Monday 2^nd August 2010

UNFAIRLY TARGETED

The battle for better rights for people with disabilities has made significant progress.

The Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 was a landmark piece of legislation which, amongst other

things, ensured adaptations were made to public buildings to allow wheelchair access.

 More recently, the ‘Barred’ campaign resulted in new laws which ensured better access to pubs and clubs.

And I was proud to play my part as a committee convener when the Disabled Parking Bill was being scrutinised and passed by the Scottish Parliament.

Under these changes, disabled parking bays went from being advisory to enforceable and meant fines for those taking up disabled spaces without a blue badge.

Taking a disabled space when you are not eligible is unacceptable and I am glad that blue badge holders are starting to get the benefit of this.

But there is still much more that has to be done and an unwelcome setback has now emerged.

The latest proposals from the Scottish Government are aimed at those who have a blue badge but aren’t really eligible for them.

To weed these people out, they want to force blue badge holders to undergo independent medial assessment.

Understandably, these plans have met fierce criticism from disability rights groups, who feel they are being unfairly targeted.

I firmly believe there has to be a system of checks and balances to ensure this scheme isn’t abused by people who like the idea of convenient parking.

I want to see those people caught and punished appropriately.

But asking disabled people to prove their eligibility is a step too far and I will be strongly opposing these measures.

While it is important that we make this scheme work, we shouldn’t punish those we are supposed to be helping.

19^th July 2010

HEAVY WEATHER

The only consistent thing about Scottish summertime is its inconsistency.

A pleasant walk along the Esplanade, taking in our beautiful view over a sun-drenched river Clyde, can soon into a disaster when the wind and rain quickly appear from nowhere.

I am sure I am not the only one been caught out by the ever-changeable weather that frustrates us all.

I suppose we should be grateful for the days of sunshine we have had and be thankful we have a few mild months left before winter sets in.

The dry and mild weather can be blessing aswell for the household budget, with heating bills a little lower during the summer months.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking at ways to save where we can and taking advantage of discounts out there.

Dealing with utility companies can sometime be frustrating at time and it can often feel like fighting a losing battle.

But there are signs that consumer pressure is winning through, particularly given the new rules on billing that came into force this week.

From December on, gas and electricity statements will include each householder’s current energy plan, yearly consumption and predicted bill.

Under the new rules, energy companies will also be forced to include comparisons with other deals offered, any discounts that are available and advice on how to change supplier.

Rather than being an annual reminder of how much you have spent, it should act as a spur to make sure they are getting the cheapest price they can for

Money-saving experts estimate that some people could save more than £200 a year.

It may not make the weather any nicer this summer but the savings could go to a welcome break in the sun next year.

Monday 12^th July 2010

WIELDING THE AXE

 The Con-Dem coalition cuts were supposed to be put off until next year, we were promised.

But it doesn’t feel like that for those of us who are concerned about health services in Inverclyde.

This week, the Royal College of Nursing revealed the NHS in Scotland faces £250 million worth of cuts in this financial year.

For us locally, the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board has to find savings of £54 million and cut more than 550 nursing and midwifery posts.

If this is what we have to face up to when Scotland’s enjoys its biggest settlement since devolution, God save us next year when George Osborne’s takes his axe to our budgets

Yet the health secretary Nicola Sturgeon repeated her claims this week that she can do all this without cutting frontline services, forcing compulsory redundancies or impacting patient care

It is barely credible and it is time she came clean with the public about what she is planning.

We already know that midwife numbers are being cut, putting our maternity services under threat.

And we now know surgical beds are being lost at the Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

The centralisation agenda we resisted so effectively as a community is now looming ominously over us again.

Make no mistake; this is the biggest test of the cabinet secretary’s political career.

She must accept her responsibility that local services and patient care cannot be allow to fall under the axe, whoever wields it.

If the health secretary fails, there will be consequences for us all and it will more than just her reputation which suffers.

Monday 5^th July 2010

NOT IF BUT WHEN

This won’t go away.

That was my pledge to the scores of campaigners who made it through to Edinburgh to watch the Damian’s Law amendment being debated in the Scottish Parliament.

Although we lost the vote by the tightest of margins, there is no doubt that we won the popular argument.

Those campaigners truly believed they could achieve political change from the ground up and my message to them would echo Barack Obama’s famous slogan – yes we can.

After all, this started with one ordinary man dealing with the tragic and senseless loss of his son by starting a petition for tough action on crime.

John Muir’s petition had people queuing up in the streets to sign up and it led to a summit in the Scottish Parliament, found the backing of the justice committee and came to a vote in the chamber this week.

Only two votes prevented us from achieving an extraordinary result.

It is an amazing story but one which is far from finished and the fight continues.

The Scottish Government in Edinburgh this week prevented us from taking action that would make our communities safer.

In fact, they didn’t even attempt to meet us halfway and by the end of the day they had actually made the situation worse by abolishing short prison terms in favour of community service.

This will not inspire confidence among people who have genuine fears that the perceived rights of a criminal minority are more important than those of the innocent majority.

John Muir has given a voice to those communities across Scotland and I am confident people power will win the day.