One year on

Just about everyone I know has now posted on how they feel one year on, so I thought I'd jump on that bandwagon. I waited 'til today because Councillors in Glasgow didn't find out their results until the afternoon of the 4th of May.

When we left the SECC, squinting into the sunshine, we didn't know whether there would be an SNP government. We knew that our numbers in Glasgow City Council had gone up from four to twenty-two, that every candidate we had stood had made it and that was amazing enough. In the weeks and months before the election, even that had seemed unlikely - I remember my boss of the time looking at previous election results in the old wards with me and saying it was a long shot. Nevertheless, we'd all made it.

We were all in the Ben Nevis when I got a call from my dad. He was driving home from work and had just heard on the radio that we'd won the election. I went back into the pub, not quite believing and not sure whether to tell everyone in case I'd got it horribly wrong. I told them. We were all nervous. And then, in this age of instant news and global communications... the result came up on ceefax.

It's been a short year - I can't believe how quickly it's flown past. It's also been a learning curve. It's not for me to say how I'm doing, but I do hope that the people that I've helped feel that I'm making a difference for them. I'm still as excited and proud today as I was on the 4th of May 2007.

Saturday - a day to relax?

Today's been fairly productive - on the political side of things, I joined Glasgow YSI, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, and Councillor Allison Hunter for a litter pick on Walmer Crescent in Govan this morning, then headed with the YSI to the Burma rally in George Square (where, unexpectedly and excitingly, I got interviewed by the BBC news!).

After the all that entertainment, I headed off to be all domestic and go in pursuit of a settee for our new flat. As is the practice, I was listening to Off the Ball and the live football coverage all day, so didn't hear the news about Brown calling off the election til I got home and settled. The News of the World are claiming credit, but it's more likely just a case of cold feet (unless this is some stunning double bluff...).

I'm less bothered about the news personally than other bloggers will be - not least those who are selected candidates. Perhaps some in the media and Westminster village allowed themselves to get carried away by election fever, or it could be Brown's cunning plan to distract the rest of the political parties (note to self - must check for "buried" news...). However, I do think that this whole affair has really shown Brown to be weak and indecisive - particularly by allowing the election situation to snowball. The little old ladies (who I believe to be a reasonable disgruntlement indicator in society) interviewed by the BBC weren't impressed by Brown's apparent dithering, and I don't believe the anyone else will either.

Brown's indecision has also left David Cameron massive scope for attack - which he made a good stab at on his News 24 interview. This kind of thing will only help the Tories build up their support.

From the Scottish perspective, this debacle will reinforce the perception of Labour as tired and incompetent. I'm sure most activists up here will be glad not to be campaigning in the wilds of approaching winter, but I suspect that we've not yet heard the last of this election that never was.

Eve of poll

Just about to go to bed here, having spent the day delivering yet more leaflets and printing up leaflets for the polling stations.

I hope, beyond hope, that all the hard work put in by every SNP activist and candidate will be rewarded tomorrow.

C'mon voters, tell me it's time!

Long long days...

Just a quick post before I nod off - been working like crazy over the past few days. It feels as though it should be Friday, I've been up so long.

Today, I leafleted tenements (my legs nearly gave up on me this morning), inflated balloons, handed out leaflets and flags at the Forge, had lunch, did more leafleting, purchased another yellow t-shirt (an SNP girl can never have too many...), did more leafleting, and finished off the day by putting up more lamp post posters around my ward.

Surprise of the day - seeing a pigeon nesting on two wee eggs up the top of a tenement at Parkhead Cross.

Sweet moment of the day - a wee kid who kept coming back to get more wee saltires from us.

Positive campaign moment of the day - a guy shouting "'mon the SNP" as I was up the top of a ladder putting up a poster at the Barras.

Brookmyre for the SNP

I've finally gotten round to reading the print version of the Sunday Herald, and was really chuffed to read that one of my favourite authors, Christopher Brookmyre, is backing the SNP, and our arts policy.

According to the press release on the SNP website:

Christopher Brookmyre today (Sunday) welcomed the SNP's plans to invest in the arts and said:

"I am excited by the SNP's proposed tax exemption up to £15,000 because it will support all artists who succeed in selling their work, from the mainstream to the avant garde. The advantage this has over the subsidy model is that it is not subject to contentious - and frequently elitist definitions of what constitutes "art" and what is therefore deserving of public money."

Go Brookmyre! I attended a reading he did at Borders at the Fort with my brother, and have a lot of time for him - especially after he mistook my then very hairy brother for a woman! All the Brookmyre books have caused me to giggle out loud on public transport; one of them saw me through a sleepless night on a ferry; and they have brought a tear to my eye on occasions. I have forced the books on to several other people (all of whom were glad I did). Can't wait for the next one.

Motherwell and Wishaw - rise up and throw out your MSP!

The only newspaper I've had time to read this morning is the Sunday Herald. As soon as I hit the frontpage, my jaw hit the floor:

Motherwell is a pigsty, says Jack

McConnell mauls his local town centres

By Paul Hutcheon

Has he gone mad? Why would any politician, not least the First Minister of Scotland, say this about any town? Why would a politician say it about the town he has supposed to have represented for eight years?

After reading the article, and Alan Taylor's interview with the best wee numpty in the world, I was even more shocked:

"I've been fascinated by this constituency," says McConnell, taking a sip of coffee from his mug. He looks weary but relaxed, glad of a few moments respite from the campaign. Birds are loudly singing. The rustling in the undergrowth may be a grey squirrel. The bench on which we are sitting has been newly constructed by Bridget. Is there no end to her talents?

"I didn't know this area at all when I got selected in 1998 and obviously I got to know it very quickly," adds McConnell. "And there are some really striking things about it. One is the basic state of the town centres which reflects some of the mood - contemporary mood - of the local community and those two decades of decline in the 1980s and 1990s and what that did to the psychology of the place. But they also reflect careless, thoughtless decision-making in the 1960s and 1970s, about what the place would look like.

"The town centre here in Wishaw has never been properly thought through for the past 20 years. That town centre in Motherwell is a pigsty. It's dirty, it's untidy, it's ... bad planning decisions, bad architectural decisions, and it needs radical surgery. There seems to have been something wrong with the psychology of the place over 20 or 30 years."

My Grandparents live in Motherwell and in Wishaw, and I spent a lot of my formative years in both towns. To treat the towns, and the people there as some kind of social experiment and muse on them in such a detached, casual, way is appalling and insulting. To take no responsibility for the state of the place he purports to represent is shocking. It seems as though Jack has been sitting back, looking out of his office window on Wishaw Main Street and watching it all tumble down around him.

My grandparents still shop in Motherwell and in Wishaw, partly because they have little alternative. They don't have cars to go to East Kilbride or Glasgow. They have to rely on an increasingly poor bus service - when I used to stay at my Gran's in Wishaw buses would trundle past her house all the time, now it's an irregular service that doesn't run into the evenings. There are still businesses clinging on, but it seems as if every time I go, the two towns have died a little more.

Jack has been their representative for eight years. They have been represented by Labour for generations. The only thing curious about the psychology of Motherwell and Wishaw is why they keep electing Labour politicians. It's time they broke with Labour, and elected someone committed to the town - someone like Marion Fellows.

Hustings

Last night, I faced my first ever candidate hustings. A community group from the Calton part of the multi-member ward organised the event, which was well attended by locals. Almost every party standing locally (with the exceptions of the Conservatives and the Greens) came along too, so there was plenty of discussion and debate.

I was pretty nervous, I have to admit. I've spoken at conference, and to pupils from Primaries and High Schools, but this was, to me, a much bigger deal. It's one thing putting out leaflets, or speaking to people one-on-one, but making a good impression to a crowd is a much more difficult task!

The candidates were asked to speak in order of our appearance on the ballot paper (alphabetically by surname) so I was last to speak. It was a bit daunting, as the other speakers were forceful, entertaining and very enthusiastic in their speeches - as the last of seven speakers, I didn't want to be the one to put everyone to sleep! Being last did give me the opportunity to stress particular policies, and add in extra points in reaction to other speeches, and for that I was grateful.

I was really angry to see the disappointment and disillusionment folk had following their experience of years of Labour representation. A lot of them didn't expect much to change, and felt that politicians were all talk. They spoke about how their community had been neglected, and how problems like prostitution had been allowed to continue year after year. They mentioned how they hadn't been consulted, or listened to. For example, plans for a new community centre had apparently been drawn up, but people in the community hadn't been asked what they needed or wanted from the project.

Attending the event made me even more determined not to let the people of the Calton down - if they vote for me, I view that as a bond of trust. The people I've met when we've been out canvassing and leafleting have been great. I seemed to get a fairly good reaction from the people attending, and I hope that they'll vote for me. They certainly deserve much better representation than what Labour have provided so far.

Candidates for Calton (Ward 9)
BARTON, Gary - Independent
DUKE-WARDROP, Alasdair - Scottish Green Party
FULLERTON, Fiacra - Solidarity-Tommy Sheridan
GILLESPIE, Scott - Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
GRAHAM, Paul - Scottish Liberal Democrats
HOUSTON, Danny - Scottish Unionist Proudly Scottish Proudly British
MURRAY, Kenny - Scottish Socialist Party-Scrap Council Tax
REDMOND, George - Scottish Labour Party Candidate
SIMPSON, Ruth - Scottish Labour Party Candidate
THEWLISS, Alison E - Scottish National Party (SNP)

All about the leafleting!

Not much to report today, helped the Parliamentary and Council candidate John McLaughlin leaflet huge areas of Shettleston this morning and this evening. I'm knackered, but sure I'll manage to head out tomorrow and do a bit more.

Saw a few Labour leaflets (for other parts of the country), and I'm really struck by how poor they are. One had tiny, tiny print and a pretty duff picture of the candidate on the front. The other was black riso'd on red card, and was pretty hard to read as a result of the dark print. I'm not saying my offering is an outstanding production, but it has policies, a bit about me and what I'm offering, and also a survey people can send back freepost and an email address. Gotta kinda wonder what's happened to Labour - have their campaigns always been so piss-poor, or is it just that they're lacking effort as well as ideas?

Campaigning on the move

An unexpected thing happened on the way to work (for Joe) and campaigning (me!) this morning...

I was stuck in the queue of traffic coming off the Clydeside Expressway this morning, when I became aware of someone in the lane to the left of me honking their horn. I looked across, so see a woman very excitedly waving and motioning me to wind down my window. Curious, I obliged.

Excitable lady: "Have you got any stickers?!"
Me (not long out of bed, confused by being harassed in a traffic jam for reasons unrelated to my driving): "Stickers?"
Lady: "Yes, SNP stickers!!!" (points in the general direction of my rear window)
Me: "Ummm, yes I do! Hang on!" (cue rummaging among the mass of leaflets, SNP poly bags, maps, rubber bands and general detritus in my back seat. Inside the glorious SNP super-clipboard I come up with the goods. Then, some Speed-like manoeuvring to bring our cars together; I gave the sticker to Joe, straining out of his seat, he stretched out the window and passed it to her.)
Lady (clearly chuffed to the gutties): Thanks! It's really time this time!!!

And off she drove. Not sure what the other drivers waiting for the traffic lights at the end of the Expressway made of all of this, but it made my day! Anyone else looking for a sticker, feel free to flag me down...

Progress, of a sort

Progress to report from the weekend's campaigning - only one person swore at me outside Parkhead Forge on Saturday!

We were giving out the party's excellent "ready reckoner" for Local Income Tax, which seemed to be pretty well received. The sun was shining too, so I think that helped put potential voters in a better mood. Here's hoping the weather holds 'til the 3rd of May!

Closer and Closer

I've been having a bit of a stress the past few days - it seems like hours are slipping away as if they were minutes! I've been printing and delivering leaflets, campaigning at locations around the East End of Glasgow and in the City Centre, and trying to get some food in between times - I didn't have dinner til about 11pm last night!

Work on covering "my" ward is progressing well - I was very grateful last night to have a hand leafleting from a friend from Aberdeen. With his help, we got a nice chunk of the ward done, and I completed some more on my own this morning. With all this running up and down tenement stairs, I should be thin as a rake by the 4th of May! Gyms? Who needs them?!

With all the campaigning, it's even been hard to keep up with the news - I'm getting most of my information over the radio these days as I zoom about. It seems as though everything is really kicking off election-wise in Glasgow. Posters are going up, the SNP are opening rooms around the city, Labour appear to be camping out in a shop below my flat (as anonymously as possible, with shutters down!), and I was even accosted by an SSP member on my way out this morning! Right, back to the printing...

Returned from the North East

Blogging was temporarily suspended due to my participation in the SNP's Youth and Student wings' campaign trip to the North East. I hope now to be able to direct all my attentions to working in Glasgow for the next four weeks, so normal service should be resumed!

Our whistlestop tour of Aberdeen North, Aberdeen Central, Gordon, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Dundee East and Dundee West has given a boost to all those SNP campaigns. It's nice to be able to help, and our assistance seemed to be appreciated. My very huge and grateful thanks go out to those who lavished hospitality on us - you know who you are and we will love you forever!

Some of our number have a well earned drink after a long day campaigning!

Tha an t-àm ann!

Apologies to those who read this blog for the lack of updates lately - I've been very busy this week campaigning in the Western Isles.

The Scottish Parliamentary candidate for the Western Isles, Alasdair Allan, invited members of the Youth and Student wings of the SNP to come up to help his campaign, and a few of us (most people being very busy with their own campaigns) obliged. We weren't sure what to expect, but we were made very welcome and were very kindly put up in a lovely house in Back. From the reception we got from the people we met while leafleting in Stornoway, we should be on to a good one here.

I'd never really thought about visiting the Western Isles before; one of the truly great things about being part of the YSI is the opportunity to travel around Scotland and see the places I wouldn't normally get to. In case people outside of the SNP are wondering - we don't get paid to do this, although sometimes cakes are provided!

I really enjoyed the trip - although we worked hard (I have the blisters to prove it!), the scenery was so beautiful, the weather so unseasonably warm, and the people so welcoming, it feels as though I've been on holiday. I'm definitely going to go back, and I'd recommend a visit to anyone.

The SNP can't be bought

Several people have already blogged about Brian Souter's donation of £500,000 to the SNP this weekend. Some in the press have implied that this means the SNP's loyalty can be bought or our policies influenced.

Call me naive, but I don't believe that the SNP would ever go down a route which allowed the size of someone's cheque book to undermine the internal democracy of the party. We have never had wealthy people falling over themselves to donate, perhaps we have no equivalent to the honours and influence that Labour and the Tories can bestow. We want people to come to us for the right reasons, and we've been selective about who gives us money - as Al Fayed found only last year. The only reason I'm comfortable with taking Souter's money is that I don't believe it will buy him any influence.

Last year, the YSI put forward a motion to annual Conference on bus re-regulation which was passed by acclaim. It read:

The SNP recognises the failures of bus deregulation across Scotland and reiterates its support for re-regulation of Scotland's buses. Since deregulation, passenger numbers have fallen and many essential services on less profitable routes have been cut.

A system of re-regulation will aim to simplify ticketing, halt the system of several companies competing for passengers on the same route and increase overall passenger numbers.

The SNP calls for an integrated public transport system for all modes of public transport in Scotland which will reverse the trends of deregulation – ultimately providing a world-leading and affordable transport system for Scotland's people and tourists alike.

I don't know what Brian Souter thinks of that; I don't know whether he's even an SNP member, but if he wanted to change the policy, the idea would have to come through the party. That brake on the power of wealthy donors is something which I am glad exists, and will always fight to protect (even if I have to write to The Herald).

Conference

SNP Conference was good. It was very very good. Policies outlined, inspirational speeches made, funds raised, spirits lifted for the final weeks to come. The YSI gained some keen new members and I got to catch up with folk I hadn't seen for a while.

More importantly, SNP spokespeople outlined the policies for government. Proper, sensible, forward thinking plans that will work and will improve people's lives.

The plans by the other parties don't compare - just this morning, in the Scotsman McConnell criticised the SNP's plans. His bright new shiny idea? Something different, inspired? An education bill.

"He (McConnell) simply stated what Labour would do in its first 100 days in office: introduce an education bill to improve the chances of children across Scotland.

He stressed the contrast: claiming the SNP would spend its first 100 days sparking disputes with Westminster while Labour would spend its first 100 days putting together a package for Scotland's children. Mr McConnell said this would take the form of a bill to create skills academies to provide more vocational training and make sure all 16-year-olds were given full-time formal education until the age of 18, to best suit their needs."

Aside from the fact that secondary teachers like my mum feel that "skills academies" are insulting and most likely unworkable, McConnell has had some eight years to come up with this bright idea. He used to be the Education Minister! If this idea is so wonderful and important now, why hasn't he introduced it already?!

This statement, however, was not my favourite part of the article. That would be when McConnell claimed that

"the SNP would get into rows for the sake of independence, not the good of Scotland"

Hmmm, I think he misses the point. Independence is for the good of Scotland, and everyone who lives here. For the sake of Scotland, we want independence!

Where's Jack?

Question Time last night was pretty revealing - while the SNP, Lib Dems and Conservatives put up their Scottish Party Leaders, Labour could only muster George Foulkes. Yes, the unelected peer. He's had nothing really to do with Scottish politics of late, other than he's standing on the Lothian List in May, and is vice chair of Labour's Scottish election campaign. If his performance last night is anything to go by, Labour folk ought to be very worried... his best moment? Why, I think that was when he joined the Lib Dems in accusing the SNP of xenophobia.

Notable by his absence was the First Minister Jack McConnell. Apparently, McConnell has now refused six opportunities to debate with Alex Salmond, and fifteen opportunities to appear on Question Time. There can't be any other explanation - Jack McConnell's feart and quite possibly hiding behind the sofa.

Coincidence?

I wouldn't like to appear cynical or paranoid, but is it just a coincidence that Blair has announced that UK troop numbers in Iraq are to be cut in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections?

The BBC states that:

Prime Minister Tony Blair has confirmed that 1,600 British troops will return from Iraq within the next few months.

Mr Blair told MPs the 7,100 serving troops would be cut to 5,500 shortly, with hopes that another 500 could leave by the end of summer.

Could it be that perhaps all operations are being scaled down? Nope, because

The proposed cut in numbers of British troops comes at the same time as 21,500 more US troops are being sent to Iraq.

I'm fairly cheesed off that decisions like this could be taken so lightly, but then again, I wouldn't put anything Blair and his cronies.

Ochil Campaigning

The SNP's Youth and Student wings descended on Ochil on Saturday for some campaigning. It went really well, and we got a lot of ground covered. According to Cllr. Keith Brown we also managed to run across no less than five Labour Councillors from the area - including the Clackmannanshire Provost Derek Stewart (pictured) - none of whom were out on the stump campaigning.

We finished off the day at the Tillicoutry Burns Supper, where we were entertained by a number of speakers and made very welcome.

Although the purpose of these workdays is to further the cause of independence and to boost the SNP's chances in the upcoming elections, I always relish the chance to meet new people and see new places. And, as I've explained to the incredulity of my family and friends, we don't get paid for it (or get travel expenses Dad!).

Some of the members of the YSI and FSN get ready to party after campaigning!