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Friends and readers,does anyone recognise this little banana skin.

The critical organisational challenge is,in my view how PEP reassures the relevant agencies that we are developing a high quality service appropriate both for vulnerable and isolated adults as well as for PEP’s current volunteer force and how we use volunteering opportunities as part of an appropriate support programme to both encourage and enable participation. I am confident that with the proposed staffing structure and careful recruitment procedures we will be able to achieve the correct balance of professional skills, maturity and experience that are needed to ensure maximum participation and progression for all volunteers irrespective of their needs.

Nice words very well rehearsed wonder how many drafts that took. The last bit about professional skills, maturity and experience is the really interesting bit,for it seems PEP certainly did not have the first, bit doubtful if it had the second bit in any number,and the last bit ,experience in what, specialised work like mental health work don’t think so.

Wool over eyes comes to mind,and it seems the courageous PEP staff group who are speaking out think so to.

Friends and readers. There are only two days left for the tacky and tasteless Xmas deckies contest,and competition is hotting up. Another contender has emerged this time in the leafy green suburbs of the poor mans Ravelston,Silverknowes ,Silverknowes Brae to be precise,and this contender has decked out steel containers with fairy lights and look a like snow,what will the neighbours think.

These particular houses where built in the seventies by the Millar group who invented shoe boxie image with cardboard walls and inferior finishings.  Nowadays these houses will set you back a small fortune, but there is no holding back some people and the glorious Siverknowes now has a live contender in this festive contest.

We have received 86 votes so far and our poll closes at 12 midnight on the 21st December that’s a Friday folks,and we will announce the lucky winner on Saturday 22nd December around about 12 mid-day.

Today friends and readers,Pilton sucks launches a campaign to keep Christine Mackay from grabbing the post of North Edinburgh Neighbourhood manager. This is the same jobsworth that has recently been heard rubbishing Steve Cardownie and is Herr Rosendales other half. North Edinburgh needs her like a hole in the head. Trails of disaster follow her every where, this Community can certainly do with out her. Why cannot front line posts be filled yet there is £88 yes £88,ooo pounds available for another bloody manager. People like Mackay don’t care about this or any other community,they are only interested in lining their own pockets.

This Community dosen’t want her  or need her. And if Councillor Cardownie has any sense which undoubtably he has he’ll chuck her and spend the money more wisely. We have applauded Councillor Cardownie for outing the scandle at the Waterfront, we found out more from him in a week than we ever did before, and no wonder that previous lot wanted to keep community representation off the board.

No Stevie boy we urge you and your colleagues to think again and remove the spectre and grim reaper look a like Ms. Mackay from grabbing yet another well paid post.

See Edinburgh Sucks for the full gory details on the Rosendale, Mackay double act. 

Friends and readers. Question What do the Royal Edinburgh and Victoria hospitals have in common? Referral system pehaps. For those highly vulnerable patients with long and enduring mental health problems proper qualified and experienced people are needed to work with this group. Also not forgetting people suffering from major learning difficulties,major epileptic and diabetic seizures.

Now for both these credible institutions to have confidence in refering these very vunerable people they would have to be satisfied that they would be looked after in an appropriate way,makes sense does it not? Anne our associate has been reading a paper that was given to her outlining exactly why this confidence was mis-placed. She has been reading it very carefully and will report further on it’s contents in due course. Old news as it has been reported it is not.    

Friends and readers. Our tacky and tasteless Xmas deckies contest is well under way and has been the subject of great speculation in the Community. At the moment the contest is to close to call ,with our friend in 31/2 Royston Mains Crescent just in front by a neck. Helen has been out and about in the Community this week to see who else warrants a place in this prestigous contest.

While we are on the subject of Xmas,for those that attended the celebrations at the Hub in Telford College last week,will have been well entertained by Granton Primary School who did a wonderful job of their version of carols, and their conductor/teacher who was very entertaining in her own right.

The Corstorphine band were top class and the big screen helped everybody join in singing the variour songs. There was a little bit of stage drama as well which added to the occasion. All in all a great evenings entertainment and well done to all that were involved.

One question though. How on earth did they get that enormous tree into the college?

Freinds and readers. If you by chance read the Evening News last week,you may have read the article on workplace bullying. It would seem Unison has actually woken up to the fact that workplace bullying is a serious problem and has to be jumped on. Pilton Sucks who have been running a campaign to highlight the problem wecomes Unison’s belated daming of workplace bullying better late than never.

Pilton Sucks goes one step further. Workplace bullies have to be removed from the workplace never again to be in a position to abuse whatever authority they have. Pilton Suck’s own in depth investigations uncovered serious workplace bullying taking place in our own Community,in the Muirhouse Social Work Centre which resulted we are reliably informed in a member of staff attempting suicide.

We have been shocked at what George our associate has discovered,even though hurdles were put in his way. Pilton Sucks along with other organisations dedicated to ending this disgusting behaviour demands action to end this employment disease. More and more it is coming to light what victims of workplace bullying have to endure. Only last week a victim was awarded £100,000 pounds after being bullied by her line manager’s.

We need to open up on workplace bullying and bring it into the public arena telling other’s what to look for and how to detect and report it. The workplace should be a safe place to work,not a place of fear were harassment and intimidation rule.Unison and other trade unions have an obligation to protect their members from this dreadful behaviour. For some it is to late,the damage has been done and permanent harm may have been caused.

We know through the various forums we have been involved in that fair minded people who are after all the majority have been  sickened by the reports of workplace bullying and this has increased their determination to push for powers to outlaw this crime by any other name.

Though compensation helps it can never repair the loss of career and any prospects that went with it. For those that have suffered workplace bullying Pilton Sucks is with you and will continue to fight your corner. As workplace bullying starts to reach the public domain, along with the horrors that the victims suffer,we will all get a better understanding of exactly the damage it causes. This should encourage and enable those like ourselves to push for parlimentary legislation to outlaw this terrible disgusting behaviour and make it a criminal offence,which undoubtably it should be,making it punishable by a term of inprisonment,and as we have been pushing for a register of convicted workplace bully’s,so never again can they be employed where they can cause damage to others.

Friends and readers. Last night Thursday 13-12-07, a document was handed to us which outlines in detail sleazy goings on in a community project. We have not fully studied this document but when we do,we will let you know exactly what it say’s.  

Friends and readers,there has been a sudden rush of entrants for our tasteless over the top Xmas deckies contest. There has been four more contenders put forward for our super duper prize of a 20 quid voucher. We are of course hoping our local rag the NEN will take part in this non-political festive frolick contest. We would like the NEN to photograph the winner of this contest and do a short piece on why their garden resembles Blackpool and in a time when we are all being lectured on energy conservation and green house gasses.and of course tasteless Xmas deckies.

Our four new contenders are,two houses in West Pilton place,that’s the Swedish Hooses and two from  Ferry Road Avenue,that’s the new build houses towards the Pennywell road end. What a wonderous sight it would be enough to give Santa a heart attack and would certainly deter burglars,or visitors. They are strong contenders and certainly gives our friend in Royston Mains Crescent a run for his dosh.

Remember the closing date for entrants in the tastless and tacky Xmas deckies contest  is Friday the 21st December.The lucky winner will be announced on Pilton Sucks on Saturday 22nd December at 12 noon. 

Friends and readers. It is now one in four people who are having difficulty paying their household energy bills. 25% of our citizens cannot afford the hidiously high fuel costs. We reported how, many people will be frightened to turn their heating on this winter due to the cost. We fear there will be deaths because of the cold and the fear of turning the heating on,and this in 21st century Britain.

The divide between the rich and poor has never been wider and this is Labour Britain. They were booted out in Scotland and they are heading for the exit door down south to. Here in Greater Pilton many know the reality of poverty,many know that the grim reaper of winter is coming and they are torn between heating their home or feeding the family.

Yet friends we have the extreme,yes friends even in Greater Pilton. There are still queues to buy Stupid bloody Lottery tickets,the bookies still do good business and the local pubs if you can call them that still attract plenty punters. So what’s the problem there seems to be no shortage of money to waste on stupid shit.

Well friends the facts are there for all to see. High unemployment, poor housing lack of quality leisure facilities which are afforable to the locals. All this leads to -a nobody gives a fuck attitude- and certainly up till recently those elected to help have only helped themselves and in Liz Maginnis’s case still does and continues to get away with it. Poverty begets poverty and those sorry fools who so easily hand over money in the hope of winning a fortune are living in cloud cukoo land.

No wonder our honorable elected crooks turn their backs on us when they see what really happens in communities. Witness Anne who was in the co-op in Crewe Road North on Wedensday buying some items. As she stood in the never ending queue that is the co-op/scotmid there in front of her was a pensioner who was only buying a lottery ticket £5 pounds worth. Anne asked her why she was wasting money like that when pensioners are always pleading poverty. The lady who turned out to be 78 years of age replied that it was her money and she could spend it how she likes.

Yes true up to a point. But don’t moan about pensions or fuel bills if you can waste money like that senior citizen. We are caught in a trap made for us by Government who sell a dream of riches beyond your wildest imagination. Bull shit you have more chance of visiting the moon than winning a fortune. But you can bet that the very same pensioner and thousands like her will visit their local shop this weekend and buy more Lottery tickets. And thousands will win nothing and that money will be gone.

Waken up this is real life not some numbers on a stupid pink ticket. People will die this winter because they cannot pay their heating bills and are frightened to turn the heating on. That is reality six numbers is not. Poor housing in this community is a reality,six numbers is not. High unemployment is a reality six numbers is not. Even though our well educated well off  MP Mark Lazarovitch thinks we have little or no unemployment[who votes for this balloon] we do and it’s long term and hard core.

So when our MP is sitting back in his town house in Broughton surrounded by all those other middle class bullshiters that make up the membership of the Labour Party,he should forget about his dwindling majority and concentrate on lifting this community out of it’s daydream and bring real jobs to this community not stupid seminars that are full of even more bull shiters who don’t even live in this community but come and look at the natives through the bars.

We need to cut through the lies and mendacity,the greed and the stupidity. This community is a multi deprived community fact. Politicians have lied and cheated us for years fact. We are only used as voting foder and volunteers on management committees because we are not deemed good enough to operate and run the projects that we are supposed to manage.

Lottery tickets won’t give us self repect, bingo halls won’t either,neither will tacky carry outs which we have far to many. These things will only take what money we have and give nothing back except poverty and bad health. We have to waken up and see what is actually happening in communities like our’s. We are sold a fairy tale of green fields and rolling hills  and all you have to do to get it is buy a ticket. Such is our gulibility we believe it and lose again.

Get the basics right. Decent housing, proper jobs  ,not the shit lifting variety. Raise the bar for self esteem. Tear down the walls of lies and greed  and get rid of those we elect then steal from us. the fantasy of that pensioner of winning a fortune was over in a flash and her money gone. Her heating bill won’t be over in a flash, her cost of living won’t decrease,and her pension won’t go through the roof. She and many others like her could will suffer this winter,who will help her then. Certainly not the lottery crooks. 

Friends and readers. As you know Pilton Sucks is campaigning to end the scourge of workplace bulling. As our campaign continues to gather momentum,we can report that a victim of workplace bullying has received compensation after bullying by her line manager.

Sumithra Hewage an Orthodontist who is employed by Grampian NHS has won compensation of £100,000 after being harassed and bullied by her line manager. A Tribunal heard that her manager carried out a planned attack after she complained about staff shortages.

She was reduced to tears by bullying. Both the bullies involved of course denied the allegations,but then again of course they would as we all know workplace bullies are after all just cowards. The tribunal ruled in Mrs Hewage’s favour.

In a written judgement the Tribunal said the attitude towards her was HOSTILE AND AGGRESSIVE, has a familiar ring to it dosen’t it.

An NHS Grampian spokesman said they were considering an appeal but a full-time dignity at work officer had now been appointed. Much like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

This is excellent news for those campaigning against workplace bullying and bad news for the bully’s and those that say and do nothing to stop it. Pilton sucks and other like minded organisations will continue to demand that action be taken against these workplace thugs who make life a misery for other’s.

There can be no hiding place for these bully’s and no amount of lying and hiding behind others will save them. The time is fast approaching for aggresive action to be taken against this type of disgusting behaviour which ruins lifes and can end careers. The untold misery created by workplace bully’s is something that is gaining more publicity and with that comes recognition of the victim’s plight.

All have a major part to play in this drive to rid the workplace of these thugs. Employers and Trade Unions can do much to end this scourge and send a message out to would be bully’s,that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and the punishment will be severe.

We welcome the decision that the Aberdeen Tribunal handed down and shows they will not tolerate this kind of totally unacceptable behaviour. Unfortunatly the misery and torture that Mrs. Hewage had to go through cannot be undone and she has to live with the hurt that was intentionally  caused. Yes huge fines must be levied against an employer that does nothing to prevent such behaviour,but we must expect the bully to be punished as well.

Mrs. Hewage has received a settlement which is based on the hurt and pain she suffered. While she may have to live with the effects of her treatment at the hands of bully’s the Tribunal has recognised that substantial compensation must be paid to deter organisations from doing nothing about the this dreadful crime of workplace bullying.

We wait and wonder who is next.