You (Black) are a disgrace to this city and the people of Craigton should ensure that you (Black) do not get represented by any party to represent the people of Craigton.
You were an unelected labour councillor brought on by your pal Purcell, for whatever reason, and as a result you have totally and utterly disgusted many within the party and the people of Glasgow and in particular the lGBT community.
The fact you (Black) got involved with a person of such bad character, (your partner), your credability and integrity is damaged beyond repair and you have your parther to thank for that. Her recent ranting in one of the tabloids about her being a self confessed enforcer for her brother speaks volumes about the kind of person you took up with. You knew about this and yet you still allowed yourself to get involved and get involved you did.

Glasgow has yet again lost another LGBT venue again with Councillor Ruth Black (suspended) being at the helm and the people of Glasgow should now contact their local councillor and vent their anger and frustration that allowed this woman to be allowed to run this centre into the ground.
Glasgow deserves better than this and it is hoped that in the coming months someone, somewhere might have the ability to run and keep open a centre of the LGBT community a centre which is really needed.
Ruth Black, you are an utter disgrace to the people of Glasgow and in particular the LGBT people you claimed to represent, when indeed all your intentions were to help destroy yet another place for them to go.
It is now hoped that after all the evidence has been weighed up against you Glasgow City Council will indeed sack you as you deserve nothing better for this mess you have caused.

AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME I WILL NOT MAKE YOU AWARE OR CONFIRM THE CRAP THAT HAS BEEN SAID BOUT ME AS MOST OF YOU WHO AINT GOT THE BALLS TO SAY YOUR OWN NAMES (PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES IN AWE THAT) I KNOW WHO U ALL ARE AND AM SURE WHEN YOU’S READ THIS I WILL GET A WE CALL/VISIT FROM YOU!! AS I OWNED THE LEASE WITH GORDON IN BOTH CENTRES FOR THE BARS FOR OVER TEN YRS AM SURE YOU WOULD IMAGINE I KNOW THE TRUTH TO MANY STORIES ON THESE COMMENTS AND THE REASONS FOR THE CENTRE CLOSING. I GOT NOTHING TO HIDE OR DONE NOTHING WRONG AND WILL CONFIRM A FEW THINGS SOON.
ALEX

.
GlasgowAnarcho
.Anarchist Federation new meeting time and venue: Sundays at 4pm in meeting room of new LGBT centre ‘The Castro’, 84 Bell St. See you there!

http://ssy.org.uk/2010/07/thank-you-for-being-a-friend/

http://ssy.org.uk/2010/07/your-first-for-nooooz/

If she thinks she can keep the place running in a council premise with occassional licenses she’s in for a shock!!! she’ll need a full license to trade if she is going to make it a commercial enterprise and the license board won’t touch her… wonder if it will be fronted by Ferris Enterprises

Sadly, it had been a really good venue prior to the internecine battle that erupted and closed the place down last year. It was used by a wide range of groups and ages, and offered trans people one of the few safe spaces in the city.

I can’t believe that the community that fought for years to fundraise and build an LGBT centre has been so badly served by individual political ambitions and lack of professionalism.

What a load of lies.
If you read between the lines, this is their way of saying they dont have a license, how stupid do these people think we are.
Is it any wonder that a lot of people DONT TRUST those who purport to run this centre on our behalf

The true facts are as follows

On the 19th April 2010, the licensing board gave them a “Occasional License”. This license was intended to cover them for a 14day period for some form of “event” that was supposedly to take place at that time.
The license expired at midnight on Monday 3rd May 2010.
Should The Castro continued to serve alcohol after that date they would have been breaking the law.
Thei website states that their license is in place. This is a lie, they have no such license so therefore thay are agin misleading the public and their customers as to the true extent of their problems.
It is a bit convenient that they state on their facebook profile thet they cant sell alchol due to problems with Gas & Boilers. If this was true then the whole place should be closed until the problem is fixed or indeed the FULL kitchen & Bar area should be closed until fixed.
This again is The Castro’s way of saying they have messed up and try to put the blame on other matter.
When is that place going to get a grip, their a disgrace.

Good to see that the cafe bar is now up and running and not before time, only thing is from what i hear this is only a temporary measure as they have only applied for an “occasional licence” insted of a full premises licence. Occasional licenses are only in operation for a very short period, usually no more the 14-21 days, so can the centre explain what they are going to do after this license expires? surely they are not going to keep the centre open and play dumb when it comes to a visit by the licensing inspector.

Thursday, 4 March 2010

“Chemically dependant” Purcell swaps top Glasgow job for rehab

The rate payers of the Glasgow Corporation will be forgiven for wondering what on earth their elected, well furnished, local government members are up to behind the Council’s closed doors, doors of course which more often than not shut out us, their bosses.

Steven Purcell, the camp-as-Christmas leader of Glasgow City Council, who ruled the city with a soft skin hand in a mauve glove, resigned over the weekend, citing “stress and exhaustion.” What could have been the cause? He dumped his wife and came out as gay back in 2006, so it couldn’t have been that. Although 50% of gay men in Glasgow experience mental health problems at some point, caused by the total lack of services for gay people in Scotland’s largest city. Bear in mind that Purcell was one of those Councillors who happily let the so called Castro, an unincorporated, unsubstantiated front for scary Socialist turned Solidarity turned Labour Councillor Ruth Black, take over the running of the still closed Glasgow LGBT Centre. Never mind of course that the Centre was plagued by allegations of mismanagement and corruption, not that the esteemed Councillors minded that many of those implicated in that scandal were behind this “Castro” bid.

There was the scandal over the otherwise incredibly efficient transport body, known the world over for it’s helpful staff and friendly customers, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). Ron Culley (pictured), who resigned as the big wig at SPT in February over a £100,000 expenses scandal, has been described as the gay, now ex Glasgow leaders’ “mentor”.

British politics is knee-deep in euphamisms. Charles Kennedy, the former Lib Dem leader was described as being “tired and emotional,” which we now know was shorthand for the fact that he was a raging alcoholic. Purcell resigned citing “stress and exhaustion.” And what brought that on? The resignation of one’s closest “mentor”?

But to add another twist in the sordid tale, Purcell was admitted to a drug rehab centre, far away from the prying media in the Scottish Borders. The Scotsman reports that the phrase “chemical dependency” was proposed to explain his condition. And what might explain why he allegedly escaped from the rehab clinic? Celebrities and politicians checking into rehab is as regular as them having extra-marital affairs, (see Woods, Tiger and Oaten, Mark), but to then escape and have the police searching for you? The police said:

“A 37-year-old man was reported missing in the Borders area on Sunday, February 28, 2010. While a search was being organised, the man returned.”

So what was he doing, popping back into the office to make sure “all his papers were in order” and that “all personal files and effects were stored or removed?” We can only imagine.

In fact we may all have to use our imaginations over this one. Steven Purcell, despite suffering from “stress and exhaustion,” he was well enough to hire a crack PR team, who threatened to go to the Press Complaints Commission over the level of media interest. The media interest is hardly on the scale of the Prince Charles Gay Sex Scandal, but all this talk of chemical dependency fuelled relations with a close mentor who was swindling a hundred grand from SPT has got us turned on, turned on to finding out the circumstances of just what it was that brought the grand old Steven Purcell to his knees.

all these messages are made under aliases and all using the same gramatic errors ie same spelling errors as well as the use of UPPERCASE to over exagerate the text – see for yourself in comments from Angelica, Robert Allan, theotherone, whattheydontknow etc etc etc – all of these fictional characters are the same person!

I will stress again, we are an open and transparent organisation so if you do have genuine concerns regarding the centre, its estimated opening, its directors etc etc please write to us at 84 Bell Street or call us on 0141 237 4401 and we will be happy to assist.

On a personal note, I was not approached by Ruth Black to become a director. I was a former user of the previous centre through my involvement in Unison and have a keen interest in the centre. I asked to join the board and was interviewed by 2 other board members – none of them being Ruth Black. I am a youth services manager for a large charitable organisation in Glasgow and have extensive experience in the design, delivery and management of community based services. The post of Interim Executive Member related to my role on the Executive Group of the Board of Directors overseeing the management of the centre in its initial start up. Please note that this role is no longer Interim, following the election of our office bearers at previous board meeting. For information on current directors please visit our website.

I hear from a friend of a friend of a friend, that not all is weel with the place, as one of its directors has resigned as has a member of staff along with another member of staff.
The place not even open yet and staff are leaving, questions have to be asked on WHO actually runs this centre, esp when it transpires that most of the people connected to it have connections to Glasgow City Council, Is this now a GCC community centre, or is it a centre for the Glasgow lgbt community

Like many now believing that Glasgow City Council were wrong to award the centre to one of its senior councillors, i now see the reason why many were against it and rightly so from what i can gather.

I think Freedom Of Information requests should be sent to Glasgow City Council from ALL members of the lgbt community asking questions about the leadrship and organisation aspect of this Castro as it seems fairly obvious that this community basede facility is now suffering difficulties.
Funding for many community based facilites in Glasgow, including Glasgay i might add, is finding it more difficult to obtain, but no doubt Castro will survive this with one of its senior councillors got her hand in the pie for the money handouts and i can see her now scurring her away to the finance dept at the council for handouts.

Wake up Glasgow City Council, you have backed an organisation that is the laughing stock of the Glasgow LGBT community as it stands but though time this wil be proved as i know of at least 4 organisations who will take nothing to do with the place once it is open.

Oh and i like Gary Maguires role, Interim Executive Member, is this the new way of saying Director, just makes it sound posher….all hand picked Interim Executive Members i must add, By Councillor Black herself…..how cosy are they all in there tut tut

Thank you -

Gary Maguire
Interim Executive Member

“Comment by Robert Allan — October 31, 2009 @ 16:23
13.
Thank you all for your comments. The Castro will open its doors shortly and will offer: a holisitc health drop in service for all LGBT people; youth services, counselling, job surgeries, benefit surgeries, adult literacy and numeracy,aromatherapy sessions, dance classes, jewellery making and other hobby/craft classes amongst many other opportunities. We will also proudly host our own internet stream radio station, and in the future we anticipate installing a small recording studio. We hope to offer courses in DJ skills and other associated media.

Of course, in addition, we also offer ‘NOISE@84′ cafe bar – and we would like to say that everyone who is genuine and honest is welcome to join us. Thanks to everyone who has shown support – and ‘UP THE CASTRO’.

CASTRO TEAM AND NOISE CREW”

As we are now in another year 2010 and no sign of the doors opening at the proposed new Castro Glagow Ltd!! Having passed the Old LGBT centre nearly every day, there is no sign of ANY progress at the address and having hear that at least one of the Directors of the new board of managment has resigned his post, I belive that it was one of the original group of ex LGBT Members? This makes you wonder what is going on within the new Castro Glasgow Ltd.

Does Glasgow City Council think they have backed the right group???????