Gordon Murdie

As seen on the Your first documentary Scotlands Property Scandal

choice independent candidate on 3rd May 2012

A brief personal backgroundreal life experience, not politics

I grew up in the Southside (R a n k e i ll o r S t re e t t h e n Hallhead Road) and moved back here to Mayfield Road in 2010. Educated at Daniel Stewarts College (1960 1973 ) I commenced a career in Quantity Surveying. In the 1980s, my sons David and Douglas were born. David has graduated in Psychology (Aberdeen) and Douglas in Medicine (Edinburgh) - If I am elected to serve on Edinburgh Council, I shall need them both! Branch, Chairman of Edinburgh & South East Scotland, Chairman of an Assessment of Professional Competence Panel (more on competence later!). In my day job I have worked on multi-million projectsBank Headquarters, a submarine base and the international award winning restoration of Stanley Mills, Perthshire for Historic Scotland and HRH The Prince of Wales Phoenix Trust Nowadays, I am largely involved in contract dispute re s o l u t i o n , a d ju d i c a t i o n , arbitration and expert witness workas well as helping many hundreds of Edinburgh citizens whose lives have been so deeply affected by the disgraceful Statutory Notices Scandal. JulySeptember 2011 I was working on a building contract dispute against City of Edinburgh Council and the BBC called. Professionally, I have served the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as Chairman of the Scottish Junior Would I be prepared to give my expert opinion on Statutory Notice Works? Scotlands Property Scandal

and costly going on.

bungling

was

Then the BBC screened The Great Tram Disaster. How deeply embarrassing for

Edinburgha laughing stock rather than a rolling stock. How sad.

Dear fellow local resident, I am privileged to have been asked to stand as your local independent candidate. People died for the right to vote yet local elections bring out in many of us a torpid state of abject boredom with underlying symptoms of resigned apathy. A periodic plethora of party politicians pressing the flesh, peppering us with their pamphlets and promising anything that they perceive may prove popular. Pretending things are perfect and blaming one (or all) of the other parties for anything that went slightly or even

and caring place to live, the nurturing and education of our young, the care of our elderly, facilities for re c re a t i o n and leisure, ready help for those in need and t he bi ns emptied.

What that?

is

political

about

Theres even more hapless, incompetent bungling too.. Your money is being haemorrhaged by institutional ineptitude and petty party politics. I fail to understand what possible relevant role national party political intransigencies have to offer in running our Capital city you will see overleaf where no less than FIVE political parties and their 58 representatives have got us. We simply wish a clean, enjoyable, considerate, safe

catastrophically wrong.
All this for a few years of power during which a number forget that they were actually elected to represent the people of Edinburgh, to ensure the best value delivery of a variety of important services to our community and to have a quality of vision commensurate with the local, national and international standing and aspirations of our wonderful Capital City. As your elected Councillor, I promise to represent and serve the best interests of Southside/ Newington, to listen to your local concerns, to share a vision for this great City of ours and to be your voice in the Council. To do this, I need your help. Please take a look through this election newsletter and if it ticks the boxes for you then please put a 1 in my box on 3rd May. Thank you & kind regards

was duly screened. It made me wonder what other feckless

Rather than moan about it or stand for it, I am standing for election.
call 07985 416860

Gordon Murdie for Southside/Newington

Follow me @GordonMurdie

gmdesk@live.co.uk

Are you thinking what Im thinkingnot good enough?

Forget, for a moment, about the national and local scandals which have brought shame and embarrassment upon Edinburgh. Ignore meantime the eyewatering amount of your money which is squandered. Surely this administration at least delivers basic services well? Well no, actually. You probably wont see this in any party political electioneering pamphlet but these are the sad facts on how

Statutory Performance Indicators on Basic Services Source:

Annual Performance Report 2010/11 published by City of Edinburgh Council. Graph independently prepared (10 points for 1st place reducing to 1 point for last (10th) place

we compare within 10 Scottish Urban Councils.

Delivery of Basic Services

120
100

Picture:
Edinburghs (other) Disgrace
Perfect Council

80
60

Average Council
City of Edinburgh Council

40
20

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The local elections have never been more important. Time for better services, less wasting of public money and less national scandals.

Gordon Murdie
As seen on the Your first
Dear Elector

documentary Scotlands Property Scandal

choice independent candidate on 3rd May 2012

We simply wish a clean, enjoyable, considerate, safe and caring place to live, the nurturing and education of our young, the care of our elderly, facilities for recreation and leisure, ready help for those in needand the bins emptied.

I fail to understand what possible relevant role national party political intransigencies have to offer in running our Capital city

This page shines a light on where 5 political parties have left our City of Edinburgh as the elections on 3rd of May rapidly approach. You probably do not have the time and I certainly do not have the space to set down each and every piece of feckless bungling. Who, in their right mind, would vote along party lines to spend 4 million pounds of CouncilTaxpayers money for a study into something that they had no intention of seeing through? That biblical incompetence and chronic misguided party political driven wastefulness means that the entire population of Hallhead Road (where I grew up) will be paying their Council Tax for the next 60 years just to fund that particular piece of party political shenanigansthis is unacceptable.

What is political about that?

Bottled water
Edinburgh City Council spent 174,050 on water from several different firms, blaming antiquated pipework in old buildings for the bill

I forecast that the Statutory Notice scandal will have a true cost to taxpayers, by the time things are even nearly resolved, of no less than 200 million. Thats Hallhead Road paying all its Council Tax for another 3,000 years just for the incompetent scandal. Dear former neighbours, dont think of movingthe whole of Edinburgh will be sharing that bill with you too. Let me skip gently past nursery school closures, Leith Waterworld, Blindcraft, the Trams fiasco, the Statutory Notices scandal, national embarrassment, 1.3m (and rising) spent collecting & transporting an average of 2 ounces (per house per day) of burnt toast from little bins, a bike shelter, 13 million pounds wasted when the ability to resolve a simple bin strike was not on tap, 20mph signs passing as an actual cycleway to rival Amsterdam, doubling the cost of disabled parking badges, published suggestions to make up for wasted money by impounding more cars!!!! Attempts to run a creaking and sub-standard care for the elderly service at a profit tooit really wasnt good enough.

Beware, they all want to do it to us all over again!!!!

Leisure wear
Last year Edinburgh Council sparked fury after spending a quarter of a million on new tracksuits, polo shirts and suits for staff at Edinburgh leisure centres.

Gordon is a detail orientated manager who watches the balance sheet like a hawk. He is also a very approachable, decent sort of bloke! What is party political about that?

Your four sitting Councillors, representing their National political parties, say

Your local independent says

Independent; Probably just catchy words. I am all for moving Edinburgh forward despite the
financially handicapped start left by the outgoing administration. Much better than continuing to move Edinburgh backwards after all. Investing in the future is a nice line. I would achieve that by eradicating waste through common sense and good housekeepingand also having a vision of a future for everyone rather than using Council Taxpayers money for treasure hunts. I have helped more than 650 people in the last 6 months alone! Not only Statutory Notice victims but people struggling with Housing Benefit calculations, repossession, eviction, aggressive doorstep contracts with the elderly and more. And Im not even a Councillor.

And days out

The council was also slammed for blowing 6,500 on team-building sessions, including a treasure hunt and 2,500 on a trip to an outdoor centre.

Labour; Councillor Ian Perry says

Lets move Edinburgh forward Edinburgh needs to invest in its future I have helped over 650 people in the last 5 years 2007; 2,530 votes

Scottish Green Party; Councillor Steve Burgess Independent; Yes, once basic needs are met we can lead happier lives. Anyway, back to
says election matters. There were three Green Party councillors during the last termI hope that they had a perfectly clear view of what was going on for all these years. If they didnt, they should have!

Privatisation debate cost council 4m

Councillors have faced criticism for spending three years and nearly 4 million on plans to privatise a batch of council services only to throw out the proposals and keep them in-house instead. (privatisation would have saved over 140m of taxpayers money.)

Five point well-being plan for a fuller life Greens demand a clearer view of all Council projects 2007; 1,920 votes

Conservative; Councillor Cameron Rose

My choice

Independent; I agree that there was eyewatering waste. Enough polo shirts and track suits
2
bought with Council Taxpayers money to keep FC Barcelona happy. It really isnt fair to blame another political partythe citizens rather hoped that the 58 Councillors were looking after them and not a party. Anyway, the Conservatives had a band of 13 Councillorsmore than plenty for an informed debate.

Massive waste at City Council

2 Lib Dem Councillors either voted against the proposed savings or did not support both tranches 2007; 2,516 votes

Repairs scandal to cost Capital 30 million (a story that our

Lib Dem; Councillor Gordon Mackenzie

Transport Leader responsible for the Trams, ex

Independent; Would have been nice to have given the residents of Edinburgh a vote on this.

local paper first broke well before the BBC) TAXPAYERS have been left with a bill of more than 30 million as a result of the citys property repairs scandal the Evening News can reveal. A spokesman added that the 30m would be managed in the

Probably a little disappointed at the bankrupted businesses in Leith walk, shame that were only getting a third of the line for twice the price, everyones probably over-ordered trams at some social worker?, former Board Member of the disbanded point in their glittering career. Dont worry that we could have had a complete tram line on budget or paved the streets with gold for lessits OK. Great idea to look at bike hiremuch less to go TIE e hoic wrong. Are the Edinburgh residents even now paying for a 2m annual maintenance contract on My c 2007; 2,304 votes 3 the, for want of a better term, rolling stock?

GORDON MURDIE
Independent

The very approachable Gordon Murdie listened to our predicament, quickly got to the root of our problem and alleviated our concerns. With a mixture of expertise and humour he ensured that a very negative conflict situation was resolved with a positive outcome What is

Gordon did exactly what he said he would and got us out of a very bad place

What is party political about that?

Produced (singlehandedly) by Gordon Murdie, 166 Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3AR

same way as other bad debts at the council.

party political about that?

Make things go your way on 3rd MayI will not let you down