Apr
19
Quote of the day from the doors: “I can’t get out to vote on 5th May; I’ve just made an appointment to get my nails done that day…” (Angry) response from canvasser (away from the door!) – does she not know that women fought and dies so she would have the chance to vote! Non …
Apr
04
This is a doorstep election. Posted below is an e mail I received after one of my team was on a doorstep very recently. Its printed with permission. It’s the voice of angry voters that we are hearing again and again on the doorstep and is a very clear articulation of why Scottish Labour is …
Mar
24
George Osborne may have got pass marks for spin today but his budget is a budget for the few and not the many Families may get a small tax break next year – but the 2.5% VAT increase means the average family in Scotland is £450 worse off. The banks will get a tax cut …
Mar
03
Bank of England Governor Mervyn King is not a man I would often quote but in these remarks today he captures something of significance about just how disingenuous yet sadly effective Tory spin in the credit crunch is. When Mervyn King says that eh is surprised that people are not more angry at the bank, …
Mar
01
Today I will be at Health, Social Care and Housing committee where I have invited two gentlemen to speak on an issue that is deeply worrying to many people; cuts to disability payments. These two gents know much more about the issues that I. One is the chair of Partners in Advocacy Jimmy MacIntosh about …
Feb
22
I cannot tell you how humbled I was to be part of the Partners in Advocacy conference on Friday 18th. The delegates were largely folk with some for of physical disability or learning difficulty (or both) and they are vocal and angry. The cuts to support, to mobility allowance and to others services are hurting …
Feb
10
Budget day today. I hear that there are around 12 delegations booked to speak. Its going to be a long meeting. There will be much talk today about numbers and costs and value and cuts. All of these have their place but a budget is much more than numbers and costs. It has to be …
Feb
03
The rammy over the ConDem plan to sell off the nations forests is illuminating for reasons others than the actual proposal. It is a classic example of how all of politics is about how we feel. That’s not to say our political choices are irrational, but they are at heart driven by our emotional response …
Feb
02
Three random but yet connected events… The Condems claim is that their tax increases will add to the tax bills of 750,000 higher rate tax payers, implying that they are the ones who can afford to pay. Yet it is those on the lower end of that spectrum that will pay, not the richer ones. …
Jan
24
100 days to go. It’s not long at all until Scotland will again make its choice about the next stage in its journey as a nation. On the doors today I was asked not once but twice why I had chosen to stand for the parliament. The answer is both complex and straightforward. Fundamentally, this …
Scottish Labour News