There’ll be time enough for countin’ When the dealin’s done
Maths has never been a strong suit.
Even less so when one ventures into the mysterious world of equations, calculus and formulae.
That’s why this week has been one of whirling round in circles (their circumference being the diameter multiplied by pi, or area equal to pi r squared, I believe) , talking through with Team Angus colleagues the possible permutations for control of the council chamber.
Early in the aftermath of the local elections, and their resultant shocks and shake-up, it nonetheless seemed pretty straightforward that the county was once again headed towards a five-year term of cross-party control, the SNP reacquainted with the bottom of the table as under the old rainbow of the Angus Alliance.
Smart money might still be on a non-Nationalist coalition; but things became interesting as the power struggle moved through the gears once the bumps in the road appeared en route to tomorrow being Independents’ Day in Angus.
Bouyed in blue and just a seat behind the nine-councillor harvest of both the SNP and Independents, the alluring aroma of power piqued Conservative senses.
The most likely scenario still seems to be the Tories and Indys getting into bed, but even if that romance successfully blossoms there will be, for some, perceived previous infractions gone but not forgotten.
That exposed cleavage has opened the eye of the Nats to the prospect of clinging to power if they can play the numbers game to maximum effect. But what would they have to offer in exchange for sufficient support to carry them over the line?
And with that the Lib Dems — just two strong but 100% greater in strength from 2012 — have perked up to their bargaining potential.
As if all that wasn’t intriguing enough, the Angus councillor complement has dropped by one to 28 and under the rules the big civic prize of the Provostship could even come down to a cut of the cards.
Tomorrow we should see how the Angus pie is divvied up.
