Gordon Matheson shrugs off Labour rebellion
Gordon Matheson: rebels should examine their conscience. Picture: Robert Perry
THE leader of Glasgow City Council has pledged to rebuild or repair every run-down primary school in the city if re-elected this May, in a bid to move on from the dramatic attempt by Labour rebels last week to topple his administration.
Gordon Matheson, who survived a knife-edge vote on the council’s budget plans, has also accused the six former Labour councillors who opposed him last week of seeking to “wreak revenge”, saying their rebellion was “exclusively” down to the fact that they have been dumped by the party as candidates.
The council leader claimed he had no thoughts of quitting last week, and also pledged to investigate allegations of bullying, after one of the Labour rebels claimed that a former colleague had sought to “intimidate” her into supporting the party.
The SNP last night sought to widen its attacks on Labour in the city, noting that four of the rebels who opposed Matheson last week are based within the constituency of Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont.
But in an interview with Scotland on Sunday, Matheson insisted the rebellion had been due to internal grievances at the way the party had selected its candidates ahead of May’s election. Of the six rebels, he added: “They need to examine their consciences.”
With Glasgow now set for a fiercely fought contest ahead of May’s vote, Matheson will this week seek to put a lid on the storm as he unveil plans to rebuild dozens of the city’s schools.
He has pledged that, if re-elected, any primary school that needs work will be either rebuilt from scratch or refurbished from top to bottom. “All of the city’s secondary schools and Early Years centres have been dealt with,” he said. “But this is unfinished business because there are primary schools which, while they may be excellent schools, the condition of the building is not acceptable.”
He added: “The pledge is that every school which has the need will benefit from a newbuild or a deep refurbishment programme; we are not talking about a lick of paint.”
On the former Labour rebels who opposed the budget last week, Matheson said: “It was about trying to wreak revenge. It doesn’t stack up. There were people who chose to appeal [when they were de-selected]. Now somehow they don’t believe in what we are doing.”
He said the group were “disappointed because the answer to them was, ‘I’m sorry, you have not been re-selected to stand’ ”.
Matheson added: “The general public will take a very dim view of these shenanigans and they will see through the motivation for this.
“Every single one had been de-selected by the party and when faced with a choice on budget day of a Labour budget that was focused on jobs and education and public services, instead they chose to go into bed with the Tories.
“The motivation was simply about trying to wreak revenge. They need to look at their consciences.”
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Comments
There are 27 comments to this article
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korky
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 06:10 PMBrain deed.
Anagach
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 07:50 PMMy first thought is that he has a family member in a big building firm waiting for some largess. Cynical me.
The Harder They Come
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:08 PMGrahamski's blog read like the longest political suicide note in history.
Niebiosa tam sa naprawde nieskrzydlowe ludzie tam
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:56 PMReminds me of PRAVDA articles, and just as much shoite !
unionman
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:26 PMThe proof is in the city look at all the ares in poverty springburn,shetlestoun,possil,pollock,ect all labour councilors who have sat back and let these areas get in the state they are in while they want re elected time for a change and the snp is the only show in town with the backing of holyrood glasgow can only get better after all in the hands of labour for 100 yrs not much has changed poor stats that embarace me as a glasweigen poorest area in europe highest unemployment ares as springburn and it has 2 of its largest employers in city building and rsbi on its doorstep ,too many contracts been given to white van guy and the brown envelopes under the table ,Gordon should get on the job and root out all the bullies and he could start in springburn at City building and rsbi who believe they are the untouchables and treat the workers like dirt ,they have failed to listen to the unions who they attack and forget that they have the voters in big numbers
samcoldstream
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:12 PMMore pledges and promises, otherwise known as political bribes from the Labour Leader of Glasgow City Council. It will now be the turn of the Nationalists and Tories to conjure up even more tantalising bribes.
unionman
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:02 PMOnce again the labour group has failed to listen to the people it serves this amature is clutching at straws this goes way back to the purcell fiasco where the trust of labour was damaged by his support for the aleos he set up for his conies who donate to the party and bungs left right and centre look at the bullies who try and tell our children that is not acceptable try practicing what you preach the bulling goes further in most of the councils offices with senior management who think they have a job for life and bully the workers every day and that includes the management at RSBi where anne millars boy works how low can you get bullying a disables worker a bright light should be shone right through the city councils aleos to sort out the cronys who are on big wages and get away with it
Naylabour
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 11:18 AMSooooooo...let me get this right - EVEN if the school is in the wrong part of the city, say due to housing demolition over recent years, and EVEN if the school is well under capacity...the promise is that ALL be refurbished or rebuit...thats an absolute promise from what i read...yes? So, can we see the detailed strategy of ALL schools across the city, thier locations, roll numbers and future roll numbers? Then lets see how this stacks up! Or is he just talking p1sh!
Thomas the Tank
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 10:56 AMInteresting that another Quality Newspaper, based in Glasgow, is today reporting that "disaffected former Labour councillors (are) starting a rival party to field candidates in May's local election". While the best this labour Pravda-rag can do is this bit of Tamany Hall spin.
Intervention
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 10:50 AMWhen will the supine Scottish press and BBC tackle Johann Lamont and her involvement in Labour's meltdown in Glasgow?......................Four of the Labour rebels deselected by London were in Lamont's heartland of Pollock and her husband is the Deputy leader of Glasgow Council....................... Where are the revelations about Councillor Davidson's previous bullying and sexist stories..................... Are there no serious journalists left in Scotland .............or do they just print Paul Sinclair's Labour briefings?
soosider
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 08:05 AMPledge to sort every primary school? Does Mathieson not realise that many people will ask how they got into that state in the first place? Siding with the Tories, is just such a knee jerk. In Glasgow it is Tory (singular) who dropped his budget and backed the SNPsas did the Greens, Libdems and Ex Labour. It is perhaps telling that he seems genuinely surprised that deselected councillors may no longer follow the party whip.
zippitydoodaa
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 02:57 AMAhhh heroic Labour in the face of such adversity. Usual tragic Scotsman rubbish
Scott Nicol
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:26 AM"..... but we'll be shutting Gadburn and shoving those kids wherever we can get away with it. Ideally back in to mainstream as part of our "bullying for all" policy." How's Kelbourne Park's roof? It's only been a couple of years after all. What's happened to the St Raymond's pupils turfed out because Hampden had a fire and then you left it open to the elements? Still using DRS and City Building are you? Still subsidising Cordia's wage bill with Education budget? Do you actually believe what you hear coming out of your own mouth?
New Unionism
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:15 AMMatheson - the school destroyer
New Unionism
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:15 AMWhy did the Labour group let these schools get so run down in the first place?
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