Revelations and Resignations

It really shouldn't have done, but it came as something as a surprise to learn this week that some people actually read these musings. Since I embarked on this wee adventure, I've always seen it as (a) an opportunity to keep in touch with friends and family overseas (Knutt in New Zealand, Brian currently in Canada), in a bit more depth than I can manage in an email, and (b) as a useful exercise in taking the time to look at what's happened over the last week and to look ahead to the next - an hour of reflection, if you like, on domestic and international events.
For readers who don't know me, it offers the best cure to insomnia I can think of!
Anyway, I will curtail a natural reticence to bare my soul to the outside world (!)and bash on regardless ...

Politics
Two important but very different resignations this week. Ewan Aitken resigned as leader of the Labour Group on the city council, and shadow Home Secretary David Davies decided to resign from his safe Westminster seat to force a bye-election.
I first got to know Ewan when I was the surprise (to some, anyway) selection to contest the Leith Links seat for Labour in the 2003 local elections - Ewan was contesting the neighbouring safe Restalrig ward.
I didn't know Edinburgh East very well, or many of the activists, but that campaign was the most satisfying I have ever fought. Battling against a backdrop of the Iraq War and the spiralling cost of the Parliament building, East put together a tremendously effective wee team of volunteers and it was a real pleasure to work with them. Ewan and I went out together on a couple of occasions and he struck me very much as a 'people person', fun to be with and hugely popular in his own neck of the woods (reflected in his majority being Labour's biggest in Edinburgh). Susan Deacon was the MSP then, a joy to work with and a real loss when she decided to turn her back on Holyrood for academic life.
I've no doubt that Ewan thought long and hard before making his decision last weekend, and I'm also sure he will be a great success in his new post with the Church of Scotland - I wish him well. He is staying on as a councillor, and I would imagine that his experience, knowledge and counsel will be appreciated by his successor - whoever he or she may be.
And who will follow in Ewan's footsteps? Elizabeth Maginnis, who fought a spirited (and almost victorious) campaign to become leader when Donald Anderson stood down to fight for a parliamentary seat, has ruled herself out which leaves three names in the frame - Andrew Burns, Lesley Hinds and Ian Murray.
Lesley has had the disadvantage of being away on holiday when the announcement was made,giving the others a head start,but my guess is that she will do her sums and, if she has a better than even chance of winning, she will go for it.
Andrew Burns is the early front-runner within the obvious potential candidates, and noticeably he has not ruled himself out of the race. It's thought that a third contender Ian Murray will not run, due to heavy business commitments. He is young enough for his chance to come again, and others have pointed out that taking on the role of Labour leader on the city council just now is a 'poisoned chalice' - we are still three years away from the next council elections (possibly four if some have their way).
My opinion? Internal contests like this don't always focus on who the best person for the job might be, but often boil down to which members of your group dislike you less than they do the other candidates! For the ambitious career councillors, there's also the 'what can I get out of this?' factor, and who can offer what to whom.
For outsiders it's perhaps two bald men fighting over a comb, but whoever takes the job on will have quite a challenge on his or her hands to get the city party in a strong position to fight the next election. Also, although the Labour Group's not as big as it used to be it will take a person with considerable people skills to keep this pretty diverse group happy and united. Edinburgh needs a strong opposition, though, so may the best person win!

Meanwhile down in Westminster David Davies shocked everyone (although, intriguingly not the Lib-Dem leadership apparently) when he decided to force a bye-election over the 42 day detention issue. Man of principle or narcissistic nut-case? Opinion is divided on this one, although David Davies has been in the game long enough to realise that the Bill would have been thrown back by the House of Lords anyway.
Whatever his reasons, we will shortly have a surreal bye-election which none of the main parties want, with madcap candidates emerging from the woodwork to enjoy their five minutes of fame- including perhaps a Rupert Murdoch-financed 'Sun' candidate in the odious Kelvin McKenzie. You couldn't make this up.
As to the issue itself, the Government did indeed scrape through with the help of their new friends from across the Irish Sea. It's not too long ago that Ulster Unionists were best known for their opposition to almost everything, but it seems that it's changed days indeed. The Government insists that no deals were done, but experienced commentators will be keeping an eagle eye on future government investment in Northern Ireland. There's even speculation about about a seat in the House of Lords for old 'Dr. No' himself, Ian Paisley? Who said 'Never, never, never'? Well, maybe ..!

Perhaps the most far-reaching political of the week, however, was the decision of the Irish voters to dump the Lisbon Treaty. That's the trouble with democracy - you give people the vote and they sometimes don't vote the way you want them to! (A vote which the British people were denied, of course, despite promises to the contrary in Labour's manifesto). Brussels bureaucrats have conceded that this is a 'setback', but unbelievably some of them want to ignore the vote and press on with ratification anyway! There's just no stopping this gravy train juggernaut!

Sport

The second batch of group games have been completed now and it's all very interesting. Of the 'big guns', Holland look good (or so I'm told, because I've missed a lot of games due to other commitments), Spain and Portugal are through and Germany will be in the quarter-final mix. We're going to lose France or Italy, though - I'm sure Scotland would have put up a better showing than these 'giants'!
My own selection, the mighty Czech Republic, must overcome Turkey in their last group game to progress further and my investment is hanging by a thread. My dreams of early retirement are fading into the distance (not that I could retire on £100, I suppose) just as quickly as the Czech dreams of European glory.
I do miss the English, though - it's just not the same without them!

Luvvie Stuff

I was supposed to start shooting a film this weekend - another low budget epic, of course - but filming was cancelled because my co-star Gordon had other commitments. It's been rescheduled for August, which suits me better - there are a lot of lines to learn, and due to other more pressing matters I am far from 'off page'.
Saw a film I made with Pilton Video over a year ago at Leith's Short Film Festival in The Basement (good bar, incidentally) last Sunday night. It's the first time I'd seen the edited film on the big screen, and given that it is set at Christmas time and the temperatures outside were distinctly summery it was a slightly surreal experience. Good, if bleak, movie though.
Also on the 'luvvie' theme, went to see 'Evita' at The Playhouse on Friday night. Very strong performances, particularly in the second half of the show. Bravo!

The Garden

Managed to tick off one of my 'to do's' this weekend when I finally got my garden hedge cut (delayed because I had cut trhough the hedge trimmer's cable during a previous attempt). It actually took less time than I thought it would, so other than standing back and admiring my (admittedly slightly uneven) handiwork I sat out in the garden and started compiling a quiz for next week's ECRN annual general meeting. Lovely morning, and very quiet save for the faraway hum of lawnmowers and a strange 'chook - chook -chook' noise.
This is the call of the 'Doo men'; the pigeon fanciers. There are quite a few of them in Drylaw and any time of the day or evening you will hear them at their loft windows calling their birds home. Putting out your washing before going to work in the morning: 'chook chook chook'. Home at lunchtime to check on your sick cat (got a bit of a 'doing' from a new tomcat in town recently and still recovering from falling from the undisputed king spot): 'chook chook chook'. Taking the washing in after work, he's still there: 'chook chook chook', with a couple of whistles being thrown in for good measure now, and then cutting the grass as dusk falls, yes, you've guessed it ...
Now the homing pigeon is a wondrous creature and I don't pretend to understand how their uncanny instincts work, but come on - all day and evening, 'chook chook chook' calling your bird home? If there's that much encouragement needed, why let it out in the first place? I love animals, but I think I'd be a trainspotter before I became a pigeon-fancier!
looking out of my window I can see that perhaps I have been rather over-enthusiastic with my trusty hedge cutter. As well as being uneven, the poor hedge is now bald as a coot in some patches. The 'Doo Man' is still at his post, though ...

Health and Fitness

The regime continues, although the scales show no sign of a downward movement. I do feel better, though - and I have started to enjoy my fifteen minute 'power-walk' to work (not so much power-walk really, more a purposeful meander) in the mornings. I honestly believe that I am now down to two chins!

Next Week

Lots of evening meetings next week (so more Euro games to be missed sadly)of which three in particular could prove to be both informative and important.
The future of Fairer Scotland Funding is taking up an awful lot of my time just now, and the issue will be up for discussion at Forth Neighbourhood Partnership (Tuesday evening at Telford College) and the Edinburgh Community Representatives Network (ECRN) annual general meeting on Wednesday evening in the southside. On Saturday at the City Chambers the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils will be holding their AGM as well, and I intend to raise Fairer Scotland there too.
With three other local AGMs to cover for the NEN next week the only free evening I'm I'm going to have is Friday, so the old social life takes second place next week. The garden, too, will be left in peace so the hedge will at least have some time to recover it's former glory. Chook chook chook ...

Still awake? See you next week ... The picture, incidentally, was a glorious sunset over Muirhouse the other evening. That's not a returning pigeon in the picture, by the way, it's definitely a plane!