The following letter was received from a member of the community following their visit to the Granton & District Community Council meeting. NEN have written to the Community Council to give them an opportunity to respond.
I attended Granton &District Community Council meeting last night (September 21) never in all my years as an activist have I experienced such bullying and deceitfulness from people who are suppose to represent my area. Firstly George Gordon misinformed the meeting by claiming that the Community Council had been involved in a garden project withinCrewe Road West. This is untrue Crewe Excluded Residents through a Neighbourhood Improvement Programme (NIP) secured funding themselves for this project. Crewe Excluded Residents do not engage with the Community Council, therefore they are trying to claim credit for something they did not have a part in . Disgusting and untrustworthy. The chair Fred Marinello stated that the Community Council is not a political group, and yet key members are standing at the next council elections. Surely a vested interest?
The Chair of the meeting surely brought the Community Council into disrepute by bullying members of the group. Two Forth Ward Councilors sitting at this meeting must wonder what is going on within this Community Council .Fred Marinello constantly harassed and “bullied” members not allowing people to speak. Members of the community attended this meeting for the first time were shocked at the constant aggression that was carried out at this meeting. Cllr Steve Cardownie pointed out to the Chair about his aggressiveness and yet it continued. The Community Council spent £1700 of public money on 3 laptops what group needs 3 laptops? Surely this is a waste of money when cuts all over the city are being made? The Community Council could not justify or produce minutes from previous discussions about the amount of money spent. This is not acceptable this is really bad management. Lack of accountability makes a mockery of our democracy. . I certainly do not have faith in this community council to represent the community of Granton and local community.
Anna Hutchison
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“All I ever moan about” now that’s funny from someone who knows nothing about me and has probably spoken to me once or twice. As for the Sherman tank comment great hypocrisy from you.
After reading this thread it’s odd why 3 laptops later and £1700 spent yet there’s no minutes available. Personally I’ve never liked George Gordon he’s always been a dangerous, untrustworthy and odourous human being. Marinello on the other hand had been a neighbour for many years and always seemed like the good community stalwart. However during the issue with the school Fred always full of advice and suggestions then began to mouth off about me in other meetings when I wasnt present so the true colours started to reveal. The alarm bells finally struck when news of North edinburgh community enterprise a little project Fred had set up with Mr Gordon and registered to his home address was told to me from the man himself. A buisness which according to a search on google was wound up in June this year. I always maintained these two would be found out and here’s hoping the time has come.
Yet more nonsense from you Grant! Litigious in the extreme.
First you maligned Elaine Morris and now George Gordon? You got some teensy weensy axe to grind which no one understands or knows about?
Whoops—— I know —its Royston School again — straight to Counselling Grant — don’t pass ‘go’ or collect £200 — or even wait for a ‘get out of jail free’ card (Monopoly!). You definitely need it (the Counselling I mean) as all you ever whinge about is the school closure. MOVE ON! Haven’t you noticed the school is flattened? It is an ex school; its fallen off it’s perch; it’s gone to a better life; it’s deceased; it has gone to the playground in the sky! (The Dead Parrot Sketch –Monty Python).
As for the disgraceful personal attack you have made on Mr Gordon- it cannot reflect on him at all as the ‘true colours’ you mention all belong to you.
You are showing your true colours and you debase only yourself and the community you live in by your remarks.
Community Enterprise? Don’t know anything about it as it appears to have been a victim of the cuts — perhaps it was the project to give apprenticeships to young folk from the community? Working in tandem with Telford? For the community and not a business so who could get
criticism for that?
Try Go-ogling something else as you think it has credence — ‘Sherman Tanker’ and see if your name comes up!
Just joking Grant!
Bye
Isobel
This community is lucky to have people like Anna who care and want to maintain all the treasured resources that have brought joy and happiness to the area. Unfortunately this community lost a school and a local paper which were ripped out the community by 2 local councillors and a community council who couldn’t give a damn.
you are not afraid to hide behind a computer with your inaccurate remarks !!!!!! Stop being a coward and lets talk I ranted at the chairperson yes Ive known him for more years than you I’m sure he will verify that. I can assure you that I do know what goes on in my community As a resident of Drylaw should you not be concerned with your own community council After all you do not live in the Granton area . Why are you so concerened aboit a “wee community council” as you call it ? I have every right to question the Granton community Council I LIVE in that ward you don’t Easter drylaw does not come under our community Council
No thank you.
I would be absolutely terrified of you. I saw you perform at the last GDCC meeting. When you stood up and shouted at the Chairperson and inappropriately called him names in a raucous, non melodious rude diatribe of venomous words, I wanted to be on another planet! ( you know – the planet Thomas Brown and Ross are on
when they promulgate ‘Granton Sur Mer’ as a
viable project — looking to beat the expenditure of the trams) !
No — me? — I am too timid, too cowardlyand too stuck behind my computer keys for a home visit to sort things out over a cup of tea.
I see you have been an Activist for 30 years and it is bearing this in mind that I have to tell you that past tactics will no longer work and you are
not recognising this. Shoulder to shoulder solidarity, power to the people, banner waving protests — long since over — and folk are about as much interested in your type of rabble rousing as giving up their seat at the fire watching Eastenders, to come to a Community Council meeting! And you are in that category yourself as you say you have attended two in
the last umpteen years. Yet you come in to GDCC guns blazing with your storm troopers, without an inkling of what’s going down in there
in recent years, to back up pals in the old labourite brigade! Tsk tsk tsk. Everyone knows
social networking overthrows governments or
can spur on communication well enough to
create riots !
Who knows what the NEN Blog will do? Nowt I would wager.
You slandered an excellent Politician — and got it in the press — but neither of you two are fit to lace up her shoes.
So don’t accuse me of slandering. While you are trying to take the ‘mote’ out of someone’s eye–
first of all remove the ‘beam’ from you own! (the Bible- don’t know where!).
But hey…. Who cares … Of course — the Comminity Activists– Thomas Crown Affair and
Anna!
Apologies— in last comment I thought I was replying to Thomas!! Goes to show — you both sound the same — both whingeing about laptops and minutes. Hod on a minute…….. Are your minds attuned? Are you two conspiring together? Naw.
Aye right!
Isobel
I have taken enough of your sarcasm Do you want to meet up and we can have a wee talk ? Maybe then you will hear a few home truths which should be pointed out to you . It’s public money thats being abused here . If that was a politition doing this I’m sure as a member of Drylaw community you would not be happy. As for me “appearing from nowhere ” I don’t know where you are getting your imformation from but it is incorrect. I have been a community activists for nearly 30 years . Come and speak to me instead of hiding behind computer keys . As for me and Thomas conspiring together that is a serious accusation my mind is not attuned to anyones I speak for myself no-one else does this for me never has and never will Get your facts correct before you strat your slanderous comments . Come and see me . The chair of the Community Council knows where I stay he has been in my home he will be able to direct you to my house
Democracy!!! For goodness sake – it is a wee Community Council meeting to be talking of democracy. We are not in America – remember it is Granton – and folk are ordinary and just wanting a pleasant community to live in. I enjoyed the meetings in the beginning but since you and Ross started all your nonsense and Andrew joined in and then Anna appeared from nowhere I realised I don’t have to be there. It is an unpleasant atmosphere you have created and I would rather be at home watching TV like all other sensible people. Who wants to listen to all that hassle about minutes and things. So i suppose I don’t care to sit in on nonsense!
If you want to talk of expenditure and minutes, try tracking something worthwhile like who first sanctioned the Trams? Find the minutes there and you have exposed something that most folk would like cleared up and the costs are a bit more than a laptop. And put pressure on them instead.
My feeling is you are whinging about nothing. You did not even have the grace to wait till the real business of the meeting and just skipped off after you did a bit of moaning! And so did Ms Hutchison and friends leave early – to go and watch Celtic on television – so much for being a dedicated activist!
You still haven’t printed my original response in full.
Bye
Isobel
Maybe you should read minutes as I said in my previous letter I do not engage with other groups within North Edinburgh . I have attended only TWO meetings . I am not a member of this group , however as they are suppose to represent our community I have a right to ask questions I’m am sure you will find that in their costitution . . As for your comments about “genuine people “trying to make a difference within the area . Then the “genuine people ” have to produce minutes. I cannot understand your statement that you do not care and do not read minutes. Why do you attend meetings if you do not care ? . Purchasing three laptops for one group is not acceptable I believe that the Secretary of G&DCC did not receive a laptop. I would have thought if anything she would have been entitled to one in her secreterial position . Nobody is complaining about funding to the group but they have to be accountable . . All the Community Council had to do was produce the minutes where it was agreed that these laptops were to be purchased . They could’nt produce the minutes Lack of accountability makes a mockery of our democracy .
You printed my response and cut bits out . What I write and send to you can be altered then? Is that what will happen if I send further responses t0 you in the future?
I need to know the NeN s policy?
Please print my initial response. I have other comments to make regarding other postings but there is no point unless you print them in full. That is free speech — barring of course any abuse.
No 1 — I have no idea and I don’t care really. I see genuine people trying to make a difference to where they live.
No 2 — do you have recurrent, intermittent, obsessive thoughts about minutes? I don’t read minutes i have to confess. Boring people like immaculate minutes. No? I attend the meetings and that is scintillating enough. Who cares? Why try to trap people who are ‘genuinely trying’ with things that were said in
Please print my initial response — now that would be fair and democratic!
I am no one special to say these things. I am retired now, pay Council Tax always have and National Tax and always worked hard. I have therefore the right to answer what I like on your new blogsite.
You on the contrary have only been to two meetings at GDCC in the last 18 months and Anna only one . If you want so fervently to change things – you had better come to the meetings and put things forward, rather than having ‘a mooth fu’ o’ big talk’ . ( quote Billy Connelly — on stage 1978!)
Aye, aye — nae bother.
Thomas– you still have not published my entire response! You culled it? I thought it was funny. But you obviously don’t ! Now you know what it feels like for others whom you target who have no control like you!
Isobel,
I have targetted no one, ther GDCC have the control to simply send copies of their minutes etc but they dont, because they dont exist.
So do you then think that what they done was correct and democratic?
You cut my comment to your original posting and I object to that as the whole response I have given is now without humour — which was totally aimed at you Thomas. I suppose that is why you cut it — it was a little tongue in cheek — but obviously you don’t believe in free press except when it suits you!!! Tsk tsk tsk. So it remains — you say what you like and i cannot, because you say so.
Anna, I apologise and withdraw these remarks and comments.
Isobel,
Just to point out a few facts in relation to your comments.
I had no involvement at all in this letter, Anna is perfectly more than capable of writing for herself.
My only interest is in ensuring that people are held to account, individuals cant go making decisions on behalf of the local Community Council and then hide the truth from the rest of the group, surely you must agree that is not right?
In relation to my time as Chairperson of Drylaw Telford Community Council, our Community Council carried out one of the most detailed piece of Consultation carried out by any local Community Council in relation to open space upgrades. This consultation lasted around 4-5 years and was involved hundreds of people hours to do.
As a result we managed to secure over £0.5m in additional funding to projects including the upgrade of the play park at Easter Drylaw, BMW track installation, MUGA at Wester Drylaw Drive, Path network installed through Wester Drylaw field, toddlers play area installed at the bottom of Wester Drylaw Drive / Place on the slip Road to Ferry Road.
Is that not what a Community Council should do? All of this done without the Community Council requiring to spend any money on laptops and without a hanging basket in site.
Does anyone believe that a very busy woman like Anna Hutchison took time to sit down at her kitchen table and compose this very literate letter to the NEN?
Did she perhaps type it up on her PC?
Did she print it out and rush along with this to the newly formed NEN?
Or maybe she emailed it in?
We all think highly of Anna for being so public spirited, don’t we? I mean we do don’t we? This letter is all her own work — it is isn’ t it? Literate, well informed, pertinent, never miss a trick Anna, a lone voice and campaigner on the quest for Community correctness?
I don’ t suppose someone helped her form her words and ideas, did they? Maybe even helped her write it? Or in fact wrote it all out and got her to just put her name to it?
Anna is respected as her own woman, her own
boss, never unkind or raucous or malicious? We all know that eh?
She woulnd’ t be anyone’s puppet would she? She would never be a mouthpiece for an other insipid, obsequious, syphilating, characterless little shy person lurking in the background too feart of to do his own dirty work?
Naw!
I mean Anna is her own woman. Don’t we all know who could have changed her position?
My money is on Thomas Brown, former Chair of Drylaw CC who finds himself without a Chair nowadays and with only a whole pile of drivel at his fingertips to make malicious mischief at other
Council meetings to try to get recognition for his
Own interests.
But then Thomas Brown is an honourable man! Sure he put up lovely hanging baskets in sunny Drylaw while on the Council there.
He isn’t an old Labourite is he by any chance? Making mischief? Trying to bring down the government and starting with the GDCC?
Aye right!
Isobel
In reply to your sarcastic remarks about me I do not need anyone to speak for me please ask the Chair of G&DCC He has known me for many many years. I have never meet you and yet you condem me ? I wonder who put that idea into your head ?. I suggest you withdraw your comments
Just for your information I have been an activist for many years . I do not engage with other group. I do belong to an organisation called Crewe Excluded Residents . If you ask around I’m sure you will find out we do not ask for support from other organisations within North Edinburgh. We feel we do not come under the banner of “North Edinburgh ” Hence the name of our group of whom the majority are council tenants . . We do not seek or desire to be “chairs” of various groups within North Edinburgh , nor do we seek to be “wannabe” politctions . However if we suspect that public money has been misused in our communities name then we do get involved . Please do not insult my intellegence by accusing other people of writing letters on my behalf or prompting me what to say .
Just for your information I obtained a Master of Arts Degree from Edinburgh University level 2.1 . The Chair of the Community Council and his wife are very aware of my political activities within NorthHutch Edinburgh I find your remark about me offencive and this will not be tolerated