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SNP bids to seize control of Dundee City Council

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Published Date: 18 March 2009
By Frank Urquhart
THE Scottish National Party group on Dundee City Council will launch a formal attempt to seize control of the administration within the next two weeks, it was revealed yesterday.
Councillor Ken Guild, the leader, confirmed that the group had officially decided to mount a direct challenge to take over the ruling administration from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, following the SNP's victory in last week's by-election for the
Maryfield ward.

Craig Melville's by-election win has left the SNP group with 14 seats on the 29-strong council, one short of an overall majority.

The group is now expected to table a demand for a special meeting of the full council before the spring recess on 4 April. But whether it plans to go it alone, or to take over power as part of a new joint administration, has still to be determined.

The SNP group, which has ruled out an approach to the Lib Dems, has already held talks with Ian Borthwick, the sole independent councillor, and will hold discussions today with the three-strong Conservative group.

Mr Guild said yesterday: "We now have 14 of the 29 councillors and are far and away the largest group. The next largest group now is Labour with nine.

"The electorate gave us a substantial majority in the by-election, and there is obviously an expectation that we should govern the city."





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1

webwise,

Scotland 17/03/2009 22:38:02
I suppose 'Seize control' is The Scotsman's way of saying the SNP are popular amongst voters in Dundee.
2

Scotindy,

Los Angeles 18/03/2009 00:16:08
Excellent news well done the SNP and well done the people of Dundee. The liebor party in SCOTLAND are FINISHED. Roll on INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
3

RufusT-Firefly,

18/03/2009 00:24:39
#2 What is it with this weird, random capitalisation?
4

Brian Hill,

18/03/2009 02:06:11
Clearly the people of Dundee want an SNP administration as a change from decades of failing Labour administrations.

Well deserved too, the SNP in Dundee has been working relentlessly for decades for this.
5

,

18/03/2009 02:20:07
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6

,

18/03/2009 02:20:25
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7

For Scotlands Future,

Vote for the SNP 18/03/2009 05:03:50
It all depends on whether the Tories will continue their alliance with Labour.
8

Saul Tyre,

18/03/2009 06:37:17
#5&6 Traquir

I don't think the Glasgow Labour councillors will be climbing over each other to get their autobiographies published, even though they could be best sellers.
9

Salthorse,

RWAV 18/03/2009 08:50:45
Traquir,

I agree, I used to live on the edge of Glasgow in the 70s and it used to make my skin crawl seeing the "Red" side of the City as a bairn. How do they get away with this for so long? It beggars belief that extreme poverty is even higher in the city despite all the investment it's had since being European City of Culture. Not long now though, I feel a change is in the wind. Maggie Curran is back lol! Can't wait to see that Screamin Banshee on the telly again, hopefully with Gaelic/Doric subtitles for effect!
10

,

18/03/2009 09:25:34
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11

Melly,

Dunblane 18/03/2009 10:09:43
This story has been picked almost word for word from the Times last week !! It says something that Scotland`s "premier" newspaper has taken so long to get around to reporting this SNP win. Sad.
12

Auld Twa,

Edinburgh 18/03/2009 10:46:42
The SNP were the biggest group on Dundee Council but the Labour/LibDems ruled with help from the Tories.
We have always been surprised that the combined opposition didn't make a push for power after the Holyrood Parliament was elected.
They all hung back waiting for a disaster to overtake the SNP and it didn't happen.
As a result we have seen more improvements in two years than in the previous eight.
Let's hope that the committee passes the reduction in prescription charges from April 1st 2009.
13

Billiam Wallace,

18/03/2009 11:22:54
I lived in Dundee for almost a year, 2007-08, and it has some of the scariest places I have ever seen in Scotland, (and I was a policeman in Springburn and Blackhill). There are beautiful places in Dundee and the surrounding countryside is like God's own country but parts of it look like Beirut during the civil war. Many of the roads in the area require a 4x4 as they are like driving on corrugated iron. I used to cycle sometimes and the surface was so bad that my bike almost shook to pieces. Let's hope that a new administration can take over and real improvements can start to appear in Dundee.

Saor Alba
14

Number 6,

Germany 18/03/2009 12:04:00
This will be repeated at every election at every level. Scots have had enough of Labour incompitence and sleaze.

They leave a nasty taste in the mouth, so bad that it has become just too much for most Scots to contemplate voting for them when they are in their current state.
15

Billiam Wallace,

18/03/2009 12:09:36
Number 6, that's true, except for the ones with really big postal votes.

Saor Alba
16

Number 6,

Germany 18/03/2009 12:56:27
# 16 Billiam,

Proper election monitoring will be essential if we are to have a "Free and Fair "election.
17

Billiam Wallace,

18/03/2009 14:00:09
Smee reveals his true colours, he hates Scotland, especially the cities. They are obviously just too, too, well, Scottish. They should try to be more like London or maybe Oxford, now they are really nice English cities with lots of nice Britishness for the nice Little Britons to bask in. Dundee is far too Northern, the folk talk strange and it's got lots of violence and deprivation. (That's what we call the Union dividend Smee, that and years of NuLiebore mismanagement and corruption have made Dundee the glorious city that you hate so much. You must be so proud!

NUMPTIE!

Saor Alba
18

Alasdair mac Alasdair Mór Mac an Righ,,

18/03/2009 14:03:44
Aye, The wording of the articles seem suspect for balanced journalism but on par for the Scotsman.


I would agree with webwise "Seize" is negative way to describe the gradual increase in representation.

Good news for the people of Dundee, and by god they need it. Dundee is definately not firing on all cylinders it could really do with an injection of fresh leadership and idea's.

19

The west awake,

Argyll 18/03/2009 14:49:17
This will just leave the Lubjanka (Glasgow City Council) in Labour hands.

Can you imagine the reek that will come out of that cesspit when they finally open the doors to THOSE smoke-filled back rooms!

The shredding lorries will be like a UN Aid convoy that week.
20

W Smith,

Middle East 18/03/2009 16:32:39
So the SNP's Hosie and Fitzpatrick are the big movers and shakers now in Dundee then eh?

BLETHERS!

One of the few success stories in Dundee is the millions of pounds poured into Dundee University by the pharmaceutical giants (Welcome Trust).

As far as research jobs go it makes Dundee the third most important Uni in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SNP - OR LABOUR!

The uni is fortunate enough to have two of the world's leading scientists in Sir David Lane and Sir Philip Cohen.

The SNP's only connection with DU is anti-war demonstrator and Palestinian supporter Craig Murray (Rector).

The man is a complete nutcase - just like Dundonian George Galloway who is now demanding the overthrow of President Mubarak of Egypt.

SALMOND HANGS ABOUT WITH ALL SORTS OF IDIOTS.

BTW
Fromer MP Gordon Wilson (SNP) was a nice guy but even he couldn't stop the city's population taking a nose dive.

At least he took action against the left wing anarchists that called themselves the 79 Group.
21

,

18/03/2009 18:31:54
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22

Tris,

18/03/2009 22:22:59
#14. You are right. Not only does Dundee have the worst Housing Department in the whole of Scotland, the Roads Dept is a disgrace as well. Cars are shaken to pieces and axles broken in the pot holes.

Meanwhile, unless things are much changed in the last few years, the coucillors enjoy regular receptions at which much alcohol is consumed at the cost of the council tax payer.

You bet we want a change.

It's Labour's job to keep people in towns like Dundee poor. Otherwise there would be no need for them. It is simply amazing how many people you meet who can't see past Labour. "They are the party for people like us. They're gonna help us out of poverty" they say. Well, they been in power for 35 years, and you're still in poverty, you wallies!

I can see the Liberals supporting a Labour council; that's the kind of thing they do... they support it and they get a convernorship... They have 2 councillors, but they'd sell their souls for a wee bit of power... but the Tories, in league with Labour... defies belief.

I suspect that they will be punished by their voters at the next election (they came 4th in the by-election).

 

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