Word reaches me that serial self-publicist Jim Devine MP is planning a stunt.
West Lothian has suffered a number of job losses recently and more are on the cards thanks to HBOS/LTSB and Cable & Wireless' acquisition of Thus. The latest high profile casualty is GemFire, a US owned semi-conductor facility, in Livingston.
It seems that, no doubt due to the current economic climate, GemFire has had an investor pull the plug unexpectedly resulting in the closure of the Livingston plant and the lay off of 150 or so employees. However, it also seems that GemFire are determined to find alternative investment to re-open the plant as soon as possible. Hopefully, the local council and Scottish Government are doing whatever they can to help them and I wish them well in their quest.
Mr Devine has decided that the best thing to do is to hold a protest meeting at the gates of the plant this Friday. It's not clear what he will be protesting about. What exactly would Mr Devine have done in the same position? Perhaps he would have just kept everybody working but just not paid them at the end of the month. Maybe he would just not have lost his investor in the first place. It must seem so simple from the Labour backbenches with the Master of the Universe leading them all into the brave new era of responsibility.
Given that there will be nobody inside to see or hear the protest, given that this type of action will result in any potential investors running a mile, it would seem that the only purpose such an event will serve is to generate publicity for an MP who is struggling to appear relevant to his constituents. To hell with the fact that he is putting the resurrection of this valuable local employer at risk, it'll be worth it to get his mugshot splashed across at least the local press.
Mr Devine has a track record of milking campaigns for publicity and then dropping them like a stone. Farepak victims will know what I'm talking about. Not one penny has been paid back to these people and, now that there is no political capital to be made out of it, what is Jim doing about it?
His approach is cheap and irresponsible but typical of the second raters who 'represent' us at Westminster.
I'm sorry to say that the despicable show at today's PMQs only serves to confirm my view of the quality of your average MP.
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11 comments:
Ah Mr Devine. Who turned up instead of Robin Cook for one hustings in the general and then porceeded to hog the floor, until the chair was brought to order. Then at the equivalent hustings in the by election he too sent his agent in his stead.
Your description of Jimbo is spot on and I applaud your piece of writing.
As Campaign Co-ordinator of Unfairpak (the campaign group set up in the wake of the Farepak debacle) I can concur that Jim Devine is a media attention grabbing wannabe who actually does not have a clue - end of!
All the information which he was given in relation to Farepak came from us at Unfairpak and when the Farepak Savers Campaign won Campaign of the Year at the 2007 Scottish Politician Awards, Jim Devine claimed it as a success for the Labour Party! Not only that but he ran off with the award that rightfully belongs to every single person who campaigned on behalf of Farepak - the award does NOT say "winner Jim Devine" it says "winner Farepak Savers Campaign".
When I had the "cheek" (in Devine's opinion) to speak to the Times Online about this, Jim called me and told me to retract my statement as "I was only a single mother and would NOT have been at the awards if it were not for him..............."!!!!!
Jim Devine has also lately been contacting the media with "exclusive" stories regarding the liquidation of Farepak (being the liquidation committee that I sit on representing the customers). The "exclusive" stories he has been feeding to the media have been in the public domain for months.
Oh and for the record - Mr Jim Devine who protested for a whole half hour outside HBOS in the freezing cold (time enough to have his photo opportunity) in December 2006 actually BANKS with HBOS!
He is a hypocritical buffoon and I hope to god his constituents see through him at the next general election and kick his butt well into touch!!
Once again I applaud you on your accurate description of Jim Devine!!!!
Suzy,
If my reading of the situation is right then Jim realises his jacket's on a shoogly nail. He apparently was so nervous about last autumn's election that never was that he wrote to GB urging him to delay.
He doesn't have the personality or capability to build up a personal vote so his only option is to try to grab whatever headline is going.
Apparently he has also seriously peed off some of the guys at THUS with his empty posturing.
West-world, again your description of "jacket on a shoogly nail" in my opinion is spot on!
We only have to look back to the end of 2007 when Jimbo was named as being the 13th highest claiment of expenses out of approximately 650 MP's! Jimbo's response to that was "I claimed what I did because I do a proper job"!! Proper job? In my humble opinion Jim's proper job is leeching onto anyone he can get information out of and use as an "exclusive"!
Dialling his mates at any "rags" which will actually listen to them - oh a few are wisening up now as to the "not so exclusive" Devine!!!
In the words of W S Gilbert (slightly altered for my own needs) "No one can have a higher opinion of him [Devine] than I do; and I think he is a dirty little beast"
West-world,
I also forgot to add, just for the record, Devine cannot comment on Farepak any longer because no one gives him any information which would aid him in his self indulgent life hence the reason GemFire are now to be graced with his presence for a photocall!!
We can but pray that no photographer bothers to turn up!
I am/was a Gemfire employee and myself and fellow employees attended a meeting with Mr Devine last Saturday, where he was to give us answers and fight for our "rights"!!
Almost every question asked, was met with "for those who live outside my constituency you should contact your own MP, I've got to find out some more information on that, I'm not sure about that, I've got so & so looking into that, I'm consulting a lawyer on that"!!! Basically, there were no answers.
But surprise, surprise we get "we'll arrange a protest outside the factory with TV and newspaper coverage"!!
Due to the lack of answers given, as soon as the words "protest" and "media coverage" were mentioned, most of us sussed it was going to be a pointless protest, designed only for his own "media coverage"!
We knew the building would be empty, so who was going to give us answers? The security guard??
We also knew, as communicated by the company, they could not afford to pay us at the end of the month as they had temporarily run out of funding!
Although it's a very frustrating situation and the vast majority of employees are angry (especially at this timing of this), the company did tell us immediately. They could quite easily have left this until the end of the month, while they tried to find alternative investment and then not paid us after a months work if they were unsuccessful!!
Basically, I never have and never will trust any MP! I never vote because I've yet to see one who actually does anything worthwhile, except for themselves!
No wonder this country is in such a state!!
I am really sorry to hear about your not so productive meeting with Jim Devine :o( sadly though it does not surprise me!
I am glad however that you managed to suss out pretty quick that the "protest" was basically a chance for Jim to get his mug over the papers!
Please don't give up hope on all MP's or MSP's. I have met quite a few and some of them really do care - not a lot - but there ARE genuine ones there.
I really hope a rescue package can come about for Gemfire and I am sure, hearing that the company has communicated with you guys so well, that they will be doing their very best.
I see Jimbo has managed a little coverage in West Lothian Courier regarding the proposed protest Friday past - not sure if it actually went ahead.
I just wanted to add in relation tothe Farepak Saver's protest outside HBOS in December 2006.
I asked Jim if he would get police permission for the protest - he said he would but never did. I ended up having a meeting with lothian & borders police and the city of edinburgh council who arranged fencing and police there to ensure safety.
As I stated already, he stayed for all of half an hour and managed to get his mugshot in a few papers. I was quite surprised he did not stay long enough for the live tv interviews however that said, the media seemed much more interested in the "victims" (I detest that word) that the self indulgent MP aka Jim Devine - so perhaps he thought "stuff this I aint waiting no longer..........." as there was absolutely nothing for him to gain!
He does nothing except talk - and he does not even talk the talk nor walk the walk - he spouts rubbish.
Regarding your meeting with him and him saying "I am taking legal advice...........", "not sure - might need to contact your MP ............" none of that surprises me! Jimbo called a meeting of his constituents at Blackburn Community Centre in relation to Farepak. I was invited and sat on the top chair - do you know that not one person could give over 100 people in that hall answers apart from myself - those people came in the hope that their MP was there to help them and he could tell them NOTHING!
In reading West Lothian Courier, it appears that Angela Constance has realistic views regarding Gemfire and does Mr Mathers - fingers crossed!!!!
Suzy,
Thanks for your continued interest and comments.
I have been doing a bit of digging over the last 48hrs and it seems 'Deadbeat' Devine behaves in much the same way wherever he goes. He hangs around long enough to get noticed then disappears.
Most people he engages with see him for what he is but the problem is that his behaviour will remain unknown to the vast majority of his constituents.
In terms of his campaign involvement; Farepak, Greenbelt, Thus, Gemfire; the pattern seems similar. Use it as a PR opportunity, regardless of whether this actually helps or hinders the campaign, and get out when the amount of work involved becomes greater than publicity that can generated.
I think his constituents are entitled to know what he is really like.
He apparently has some history of 'dependency issues' as well which might explain why he can never hang around in the same place in public for too long???
Hiya
I have flu hence the reason I have not commented quicker and believe me it is REAL flu - not the "man-flu" type of flu hehehehe!!!
Jim has a knack of having people around him who enable him to "look good". That said, those people are fading fast.
Regarding the Farepak campaign, it will come out in the end that he leeched onto us and really did diddly squat to help us at all.
As the Gemfire employee has commented on also, Jim suggested "let's protest" WOOHOO that will be so great for JIM but not the employees!! I do hope the protest did NOT go ahead!
Are you aware Jim used to be a psychiatric nurse?????
Anyways, I am off to sook on a lemsip again but I shall return ;0)
Very pleased to see that another very worthwhile campaign won PUBLIC Campaign/Campaigner of the Year Awards 2008 hosted by the Herald Newspaper.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/Pol08/Awards06
I am also ECSTATIC that Jim IlikeMyFaceInThePaper Devine was NOT involved in their campaign and they were able to take centre stage, as should be the case, and be congratulated on the work they have done and shall carry on doing.
Huge congratulations to the Clydeside Action on Asbestos!!
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