It looks like Dundee won’t be the venue for the HQ of Labour’s much-trumpeted GB Energy.
What a surprise.
It hasn’t been announced officially but Aberdeen is getting it, as far as we know.
The widespread claims it is going to Aberdeen certainly haven’t been denied.
Whatever your political thoughts on GB Energy, a company with an £8.3 billion budget would have brought high-quality jobs.
If it was going to happen somewhere in Scotland, better for us that it happened here.
We might even have been able to fill some of the empty office space in the city (if the windows could hold out).
It probably isn’t surprising we aren’t getting it. Dundee never gets anything.
The new Labour government ignores us, like the old Conservative government ignored us, like the SNP government at Holyrood ignores us.
We didn’t make case for GB Energy in Dundee
You know who is to blame for all this?
Us.
All of us. We’re not shouting loud enough. We’re not demanding enough. We’re not energetic enough. We’re too meek and mild.
We keep our heads down and just accept that Dundee never gets a break.
More than 900 businesspeople and companies in Aberdeen signed a letter in support of their city getting the HQ, which was sent to Sir Keir Starmer by Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce.
Did Dundee’s Chamber of Commerce do that?
DC Thomson, my editor, my journalist colleagues, did you mount as strong a case as you could have done?
I should have, we all should have, independently written to Starmer demanding this.
People power can go a long way.
Most of all we were failed by those elected to lead us.
Steven Rome, Dundee City Council’s convener of fair work, economic growth and infrastructure, wrote a letter to Ed Miliband, which was posted on Facebook.
It’s hardly breaking down doors and elbowing decision-makers in the ribs, is it Steven?
Isn’t that what you promised?
That letter was a sop. A pretence of doing something. Not enough, not nearly good enough.
Kevin Keenan, leader of the city council’s Labour group, did you tell your lords and masters you’d resign in protest if this new government failed to deliver for Dundee?
MSP Shona Robison played a part in denying her home city investment zone status last year, you’d think the embarrassment of that would have stung her into action.
The city’s other MSP – Joe FitzPatrick I think his name is – what did he do? What does he ever do? What does he ever say? What is the purpose of this invisible man?
MP Chris Law only ever shows up in town when he wants your vote. Did he do anything?
Did our other newly elected MP Stephen Gethins make campaigning for this his first priority?
Everyone failed.
Dundee needs a character. We need a shouter, a snarler. A hero.
Someone who’s got enough personality and feist to demand, to confront, to make such a nuisance of themselves they can’t be ignored.
Will it be our new council leader Mark Flynn?
If it is to be you, Mark, we’ve not seen much sight of it yet.
Conversation