All we want for Christmas is for our libraries to stay open …
By Lucy Ashton
West Dunbartonshire Libraries are 
feeling creative.
feeling creative.When you see what’s going on in our libraries, as you can in these photographs, it beggars belief that the Labour-controlled council is even considering shutting them.
The proposal for Balloch Library – to move it across the road and squeeze it into the primary schools campus in Balloch and St Kessog’s primary schools is a disgrace.
No one can believe these councillors could be so curmudgeonly, especially with Christmas just around the corner, to do this rotten deed.
They can’t possibly know the happiness children get from reading a book or taking part in arts and crafts lessons.
And they have brought the wrath of the Balloch mothers, grannys and grampas down on their heads with their decision to save a measly £50,000 by closing a building that we – the council taxpayers – only recently spent £100,000 renovating.
Scrooge hasn’t got a look in with this lot.
The staff at Dumbarton Library cannot get their heads round this either as our Scrooge cum Philistine councillors attempt to justify the unjustifiable.
And all the while they are planning to squander £7.2 million on a new library and museum at Glencairn House in Dumbarton.
This is a library that is not needed or wanted, but the councillors are not listening.
The business of empowerment for residents into how councils are run and how decisions are made here is being ignored.
Perhaps the museum might be required for the councillors themselves though?
They are out of date, out touch and, if they keep this nonsense up, they will soon be out of office.
If Labour believe they can get away with this politically then they’ll also believe that I have been hired personally to drive Santa’s sleigh this year.There will be no happy ending to this story when Labour goes to the polls at the next election.
Provost Douglas McAllister, who is Labour’s candidate to take a seat at Westminster, should be prepared to expect the unexpected.
He had better start thinking about swapping his gold chain for a Santa suit.
That’s on the (Christmas) cards unless Rudolph can pull Labour out of trouble.
The message from the public to these elected members is clear. Public Library means what it says. The libraries belong to and are financed by the public of West Dunbartonshire. They have a right to keep Balloch Library open. Are you really going to be cruel for Christmas?
The Library staff sent these brilliant pictures with the following message: “What a fantastic start we had to our #BookWeekScotland programme of events!
“Huge creativity on show across our branches from all ages as we made mini books in Balloch, Autumn jars in Dumbarton, and zines and decorative birds in Clydebank.”
There’s a lot of well paid managers delivering modest output to be paid.
Generous pension deals for the selected being one specific example over the years.
Well folks better just get used to it. Public service, social care are all for the chop.
Indeed, the chancellor has just announced that there will be £4 billion of welfare cuts whilst concomitantly inheritance tax and higher rate taxation is going to be cut.
Suck it up folks and good news for the better heeled – eh?