Embattled Aberdeen Lord Provost David Cameron was little more than one minute into the council’s first meeting of 2025 when he followed up a pledge to “ensure we have civil debate” by furiously thumping a gavel against his desk dozens of times.
Mr Cameron blasted the item on a deafening 50 occasions before talks fell apart and the meeting was abandoned.
Opposition councillors looked on wide-eyed at the display, which came following months of growing tensions within the chamber.
Just last month, Labour’s M Tauqeer Malik claimed that SNP rival Derek Davidson had sworn at him in the Town House.
And there are frequently fraught scenes between Mr Cameron and independent councillors Jennifer Stewart and previous provost Barney Crockett.
The present lord provost, who presides over the most important council meetings in his role as the city’s civic head, today told The Press and Journal that deploying the gavel was “the nuclear option” – having exhausted other means of maintaining control.
It came as Tory and Labour rivals accused the SNP and Liberal Democrat ruling group of “chicanery” as they attempt to maintain power in the chambers.
Hammer time! Why did David Cameron resort to gavel?
The city’s civic leader banged the small hammer to get councillors’ attention a rapid-fire 50 times at Friday’s full council meeting.
Mr Cameron’s opening vow to “ensure civil debate” swiftly met the same fate as most New Year resolutions.
“It’s not a new gavel,” he clarified today when asked if it was a recent purchase.
Mr Cameron explained that the implement has been available to previous holders of the position – but seldom put into action.
The idea of using the gavel has been brewing in his mind since a stormy summit on December 11, when ruling councillors voted down calls for a probe into emails between officials and coach firms over the city centre bus gates.
“It occurred to me at the last meeting that I was getting to the point where, to try and get some sort of control, I may well have been almost resulting to shouting…
“Which I thought was not appropriate.”
‘I would like to think I don’t need to use the gavel’
The SNP councillor continued: “The gavel was always around, or could have been around.
“The idea that this is a new toy, which is what was being suggested, is absolutely nonsense.
“I would like to think that I don’t need to use the gavel to have control in the chamber.”
When was gavel used?
The mini-mallet, most famously wielded by American judges, was first brought out as Mrs Stewart recounted a verbal altercation with an SNP opponent during recent crunch talks.
She asked for “support” from Mr Cameron after claiming she was “attacked” during a break in proceedings in December.
As Mr Cameron fervently hammered the desk to get the meeting back on track, she dismissed him with “you can keep going”…
Mr Cameron later bashed the gavel against the desk numerous times as Mr Malik rose to protest the talks being called off before the opposition had the chance to question the legal competence of Aberdeen’s bus gates.
Speaking days after the meeting was abandoned, Mr Cameron again issued a plea for calm debate in future gatherings.
‘A little respect’
“Civil debate is absolutely what we should be doing,” the Kingswells, Sheddocksley and Summerhill councillor insisted.
“In certain instances it goes a step too far and the negative part of that, of course, is that we end up not necessarily being able to have the civil debate that we should be having.
“I’d like to think we could start 2025 with a fresh approach and go back to a little bit more respect for everybody.”
What does previous lord provost think?
Mr Cameron’s predecessor Barney Crockett, who served as lord provost between 2017 and 2022, said he “never felt tempted” to use the gavel when he was in office.
Mr Crockett added: “If I’m totally honest, I think the lord provost has given the impression that he is under orders from the administration.
“I had very few, hardly any, meetings with political leaders of the council during the time I was lord provost. It was clear that I was not obeying orders from the administration.”
Do you think Mr Cameron was right to bang his gavel? Let us know in our comments section below
Are SNP and Lib Dems battling to maintain power in the Town House?
Following the abandoned summit on Friday morning, councillors convened for a second round of talks in the afternoon.
This time, it was about how many councillors of various political hues belong on each committee responsible for different areas of decision-making.
Due to their numbers dropping following the exit of former council co-leader Alex Nicoll, the SNP and Lib Dem ruling group are what’s known as a minority administration.
But opponents claim they still dominate too many places on these committees, despite being outnumbered by 23 to 22.
Opponents fought for the group memberships to be redrawn to more accurately reflect the shifting balance of power.
Tory councillor Ryan Houghton said committees were not “fair and democratic” as officials were taking too long to provide a report on the changes.
There is growing anger that this should have been done in December, but was punted to February.
Is ploy ‘patent chicanery’?
Mr Crockett said the reputation of officials could be on the line.
He added: “Is there a danger of officers being understood to be complicit in the patent chicanery of the administration to maintain a majority position on committees which their numbers do not represent?”
However, top brass insisted this was “normal process” and the administration ultimately thwarted efforts to even vote on it on Friday.
Mr Cameron vowed that it would be the first item on the agenda at the February meeting, to ensure the issue is addressed as soon as possible.
Tory group leader Rick Brooks later suggested that Mr Cameron should be more concerned about the shoogly peg the administration’s power hangs onto than his gavel.
Mr Brooks added: “This meeting made it clear that the minority SNP/Lib Dem administration are rudderless.
“The SNP provost has resulted to banging a gavel to keep control.
“The worst part is Aberdeen will have to endure the cost of this minority administration’s ineptitude for another two-and-a-half years unless Ian Yuill does the right thing and ends this coalition of chaos.”
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