As you may have read on the About page I didn’t stand for election to the local council in 2007.
When I joined the Lib Dems in late 1991 I was immediately roped in to being a candidate in the Council elections in May 1992. I was a candidate in every subsequent Council election after that until, and including, 2003. So why did I decide not to stand in 2007?
The 2003 elections were a combined with both Holyrood and Council elections I on the same day. I was asked to consider standing again for 2007 within a short space of time afterwards as the local party wanted to make quick decisions as to who was going to stand.
As part of the 2003 Partnership Agreement between the Lib Dems and Labour at Holyrood, there was a commitment to introduce a change to the voting system and bring in STV for the next set of Council Elections in 2007.
Realising that if I stood I would very likely be elected, I started asking some people – both Councillors and ex-Councillors and not all from my party – what the workload would be like. One told me that they could be out 7 nights a week – but all on council business of one description or another. Another said that if it weren’t for the immediate family they didn’t know how they could cope. The message came over loud and clear that if you held a full-time job and wanted to be a decent Councillor, you needed a lot of personal help and support from your family.
Now, being single, and with my family living in Edinburgh I was going to have a problem with doing both and finding the time to do the ordinary basic living things of shopping, cooking, eating, washing, ironing, cleaning, reading, going to cinema or theatre, having a holiday etc. It wasn’t until I had a discussion with my parents that I made my decision not to stand. Why?
Well, my mum offered to come and do all the “domestic” stuff for me. And I thought to myself, at your age that’s just not on. So, I told the local party I wasn’t standing. I have not regretted that decision.
Why I didn’t stand in 2007
As you may have read on the About page I didn’t stand for election to the local council in 2007.
When I joined the Lib Dems in late 1991 I was immediately roped in to being a candidate in the Council elections in May 1992. I was a candidate in every subsequent Council election after that until, and including, 2003. So why did I decide not to stand in 2007?
The 2003 elections were a combined with both Holyrood and Council elections I on the same day. I was asked to consider standing again for 2007 within a short space of time afterwards as the local party wanted to make quick decisions as to who was going to stand.
As part of the 2003 Partnership Agreement between the Lib Dems and Labour at Holyrood, there was a commitment to introduce a change to the voting system and bring in STV for the next set of Council Elections in 2007.
Realising that if I stood I would very likely be elected, I started asking some people – both Councillors and ex-Councillors and not all from my party – what the workload would be like. One told me that they could be out 7 nights a week – but all on council business of one description or another. Another said that if it weren’t for the immediate family they didn’t know how they could cope. The message came over loud and clear that if you held a full-time job and wanted to be a decent Councillor, you needed a lot of personal help and support from your family.
Now, being single, and with my family living in Edinburgh I was going to have a problem with doing both and finding the time to do the ordinary basic living things of shopping, cooking, eating, washing, ironing, cleaning, reading, going to cinema or theatre, having a holiday etc. It wasn’t until I had a discussion with my parents that I made my decision not to stand. Why?
Well, my mum offered to come and do all the “domestic” stuff for me. And I thought to myself, at your age that’s just not on. So, I told the local party I wasn’t standing. I have not regretted that decision.