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A final word on the election...I promise

Here's just some of the messages of support I've received since losing the election.



"Sorry you didn't get a seat but I'm sure you'll continue to work for the area.
Thankfully the LibDems got a beating and are all but gone"





"I also convinced a couple of floating voters i.e friends to vote for you, hard luck there's always the X factor".



"Genuinely sorry you were not successful - their loss... I would've voted for you, but as I have recently been reminded by EDC re placing request, we don't live in Bishopbriggs...."



"We are really disappointed for you Donald, we’re sure you would have made an excellent councillor. You ran a really positive campaign and addressed the issues that matter to local residents. Quite sure this is only the beginning of your political career – more people with your energy and commitment is what’s needed. Anyway, quite sure you will be on the heels of the councillors ensuring they do their job!"



"This is a pity. I suppose that this is a mixture of apathy coupled with the effect of the National SNP machine."



"If you didn't get in then i'm assuming the rest of your alliance was unsuccessful since you had the highest profile. Bad Luck, I really thought you were in with a chance!!"



"Dont be too disheartened at least there are no Lib Dems in our local area and John Morrison is out on his ear - you had a good campaign and deserved a chance at least"



"Commiserations Keep up, the good work though"



"Very surprised by the result, I thought you were in with a shout. Don't give up!"



" It's been a bit of a marathon...I wondered how you were getting on...sorry you were unsuccessful, however it's good to see that the Libdems got gubbed! Only what they deserve. "

Que Sera

Ah well. Like the Murphys...I'm not bitter.

A neighbour said they thought I would have been the best councillor Bishopbriggs South never had.

It has been an eventful few weeks, and although I am obviously disappointed, not just for myself but also for Woodhill, I don't think it is the end of the world. As far as doing this again in four years time; well my thought at this stage is that anyone who wants to be a 'politician' should automatically be banned from becoming one.

Circumstances over the last couple of years led to me being approached to stand. To sit down and say that you want to stand for election reminds me of the famous Grouch Marx statement that he'd never join a club that would have him as a member.

One very positive aspect of the campaign has been the interest shown in the work of the Woodhill Residents Group. Woodhill is a great place to live, however there are still problems and challenges facing it- and the rest of Bishopbriggs. Our Councillors must not be found wanting. It is one thing to ride to election success on the back of a national swing or because of national or even international issues, it is another thing to make a difference to the lives of local people.

Woodhill will be watching.

Win or lose...I have a cunning plan

Listening to the radio this morning it is clear that there have been major problems in Scotland and in East Dunbartonshire in particular.

With the spoiled papers in mind maybe I should have stood for the SPOILED PAPERS PARTY.

Anyway all of my lamppost signs are down as far as I can tell - if you spot any lonely signs please use the comment button below to let me know and I'll get it taken down.

Phew..What a Scorcher

What a long day today was. Not because of the sunshine or the sore legs from standing about all day, but having to listen to the other candidates arguing with each other!

Consternation late this evening when it was discovered that one candidate had left his rucksack behind at the polling station. Everyone was concerned as it was assumed that it held a vital lifesaving device as it had not left his back for the past three weeks.

And what became of the missing candidate. He was never seen all day. And what a pity as there was a steady stream of voters wanting to 'have a word' as they say.

And me. I'll let you be the judge of that. But you have probably done that already.

Forecast looking good for tomorrow...and the weather's OK as well.

As promised yesterday a little something extra for the election this morning. Put up some banners to catch the morning rush hour.

Certainly seemed to catch the eye of everyone, especially the person who went around after nine and tipped them over. As I was going to move them after nine anyway they helped me out. So a big thank you to the person or persons responsible...you know who you are so no need to give you a mention.

Banners now in place on residents front gardens, under the watchful eyes of supporters.

Tomorrow is another day

Tomorrow is another day, but it doesn't mean the campaign has finished.

As you might expect I've kept a little something for the last full day of campaigning.

At this stage I think it is only right for me to give a great BIG thank-you to all of the people who have helped me over the past few weeks. Regardless of the result on Thursday/Friday you are all winners to me.

So thanks (in no particular order) to Michelle and Ian, Jackie and Ann, Jack and Wilma, Rosie, Angela, Liz, Kevin, Gus and Morag, Jim and Betty, Tom and finally Robert.

Thanks
ps Oh and thanks to Gordon my Agent and my wife Linda and my son Ross.

WRG work goes on regardless

After the WRG meeting on Friday evening it was decided to tackle Caledonian Properties head- on over their refusal to clean up the land along the 'ransom strip' on Angus Avenue. This is the same strip of land that could make the difference between a safe journey to school for our children and a journey mixing with delivery vans and cars.

So a few of the group got their gloves and rakes out to clear up a section of the strip, bag the rubbish and take it down to their offices at the Cross.

To find out what happened...buy this week's Bishopbriggs Herald.

Bumped into Alan Brown this morning while doing some final leaflets. Disappointed to learn about his taste in music...to find out how bad it is buy me a pint the next time I see you and I will reveal all.

Election loss

Thought that would grab your attention. If you live in Myrtle Square and you have found a small digital camera lying beside your path, could you please contact me.
Just one of the many dangers of leafleting.

I was sent this email by a friend on this very subject who is helping to leaflet:

I have some new issues for your manifesto.

i) Houses with more than four steps to the front door.

ii) Letter boxes designed specifically not to be delivered to.

and

iii)Man eating "pets."

Note:The above conditions being most dangerous when encountered all at once!!!!!!

Seriously it was nae bother.

I would add that once elected I'll be fighting for a British Standard regarding which side a gate opens on, the consistent design of gate latches and letterboxes not to be at the bottom of doors.

What I had not expected to see were doors with hand written notes saying NO ELECTION LEAFLETS. I don't know if this is because of the volume of them or the banal quality of most of them.

I can understand people being fed up with political parties, after all that's why I'm standing. But to shut out a possible message from a candidate (not just me) seems the wrong way to go.

It was less than 100 years ago that the suffragettes were dying so that women could vote and now, especially in this ward, turnouts can be as low as 53%.

It is up to prospective councillors to give Bishopbriggs South a message that is not simply a re-hash or copy of another candidate's, but something fresh and different to invigorate the electorate.

What Gott into him?

Today, along with the rest of the Independent Alliance candidates, I spent the morning in Milngavie.
This week it only took the SNP 18 minutes to turn up behind us. For the past two weeks they have been 'stalking' us as we've moved from Town Centre to Town Centre. The word on the street in Milngavie is that they are unlikely to pick up any anti Lib Dem votes as they are viewed as being more unwelcome than even the Labour Party!
Across the precinct I could see Eric Gotts. Eric strikes me as being a decent man, but he looked a forlorn figure standing outside Iceland. The perfect place to get a frosty reception I suppose.
I received an email tonight challenging me over the statement about Cathy McInnes being unable to find Lib Dem voters in Bishopbriggs. I was told this by another candidate in another ward, who was told it by another candidate in yet another ward, who was apparently told this by Cathy herself.
Happy to retract this if we can get another two people from Bishopbriggs who are not and have never been members of the Lib Dems to come on and tell the world they are voting Lib Dem.

Academy Board

Today I received confirmation that I've been elected onto the Bishopbriggs Academy School Board. I'll be joined by Kathy Dunsmore as one of two new members of the Board.
Tonight I attended the regular Woodhill Residents Group meeting. If you want to keep up to date with the work of the WRG logon to
http://www.woodhillresidentsgroup.org.uk/
this weekend we will be picking up litter from the 'ransom strip' which Caledonian Properties have not bothered to move since being told about over a month ago.
Watch this space.

Tempo rises and so does the temp!

Another hard day out leafleting. Yesterday as the Chair of the Woodhill Residents Group I spoke to members of the St Dominic Senior Citizens Club about our Play in the Park initiative and also our traffic survey.
Today the Bishopbriggs Herald called to see how the survey was getting on. i was able to report that the response has been great, and with the paper flyers going out all the time hopefully we'll get a better picture of just what is of greatest concern to local residents.
Off to bed...my legs are too tired to type any more!

Save our NHS Group

Received this email when I got back from putting out my second leaflet this morning.



Hi Donald,
It was good to have met you last week. I've had a look at your leaflet and the website...I think you're right that there's an appetite for change and that people are generally disillusioned with what is euphemistically known as political democracy. Most people I've met in the last week or so aren't too thrilled with party politics.
They've also raised a lot of the issues you highlight...Marks & Spencer, Stobhill Hospital, profiteering from the building of schools, ineffective council, etc. I have to say, I even agree with what you say...maybe I should be switching allegiance?????!
Anyway, I hope you do well...we're getting a good response - especially in Bishopbriggs and Alexandria - but we have such a lot of ground to cover in a short time.
Anyway, whatever happens I think you and your group should be commended for making a stand and being politically apolitical!
Best wishes and good luck,
Andrew Billson-Page
Save our NHS Group

Education Education Education

Today I received a request from the EIS to state my opinions on Education in East Dunbartonshire. It might sound woolly but I don't have any policies on Education in the same way Labour or Conservatives have.
My policy is to reflect the views of people in Bishopbriggs South. And that could be different from my own personal views. But that's old fashioned politics for you.
For the record I'll be telling the EIS that I think the electorate in Bishopbriggs South will

• support the right for all 3-5 year olds to attend nursery
• support smaller class sizes
• not support rationalising primary schools - with the proviso that they cannot be allowed to drain resources from other more viable schools
• support more investment in primary school buildings
• pay for this with prudential borrowing not PPP/PFI
• support the six new secondary school, although I don't for a minute think that anyone didn't support them in the first place. What they didn't support was not being given the full story as to why schools were being moved or losing land under false pretences
• support smaller class sizes in secondary schools
• and support additional investment for additional needs of children

Having read both the EIS manifesto for the election and the Curriculum for Excellence it is vital for the future of Scotland that we support teachers at every opportunity. Having spent some considerable time over the past year in a local primary school in preparation for applying to undertake a PGDE in Primary Education, I am more aware than most 'outsiders' of the challenges faced by teachers at the 'whiteboard' nowadays. In particular persistent low level disruption which not only robs the perpetrators but also the rest of the class, and even nowadays struggles to get adequate textbooks.

Reception clear

Over the past fortnight, as other Independent candidates and myself have been out and about, the reception has been incredible. Seasoned campaigners say they have never experienced anything quite like this. People seem to be sick of Party Politics and appear to be getting ready to do something about it on May 3rd.

SNP breaks election pledge already

Along with all of the other Independent Alliance candidates we spent a rather driech Saturday morning handing out flyers in Kirkintilloch.

Also in attendance were the SNP. One of the group was saying to passing shoppers, 'vote SNP - we're campaigning for better weather', to which my wife said to him quick as a flash, 'is that you making promises that you can't deliver already!'

Seemingly Lib Dem Cathy McInnes has been telling people that she can't find a single person in Bishopbriggs prepared to support her. Frankly after what has happened with the Academy, the Prison and Marks and Spencer I'm surprised she can even find that many!!!

Fair comment

Received this email via http://www.voteindie.org/ today. It is good to see that the message is getting through that Independent candidates are committed to local issues. What is the point of voting SNP at the local elections for Independence, when an SNP councillor will not be able to deliver that. Whereas an Independent candidiate offering real local consultation will be able to do just that. Anyway here's the email.


'Hi there, I live in Kirkintilloch with my wife and we received one of your leaflets through our door and I have to say it was a breath of fresh air.
What a difference to hear specific, genuine local issues being mentioned instead of the vague terms being used by the usual parties we are both definitely pledging our votes to our local candidate and would both love to help in any way we can.'

Remember you can send me or any of the candidates an email via our website - http://www.voteindie.org/

Bishopbriggs Herald

Today we got our first look at the Manifestos of everyone who is standing in both Bishopbriggs North and South printed in the Bishopbriggs Herald. Interesting reading. There was no mention of the new secondary schools by the Lib Dems, and only one mention by Lib Dems in the other 3 wards.

Recently I spoke to a senior educationalist who expressed their total disbelief that a council could create such ill will when building new schools. They claimed that this was unheard of.

I must agree, new schools for our children is of such importance that parents and residents should be delighted at the prospect. Instead what we got over the past year was a lot of unhappy people, because consultation was ignored and everyone suspected that the reasons given for changing the location of the school were not the true reasons...that financial matters were of greater importance than the claimed educational ones.

With a change of administration a certainty, this way of treating the council tax payers will hopefully become nothing more than a bad memory.

A politics free meeting at last

What a difference to go to a meeting and be free from election talk. This is what happened tonight when I spoke at the Glasgow North and Bishopbriggs Rotary Club, of which I recently became a member. I spoke about the industry I worked in for the past 20 years, namely the Newspaper Game.

After that it was on to the Bishopbriggs Community Council meeting where I was able to update everyone on the exciting plans for this year's Gala Day. Just a few more confirmations before we launch this year's event.

Interestingly Tom Dibble predicted that neither he, me or Gordon Low would be elected based upon his 'canvassing'. Totally the opposite from what I'm hearing from all parts of the ward...except for Tom and Gordon!

Candidates briefing

Today I attended a meeting of candidates at Tom Johnson House to be given information about the lead up to the election. Most people seemed fairly relaxed and friendly to each other...but I bet that might change over the coming weeks and months.

This evening along with a big group of Independent supporters I went over to Milngavie to give Pat Ryan a hand putting out his leaflets. He has a good strong presence with his lamp post signs.

It was lovely cool evening, just perfect for delivering leaflets. Boy - the drives are long in Milngavie! Glad to get home and put my feet up