Never a man to mince his words.
Montrose councillor Bill Duff has ridden out a couple of social-media related scrapes in recent years, delivering copious column inches from spluttering critics in the process.
Rows around a “second-class Scots” tweet and the standard furore that seems to follow anything to do with Angus Council and flags were dismissed like water off Duff’s back.
Now the Montrose SNP councillor’s Facebook description of the marvellous Forfar bridie as a “low quality processed meat product” has sent the shortcrust cognoscenti a little bit flaky.
It may even have been the prime topic of weekend county town conversation in the regular Saturday queues outside the famous twosome – long-standing local bakers McLaren’s and Saddler’s.
The uncomplimentary epithet emerged as part of Mr Duff’s response to the bunny from the bunnet announcement that a £15 million food culture hub idea had been cooked up as part of the Angus aspiration for how the imminent Tay Cities Deal bonanza might be divvied up.
Already on record over his unhappiness about the way Angus has handled its part in what various sectors – food and drink included – hope could be a UK and Scottish governments-funded game-changer, the coastal councillor suggested that whilst the PGI-protected Arbroath smokie might deserve a place on the best-of-Angus platter, the bridie did not.
Okay, bridies may not be the upper-est of upper crust cuisine, but family firms who have been baking them for 120 years and more were quick to point out there’s certainly nothing low quality about the Angus meat from which they are made.
The fact is the bridie-bashing was the unfortunate by-product of political games being played in Angus.
It’s difficult to challenge Councillor Duff’s attack on the obvious one-upmanship that has increasingly characterised the Tay Cities dealing in the final stages of progress towards what’s expected to be the UK government contribution confirmation in today’s budget.
Bold Bill is more than able to stand the heat of the bakehouse coming his way on the political front and, as one colleague said, it probably wasn’t as unpalatable as criticising the smokie for smelling of fish.
And if I was a betting man, I’d wager that a fifteen million quid food showcase for Angus – with or without bridies – is pie in the sky.
