Beau Derek Mackay M.P. and the Payday Lenders

It's good to see that Beau Derek Mackay has decided to speak out against payday lenders in the Paisley Daily Express today. But we have to ask, 'Why so late, Beau?'  Renfrewshire branch of the Scottish Socialist Party were protesting in the streets a fortnight ago and we didn't see you around. It's not like the SNP to miss a passing bandwagon. Maybe it's just that you don't really want to show your face in the streets of Paisley after the performance of the SNP when they were in control of the Council. Not that Tony Blair's New Labour seem to be doing any better.

Kenny McKaskill, al Megrahi and Lockerbie

My views on the SNP are fairly well known, and in Renfrewshire these crypto-facists under Iron Man McKaskill and his protege Beau Derek Mackay have given us, in addition to the police and the special constables, litter wardens, dog shit wardens, taxi rank wardens, traffic wardens, taxi drop off wardens, smoking wardens, street wardens, anti social tenant teams, licenced doormen, street CCTV and a host of other forms of social control, all ostensibly to keep us safe, presumably from each other. All of these strutting uniformed little Hitlers make me despair and what I really want is someone to keep me safe from the increasing tendency of the SNP to impose good behaviour by force instead of education.

You will understand therefore how reluctant I am to give any credit to the Iron Man for anything just in case it encourages him to stay in his post any longer than necessary, but in the matter of the release of al Megrahi I think he has done a good thing.

Leaving aside the question of al Megrahi's guilt or innocence, to release a dying man to see his family on compassionate grounds, to reasonable people, seems to be a no-brainer. The brutality of the Lockerbie bombing isn't a factor. He was released because we are compassionate, not because he was, and I believe that this is important.

My Muslim friends tell me that the Koran is a book of compassion not violence and I have no reason (not having read their holy book) to disbelieve them. The extremist (and I speak only of the extremists) followers of Saudi Wahabi Islam, educated in hate throughout the Muslim world in the Saudi sponsored Madrasahs promote world wide terror and violence. If we can make it clear that their beliefs are a corruption of true Islam and that we can be more compassionate, in the spirit of the Koran, than the hate filled butchers who advocate amputation and stoning for what are social crimes such as adultery and fornication, then we weaken the grip of the Wahabi on the minds of young Muslims and perhaps we can help the more moderate Mullahs to counter the deep divisions which the Saudis promote.

Obama the First has caved in to the right wing Christian fundamentalists in his own country. He knows that the Saudis are the real sponsors of terror, but I don't see him or any of his countrymen calling for a boycott of Saudi oil. The Saudis have much more oil than the Scots, so they boycott Whisky and Harris Tweed. What a bunch of hypocritical cowards.

So although it pains me greatly, credit where it is due, well done McKaskill

Beau Derek and the Council Cuts

Just some more info on the cuts in public services in Renfrewshire under Beau Derek supported by his lib/dem gofers.

4 libraries to close (Gallowhill, Todholm, Elderslie, Bargarran)

5 neighbourhood housing offices to close

£500 p.a. charge for residents in sheltered housing for the warden service (which is being reduced from 24 to 3 hours per day)

Charges for attendance at elderly day-centres

Cost of kids swimming lessons doubled

Cuts in the park ranger service

2 nurseries to close

Apex community centre in Ferguslie Park (Terry's pitch) to close

Rough Sleepers Initiative for the homeless to close

Museum and observatory opening hours cut

Recycle Renfrewshire funding withdrawn

3 day centres for the disabled to close

Education budget cut by the equivalent of 2 teachers per school


And if Labour think they are off the hook on this can I remind them that:

they passed the policy which made warden charges possible

they closed libraries in Kilbarchan, Johnstone Castle, Spateston, Inchinnan,Brookfield, Houston, Langbank, Howwood, and the Johnstone teenage libraries (and we wonder why our kids are poor readers)

they closed and privatised post offices

they closed community centres like the East End community centre for which a replacement was promised and never materialised

they privatised our schools (opposed and now adopted by the SNP)

and they tried and failed to give away our council housing to a crony body, sorry ..housing association.


It's not until you see the cuts listed like this that you can see how the old, the very young, the vulnerable and the disabled are being targeted.

It's a public disgrace.

Beau Derek Mackay

I see Beau Derek in the local paper today trying to encourage council employees to go to work by bike to save the planet. If he really means it why don't the council close the council office car parks to all but bikes and disabled drivers. That would be easier than a bike purchase loan scheme and it might just let them see just how difficult they have made it for everyone but themselves to park in Paisley Town Centre.

Perhaps councillors and council officers should be made to pay a commercial rate for the free parking they get from the council tax payers, or at least have the benefit assessed for tax so that they can employ more smoking enforcement officers (nicotine fascists) to harass town centre traders and pubs.

Of course they have to look after themselves, they're councillors after all, but have they no shame. Bike is becoming the only way to get around the town, but with pot-holes 6 inches deep even that is a bit dangerous.