A Labour councillor has been sacked by the party after being filmed spending over 3 hours playing Sudoku during an important debate.
Eric Barry was seen from the packed public gallery doing the puzzle while his colleagues and opponents were debating the controversial 2009 Gathering at Holyrood Park which collapsed leaving debts in excess of £300,000.
Councillor Andrew Burns, the Labour Group leader, immediately sacked the councillor and commented :
"This sort of behaviour is plainly unacceptable.
"Elected officials have a responsibility not only to attend all debates but also to use their time responsibly.
"Any member of our group who takes over 3 hours to complete a Sudoku or any other puzzle is clearly not of a sufficiently high calibre to hold public office.
"Anyone taking longer than 30 minutes will be immediately expelled from the Party".
