Public life in Scotland

Kenneth Roy
Harassment? That's a bit rich

When a newspaper, reporting some unexpected development in the life of a celebrity or public figure, uses the word 'mystery' or 'riddle', it is a reasonable assumption that there is no mystery or riddle, simply a legal impediment to publication. So it was this week in the case of Steven Purcell, the former leader of Glasgow City Council, whose resignation was a 'riddle' to the Daily Record and a 'mystery' to most of the others. There was certainly more than the whiff of an old-fashioned thriller about Mr Purcell's appointment of a firm of solicitors, noted for its work in libel litigation, to act on his behalf with the council and his simultaneous hiring of a firm of crisis management consultants, headed by a former Scottish editor of the Sun newspaper, to handle the media coverage.
     In the first phase of the drama, the spirit of Agatha Christie hovered over events at the City Chambers. The artifice of the riddle was briefly maintained. It was even heightened a little when an inoffensive blog by the political journalist Brian Taylor, speculating on Mr Purcell's resignation, was posted on the news website of his employer, BBC Scotland, and, within a couple of hours, attracted 17 'comments' in response, 14 of which had to be blocked by the site's moderators. What purpose does BBC Scotland believe is served by promoting this form of blogging activity? How does the management at Pacific Quay think that it enhances the corporation's battered reputation? Well, these are questions for another day.
     The pressures of internet-fuelled innuendo and rumour were too intense for the air of mystery to be long sustained. It was swiftly acknowledged by Mr Purcell's crisis management advisors that he had been admitted to (but soon discharged from) a clinic in the Borders specialising in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. The former editor of the Sun newspaper has appealed to the media to allow Mr Purcell 'time and space' (a phrase curiously reminiscent of a similar appeal by the late Diana, Princess of Wales. when she believed her privacy was being invaded) to 'recover to full health'. We shall see to what extent these luxuries are permitted. One or two newspapers, notably the Herald, have gone circumspect this morning, while one or two others, notably the Scotsman, appear unimpressed by charitable thoughts of time and space.
     Meanwhile, Mr Purcell's solicitors have complained to the Press Complaints Commission and asked the trade watchdog to remind newspapers of their obligation to respect Mr Purcell's privacy. They describe the media attention in recent days as 'harassment of a sick man'.
     It will be interesting to discover whether the PCC takes the same generous view of Mr Purcell's right to privacy; that may hinge on how things develop, if at all. But the harassment charge is, frankly, so rich as to be worthy of a pudding.

There are many people in Glasgow being harassed. None can afford a crisis management consultant. None can depend on the vigilance of a firm of solicitors. It is worth thinking about the real harassed of Glasgow today, and to do so is quite compatible with a wish that Mr Purcell is restored to full health and goes on to fulfilment in some occupation other than senior political office.
     The victims of the slum landlords of Govanhill are harassed daily if not hourly.
     Mr and Mrs Daly, the elderly couple whom we helped to rescue before Christmas from a squalid, half-derelict block in Sighthill, were being harassed by the (social) landlord's action in removing CCTV cameras, in allowing the secure entry door system to break down, and in failing to guarantee a regular water supply. Had it not been for SR's campaign on the couple's behalf, and the intervention of the communities minister Alex Neil, Mr and Mrs Daly might still be marooned. How many thousands of others are enduring similar intolerable living conditions without intervention?
     The average life expectancy of a man living in Shettleston is 63. This is 14 years below the UK average. The men of Shettleston are harassed by the miscellaneous failures of politics, education and the National Health Service. Their life expectancy is a national disgrace.
     Some asylum seekers are being moved from flat to flat, not allowed to stay anywhere for more than a few weeks. One appealed to us recently. We have not reported her experiences – it would not be in her interests for us to do so – but it is serious harassment.
     There are believed to be between 15,000 and 20,000 registered drug users in Glasgow. The proportion of the city's population claiming incapacity benefit is the highest of all major UK cities and 50% higher than the Scottish average. There are estimated to be 179 gangs operating in the city. Such conditions inevitably breed harassment, and very much worse than harassment, in the areas of social deprivation.
     The harassment of Mr Purcell is mild beer. It does not begin to compare with the harassment being endured by too many of the citizens of his city. Mr Coleman, his temporary successor, says it is business as usual at the City Chambers. How extraordinary. It is not business as usual and nor should it be. There are serious questions to be asked – and answered. I said yesterday, before the truth emerged, that in the case of Steven Purcell we should hear no more about stress. We should hear no more about harassment either.