In his latest column, Councillor Gary Mulvaney mourns the loss of former council leader Robin Currie, but celebrates the ousting of Humza Yousaf and the Scottish Greens from government.

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It was with great sadness that we learned that former council leader, Cllr Robin Currie had died suddenly.

Robin had been a councillor for over 36 years, both at district and unitary level and was an ever-present part of Argyll and Bute and the council chamber.

A fluent Gaelic speaker with dry sense of humour, he was passionate about housing and getting the best deal for Argyll. I was honoured to have worked with him in the last four years and to have known for over two decades.

His funeral last week on Islay was what you expect, the sun shone, an accordion played, and few drams were sank. I’m sure even the ferry hassle would have given him a wry smile.

Another First Minister

Have written on many occasions about the failings, indeed many failings in Humza Useless’ government, it was a relief when he finally did Scot’s a big favour and opted to spend more time on the backbenches, well suited to his considerably modest talents.

Having indulged the extremist Greens for too long with their wokery, endless policy failures and anti-growth agenda, he literally sent them on their bikes.

For that, we should all be grateful.

With the Greens having just expelled former leader, Robin Harvie, a decent man, and another dozen other members for believing that ‘sex is a biological reality’, while at same time dismissing the clinician-led Cass review, this brand of Scottish Greens extremism has no place in government at any level.

The upshot is that we now are on our third First Minister since the election two years ago with John Swinney now through Holyrood’s revolving door.

Whilst the sight of a new leader can offer new hope from what has gone before, optimism is on short supply. John Swinney was of course, the depute to the now disgraced Nicola Sturgeon. So called ‘Honest John’ or maybe more aptly ‘Sleekit Swinney’ was the one that led us down the ‘named person’ shambles, presided over the exam crisis in the pandemic, and nodded through higher taxes at every opportunity as our education and health care went from bad to worse.

After 17 years and four First Ministers, time is surely up the separatists.