As any big named celebrity, politician and member of the Royal family will tell you, don't believe everything you read in the newspapers, so is this morning's exclusive in The Herald spot on or way out?
The headline screams - Exclusive: ‘Stressed’ city leader Purcell to stand down.
It is of course talking about the leader of Glasgow City Council, Labour Councillor Steven Purcell.
A statement issued to The Herald last night said those around him had become “deeply concerned about the stress levels he had been displaying” recently.
Now, if he is genuinely standing down for personal reasons, ie his health then I and many others will wish him a speedy recovery, if this is a quick way to get him into Westminster then I don't agree in the manner in which it has been done - please see my own health warning in the first line of this blog post!
Steven Purcell is one of Labour's rising stars in Scotland and so many Labour folk want to get him into Westminster or Holyrood, and given he has led Glasgow City Council since 2005 and been key in securing the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, you can understand why.
If however this is Labour's way of fast tracking him into a Westminster seat, then shame on them.
However, the statement issued to The Herald continued;
The recent expenses debacle at the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and the “enormous pressure” surrounding preparations for the Games had “got on top of him and he was exhausted”, the statement said.
“Steven agreed to seek medical help immediately and subsequently he is now under doctor’s orders.Let us therefore watch this space.......
“He would hope to get back in to active politics in the next few weeks and months,” the statement added.
“He hopes the people of Glasgow would appreciate what he has tried to do for the city that he loves.”
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4 comments:
Good to hear. It was good to get the win. I don't know what it is with the given time. We need to win there soon. It was nice to get back to form. We need him to be consistent.
I can't see him going for a Westminster seat based on the wording of his statement. I think he is leaving now with an eye on a seat in Holyrood next year. He may be feeling the stress of 5 years of running Glasgow City Council and wants or indeed needs the time off to recharge his batteries before the Scottish election.
I don't agree in the way in which it has been completed. Many others will incline him a speed revival, if this is a fast way to get him into Westminster.
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