If SNP and Labour want more 'respect' they should be less dismissive of Tory 'Goths' – John McLellan

“There are tensions between elected members,” said the report, “which manifest in inappropriate language and tone being used in council debate, in the lack of involvement of some members in decision-making, and in media reports on member disagreements.”

Media reports of disagreements? Who’d a thunk it? Inappropriate language and tone? My goodness, the Goths are at the gates of Rome.

Of course, the SNP group lays the blame at the Conservative door, regularly suggesting that robust scrutiny of the officers presenting the administration’s decisions is somehow off-colour. Or that pointing out problems is offensive and disrespectful because, don’t you understand, everyone is working so hard.

So we’re all supposed to start being nicer and mind our Ps & Qs, but the result on a committee this week was legitimate, respectful questions dismissed as “irresponsible” and Conservatives told they had no place in a debate about poverty. So much for a new beginning.

The reality is the SNP-Labour group has no need to work with the Conservative group because it prefers to work with the Greens and that’s entirely their prerogative. But it manifests itself in a dismissive attitude to reasonable suggestions and spluttering indignation when they are called out for it.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T…? In the real world, it’s earned. Just as well Aretha spelt it out.

John McLellan is a Scottish Conservative councillor for Craigentinny and Duddingston

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