Glasgow City Council’s Tory group, which can still be described by such a collective term, was rather less than prepared for the decision on school closures last week.
Catherine Lyon told the education committee: “I believe there is an amendment from my group but I don’t have the details. It was to have been moved by Councillor Aitken but he has been called away to Milton Keynes. So I’m afraid I can’t be more helpful at this stage.”
Such reticence is not something for which the Liberal Democrats’ Chris Mason is renowned. He said he had decided to “talk about what I know, the north Glasgow schools”. “That will make a change,” interjected Labour’s Gerry McGrath. “I always make a point of only being rude when it’s funny,” Mason retorted. And, as readers of this column know very well, he has been rude many, many times.
A surprising absentee from Glasgow’s crucial education committee meeting was Peter Mullen, the Catholic rep. He turned up at 1pm to be told it was all over.
This was just bad time-keeping, something about which he would have had something to say to pupils when he was heidie of the city’s Holyrood Secondary. No doubt his irritation explains his outburst at a later “impromptu” press conference when he described the council’s closure plans as a “sham” which had “short-changed” the Catholic community.
We apologise therefore for describing Mullen last week as “emollient”.
