Monday 23rd June 2014

PEOPLE POWER 

The cynics will have you believe that ordinary people can’t affect change. Rather, it’s only the politicians and those at the top who have influence.

Well, last week showed that people power can make a difference.

Following pressure from campaigners Health Minister Alex Neil took a U-turn and announced that the use of Mesh implants would be suspended.

The day after, he announced that hospitals are being told to reduce the working hours of junior doctors. The move comes in response to the campaign initiated by Brain Connelly whose daughter Dr Lauren Connelly was tragically killed in a car accident as she was driving home after an arduous 12-hour night shift.

These are just some recent examples of where people power can achieve change, but there are many more.

The tireless efforts of anti-knife campaigner John Muir led to a rethink of how we approach knife crime in this country.

The local students angry about the cuts to college funding caused the government to put back some of the money it took away.

The tenants whose lives had been adversely affected by the bedroom tax banded together and forced the government to fork out the full funding to mitigate its impact.

And the determination of those suffering from rare conditions and terminal illnesses has led to a shake-up of Scotland’s drug-approval-system.

The road to change can often be a long one fraught with disappointments, but there’s no doubt that ordinary people can influence things for the better.

Indeed, it’s one of the virtues of the Scottish Parliament, that it is accessible to people from all walks of life and gives them a platform to have their voices heard. In essence, it is why devolution works.

12^th January 2011

NO CHRISTMAS CARDS FROM INVERCLYDE

The tills are ringing in the stores and in the supermarkets now the Christmas countdown is on.

Credit cards and store cards will be getting a bashing as shoppers make sure they have the perfect gift for each of their friends and family, and can all enjoy their festive break.

Well, in the Scottish Parliament, it was also spend, spend, spend for the SNP Government, even in these straightened times.

And for those of us trying to manage our budgets in the run up to Christmas, the figures are mind-boggling.

More than £60 billion pledged by the Scottish Government to be spent on infrastructure projects over the next 25 years.

And in the short-term, an additional £433 million from the UK Government is to be spent here in Scotland in the current financial year.

Inverclyde’s share? A paltry £1.5 million.

That is what Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil handed back to this community, just a fraction of the missing millions he cut from our budget earlier this year.

Crucially, where we once had certainty over future funding so they we could implement long-term plans, we now have uncertainty and vague promises about lottery
funding.

I met with the minister this week, making the case for regeneration investment in Inverclyde, so we can attract jobs, build new homes and create new leisure facilities.

I illustrated our long-term vision for the area and argued why he should invest in a community like ours, which is being disproportionately impacted by the cuts.

His response was less than adequate given the windfall his government received from Westminster, and their grand plans for the rest of the country.

Given his betrayal of our ambitious regeneration plans, the Cabinet Secretary shouldn’t anticipate too many Christmas cards from Inverclyde this year.

3^rd January 2011

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

Just when you thought the shopping chaos was finished now that Christmas is over, the Boxing Day sales are well and truly under way.

From the last-minute scrambles to get the Christmas shopping to the bargain-hunting in the sales, it is a busy period for the avid shoppers out there.

If you dread this as much as me, no matter what time of the year, you will have no doubt relied upon a helpful shop assistant for some generous advice or direction plenty of times.

While most of us are enjoying earning a well-earned break over the Christmas period, it is important that we remember all those who put in extra hours, from workers in shops to restaurants, hospitals to post offices.

With the long hours and the hustle and bustle in their stores, shop workers in particular face a challenging time to cope with demanding customers.

I spent some time with staff at Tesco recently to discuss the Freedom from Fear campaign, which seeks to protect workers from abuse.

I was shocked to learn that more than a third of workers delivering a service to the public have experienced either physical or verbal abuse in their place of work.

According to Retailers Against Crime, there has been a 78 per cent increase in against Scottish shop workers over the last three years.

These figures are unacceptable and no one should have to put up with violence, or the threat of it, while doing their job and I would support any measures to make shopping areas safer for workers and customers.

That is why I was supportive of efforts to bring forward legislation that protects workers from violence, as proposed by my colleague Hugh Henry in a private members’ bill.

Despite initially receiving cross-party support, the Scottish Government shot down the bill last week just days before Christmas.

For those hard-working shop assistants facing up to their busiest time of year, it was another slap in the face.

Monday 16^th June 2014

CASH BACK

With the clock ticking down on the Independence Referendum, it was no surprise that it dominated the headlines last week yet again. Personally, like many of you no doubt, I can’t wait for it all to be over, so we can return to normal politics and focus on the issues that matter.

One such issue which I have had a particular interest in for some time now is the Cashback for Communities Programme.

For those of you unfamiliar with the initiative, it takes the ‘ill gotten-gains of crime” recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act introduced by Labour in 2003, and puts it back into schemes, facilities and activities for young people in communities throughout Scotland.  Since its inception, it has taken over £70million out of the pockets of criminals.

During the debate on the Cashback initiative in Parliament last week, which went largely unnoticed because of the focus on the Referendum, I made the point that we need to ensure that those communities hit hardest by crime, should be the ones to benefit most from the monies recovered from criminals.

Rather than spreading the jam thinly across the country, we need to target funding to repair some of the damage that has been done to the communities that have suffered most as a result of drug dealing and other serious crime.

Despite the large sums of monies being spent by Cashback partners, despite a national evaluation of the programme being published last week, it is still unclear as to the extent to which the most deprived communities are being targeted.

Putting these reservations aside, however, the Cashback programme is a good initiative and I hope that in the future we will be able to target more criminals and recover even more money.

Monday 9th June 2014

SCOTTISH MESH SURVIVORS

Last week in Parliament, I met with constituents Claire Daisley and Linda McLaughlin.  However, this was no social visit. They were there along with their fellow campaigners to petition Parliament to suspend the use of mesh implant surgeries.

Linda had a mesh implant inserted over five years ago at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley to correct a severe form of cystitis.  Before then she described herself as a fit and healthy women with a demanding job and happy family life.

She was informed that the procedure would be quick and easy. But immediately after waking up she was in excruciating agony. Since then the pain has never gone away. She has had to undergo numerous operations and her life has never been the same since.

Linda and Claire are not the only sufferers. Indeed there are many more like them.  Complications from the procedure have ranged from crippling nerve damage, lifelong pain and mobility problems.

Another mesh survivor who appeared before the Scottish Parliament’s Petition’s Committee said she could only walk from her front door to the drive way. A further sufferer has said that she feels 30 years older as a result of the procedure and some days feels sick with pain.

In light of such harrowing cases the Cabinet Secretary for Health Alex Neil must listen to the campaigners and consider their request to suspend this procedure in Scotland until such times as we have a full and clear understanding of its benefits against its risks.

He has the perfect opportunity to make such an announcement when he appears before the Petition’s Committee in two weeks’ time. While this will be too late for survivors like Claire and Linda, it may prevent others from going through the suffering that they have had to endure.

Monday 2nd June 2014

THE REGENERATION GAME 
Finance Secretary John Swinney was in town last week. Unfortunately this was not a visit to announce new jobs or investment for Inverclyde. Rather Mr Swinney was here to talk about the referendum.

This would have come as a real disappointment to many who are all too aware of the economic challenges we face locally. One of the principal challenges is how we continue to regenerate Inverclyde.

We have been participants in the regeneration game for some time now with our partners, and indeed, we have achieved some success. Essential to that success has been the commitment of government and the financial support that they and their agencies have provided.

However, if we have been winners in the past, we are beginning to feel like losers now. And this despite the government stating that reversing economic, physical and social decline of communities where market forces alone won’t suffice is a top priority. And indeed, Mr Swinney in his previous visit to Inverclyde recognised the areas potential to attract renewable jobs and expand our tourism sector. Sadly none of this has come to pass.

If the government was serious about bringing economic growth to Inverclyde then it wouldn’t have pulled funding from the urban regeneration company, cut the local college budget and the housing budget, all of which has disproportionally impacted negatively on our community.

There is no getting away from it, long term commitment and resources from government are essential in any regeneration partnership and will ultimately decide whether Inverclyde will be a winner or a loser in the regeneration game.