Dear Bob,
I am writing to wish you well in your role as Lord Provost when you Chair the City Council meeting for the first time on Monday night. I think you have made an enthusiastic and dignified start to fulfilling the duties of Civic representative of our City. I hope however that you have been able to persuade your SNP colleagues that they should show their respect for the office of Lord Provost and stand when you are announced entering the City Chambers to take the Chair on Monday night and later when you vacate the Chair. This is an old and respected tradition of our City Council. Now that your party has elected you as their own Lord Provost, I hope we have seen an end to the petty disrespect of SNP Councillors remaining seated when the Lord Provost is announced or leaves the City Chambers.
Over the last five years you and your then SNP Councillor colleagues did not stand when the former Lord Provost, John Letford, was announced. Furthermore, when your party took over running the Council in April 2009, the Senior Council Staff present in the Chambers followed your lead.
It has been speculated that your party's stance on this issue of protocol was because the mace in the Chambers signified a link with the Royal Family. Of course as part of your duties you are also, ex officio, a Lord Lieutenant representing Her Majesty the Queen in the City. Furthermore, your Leader, Alex Salmond, has recently made it clear that a separated Scotland would retain Queen Elizabeth in her role as monarch and has publicly given recognition to her 60 years of service in the UK.
On Monday night you can certainly count on Labour Councillors to respect you in your office as Lord Provost and stand when you are announced and when you leave the Chair. I hope that your colleagues will do likewise and we will put all this behind us and then focus on the important business before us.
Regards,
Councillor Laurie Bidwell
