Waterfront Maze
Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
PiltonSucks.com does not profess to be the voice of the people more a watchful eye for them. However, it would seem we have to have eyes in the back of our heads to try and keep pace with what is going on at the citys new Jerusalem.
Community consultation is nowhere to be seen and the powers that be are more than happy to allow this to happen. Building goes on at a relentless pace without a by your leave to the residents of greater Pilton. Originally residents of greater Pilton where told that potentially there were to be up to 9000 jobs available.
PiltonSucks.com asks how many local people are being employed on the development. Why was there no local labour charter put in place before development started to allow for this. We would also like to know how much cheap foreign labour is being employed on the development and for how long.
It would seem that the chief executive Stephen Izatt and the City’s appointed Chair Councillor Elizabeth A Maginnis (pictured left) have some serious questions to answer but of course they seem to be only answerable for how much profit can be squeezed out of the development bypassing any local concerns.
In an area of high unemployment you would have thought that a great opportunity had presented itself in the form of job opportunities but alas we at PiltonSucks.com have to report that no significant dent has been made in local unemployment and running alongside this is the ever growing poverty industry with jobs for the boys the order of the day.
Surely our rulers should have seen this opportunity present itself and demanded a stake for the local community but alas again PiltonSucks.com has to report this is not the case. Even the local news sheet the North Edinburgh News which is in the pocket of the labour council has not taken any kind of stand on local employment issues. Shameful but unfortunatly true.
What are we to do? PiltonSucks.com has a small suggestion, the residents of greater Pilton should show their disgust at the ballot box and throw out those they feel have let them down while feathering their own nests. PiltonSucks.com has a further suggestion elect community candidates and let the community set the local political agenda.
PiltonSucks.com knows of at least two and potentially more candidates who would more than suit the bill. To save embarrasment we will not name them but they are very experienced community activists who we at PiltonSucks.com are sure with a bit of encouragement would take up the challenge and put this community on a sure footing.
Incidently readers, one of these people is as we understand a former labour party member who became alienated at the lack of opportunities for local people and increasingly concerned at the ever growing poverty empire employing people from outwith the community to teach self help to us poor wretched people of greater Pilton.
It is time to change to empower the people to take decisions for them selves not to be kept down by a nest of vipers. Time to make the waterfromt boards accountable to the community not a secret conclave of faceless nameless people determined to keep the community at arms length and at any cost. No longer can the residents of greater Pilton be fed scrapes from the masters table but more seats at the table where they to can drink from the well of prosperity not resigned to a lfe of patronising waffle.