Landing on his feet

All his old chums in the Scottish Executive (where he was a union rep for many years) will have mixed feelings at the prominence of Councillor Steve Cardownie in the new administration which will run the City of Edinburgh Council.

It is not so long ago that Councillor Cardownie, then a Labour Councillor, was facing a doubtful future - would he secure a seat under the new proportional representation arrangements to be introduced for last week's elections? It would appear that a timely defection to the SNP resolved that problem.

Now he finds himself the effective leader of the SNP group on the Council. Furthermore, now that the LibDems and the SNP have carved up the new Council administration (throwing an alleged bone or two to the Tories in the process), the ebullient Stevie occupies the exalted post of Depute Leader of the Council, a man of real influence in the new regime, while his former colleagues in the Labour Group huddle wretchedly in the cold. More info here.

Funny how things turn out ...

"Trust me - I'm from the Executive"

I know that he has spent the last four years seeking to force civil servants out of the city, but let us nevertheless welcome a change of heart. I know that he was speaking to The Edinburgh Evening News but still:

Mr McConnell says capital city status is about more than hard cash.
He says: "Capital city status is an idea whose time has come. Over the early years of devolution we have seen the significance of our capital city grow internationally and at home. Capital city status would mean appropriate recognition in the policy decisions of the Executive - and that means, for example, on relocation, getting a proper balance between the needs of other regions in Scotland and the significance of location inside the Capital.
"It means in the financial settlements, recognising the additional costs that come from providing services in the Capital city, but it also means maintaining and building on the priority for air links, the importance of culture and the Festivals and recognising Edinburgh is one of the major gateways when we are promoting tourism and inward investment."

Mr McConnell is an honourable man. I am sure that he will say the same thing when he visits other parts of the country. Won't he?