ok, heres some more while Im in the mood...
It started off
fairly amicably, Bob Booth and someone else (his name will come to me!) represented GCC, an employee of Go Ape and an apparently impartial Environmental Specialist represented Go Ape, and two people represented the Save Pollok Park campaign and was chaired by a former Head Teacher.
Bob Booths body language spoke volumes from the outset, he sat slouched and hanging over the back of his chair with his head turned disdainfully away from the direction of the attendees. He seemed to snort at the questions put to him as if the entire evening was a waste of his time and went round in circles before being forced to answer the question put to him and generally got everyone's back up. When he couldn't answer a question, or when either Councillors Stephen Curran, Colin Deans or Ruth Simpson, who hadn't taken part in the panel, decided they wanted to speak, that's what they did. With no respect for the process laid down at the beginning of the meeting. And even then we got no answers. Councillor Curran ended up having his mike switched off by the chair because he was rambling and seemed to find it all hilarious. Councillor Dean tried the same tact, but when pushed to give a direct answer to a question decided he'd rather not and handed the mike back! Ruth Simpson could hardly string a sentence together for temper and ended up having the mike switched off on her too, before going on to argue purple-faced with Chick Young (I know!?! l0l ) in front of a hall overflowing with irate locals.
So what was all the fuss about? Well it really all started to go wrong for GCC when they (i.e. Bob Booth and Councillor Curran) proclaimed that they couldn't have done anything more to publicise and engage people in the Consultation process but that they were satisfied that asking a class of first years and the head teachers from Glasgow's secondary's fulfilled the remit of the process, AND that if we feel it had failed it was down to our own lack of interest! It was round about this time Nicola Sturgeon stood up to ask a question, and the question was along the lines of ginving the feeling expressed in that room tonight, and the numbers of people who had turned out for the meeting, would GCC not consider at least reassessing the value of their Consultation or the proposal itself.
The answer was effectively "naw".
It was a bit of a shame for the two guys representing Go Ape, the employee (not the Environmentalist.. I'll get to him
) really did try his best to put his case across and we all were in agreement that their product is fantastic - just not suitable for Pollok Park! It turned out GCC had approached them, asking them to look at two sites, Dawsholm, and of course, Pollok Park and the main reasons for choosing Pollok was because their customers could use the bogs in the Burrell!!
They were asked if they would reconsider their application and withdraw it, but, understandably I suppose, their employee was reluctant to commit to an answer - thats a decision for the company Director. The Environmentalist guy, who was introduced as impartial... but on the payroll...started off terribly, giving it the old "I know I've got a southern accent" and thats really as far as he got! Apart from an awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww when the other guy apologises for bringing him along to a meeting which they had grossly underestimated.
The Save Pollok Park representatives were amazing! Their presentation was thorough and exhaustive and had both GCC and Go Ape squirming in their seats, with the rest of us cheering and applauding!
What else happened... ach, I'm missing loads out, but I'm sure between us we'll manage to fill in whatever blanks the papers leave tomorrow. But the upshot was that the Local CommunitIES (plural - see that?!) will not stand by while GCC slip this Trojan Horse of Commercialisation into Britain's Best Park!
I'd have a rethink on this one Land Services - you've got one helluva fight on your hands!
What a laugh btw
RK, your sound clip is spot on!