Pursed lips on Purcell
The Scottish Press are running for the high ground. Articles are printed and pulled within hours.
We now know that Steven Purcell was riding ‘high’ as befits a Labour high riser on Thursday night when he joined Gordon Brown at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow for dinner. Who knows what was on the menu? Who knows which other guests created so much turmoil and stress in young Steven’s mind that by Friday morning he was telling Labour colleagues that he was quitting. Surely not being in the presence of Gordon?
Curiously, it was only some Labour colleagues who were party to the news that he was quitting, for on Friday morning he also had a meeting with Labour MSPs who were completely unaware that Steven’s star was about to crash, they noticed no difference in him.
By Saturday morning his family were ‘alarmed’ and persuaded him to spend some time at Castle Craig, the celebrity centre for Drug and Alcohol Addiction.
As Monday dawned, the Glasgow Council’s in-house team of PR specialists had drafted a press release claiming that Steven had gone to Castle Craig for help with a ‘chemical dependency’. By Monday afternoon, the high powered Glasgow law firm of Levy & McRae had detailed Peter Watson to quash such scurrilous rumours.
‘Chemical Dependency’ – perish the thought. There are, after all, other reasons why people go to Castle Craig. Hmmn. Like Alcohol Dependency – but there was no attempt to quash this rumour. Perhaps because, unlike Cocaine, alcohol is still legal.
A new PR team was appointed in place of the cack-handed in-house team, and now we have a Mr Irvine of Media House, cautiously admitting that Steven had been to Castle Craig – but by Tuesday he had ‘been and gone’ and was now back home with his family.
A four day cure for a dependency? This is miracle country. Castle Craig is a high profile clinic with some unusual cures on offer – one of which famously involves learning to talk to horses in order that they can be made to carry out simple tasks, which may have made a welcome change for young Steven from talking to asses all day, but could it really cure his problem in four days?
I think a more likely reason for his swift departure is the determination with which Castle Craig follows its policy of expecting total truth and honesty from clients, particularly politicians, in order to face up to their problems.
Listen to Castle Craig Director Peter McCann talking of Charles Kennedy’s problems:
“We also read today, about the inappropriate way that Liberal Democrats covered up on their former leader’s alcoholism. This is a typical response we see throughout industry and institutions when members of organisations try to cover up for their sick colleagues. It is quite disgraceful that politicians weld so much power while addicted and when their judgment must be warped. This applies to all political parties. Addiction must be confronted at all times and “tough love” applies to politicians just as much as to doctors, lawyers and family members. “
Does that sound like the sort of expert, Steven, a man who has spent so much time and money obscuring the truth of his problems would appreciate finding himself in the care of? Truth and Honesty? That’s more stressful for a politician than dinner with Gordon Brown.
No wonder Steven high tailed it out of there.
-
1
March 5, 2010 at 13:11 -
Purcell allegedly went missing from the centre as well, resulting in a missing persons report.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/161497-drug-problem-denied-by-ex-council-leaders-doctor/
I didn’t realise the curse of Jonah could afflict someone so terribly and so quickly as just a matter of hours in his company.
-
2
March 5, 2010 at 13:14 -
“No wonder Steven high tailed it out of there.”
On his high horse, no doubt!
-
3
March 5, 2010 at 13:43 -
Gordoom is like some political version of Blind Pugh, spreading the Black Spot wherever he goes…
-
4
March 5, 2010 at 16:37 -
I know that Scotland is a village but,…….
Some unconnected but interesting points
The legal practice of Levy and McRae, bears the name of someone, now dead, who is of legend within the SNP and those outside interested in independence.
Willie McRae was a member of the SNP in the 80′s and …. well here a cut and paste from Wikipedia
MacRae was an active member of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and an anti-nuclear campaigner.[1] A qualified solicitor, MacRae had in fact contested the SNP leadership in 1979, coming third in a three-way contest with 52 votes to Stephen Maxwell’s 117 votes and winner Gordon Wilson’s 530 votes.[2]
“He was active outside Scotland too, having served in the Royal Indian Navy and becoming friendly to the campaign for independence for India.[3] He was also the author of the maritime law code of Israel and emeritus professor at the University of Haifa. After his death a forest of 3,000 trees was planted in Israel to mark his passing. ”
He was found in his car in the Highlands subsequently died from what later turned out to be gunshot wounds to the head. It appears the head wounds were not noticed until later, I think.
A subsequent search around his car found a pistol some distance away from the car. He therefore shot himself in the head and threw away the pistol afterwards. The rumours were and are that he was murdered because of his opposition to certain NATO activities in Scotland.
Some years later, after the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament
“In 2005, Fergus Ewing MSP requested a meeting with Elish Angiolini, the Scottish Solicitor General to discuss allegations that have persisted that MacRae was under surveillance at the time of his death. The request was rebuffed, with Angiolini claiming that he had not been under surveillance and that she was satisfied that a thorough investigation into the case had been carried out. However, in July, 2006 a retired police officer, Iain Fraser who was working as a private investigator at the time of MacRae’s death claimed that he had been anonymously employed to keep MacRae under surveillance only weeks before he died.”
“Angiolini is Elish Frances Angiolini QC (born 24 June 1960 as Elish Frances McPhilomy) is a Scottish lawyer who has served in the political role of Lord Advocate for Scotland since 2006. She was appointed to the post of Solicitor General for Scotland in November 2001 becoming the first woman, the first Procurator Fiscal, and the first solicitor to hold that post.”
The Levy and McRae partneship is currently employed to produce a gagging order concerning an alleged paedophile ring in Aberdeen that may include a connection to the Judiciary.
Angiolini was Labour appointment to be Lord Advocate and remains at that position under the SNP government.
Levy and McRae was the practice of Kenny McAskill, the current SNP Justice Minister.
Isn’t life small?
-
5
March 5, 2010 at 23:02 -
Thanks for that, bugger (the panda). Interesting.
-
6
March 6, 2010 at 09:53 -
He’s buggered off out of it overnight. Away down under for up to a year apparently.
The stories I’ve heard would make your hair stand on end!
-
7
March 6, 2010 at 12:41 -
The bits of information seems to be all over the place with well known Labour supporting journalists postulating links between some very tragic events that certainly on the fac eof it, seem entirely unconnected.
1. Stress over SPT Labour Scandal / Commonwealth Games
2. ‘Chemical Dependancy’, a phrase apparently coined by the internal GCC PR team.
3. Tragic death of youn Council employee and Labour Activist in the recent Glasgow North East By Election.
4. Purcell fleeing a rehabilitation clinic, a search being called off and the man himself discharging himself
5. Purcell apparently fleeing the country for the ‘southern hemisphere’, probably Australia in the face of media speculation and what the Sunda papers are about to reveal.
6. Union Leader and internal Labour Party rivals giving short but seriously negiative quotes to the press.
7. Glasgow City Council being investigated over data protection breach
8. An attempt to close down the story going all the way back to the initial SPT Scandal.
A number of speculators are suggesting that the story that is about to erupt is not centred on Purcell solely but more on a wider cronyism or corruption prevalent in the West Coast….. this would seem to suggest property, financial or funding irregularities.
-
8
March 6, 2010 at 17:05 -
Steven Purcell was wont to disappear occasionally for a week every so often. He was thought to be in Tenerife, of sun sea and cokes fame.
It may be that the people saying he is in the “Southern Hemisphere” are just pure dead ignorant of geography and they think that Tenerife is beyond the Equator.
Well it is south of Watford, isn’t it?
-
9
March 7, 2010 at 12:49 -
There is one other co-incidence of names in this in that the Director of Castle Craig is called Peter McCann. Its a coincidence I suspect but thats a name well known in Glasgow City Labour Circles. All we need now is for the Psychiatric Consultatnt to be called Pat Lally
-
10
March 7, 2010 at 19:11 -
The rats are scurrying away thinking they will be forgotten, and left to spend there ill gotten gain’s. Not Going To Happen!!
-
11
March 7, 2010 at 22:14 -
Should that not be Pat Doolally?
-
12
March 10, 2010 at 21:49 -
Yes Iain McKellar, a pure coincidence.
{ 12 comments }