Bonnie Blue's 'bang bus' breezes into town

Dispatch from the marble halls

🏛️ Last Thursday, Calum had the pleasure of attending the council’s first full meeting since the summer recess. On a rainy Thursday, he strode through the marble corridors of the city chambers and shuffled into the comically-uncomfortable benches (although if acute spinal angles are your thing, you’d love them). He was primed to listen to debate on several matters The Bell has previously reported on. 

Controversial questions

Months on, one of the most fiery topics in the chamber remains that of the loss of office payments to the former chief executive of the council, Annemarie O’Donnell, and four other senior officials. Labour accused the SNP of presiding over a “culture of secrecy” and “lack of transparency” in the scandal, in which five officers received over £1m in payoffs collectively when their positions were terminated. The SNP refuted this allegation, which was met with incredulity from many within Glasgow Labour, including one councillor telling The Bell that the SNP act as if they are "separate" from officers’ actions, instead of being in charge of them.

In another question, Greens councillor Holly Bruce requested updates for locals’ access to Cathkin Park. You may remember Eve Livingston’s report on the legal battle ongoing between residents, who want unrestricted public use of the pitch, and the Jimmy Johnstone Charitable Trust, which leases the pitch from the council and fenced it off in February 2024 to use as the home of their football academy. The response from Councillor Laura Doherty: more of the same. The football pitch remains inaccessible to locals, so no change in the six months since Eve’s piece, sadly.  

The questions section of the full council meeting isn’t anyone’s favourite. It typically consists of attempted inter-party ‘gotcha’ questions and intra-party softballs. When it finished, one of the press officers turned to Calum and asked if he was having fun, explaining that “it’s ok to say ‘no’”.

Motions and notions

The first motion up for consideration was what many of us at Bell HQ have been talking about in the last few weeks. Disinformation, anti-migrant sentiment, and the discord within communities that many of us are seeing. 

Speaking forcefully, council leader Susan Aitken presented the motion that (among other largely rhetorical statements) the council agrees to combat “far-right disinformation” that former care homes, as we’ve reported (again by Eve Livingston), are not going to be used to house asylum seekers. 

However, Cllr Aitken once again called for more support from the Scottish and UK governments to help with Glasgow’s position as one of the UK’s main dispersal cities for asylum seekers. But what stood out to Calum was, despite a dramatic last minute change in wording that allowed Labour and the SNP to see eye to eye, much of the debate focussed on calling out the two Reform UK councillors sat sheepishly together at the side of the hall. Thomas Kerr and Audrey Dempsey cut uncomfortable figures as councillor after councillor accused their party of spreading racial hatred and rumour. Both Kerr and Dempsey left the chamber at some point during the debate and neither spoke. 

And finally, Greens Councillor Jon Molyneux raised a motion for the council to donate £150,000 to the Lord Provost’s Fund for Vulnerable Citizens, and for the money to be ringfenced for households affected by the tenement collapse at Albert Cross in July. Some of those affected were in the public gallery watching proceedings, while Molyneux quoted a constituent, Nasrine, who has been displaced by the subsequent evacuation of neighbouring closes: “My daughter cries all night, I cry all night.” 

Piddling on Molyneux’s cornflakes, Councillor Ruairi Kelly (who admitted as such), declined to support the motion in its proposed form, stating that he didn’t want to set a precedent where the council would automatically have to support residents for “executing our statutory duty”. He was referring to the council conducting the demolition of the remaining structure at Albert Cross and preventing neighbouring residents from accessing their homes over concerns for the building’s safety. The motion passed but in a watered-down state, where no set amount of money was committed to displaced residents, many of whom have been in temporary accommodation for two months. 

Glasgow in Brief

💙 We have the displeasure of informing you that the notorious and euphemistically named ‘adult star’ Bonnie Blue (real name Tia Billinger) was driving her ‘bang bus’ around town over the weekend. For those not in the know (perhaps you wish it to stay that way), Billinger has attained notoriety for stunts such as claiming to have had sex with over 1,000 men in half a day, and faking being pregnant. Her latest attention-grabbing antic involves driving her bus to university campuses across the UK to coincide with freshers’ week, encouraging barely legal men to pay her van a visit. First up on her tour was Glasgow, after a planned visit to Dundee was scrapped following fierce criticism from MP Joani Reid and the Dundee University Feminist Society, who highlighted significant safety worries. “This is not glamour, it’s exploitation. It puts women at risk while feeding men a diet of porn and abuse,” Reid said. Billinger has been banned from OnlyFans for the extreme nature of her content, and was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary titled ‘1,000 Men and Me’. 

Somehow, her freshers event didn’t end up being the most noteworthy aspect of her Glasgow visit. Instead, it was her attendance at Ibrox that drew the fans, headlines, and an uncountable number of hoary jokes about Rangers not being the only ones “getting pumped”. Two members of the Union Bears were photographed together exiting the ‘bang bus’ in blue balaclavas, but it was the picture of Billinger’s dead-eyed expression that we won’t be able to get out of our heads for some time. Oh, and finally — if that’s somehow not put you off both Billinger and your lunch already, she’s been photographed smiling with Andrew Tate. She even said that she “understand[s] where he’s coming from” in reference to his comments that rape victims have to “bear some responsibility”.  

🇬🇧 On the topic of toxic figures from the manosphere, Possil podcaster James English was down in London over the weekend for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally. He took the time to pose with Tommy Robinson himself, alongside fellow podcaster Liam Tuffs. He also snapped a cute selfie with Katie Hopkins, posting it to his Instagram grid. Hopkins once described Scottish people as “little sweaty jocks”, and once cracked a “joke” on Twitter about low life expectancy in Scotland, less than 24 hours after the Clutha helicopter crash. A reminder that English was charged with 19 offences against a woman at a flat in Glasgow earlier this year, including allegedly attacking her while she was pregnant, as well as controlling aspects of her life, including her money and contact with loved ones. He’s plead not guilty, and stands trial next month. 

Stories you might have missed:

• The gruelling search for a Glasgow allotment, Guardian
• How can the Ferguson shipyard have a future? BBC
• Council sends letter to locals about removing flags, BBC
• Look inside Greek Thomson’s restored Holmwood House (£), The Times 

Read/listen/watch: Working Men’s Clubbing

The Fairfield Club in Govan, a storied venue at the heart of its community, has been running in some form since 1895. More recently, it’s been struggling against the backdrop of an all-but-disappeared shipbuilding industry, a change in drinking habits, and declining club memberships. DIY promoters Sentinel and Healthy decided to club together to help the Govanites out, landing on building a massive, earth-shaking soundsystem as the best way to secure the club’s future. “[W]e need young people in here all the time to keep things moving. Society will change, but this club should always be here for the people around this area and elsewhere," club president told the Skinny. We’re hyped to see what comes next.

Catch up and coming up:

• Over the last week, Calum and Robbie have been looking into claims by some of those responsible for raising the saltires in north Glasgow that they are not anti-immigrant. They found some unsavoury truths, and their reporting was picked up by national newspapers. Catch up here:
  • Monday’s story
  • Fallout in Calum’s writer’s edition

‘Gas them all’: Meet the man behind north Glasgow’s saltires

‘Time to look after our own not everyone else’

The BellCalum Grewar

• This coming weekend, Robbie takes us into tragic world that is Glasgow’s most-memed takeaway: Best Kebab.
• In a debut story for us, Evie Glen’s midweek edition will let us in on the explosive rise of Glasgow’s newest protest paper — the Hillhead Review.

Headline of the week

Lawyer headbutted by topless man as he left Glasgow Sheriff Court

Re:view: Ubiquitous Chip, 12 Ashton Lane

Robbie was back at his old work over the weekend after a long period of absence (not the BBC, although the canteen at Pacific Quay is surprisingly good). No, he was luxuriating in the courtyard of one of Glasgow’s greatest restaurants, admiring the Alasdair Gray murals, and generally having a splendid time (full disclaimer: he was an invitee so didn’t pay for his meal or drinks). The Chip was opened by Ronnie Clydesdale in 1971, ushering in the reinvention not only of Ashton Lane but Scottish cuisine itself. It was bought over by the Metropolitan Pub Company (part of Greene King) in 2022.

Many at the time pre-judged its demise, but the recent restoration is tasteful and true to the character of the unique building, with only minimal changes to the decor and artwork. The à la carte menu has been modernised and streamlined, but still offers up seasonal produce from across Scotland. The prices are punchy. The food itself was very good, but not spectacular, and the wine pairing and cocktails were excellent. Truthfully though, we can’t think of another restaurant like it, not just in Glasgow but anywhere in Scotland. Surprisingly, it still feels like the same Chip so many have celebrated birthdays and graduations in, and for that we’re glad. Lang may its lumb reek. 

Glasgow Calendar: Mungo, Mugs and Memories

Norrie Wilson, the brains behind the city’s premiere nostalgia-infused historical social media account Lost Glasgow, is giving a free talk looking back at the city’s 850 years as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days. 

Free, Saturday 20 September, 2.30pm, The Advanced Research Centre, 11 Chapel Lane G11 6EW

Other dates for your diary:

• Big Record, vinyl sale | free | from 9.00am Saturday 20 September | Glasgow Club Bellahouston
• Bloodbath Burlesque - The Masked Witches Ball | £14.79 | 7.00pm Friday 19 September | Ivory Blacks
• Strathbungo Walking Heritage Tour | Free | 1.00pm Saturday 20 September | The Cooperage 674 Pollokshaws Road Glasgow G41 2QE

An earlier version of this newsletter incorrectly named the Reform councillor as Audrey Gillan, not Audrey Dempsey