it comes to make your mind up time, then sit and think about the quality of life that you and yours would like to have and then decide if it’s worth the bother or it’s too wet outside to bother going to some delapidated polling station with it’s plywood booth and x marking the spot.

But of course dear friends if we had something important to vote on things might be a little different. Lets vote on bankers bonuses, lets vote on constitutional change lets vote on enhancing the quality of our lives and that of our families and dear friends lets vote on why we allow priviledge to dominate our existence and make this democratic playing field so uneven that most of us slip back the way and find it difficult to remain on our feet as we get banged and battered by our rulers who insist on punishing us for the mistakes of others.

The ruling elite offer nothing but a punishing cruel and harsh regime for those that don’t follow the code set down by their ancestors who robbed and killed their way to the land owning fairy tale democracy that we are spoon fed to believe.

Nothing in this life of  ours is worth anything but what we put into it ourselves, Oh yes we can own this and that and have a few quid in the bank or in our pockets, but we will always be serfs looking from the outside in at the mercy of others who decide our fates behind closed doors and then explain it away with some excuse or other.

We the people did not bring down upon our heads the economic sinking ship that we are all cast adrift on we did not sail it into financial disaster and hit the rocks of bankruptcy but we the people face the consequences and will be forced to live with them for some considerable time to come. Our quality of lives will suffer our very meaning to life will come into question, but through all this we have this one enduring quality, the consistency of existence and our will to survive even a Tory Government.

Friends and readers. For all who live in North Edinburgh there is clearly no better place to live. Oh yes other parts of the city may have this and that and the odd million pound house but who the hell wants that.

We have a thriving active Community constantly pushing for improvement in the quality of life. Much happens in this corner of the world thanks to those who want to see a better Community. For the minority who and every Community has them who want to make the lives of others a misery, we will all continue to make sure that is not tolerated.

We have our fair share of problems and that’s nothing new or suprising but this Community has come on leaps and bounds and continues even in these difficult economic times to do all we can to better our lives and those of our neighbours.

Progress on new housing continues as well as a proposed new health centre and enviromental improvements can be seen all around us. The neighbourhood partnership is making progress as to the action groups which seek to bring improvements to our Community.

There are many good and decent people who have dedicated years of their lives fighting for this Community and Pilton Sucks would like to take the opportunity to offer our personal thanks to all those who have given of their time without any kind of financial reward but out of a dedication to improving their Community.

No thanks is large enough nor voice loud enough to praise our activists and although differences over the years may have arisen all have aimed at getting the changes required to make our Community a better place to live.

Pilton Sucks as you know reaches the parts that others don’t and tries to report the goings on in and around the Forth area and beyond. We are now read world wide and hopefully in our own small way have helped put North Edinburgh into the homes of people right across the globe.

So if Peter-man at C an A’s- Strong our people friendly and politically unbiased [well that’s what he tells us] Neighbourhood Manager reads this little post he may well be known about world wide, what a frightening thought that is, not for Pete but the poor readers.

We can hopefully still laugh at ourselves and take critisism firmly on the chin, for dear friends if we can’t laugh at ourselves then we can’t laugh at all.