Pilton Sucks dotCom

Friends and Readers.There is a growing number of professionals  in their fields coming to the conclusion, something that we have known for a long time, that the Waterfront Project,is purely land speculation and little else. Thanks in the main to councillor Maginnis the community of Greater Pilton has been entirely excluded.

It is fair to say that if there were a straw poll in the community to ask how many residents knew what was going on, very few could answer that they did, that in itself tells a story.  Why the secrecy? What is there to hide?   Surely it is in everybody’s interest to see this community is told the truth.

The North Edinburgh News (NEN) does not seem to be willing to report on this huge project and the lack of local involvment, nor does the people’s representatives, odd dont you think?

The lack of community involvement and information rightly leads to suspicion that all is not well at the heart of the operation. There is only a handful of people that know what is really going on and they will not say, so what is the big secret that the community cannot be let in on?

PiltonSucks.com believes that it has become to much for councillor Maginnis to handle and she is way out of her depth, as skillful a politician she may be, the speculators and their friends are running rings round her and she appears to be sinking in the quicksand of manipulation and slight of hand.

This is not good news for this community and changes must be made soon if we are to have any gains for the existing community. We offer the good councillor some sound advice in an effort to support her and the community.

We sincerly believe a community waterfront committee with real teeth, that bite, should be put in place to offset the stampeding speculation that is currently the order of the day.  The only item on the agenda of the waterfront business community.

We are not against the advancement of others and believe that enrichment can benifit all. Unfortunatly in the case of the waterfront project this is not happening.

So we are aware that there are some very experienced people in this community and that experience should be put to good use. We would not for a minute suggest who should be on the waterfront committee, but a quick look at the local community councils shows us that some of these people are in place already.

We have no wish to embarrass anyone by mentioning who we think would do a good job but several candidates stand out, the only problem is would they agree to such a task.

Councillor Maginnis should show leadership and as soon as possible put this committee-with-teeth in place.  As recently as Thursday evening we spoke to a well known and experienced activist in Royston Wardieburn community centre who would not be drawn on anything personal, which we respected, but we put to him the idea of a waterfront committee, his reply was that if it brought positve gains to the community, it may well be worth looking at, as anything would if it empowered the existing community.

One interesting point he put to us which we have to be honest we did not think of, was had anyone so far carried out an impact on planning blight re-a study on the Greater Pilton area.  Dont know - does anyone?  If the good councillor is feeling the heat and she must be, get help do not try to do it all yourself, that can only lead to mistrust and suspicion, if you are at all politically astute then it makes complete sense to bring others on board to help manage the load, after all we are supposed to be a community, and what better way to involve the community and lay waste to speculation of a negative kind.  

Friends and readers. It has come to the attention of PiltonSucks.com as it probably has to many other residents about the present development in Crewe Road North. As you will know we have a large elderly population in and around the Crewes, and it has become apparent that they are having difficulty getting to the shops.

So some of our associates at PiltonSucks.com took it upon themselves, [by the way, this is something the NEN should be doing but have failed to do yet again  Also our local councillor should be involved but almost certainly is not] to ask the contracters what they were doing and how long it would take.  

I have to report to you that we got less than a satisfactory reply.  We also asked how long the post box would be out of action again nobody knew or cared. We when on to ask when the bus stop would be replaced in its original spot, we were told on this occasion to take it up with the council.

Now as one of our contributers commented recently that we were a lot of moaners, do not you think sir, that the your friends in the NEN should be reporting on these local matters or is it not important enough for them, or their buddies on the council.  We could maybe ask Dave ‘wannabee councillor’ Pickering why he has not reported on this matter as it is right outside the office door, or is it a case  of as long as it is not in my street comrade.

The residents put up with an awful lot and seem only to willing to put up with it.  Perhaps if there was a local forum where they could take there complaints to we might hear more of what was going on instead of the deafening silence we continue to get. Oh of course we have our new sanitised community council ready to take up the peoples cause as long as the ruling party says it can.

Thank goodness there are a couple of people on the Royston/Wardieburn community council that are not family or friends of Elizabeth Maginnis, we may see daylight there, or maybe not - watch this space !

Friends and readers. As you read through your monthly copy of the North Edinburgh News, pause for a moment and reflect on why there is not more investigative journalism, indeed why is there not even the smallest in depth question asked. Could it be friends and readers unlike our web site were you are free and encouraged to express your opinions, the NEN is frightened of what its political masters might say.

Should we ask David Pickering the resident journalist and ex Labour councillor and wannabee again (god forbid) about why he skims over the real issues with regularity and focuses on issues which may well have some immediate relevence, but misses out the long term problems that plague our community. Probably a waste of time as he is a dyed in the wool party hack who will not report on anything that would upset his political pals for fear that he might spoil his own electoral chances.

PiltonSucks.com urges people to write in and force the issues into the NEN it is after all your news sheet not the peoples partys propoganda sheet. We fully support a community news sheet but an open an honest one, not one to tell us that everything in the garden is rosey, when we already know that is not the case.