Pilton Sucks dotCom

Sometimes  as reported to us it seems like climbing a mountain if you are a comminity activist. One step forward several steps back.

Activists are the life blood of a community. Without their input the politicians would get away with murder. For instance how many people know that the community councils AGM is on Saturday 28th October at 11am.It has not been published locally we know we have looked at every notice board in the community and it is nowhere to be seen.

We hate to be conspiracy theorists,but could the reason be that by not advertising it,the ruling group hope to hi-jack the meeting and fill the office bearers roles with their own supporters.

Nothing would suprise us about the Labour Party,and by doing this they could stiffle any real debate that might take place. The acting secretary is an ex labour councillor,how many local people know that,and his name suprise suprise is none other than investigative reporter David Pickering.

It is sly and underhand to say the least not to widely advertise this event giving people plenty of time to organise themselves and attend. But then again why would they,it might mean changes and more open and accountable personnel.

Pilton sucks and Edinburgh Sucks had to dig deep to get this public information and we find it unacceptable that it is not being pushed as the main event of the community council calender.

We know from our experience in Greater Pilton and the reports we have received that many members are unhappy about both the content and the make-up of the community councils.

We reported to you of the strange goings on at Royston/Wardiburn community council,and our latest information which has been leaked to us from a new and inexperienced member is that Councillor Mcginnis is trying her best to dominate the meetings and force her point of view across. He learns quickly does he not.

We believe a verbal agreement was put together before the community councils kicked off. The agreement being that councillors who are of course entitled to attend, would attend only for the later part of the meeting,or as requested. Why then is Councillor Mcginnis attending for all of the meeting,this of course could indeed intimidate new members and put them off,maybe that is the master plan.

Community councils must be allowed to find their own feet without constant meddleing from interfering busy bodies frightened they might miss something.

We would ask this new member to not be put off and stay the course. If our recent information about changes in that particular community council is correct,it should bear fruit quite soon.

Political intimidation is most certainly not welcome and to be dis-couraged. Members need the freedom to think and discuss items of business amongst themselves,and come to their own conclusions,only calling on advice when needed.

We have been told that Councillor Fitzpatrick does exactly that as does Councillor Hinds,so far so good,so what makes Councillor Mcginnis so different,can they not do without her words of wisdom,or more likely they are sick to the teeth of her interference.

It must be very claustrophobic at their meetings and extremly unhealthy for local democracy. She already has her PEP people at most of if not all the community councils in the area,and we have to warn everybody concerned that PEP should not be used as a political tool, the impression is just that.

P.S The AGM is at the City Chambers on Saturday 28th October at 11am.    

Question? What do you do in the event of and in the face of corrupt practices. Answer take the three monkeys approach,hear,speak and see no evil. No wrong answer,but the safest one if you want to get on in job creation in communties. Out of all the projects in Greater Pilton how many local people are in charge,and we exclude Councillor Mcginnis as self interest is no interest.

Very few and why is that do you think,are we all to stupid to have these high and mighty jobs,and are only useful as runners for our betters.

No we simply allow ourselves to believe in the myth that only outsiders can tell us how to live pat us on the head and tell us to run along and be good. Yes we need expertise to help guide us,but that is all then the community takes over. In our case as in most cases this is not the norm. We have accidently on purpose become relient on experts and professionals to tell us how to live.

We have become used to being patronised,it is almost a way of life,and we continue to feed from the bottle. Had we demanded right from the beginning more say in how our Waterfront was being developed instead of listening to all the rubbish we were fed from vested interests,would we in a better position today,well we certainly wouldnt be any worse off than we are now.

If we had  demanded action on local crime would we have had to suffer all the misery we did. If we had  said no to our schools being privatised would they still be in public hands.

PPI is a disaster paying for education on the never never,might as well have brought the provi in years ago,save all the bother.

If you demand it just might happen.Look at the stock transfer mess. the people said no and no it was. Look at congestion charging or taxing by the back door. The people said no and no it was.

As the old ballad goes THE PEOPLES FLAG IS PALEST PINK ITS NOT AS RED AS YOU MIGHT THINK. But sometimes just sometimes the politicians get a kick in the ass to remind them it is the people and not them who make the decisions.It is the people who are the power it is them who fight and die for freedom,it is the people who make the sacrifices and endure hardship so all can drink from the well.

We have in many ways lost our direction,we have forgotton were the real power lies,it is not in the hands of greedy politicians who are ruled by a party machine whose only intent is to keep the people down and kid them on.

Someday we will wake up to the fact that we are being hoodwinked, never forget it is still those who can least afford it who still pick up the tab. It is still the weakest and most vunerable who continue to suffer. It will still be and moreso this winter the poorest and the most vuerable who will bear the brunt of these hideous fuel charge increases. This above all has shown our rulers up for what they are spineless weaklings,afraid to fight the peoples corner against these greedy bastards who control whether we can heat or eat.

What a disgrace what a hideous obsenity.oh were and when will we unite and fight,when it is to late and there is nothing left to fight for except the tv remote control. No doubt people will suffer this winter,in this the forth richest country in the world,controlled of course by a small minority a small rich minority who spit on the rest of us and are encouraged to do so.

Blair and his lot are yesterdays news they have watched from the sidelines as these parasites have exploited us,we thought the torries were bad and they were and could be again.Were do you go who do you turn to and trust, it is a minefield,but an interesting thought flashed by us. As Christ came into the temple and saw the money changers at work he threw them out. This country is our temple what happens next. 

First we had the Waterfront Board,now we have the Waterfont Partnership. Another secret grouping accountable to whom we ask.Since we have public representation on these groups in the shape of none other than your friend and ours Councillor Mcginnis,is it not fair to ask what these private clubs do.

Are there any minutes of their meetings available for the public to read,why of course not,wouldnt want the punters knowing what they were up to. If there is nothing to hide and they are above board then whats the problem.

Who are these interested parties that Ms. Mcginnis talks about.certainly not ordinary members of the public who she is accountable to.

Why is there no members not even observers from the public allowed to attend these secret conclaves.

It might even be argued that a member from each of the Community Councils within North Edinburgh should be invited to attend and contribute to the proceedings.

But alas no we just remain in the background and in the dark,told only what we need to know and that is precious little.

 Perhaps our Citizen of the year and chief spy for Lord Provest Hinds Betty Stevenson could take her citizenship skills and put them to good use by getting pal Hinds to put her on one of these old boys network clubs,and get her to report to the community instead of on it.

It smells very bad indeed,once again this community is excluded from any kind of involvement dealing with the Waterfront development,just the chosen handpicked few forceing their views on the majority. This is democracy in action,and we just keep getting kicked in the teeth and coming back for more.

The sheep who are led by the nose and believe nothing is amiss because their councillor tells them so do this community a great disservice. We have a duty as voters to question everything that is being done allegedly for our benifit.

Why is Councillor Mcginnis allowed such a free rein. As manager of PEP she has a direct conflict of interest,as she is also closely involved with the Pilton Partnership.How does she get away with it. She chairs the Waterfront board is also a senior councillor and has various other interests,again we ask how does she get away with it,and as we have asked before were does she get the time.

For those activists who have a mind of their own and are not in the Betty Stevenson pack of sheep it must stick in their throats to see such obvious abuse of the system.

We said in an earlier post that the Royston/Wardieburn Community Council had the scent of election rigging,and who is involved with that group,why Councillor Mcginnis of course.

That council was almost brought to its knees before it drew breath,and we must ask why,who would it have benifited,certainly not the community,so why rig the office bearers positions. Simple of course,as we said previously,elect rookies however well meaning they are,and by clandistine methods you control the council,isnt that right councillor.

Well as fate has it those people as you know walked away unable to cope with a difficult job,and that is unfortunate for if nobody teaches you how do you learn.For the sake of the community lets hope the new office bearers have teeth and can pick this mess up from the ground were it was deliberatly put.

Personnal empires cannot be allowed to flourish on the backs of the community. Careers cannot be built on others misery. To much is secret only to be shared among the chosen few of hangers on and lackies.

It takes character to build communities to fight for others to put yourself out, to make things better for all. these battles do not take place so a few can benifit, but sometimes it seems that way,in fact quite often it seems that way.

The maniacs who killed the young lad while crossing the road in Carrick knowe must be caught and severly punished.We are all truely sickened by this tragedy,and no stone should be left unturned they must be caught and quickly.

Every available officer should as a matter of urgency be put on this case. Our children are sacred and must be protected,against all who would do them ill.

There is no place for this sort of evil in our society and the public rightly demand action and proper punishment. We urge anyone who saw anything no matter how insignificant they think it is to get in touch with the police as a matter of urgency. Somebody must have seen something,somebody out there knows these killers.

We ask you now if you know them turn them in,do not protect them do not hide them.The police will do their job but they need the publics help,give it to them,and help catch these killers.

Yes friends Scotland did beat France and went a long way to restoring a nations pride in itself. Who would have thought that beating the world cup finalists was a possibility.

Team spirit the desire to work as a unit coupled with a tinge of good fortune led to a historic result. Three games and maximum points what a start.

Let us revel in the moment let us enjoy the historic moment, and push on and qualify for the finals. Restoring a nations pride is no mean feat and the team deserves all of our plaudits. We still face an uphill task to qualify,but the hill is not as steep as it was.

We can now await the other world cup finalists the fearsome italians with confidence and real hope that we can win that game as well. As England stuttered against the might of Maceidonia Scoland seems to have turned the corner.

The nation is behind you go for it.

Terry Smith

Pilton Sucks.com

As dodgeing goes the Social Work Department or Health and Social Care as they prefer to be known are experts at it,this comes with years of practice. It seems from reports we have  received that one of the Muirhouse Two is still waiting for an outcome or anything for that matter from Mr. Mules who was supposed to be investigating his complaint regarding the way he was treated while re-deployed to Muirhouse Social Work Centre.

Once again the smell of cover up rears its ugly head while the truth of what went on is buried deep in the bowels of the department. If it were not so serious it would be laughable.

You can only sit back and watch in amazement at the antics of an impotent organisation hell bent on keeping their dirty linen from reaching the public glare.

Not so time marches on and sooner than later all will be revealed and the public will know the true goings on in a very murky department. People have a right to work in a safe enviornment free of the threat of bullying,knowing if it does happen they will be protected.

What this episode shows is that you cannot be protected simply because, management does not know what to do with bullys.

We do and are more than happy to give our findings to the council.Edinburgh City Council has a policy on bullying,it seems not to be worth the paper it is written on,no wonder they find themselves facing court proceedings.

Strength of character is required to deal with this behaviour,not by people who just want a cushy number till they retire. In truth bullys are weak and resort to low life behaviour when confronted with their actions. Deception through charm is the most popular method of conning those they wish to keep on their side. The blame game is another con. And for those who  are easily manipulated,they are only to quick to believe the bully feeling it is the easier option to facing the truth.

Facing the truth is sometimes hard if you have become used to ignoreing it. But face it you have to otherwise the wounds can never be healed,and the deception keeps going on and on and on.

In all criminal cases and bullying is a crime the weight of evidence will ultimately decide the outcome. Even the heavily blinkered council cannot escape that nor should they.

We have spoken privately to a couple of senior councillors who want to take a stand on bullying in the workplace knowing how distructive it is. We urge them to think seriously about this and not worry about the political ramifcations,taking a firm stance on workplace bullying can only be a positve move and a popular one. Do not be fooled by the smoke and mirrors trick.

As we fast approach November 7th and the ban bullying at work day,how many will stop to observe the minutes silence that is being asked for to remember those who have suffered or continue to suffer. How many will have the courage to do just that,or are they to afraid of being pointed out for doing the right thing.

Victims of bullying are people who have suffered the indignity of humiliation at the hands of others, have suffered abuse, and have been pushed to the edge of suicide,unfortunatly some have fallen over the edge and taken their own lives.

This fact is a terrible indictment of todays society,where we deem to allow or even tolerate bullying because we are frightened or unable to do anything about it. The bullys know this and it allows them to flourish. The time has come in fact it is well overdue to put a stop finally to bullys in the workplace.

So as November 7th approaches take the time to think of the concequences of workplace bullying, perhaps you know some one who has suffered,or is suffering this terrible ordeal, spare a minute for them and reflect on the terrible effect it has on their lives. We all breath the same air we all have to live together on this planet, can we not make it better for each other.

Bullys will not go away they have to be removed. For an organisation to be at ease with itself requires compassion and humanity something the bully has in short supply.

Yes you can argue if one bully is replaced another one takes their place. Well not so if it is made crystal clear abuse of another will not be tolerated,and immediate action will be taken if bullying is found to have taken place. Bullys simply slip through the net because this kind of policy is not in place.

It should be it has to be, and if as we think it needs to be written into an election manifesto so be it. It needs the weight of proper legislation,enforceable legislation.

Racism quite righly is outlawed,as is sexism,and very soon ageism. So why not workplace bullying this is most definatly discrimination of a  violent kind.

Bullying in the school enviornment is now outlawed,workplace bullying is next. We have a petition going to the Scottish Executive demanding workplace bullying be outlawed, this evil is a dark cloud over our society and must be swept away. We will do our bit please do yours.

Clair Ramsay

Pilton Sucks.com 

Strange things indeed We welcome comments from all sources indeed it is good to see people taking an interest in their community.

Pilton Sucks is open to all and encourages you to get involved in aspects of community life warts and all. 

We are an organisation whose sole aim is to open up the closed doors which are put in front of you,in an attempt to keep you in the dark.

The Waterfront-closed door, election rigging-closed door, bullying in the community-closed door. This community should not be run by a handful of outsiders whose aim is to promote themselves. So keep your comments coming thick and fast they are always welcome. 

At Last according to reports received the Royston/Wardieburn Community Council is on the move.Not before time,this comes amid continuing rumours of election interference by either the Pilton Partnership or councillor Mcginnis,or possibly both.

Let us be absolutly clear,if we get evidence of election rigging heads will roll,and resignations will be demanded. We said right from the start that the Royston/Wardieburn community council had great potential given the make up of the members.

But when the office bearers were elected there was suprise all round,and a bad smell. We said then that this was an attempt to undermine this council and allow Ms. Mcginnis to control it.

Well suprise suprise according to our information both the chair and the secretary walked away after a handful of meetings and the council was thrown into confusion.

But common sense has prevailed and the council has appointed Fred Marinello to the chair. It will be very interesting to see if Ms. Mcginnis will be able to get her own way now.

But as night follows day no doubt the faceless nameless manipulators will try to undermine again only this  time it is unlikely they will get away with it.

Pilton Sucks wants the community councils to suceed,they can only do that if political interference is kept to a minimum,and the members allowed to find their own feet. In Royston/Wardieburns case interference came at a very early stage and almost brought it to its knees.

It now has a fighting chance to regain lost ground and live up to its potential. We believe the community Council seen sense and wanted to move on,according to what we have heard they have the right person in position,it remains to be seen if they have the courage of their convictions and tell those who would do them down to go take a hike.    

It seems according to reports we have received that the Social Work Department is trying its three strikes and out on one of the Muirhouse Two.

The bully boy tactics of the Social Work Department are not suprising,but their complete lack of understanding of the situation is calous in the extreme.

Instead of suporting him they are threating him,if he does not accept the third offer they can in theory dismiss him,the same person how has been put on the sidelines for over four years with the bulk of that being on full pay

We have been monitoring the saga of the Muirhouse Two for some time and the latest hit from the Social Work Department is the best they can come up with.

We have spoken with our legal people and our friend will have a case for constructive dissmissal should the department follow through with their threats.

Meanwhile the bully still roams the plains of Muirhouse with the grin of a cheshire cat.Soon the smile will be wiped off his face as his protectors run for cover in the wake of hard hitting evidence against him.

Threats from the department will not go down well with others in a similar position and can only harden resolve as justice is sought. Pilton sucks is disgusted with the ducking and diving from the Social Work Deparment and we are determined not to let them off the hook,as they do their best to do nothing, which they excell at.

Those individuals who knew bullying went on at Muirhouse should stiffen their resolve to come forward and put an end to the crimes of an individual whose limitations and small mindedness have damaged others and will continue to do so as long as he remains at large. 

Over at Edinburgh South it has been reported that both Howdenhall and Saint Cathrines secure units are not as secure as you would think.There have been incidents reported to us concerning the residents where proceedures have not been followed and the resulting mess has been covered  up.

The management, in particular the manager of both units burys his head in the sand and denys all knowledge of wrong doing. He seems to be only interested in his own ladder climbing career. In the past when issues have arisen our ladder climber passes the buck and issues of confidentiality go out the window.

Its seems that Residential care officers can have conversations about personal details re-other colleagues and nothing is nothing is done to stop this.And yet our ladder climber deems it appropriate to only deal with those he thinks will not complain.

Our informants three former employees told us of wrong doing and that they were told to keep it in house or face dissaplinary proceedures.

It is clear when in charge of vunerable youngsters all correct proceedures must be adhered to without exception. We cannot have one rule for one and different rules for others.

Staff must be able to trust and rely on each other, and management back this up with consistent behaviour. It seems that this is not the case in both Howdenhall and Saint Cathrines.

Clearly management have some serious questions to answer,we contacted the secure units but lo and behold no one was available to comment. This in itself is curious as any rumour of wrong doing could be stamped on immediatly and put the taxpayer at their ease. We are sure Donald Anderson would be interested in our concerns and we will be putting together a dosier for his benifit.