CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 14years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
stickyAny optimism though? Labour's manifesto wasnt a disaster right? There was a clear spectrum on transport issues and labour were on the correct side of the spectrum even if a bit soft.
Maybe they will work constructively, or it'll all fall apart in a month.
Hopefully Scott Arthur gets the environment side of the gig when it splits.
what yodrin said.
So on day one of their new administration Labour are unable to fill all their committee roles (which is why they’ve scrapped vice-convenors) and 2 out of their 13 councillors didn’t vote for their own motion.
How long is this going to last?
what yodrin said.
“Any optimism though?“
Depends
Clearly whoever is in charge will have real problems - real world realities plus City Chambers petty politics.
BUT
Dr Scott waved the Lab manifesto and said AT budget will be increased by 15%.
EDIT
OOOOPS
50% of course
(15% of Transport budget)
@toomanybikes The issue is we won't be getting Labour's manifesto, the Tories and Lib Dems will take it apart and Labour won't be able to do a thing about it because if they go against either of them too many times they won't be able to pass a budget.
Every issue risks being Labour proposing an already watered-down version of something, the SNP & Greens amending it in a way that makes it far more like Labour's actual manifesto, and Labour having to vote against those amendments with the Tories & Liberals or else risk them taking a huff and bringing the administration down.
EDIT: Hah, I hadn't even thought of that - someone on twitter just noted that more Liberals voted to install this Labour administration than Labour councillors did.
@yodrin I just assumed that they'd work together in reality to avoid that happening, not that we'd actually get their manifesto, but that they'd work with their policy cluster.
How much do they need the tories and lib dems now they've got their appointments?
I fear we've lost the chance of 5 years implementing a vision. At best, we'll now have fudge, "compromise", muddle and back sliding, rather than leadership.
I hope the SNP and Greens will be principled enough to back anything and everything that is in line with their manifestos, but we all know how politics works.
I think a lot depends on how much the SNMP and Greens care who gets the credit. Presumably they could never support the creation of the Labour administration, but now it exists they could go along with it as they'll hopefully be in broad agreement on most policies.
The losers will be thew LDs. Anything progressive enough to get green/SNP support will sail through. Anything reactionary enough to get Tory support will get through. All the wishy-washy pish in the middle ground the the LDs love will get canned.
Which two Labour councilors didn't support the plan?
Katrina Faccenda and Ross Mckenzie abstained.
Guess pressure needs to be put on SNP and Greens now to seize the power vaccuum rather than posturing from the sides as nothing gets achieved. Status quo bias dominates more of local politics than vision does I think (see M8 in Glasgow and absense of Abercrombie plan in the Meadows in Edinburgh).
Scott Arthur's absence of logical processing ability in charge scares me though that being said.
What I really want to know is "Why?" Labour could have formed an administration with the SNP, or supported an SNP/Green coalition. They could have sat on their hands and let the SNP/Green coalition go ahead without their active support.
Instead, they chose to rely on the word of the party of Boris Johnson and the party that gave us Nick Clegg.
I simply can't see how anyone thinks this is a good idea.
I’m sure a lot of people will be studying the Lab manifesto.
Download a copy -
https://drscottarthur.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/ed_lab_manifesto_v4_mar22.pdf
Obviously there is much more in it than cycling/transport etc. So two things to consider -
Make Cllrs aware that there is support for general and specific measures that improve walking/cycling - via direct contact, Twitter, FB etc.
Also try to link these to other manifesto pledges relating to other areas where CEC has responsibilities.
Hard to complain about any of that
EXCEPT THAT
Spokes, ‘us’ etc., have been saying this over the course of the last two administrations involving Labour (and longer).
“I simply can't see how anyone thinks this is a good idea.“
Ask Anas Sarwar.
He may or may not be ‘happy’ now, but essentially (and explicitly) it’s because of his ‘no coalition with the SNP’ policy).
Whether this is theoretically/in practice a good policy ahead of the ‘promised’ IndyRef2 remains to be seen - or forgotten about.
Meanwhile its effect on ‘democracy’/governance in Edinburgh is, I believe, damaging.
As our Ex-Provost pointed out, all three parties now in power campaigned for compensation for Roseburn traders...
“
Labour has managed to pull off quite a feat by forming a minority administration to run the Capital despite holding only 13 out of the 63 seats on the council.
…
Eight of Labour's 13-strong group are new to the council and now face a baptism of fire.
The committee conveners will have their work cut out trying to make sure they can get support for any contentious plans they want to get through. And there will be constant potential for problems to arise.
“
Cammy Day
"
...I look forward to working closely across all parties, delivering positive changes and policies for the good of our great Capital City and its residents."
“
The Council has an active travel capital programme which I fully support. The biggest threat to it is SNP/Green Gov cuts, not me.
“
https://mobile.twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1529824777132646401
I'm no apologist for the Scottish Government, but that is clearly nonsense. The Scottish Government budget for 2022/23 allocates £150m for active travel, the highest amount on record. The main barrier to progress in recent years has been a mix of the TRO/RSO process, multiple rounds of consultation for even the smallest project and simple inaction by the Council.
"we are implementing our manifesto" carte blache? with 21% of the seats? How kind of the other 4 parties.
https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1529835089722585091
I knew it. Not even one day and he's getting his excuses ready.
@morningsider
Instead, they chose to rely on the word of the party of Boris Johnson and the party that gave us Nick Clegg.
The main barrier to progress in recent years has been a mix of the TRO/RSO process, multiple rounds of consultation for even the smallest project and simple inaction by the Council.
So true. I don't actually know any declared Conservatives. Weird to think they will have a say. I expect nothing but consultations for bike stuff while they do photo ops with EV related things.
Thinking about strategy more. Best way is for the SNP and Greens to either be extremely hot or cold for the first while. Labour's manifesto is scuppered without them, so either:
A) form a de facto effective coalition where Labour get everything they want for a while, isolating them from the tories and lib dems gradually through some key votes. After which point you can influence them knowing they can't turn to the other, now effective opposition, parties easily.
Or
B) let them have their lib lab tory coalition, opposing everything you remotely dislike, assuming there will be huge disagreements between those three and labour will hate it so much they come running back.
Everything in the middle of those two strategies allows Labour to take the median stance in all debates and just threaten both sides they'll bend the other way until one side or another bends Labour's way.
Option A) has less upside but, perhaps more importantly, less downside for the city.
I suppose you could also lay out full throated opposition or a coalition agreement too. Some hints from Scott Arthur of willingness to bend. (realism that 20% of seats can't be 100% of power)
https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1529901775800647681
Interesting 6 months ahead -
“
On his social media, the new transport convener explained that it will be an “interim position” and that he will stand down when “a more able colleague completes her transition to being a councillor”. He didn't say who the councillor will be but it is believed it will be retired librarian Val Walker.
…
“We’ve also been talking about having an emergency transport committee to deal with some outstanding issues which haven’t been progressing at a sufficient rate and I’ve been speaking to the transport team to speak about whether or not they have their budget to deliver some of the projects that are on they’re table.”
Councillor Arthur criticised the previous administration for not delivering on pledges and said that Labour’s success will be dependent on how they deliver change.
“
Meanwhile the Conservatives are expected to have new Morningside cllr Marie-Claire Munro as “lead” on transport.
“
Val is pledging to work on getting the basics right: The condition of the roads and pavements, ensuring safety for pedestrians and cyclists while also taking the views of local residents who need access and parking into account, and the provision and maintenance of safe public spaces for everyone. The sort of issues which anyone who regularly cycles or walks into campus via the South West corridor or Union Canal, particularly through the dark winter months, will be familiar with. On the environment, Val told us of her commitment to protect and enhance our green spaces, and the drive to ensure that the Council’s ambitious net zero carbon reduction targets are met by 2030. Gets my vote.
“
https://heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk/2022/03/23/a-wonderful-sunny-wednesday-morning-with-val-walker/
local residents who need ... parking
I won't crap on them needlessly(nobody I know in Labour is ever going to be allowed to forget they let Tories into government after they were drubbed so thoroughly by the electorate), but when it comes to the Professor(who seems to have a doctorate in Equivocation & Dissembling) I'll believe it when I ride on it.
Mandy Watt (Morningside)'s pledges include "An even better public transport system, together with active travel initiatives focussed on the 'quality of roads, pavements, crossings and road markings"
I suppose she doesn't mention parking but no commitment to anything transformative.
Probably worth remembering that it was Labour - specifically Lesley Hinds - who laid a lot of the groundwork and helped shift the debate in the right direction. She may not have got everything right or gone as far as we would have wanted but without her then CCWEL definitely would have fallen through.
There were similar doubts about Lesley Macinnes’ commitment when she was first appointed. Again, she’s taken the abuse but has moved the arguments on.
Let’s see what Val Walker can do.
@Stickman - good points, and the character of the Transport Convener can make a great deal of difference. That's why I get thoroughly annoyed when people chant the mantra "all politicians are the same." They aren't.
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