Keeping out the "hoi polloi"

If there's one statement made by Edinburgh councillors in recent weeks which stands out, it must be that by LibDem Council Leader Jenny Dawe who has justified the idea of bringing back the councillors' ceremonial robes because it would help to "set the councillors apart from the 'hoi polloi'!". I suspect that this is a phrase which will haunt the LibDem/SNP administration as long as it lasts, and it deserves to, because it reveals a lot about the mentality of the new administration; basically, it's the attitude of the "toon cooncillor" of old, who regarded himself as somebody set apart and above the general population. It's a PR disaster of course for the new administration; and it's only fair to comment that if they can make mistakes about things like this, it's not surprising that they are making mistakes about big issues like the schools closure programme.
For the full details of this story, you can look at the excellent article in the Evening News (together with a very fetching 'mock-up' of Jenny Dawe in the new robes!)