Throwing stones

In September last year I wrote about a malicious and scurrilous piece of gossip being passed to a certain newspaper.

Yesterday I got a phone call from a journalist following up a story that was being peddled by a certain constituent of mine, who shall remain nameless at present. I have subsequently found out that he is peddling the same factually inaccurate and ridiculous story to Isles FM, claiming that I am involved in improper behaviour in the Council. I know he has already complained to the Council, where I have made the real situation known to those who need to know.

This certain gentleman (who will be reading this) is probably the single most threatening individual I have ever encountered, and, as a result of his behaviour, all Council staff have been advised that if they meet this man they must not be unaccompanied. If my memory is right, he has previously complained about corruption and/or incompetence involving a former Chief Executive, a Council Solicitor (or two or three, I lose count), a Director and Depute-Director in the same department, at least three Councillors, a Chief Inspector (or two?), the Procurator Fiscal, at least one Sheriff and quite possibly Santa Claus. I understand that he is categorised by the Comhairle as a persistent complainant, and as such his correspondence is subject to special treatment.

I know that he has been thrown out of the MSPs office, and I believe that Calum MacDonald had to have him removed too. Sorry, but that was my fault: I used to refer all his complaints to our Parliamentary representatives, as only they "could do something about it". Mischievous, but fun. He may have complained about them, too, to anyone who would listen.

We have had to ask him to leave the office after he appeared with his flies undone, stood in front of my wife, and refused to move out of her way when she needed to get past him.

However, that is as nothing to the situation at a meeting of the Civic Government Licencing Panel where this man objected to both Sports Centres getting a public entertainment licence, which would have resulted in them having to close. His objection, and this is genuine, was that if the children were playing with naked flames in the soft play area, then the netting might ignite, as it was not of the proper fireproof type. He tried to set fire to this "dangerous" material in front of the only exit from a top floor room, to demonstrate the danger to the public.

This led to him complaining about the abilities of the Firemaster(s?) and some Fire Officers - and possibly many others - to apply the relevant law (as he saw it) to the situation. His complaints to the Health and Safety Executive have been met with the appropriate response. My colleagues and I wasted hours of my life listening to his incoherent ramblings, as he sought to prove matters that were irrelevant to the matter under consideration. He then complained about the composition of the Panel, the Solicitor's advice, the decision, the power of the Panel to take the decision and probably the choice of biscuits at the tea break.

What is especially worrying is that this man has the ability/desire/need to take a small nugget of truth and build a huge edifice of fantasy, fabrication and speculation on top of this. I remember being sent a dossier by him where the number of pages of correspondence had exceeded 600 - I only got the last 50 or so - but from which I was completely unable to understand what the complaint actually was, what he was trying to prove, or what nuggets he was trying to extract through his rude and insulting missives.

Dear readers, this man intends to stand for the Council next year. Fellow Councillors, you know who he is. Make sure enough candidates stand to stop him, please. The alternative is too horrendous to contemplate.