Tuesday 2 March 2010

GET WELL SOON STEVEN PURCELL

According to the Herald Steven Purcell, Glasgow City Council leader, is to stand down from his post immediately for health reasons.

Mr Purcell, one of the country's youngest leading politicians has, according to the paper, been tipped as a future leader of his party. He was hugely involved in the bringing of the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow and with the plans to make the games a real opportunity for youth, not just from a sporting point of view, but much more, by offering apprenticeships to school leavers in the employment opportunities created in the building of the facilities.

In this he worked closely with the previous Scottish Executive and the current Scottish Government. It is understood that the First Minister rates him highly despite their clashes over GARL (Glasgow Airport Rail Link).

It seems that Mr Purcell’s health issues are connected with stress and overwork, a problem which afflicts more and more people in a world where more is always being expected for less. The paper does not know whether his down time is a temporary or permanent situation. It seems that he will remain a councillor and that in the interim the Deputy Leader, Jim Coleman, will take on the role of acting leader.

It has been thought that at some stage Mr Purcell would stand as a candidate for Labour at Holyrood, or perhaps Westminster, and that his rise through the ranks would continue in parliament be it in opposition or in government.

Clearly he is a political opponent as far as I am concerned and I have had, and continue to have, many disagreements with Mr Purcell's policies, however, I most sincerely wish him well and I hope that a speedy recovery will be his now that he has handed over the undoubtedly stressful job as the leader of Glasgow.

Nothing is more important that your health. Next to that all else falls into insignificance, so forget all the problems for now, relax, take it easy. It's already someone else's problem. Get well soon Steven.


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12 comments:

  1. Well said Tris. You are a real gentleman.

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  2. Stress is a terrible thing Dean. It can really bring you down, and more and more people seem to suffer from it as the world becomes faster and electronic advances become more and more baffling once you are over 14 1/2.

    I've been sick this last year for the first time in my life (not stress) but it made me realise a few things, one of which is health comes first. You can have as much money as you want, but if you're sick as a parrot it doesn't do you any good.

    Anyways it was nice of you to say that Dean.... I try to be, and frequently fall well short of the mark....

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  3. Looks like there's more to it than his health. With 3 Glasgow Labour councillors also resigning due to 'stress' another cover up is suspected. They were members of SPT where inquiries are ongoing into the £100K expenses which included worldwide trips and free sporting events. Their ex BBC Reporting Scotland media advisor seems to have stopped advising which seems strange. And Purcell has surrounded himself with personal lawyers and legal advisors. All very strange when the Glasgow Council has it's own expensive lawyers and media advisors.
    Luckily like the other 3 who resigned from the SPT he isn't too ill and will valiantly struggle to maintain his council job. He also got a fine half hour of praise on Newsnight Scotland with no thoughts from non Labour supporters asked for.

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  4. Tris

    Fine words and and fine sentiments but, I think totally misplaced in this situation.

    West of Scotland Labour (Ya Bass subsection) is about to implode and it looks as like Heaven and Earth are being moved to stop this becoming public.

    It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch

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  5. Tris

    Over at Rab's Rant he has a different slant to the SP story.

    He thinks SP has been maybe drinking too much Coke to give hi the caffeine to help him through his busy schedule and he is worn out.

    I think Red Bull has much more caffeine as would a good Dargeeling

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  6. Well guys, if it is some sort of cover up over the STP trips etc then, if and when that comes out I'll be cross.

    I take on board the strange matter of the solicitors. I agree you don't need costly solicitors for a case of stress; what you want for that is rest and some good company. I doubt that expensive solicitors will be good company.

    I didn't see the tv programme, but I can imagine how the BBC would be treating him like he was royalty or even a god. Hr's Labour isnt he, and so is the BBC.

    All I saw was a report saying that he was ill because of stress. In that case my sympathies are with him.

    As I say, if it turns out that he was playing on the sympathies of the likes of me, and in fact there's nothing wrong, except some matters to be dealt with by expensive solicitors.... including an over consumption of Coka Cola!!!.....then I'll revise my thoughts.... and my posts!

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  7. Tris, i'm with you on this one. SP may indeed be at it (he didnae get where he is today without telling the odd porky). But the benefit of any doubt should mos def be with him.

    I've worked in many a stressful office in ma time and known several people to have fallen ill due to their working conditions - usually with no empathy and a good deal of derision from their colleagues and bosses.

    As you say, there's nothing more important than yer health - a fact which becomes abundantly clear when it's impaired. If SP's no well, the very last thing he needs is snide speculation about him. If he is at it, it should all come out in the wash.

    I wish him a speedy recovery then crushing defeat as last leader of the Labour Party in Scotland to stand in a pre-indepependent Scottish election.

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  8. I don’t see how Mr P was tipped for great things when a little bit of stress derails your political ambitions. Did he not know that politics is a very stressful business, and did he not know that to get to the top you have to fight dirty and have a hide of steel? If he can’t take stress maybe he wants to go and become a gardener rather than leader of Scotland’s largest council with aspirations to rise to Cabinet rank, PM the Lords who knows what.

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  9. Naldo: You're spot on there. I second your good wishes for his health and your bad wishes for his party's success.

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  10. Munguin: It's true. If he had ambitions to run for First Minister one day, then I guess he's not made of the stuff that is required. It's a 24/7 kind of job, and it seems to me that you can't please any of the people any of the time....

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  11. Hoi Munguin, wtf is wrong wi gardeners? I've become one because the finance industry and public sector have stopped hiring IT consultants which is what i used to do.

    The pay's a bit keech but it's not very stressful - in fact it's pretty damn enjoyable as it appens. If SP needs a few tips on where to pick up cheap tools or how to lay a lawn, i'm his man. I try to garden as organically as possible but according to Radio Scotland news today, Mr P already has an excellent knowledge of how to apply chemicals. Allegedly.

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  12. I would think that gardening is a really stress less job.... and then I look out and I find that a few of the nicest plants in my garden have succumbed to this hellish winter, and then I remember that last year the horrendous winds in June and July blew the life out of some of them, and then there was the fact that it rained solidly for a week and so many of them died because they rotted, and then I went away for a week and the it turned out to be the only dry week of the year.... and unlike MPs, I couldn't get the public to pay for anyone to come in and water my pots or my hanging baskets and they all died.....

    .... and then I think.... nah, loadsa stress in gardening too.


    Hey Naldo, I'm really chuffed for you that you got that job... I'd love a gardening job, even though it is stressful.... brilliant!

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