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STEVE FINAN: Dundee SNP councillors are afraid to fight for the city

"Even one SNP councillor breaking ranks would make the city’s right to an inquiry impossible to deny."

exterior of Olympia pool, Dundee.
The Olympia pools were closed for more than two years. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

The SNP group on Dundee City Council are the one group of Dundonians who could quickly hold their leader to account over the Olympia scandal.

They could demand John Alexander holds a public inquiry.

Even one SNP councillor breaking ranks would make the city’s right to an inquiry impossible to deny.

But none of them have done that.

The baffling thing is: if, on the other hand, they stepped forward to publicly back their leader they could ease the pressure on him. But no councillor has done that either.

Why is that? Why don’t they say a thing in support or in condemnation?

It’s one of the biggest local government scandals Scotland has seen in decades. Yet Dundee’s councillors say nothing.

They stay silent because they are afraid.

If they call for an inquiry, they are excommunicated from their party. Individual opinions are verboten.

Council leader John Alexander has ruled out an inquiry.

If they say an inquiry isn’t needed, they’d get the same questions from the public as Mr Alexander.

And not one of them is, in my view, a competent enough politician to field a difficult question.

So they hide.

Who are we talking about? The city’s SNP councillors are:

  • Heather Anderson
  • Bill Campbell
  • Kevin Cordell
  • Will Dawson
  • Mark Flynn
  • Stewart Hunter
  • Ken Lynn
  • Nadia El-Nakla
  • Steven Rome
  • Willie Sawers
  • Christina Roberts
  • Lynne Short
  • Roisin Smith
  • Siobhan Tolland

You don’t like my opinion above, councillors? Why don’t you complain?

You could explain that my assessments are unfair because you’ve had lots to say about the Olympia. You could re-state your strongly-held opinions on the subject.

You could explain why it is incorrect to claim you haven’t had your say on this scandal.

Am I wrong? Prove it

Come on, do something. Say something. Complain, explain, justify yourself.

What is the point of a councillor too scared to be accountable to their voters?

Friends and family, reading this scathing condemnation, will be urging you to shut up people like me who criticise you.

They want to be able to say you’re a real fighter for the city. But you aren’t fighting for the city, are you? You’re thinking of your own skin.

Ardent SNP supporters want you to demonstrate competent, fully-functioning governance.

They want you to prove that an independent Scotland’s elected representatives could cope with all and any problems.

But you display the opposite – a difficult situation arises and you cower away, hoping someone else will sort it out. You are damaging your party’s reputation.

There have been lazy Dundee councillors. Fools, incompetents and crooks. But there’s never been a group so systematically silent on such a huge issue.

Could the 2022-27 administration’s SNP group be the worst city councillors in Dundee’s history?

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