AS part of the commitment to lifelong learning and engaging with the wonderful world of the Internet, the comrades in Renfrewshire have started a blog.

It is very easy to set up on www.blogger.com requiring an email address and a user name.

 Word of warning - if you don't want you identity to be known use an alias.

 See our efforts at..........

http://solidarity-ssm-renfrew.blogspot.com/

This page will show news, events, announcements and information from the West of Scotland.

Renfrewshire Labour score own goal over St. Mirren Academy.

With a major fanfare the Labour administration announced recently that a new academy for St Mirren Football Club would be established on the Penilee Pavilion and Playing Grounds.  The £3million project was hailed by local councillors and Wendy Alexander MSP as a spectacular project that would bring professional coaching to the children of Renfrewshire.

However, as if often the case with New Labour, the devil is in the detail.  The urgently required renovation of the Pavilion is dependent on funding bids to The Lottery Heritage Fund, the building is a listed 1930's building, and sportscotland. St. Mirren's contribution to this project is £120,000 plus a fixed rent of £10,000 per year for 10 years.  So from the club's point of view they obtain an excellent facility for a nominal amount. 

For the local community, who were told that this facility, which has space for several sports pitches, was for their and the local schools use, this is an almighty slap in the face.

A local public meeting with over 200 people in Ralston Primary School was up in arms with the council leaving them with one all-weather pitch and St Mirren in charge of 80% of the grounds.

We in Solidarity see this as a fire sale of Council grounds as Labour seeks to privatise all the parks and gardens in the district.