Edinburgh Sucks! | Cabal meltdown begins

Alyn Smith

Cabal meltdown begins

By The Basa ⋅ April 26, 2006 ⋅

With the big news that hit the airwaves and press today about disgraced ex-councillor Paul Nolan, hopefully begins the meltdown of the cabal that has ruined the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh over the last 20 years.

Paul Nolan admitted to Evening News journalist Gareth Rose that he had wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers money. What Nolan forgot to mention was that the projects in the area that are run by his family, his family’s partners and others that employ his family in high positions making them the area’s “middle-class professionals” are the projects that are the worst run, least value for money and the only projects which are questioned on a daily basis by the vast majority of residents in the Craigmillar area.

All public areas of Craigmillar today were noticebly re-invigorated with the news that the cabal may soon be coming to an end. However telephone calls to all of the cabal-friendly projects including Capacity Building Project, Haywired, Craigmillar Childcare Services and Craigmillar Credit Union were either left unanswered for hours or met with two words “No Comment”. Callers to Coosp, a division of Craigmillar Childcare Services which were answered by Mr. Nolan’s wife, were in the words of a correspondent “given an ear-full” if they asked any questions about the impending meltdown or the Evening News story.

The good-living and jet-setting Nolan uses the Jack Kane Centre and other community projects to fund his travels around the world where he travels the world as a ‘Youth Worker’ but upon arrival at the destination he seems to disappear then re-appear on departure according to past trip-takers. His next planned jaunt is to Cuba “It appears all they have to do now is find a group of young people to justify the trip which looks like it will be a few kids over 18 and probably 4 staff to supervise them. Question is a ratio of one staff member to one kid necessary if they are over 18 and probably well able to look after themselves.“

EdinburghSucks.com associates have spent all day on the telephone to politicians in Edinburgh Council, Scottish Parliament, UK Parliament and the European Parliament and have been assured by politicians in all 4 seats of government that investigations were ongoing or almost completed in each jurisdiction. In the words of one senior parliamentarian “This is just day one. The Craigmillar story will dominate Edinburgh news and very possibly national news in the days and weeks to come.“

EdinburghSucks.com have also campaigned in the past for not only Nolan to be removed but also an inquiry into the actions of Dominique Petitqueux from Communities Scotland, part of the Scottish Executive and Norma Cuthbertson from council’s Corporate Services department. Both sat in at the majority if not all of the funding panel meetings with Cuthbertson joining Nolan and in-pocket voting sidekick Mick “McNumpty” McNulty in any votes on funding giving Nolan a 3/2 Majority. Communities Scotland and the City of Edinburgh council have some culpability in allowing this cabal to continue. EdinburghSucks.com were assured today in a telephone call with Council Leader Donald “Teflon Don” Anderson that the current inquiry into Nolan’s conflicts of interest which was instigated by Lismore Parents Action Group and is being carried out by Dr. Ralph Musgrave will cover the actions of Council Officials involved in the Craigmillar Partnership Funding Panel. “If council officials have acted improperly then they will be held to account” he told us and we will hold him to it. Dr. Musgrave is due to give the report to the the head of Corporate Services by Friday.

More stories about Craigmillar over the next few days will follow, not only on EdinburghSucks but also the Evening News and many other newspapers, radio stations and even TV could be involved.

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