PEEK show

I was glad to go along to the PEEK AGM and show on Thursday night. Whatever they happen to be doing, PEEK are very professional, and this show was no different.

Held at the Bridge in Easterhouse, the junior and senior theatre groups wowed with their productions of storybook tales and The Red Shoes. The younger children were bright, enthusiastic, and oh-so-cute acting out Going on a Bear Hunt, but the seniors really did take my breath away; different girls played the lead character, Karen, through her journey, but the quality of each was top notch. There were no words spoken by the cast during their performance, but you could see every emotion expressed quite clearly.

Some of those taking part in the show have now been involved in PEEK for several years, and are going on to pastures new - I'd like to wish them all the best.

I hope that PEEK get the chance to take their performances to other audiences - they really were so good, it's a shame to keep it to themselves!

Youth Bank

I attended an event on Monday night to promote the Glasgow East Youth Bank. The Youth Bank is run by young people, for young people - groups can apply for small sums of money for equipment, trips, coaching, hall hire and much much more.

The project started in the Easterhouse area, but now covers the whole of the East End, including my ward. The decisions on who gets funding for what get made by a group of young Grant Makers - a great way of getting young people to understand the difficulties involved in decision making, and encouraging responsibility and accountability to their communties.

Linda, who runs the project is really enthusiastic and keen to see more young people taking up the grants, and getting involved as Grant Makers.

The money's there itching to be spent - what are you waiting for?!

The contact details for Youth Bank are as follows:

Linda McGlynn
Young Movers (YOMO)
Youth Bank Coordinator

0141 778 7181

linda@geyouthbank.org.uk

Save the Children Offices

647 Shettleston Road,
Glasgow G32 7EH

Tir Conaill Harps

I had the pleasure of being invited along to the Tir Conaill Harps Awards Dinner on Saturday night.

The Harps run lots of activities for young people, including gaelic football, hurling, camogie, women's shinty and ladies gaelic football. They also run exchange trips to Ireland for young people from Glasgow. I've attended an event in the past where some of the young people involved have spoken about their experiences, and I know they got a lot out of it. Mainstream sports like football aren't for everyone, and it's clear that a bit of variety and the chance to try something different really has an appeal; it also has the benefit of getting young people to participate in exercise.

It was inspiring to hear about their work over the past year, and to join in celebrating the success of committed coaches, teams and young people. We were also given a demonstration of Irish dancing by some prizewinners from the recent Championships held in Glasgow. I'm very grateful for the warmth with which I was welcomed, and thank Tommy Main and all involved for having me along.

The Harps minibus and the sports equipment stored inside was recently set on fire, and they have been fundraising hard to obtain replacements. If you'd like to help with the appeal, please contact the Harps through their website linked to above.

Labour in Epic Fail

Just got this amusing press release through in my google reader feed, and couldn't help but chuckle. Labour representing the facebook generation? Not in my experience! You only need look around the City Chambers to see that the younger generation are poorly represented in the Labour party.

According to analysis from the Electoral Reform Society, pre-2007 in Scotland

"average age of a councillor was 55 and there was only one councillor under the age of 30"

Just one! The 2007 elections had a significant impact on this:

"the number of councillors aged below 30 has risen to 28, of whom three were 18–21-year-olds taking advantage of the reduction in the age of candidature for these elections (in Aberdeen, Inverclyde and Moray)"

A substantial majority of these young people are SNP. There's a reason of course why the SNP did better out of this - the establishment Labour party Councillors weren't going to give up their cushy seats for some upstart young people. It's simply harder to get your foot in the door in these circumstances. A lot of the Labour MPs who are retiring or being deselected are older, so it makes it a wee bit easier for younger people to get selected; despite this, the party remains pretty old, male and white.

The SNP put their faith in younger candidates - David McDonald, Jennifer Dunn and me in Glasgow, David Beckett in Edinburgh, John and Kirsty West and Mark McDonald in Aberdeen, Gary Coull in Moray, and others right across the country (I'm sure I had a list at some point!) .We've repaid that trust and learned fast, but by and large most people are still surprised to find out that you're a Councillor and not an older, white man!

The SNP's younger representatives in the Scottish Parliament, Aileen Campbell and Jamie Hepburn have also proved great examples of youth, enthusiasm, and hard work.

The SNP have always done well in mock elections, so it's no surprise that we won so many in Aberdeenshire. I believe young people 'get' independence: you don't want to be able to earn your own money, make your way in the world, and be taken seriously. Responsibility and experience come with taking control of your life and making decisions, rightly or wrongly. That applies readily to national self-determination. The SNP's progressive policies and support for the anti-nuclear movement are also attractive to people starting out in the world.

Labour offer a vision (if indeed you can call it that) of dependence, doing things the way they have always been done. They are partly to blame for the cynicsm and disenfranchisement of young people today, through policies which demonise and segregate.

The SNP, and the independence cause, is gathering bright, enthusiastic, talented young Scots. There are more and more young people about in the party, and I'm always glad to see so many new faces at every conference. Young people in the SNP are listened to and respected for their hard work and what they can bring to the party. I'm incredibly proud of the work the YSI does in going out campaigning and encouraging more young people to think about Scotland's future.

Young Scots for Independence mocked Jim Murphy’s attempts to get hip and down with it:-

“Since when did the Facebook generation support the illegal war in Iraq? or ID cards? or Trident? Labour are out of touch with Scotland and in particular, Scotland’s youth. If anything, Labour are running scared of the Facebook generation, scared that they may have enough belief in Scotland to support independence.

“Labour’s attempts to court young people in Scotland have been an epic fail. It is under the SNP that we are seeing record apprenticeships, more college places and more investment in youth-services. It is the SNP who care about young people, and it is only with SNP MPs that we can block cuts to the services young people cherish.

“While Jim Murphy feuters away time faffing about on Facebook and Twitter, the SNP Government is working hard for young Scots. While Jim Murphy is busy tweeting, the Scottish Government has increased collage places by 4,000. While Jim Murphy updates his Facebook status, the SNP has created tens of thousands of apprenticeships, investing in the future of our Facebook generation. All the Scotland Office is done is talk Scotland down and acted as a Labour campaign office - I'm sure the taxpayer would rather the best part of £10 million a year be spent on supporting Scotland’s economy.

“Young people don’t need pandering, they need action, and Jim Murphy is taking none of that. It’s time to seriously look at the usefulness of his office, and ask if the money spent on Murphy’s tweeting and facebooking can be better invested in frontline services.”

On the beat

I'm very grateful to Inspector Gormlie and the officers of the Calton Community Policing team, who allowed me to accompany them on shift for four hours on Saturday night.

I'd asked to go along to get an insight into the issues they face, and how they deal with the problems reported to them by constituents. The team is sizable, and there are always community police officers out on patrol; as I found out though, the team use their resources wisely to ensure that the area is well-covered and they can react to changing circumstances.

I joined the team at their briefing before they headed out. Six officers were to head out in the police minibus to add to those already out on patrol. The Sergeant ran through the impact earlier incidents that day could have on the evening's shift, relayed information on individuals who were known to be in the area with the potential to cause trouble, and officers in return shared intelligence which they felt the team should be aware of. They knew their localities well, and knew who they should be looking out for.

We headed out to the minibus, and started by going round areas where people were known to congregate to drink and cause trouble. Checks were done to see if people had been there already, and any discarded bottles removed. We went to the Calton burial ground on Abercromby Street, Tullis Street memorial gardens, and went through Glasgow Green.

On heading up the Saltmarket, the sharp-eyed Sergeant spotted a group of teenagers hanging about a shop doorway - the van drew up, and almost instantly the officers were fining them for urinating (despite protests, the puddle around one guy's feet and the action of doing up his fly as we stopped gave him away!) and drinking in the street. A nearly empty bottle of MD 20/20 was confiscated, and the group was asked to split up and head home.

The six officers briefly split into twos to deal with a couple of other issues - a noisy group heading back into a close with a carry-out were asked to respect their neighbours, and a fight which looked like kicking off between smokers outside a pub was calmed. Two officers popped into another pub to gauge the mood and make their presence felt. Then it was back in the bus, and off to support officers in another part of the ward.

Calls came in on the radio steadily - groups of people drinking and sitting on parked cars, possible sighting of drug dealers, vandalism in closes, and a missing person spotted. Some of these were picked up locally, some the team went along to support. It makes quite an impact, especially when dealing with groups.

I'm a bit concerned by the notion that police are seen to be cracking down on groups of young people - but I also see the point of view of residents, who don't want groups of a dozen teenagers mucking about under their window or making them feel intimidated walking along the street. It's a difficult balance, and as far as I could see, the intentions of the officers I was out with were good. They wanted to keep the young people from getting into trouble; they knew from experience that fights could break out, and that some of them were likely to be putting themselves at risk. Most of the group seemed to accept the police advice, and looked to be heading home, although the police were keeping a close eye on the ringleaders.

More worrying was the group of girls who we picked up at around nine o'clock. They were under sixteen, and had been arrested many times for vandalism and violence; they had absolutely no notion of the consequences of their actions, and were instantly verbally abusive to the officers. The benefit of the doubt was quickly expended, and the police were certain that if the girls were allowed to go on their way, malevolence would ensue. As I was dropped off at the end of my time, the girls were attempting to bite the officers supervising them on their way to the cells.

I'm still struggling to disentangle the implications of what I saw, and I'm really not sure how as a society we deal with people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

I do, however, feel quite reassured that if a constituent calls the police on a Saturday night, the team will do their utmost to respond. The Community officers knew their areas well; the risks, the people, the hidey-holes. The numbers of police available meant that they were on top of the calls, and the support of the officers in the minibus added extra flexibility.

I hope to be able to join the team again at some point in the future; it was very interesting, and I can't thank them enough for letting me tag along.

More police on the beat, fewer crimes

Good news today on police numbers in Scotland; new figures show that the SNP Government has surpassed its manifesto commitment to increase police numbers by 1000.

At the end of 2009 there were 17,273 police officers in Scotland – 1039 more than when the SNP came to power, and 1272 more than in 2005. This record number is reflected in the Community Police in my own ward, who have been popping into my surgeries to say hello and keep me updated on what's been going on. There are a lot of faces and names to remember! They now cover smaller geographical areas, and are getting about on foot and on bikes to see and be seen.

It's not just my ward that's been so well covered - every single Police Force area in Scotland has seen an increase in the number of police officers. This is due to record funding for police recruitment under the SNP, and has helped crime rates hit a 30 year low.

I suppose in this context, the news yesterday that youth offending in Glasgow has dropped by almost a third in the past two years shouldn't be a surprise. Glasgow's Youth Justice Strategy Group has been diligently working away all the while when Labour have been screeching and fudging. The Intensive Monitoring and Support Service is an alternative to jail for young people, and re-directs them from a life blighted by a cycle of re-offending, anti-social behaviour and crime.

According to the Evening Times:

The number of under 18s in Glasgow identified by Strathclyde Police as having committed an offence last year:

Attempted murder, serious assault, robbery, threats – 343 (down 11%)

Indecency – 39 (down 35%)

Housebreaking, theft, fraud, other dishonesty – 1541 (up 3%)

Fire raising, vandalism, malicious mischief – 1209 (down 15%)

Possession of offensive weapon, knife carrying, drugs offences – 2476 (down 17%)

Petty assault, breach of the peace, consuming alcohol – 6782 (down 5%)

Driving offences – 396 (down 20%)

Total – 12,786 (down 9%)

Yes, that's right - instances of young people carrying an offensive weapon or getting involved in drugs are down a massive 17%. Coupled with the work being done by CIRV, I think that should be commended, and Labour should be ashamed at their opportunistic scaremongering. Of course there's still a lot to be done, but the figures show real progress. Well done to all involved.

Fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun...

I was moved to post on this by Yousuf's rather one-sided political polemic on tennis courts. Of course it would be nice to have loads of local facilities available at low or no cost. The reality is that there is a cost in providing services, and most likely this cost would be met by Councils, not the Scottish Government. I'm not going to defend any Council's record, but a bit of understanding that "free to use" does not mean "cost-free" would be helpful.

On a slightly more political slant, I would point out that Labour have an abysmal record in selling off playing fields and pitches across the country. In Glasgow, the cost of hiring facilities in PFI schools is prohibitive to many community groups. The need for form filling and applications for funding also puts off informal users. There are pitches all over the city in disrepair due to lack of maintence over the years.

I hate to go to a in my day type rant, but I spent huge chunks of my summer climbing trees, playing with friends, exploring, and injuring myself in new and creative ways (concussion and hospitalisation from falling from the monkey bars being a particular high point). There was no tennis, no swimming pool in my town (it got built mid-high school), and where I lived was miles away from the fairly limited sports centre the town had. It sounds archaic, but we made our own fun.

The spirit of this seems to be alive and well in the children in my street who, after finding chalk inadequate, have gotten hold of some masking tape and lined themselves a tennis court. I'm very impressed! It's gotten a wee bit squint since the bin lorry ran over it this morning, but you get the point.

Grampa Simpson style rant over, there are loads of organised activities going on in the East End of Glasgow, provided by a number of organisations funded in a multitude of ways. The East End Youth Network has a programme of events, with all manner of sports and arts activities for young people. The organisations involved have worked really hard to put together programmes of events, so there's always something to do! I wish I was still young enough to take part, but I hope as many young people as possible take up the opportunities open to them this summer.

MSYP election hustings

On Tuesday evening, I dropped into the Fuse Youth cafe to watch the Scottish Youth Parliament election hustings for the Baillieston and Shettleston areas.

I know from speaking to former MSYPs that the Scottish Youth Parliament isn't everyone's cup of tea (due to their inclination to stay away from partisan politics) but for young people interested in politics generally, it's certainly a good learning experience.

The candidates were given two minutes to introduce themselves, and then took pre-arranged questions from the floor. I was really impressed by how confident they were, and how passionately they spoke about the issues they face. I'm sure many of them will go far. In a political world dominated by old, white men, they were a real breath of fresh air. There was a great turnout too, and it gave me hope for the future. I wish all the candidates the best of luck.

Getting involved in politics can be daunting. When I was at school, I often felt like I was the only person interested in politics, and it can seem a bit geeky. Not many teenagers want to stay in and watch Question Time and Newsnight! I joined the SNP while I was still at school, but I didn't get properly active until I reached university in Aberdeen. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't had that option; I'm certain I'd be in the SNP, but the rest of my life would probably look very different.

I didn't join Young Scots for Independence until after I left uni, but once I did, I didn't look back! I owe a great deal to Aileen, Jamie and David McDonald, and I'm very proud to have played my small part in building up the YSI as a real way for young people to get involved in the SNP and learn the ropes. I am very glad to see more and more young people getting up at conference and putting their points across in such a thoughtful and compelling way. They seem much more confident than I was (I still get incredibly nervous!) and they can hold their own in debate. More importantly, they're dedicated campaigners, and understand the importance of taking to the streets.

I know that these days the very thought of politics is enough to make people throw their tv out the window, but perhaps a new generation is what's needed to clean up our political system. The people coming up behind me can see the problems, and I hope they will be able to make change happen.

Fire!

I've blogged before on various matters relating to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, and was recently switched from being a substitute member of the Fire and Rescue Board to being a 'fishel member. I enjoyed participating in the meetings I attended as a sub, so I was happy to take the opportunity when it arose.

I went with a couple of Fire Board members to visit the site of the new training centre at Clydesmill Industrial Estate the other week, and was impressed by the scale of the development. The training centre should be a great asset to SFR (and hopefully wider!), and I hope it will be a success. The facilities aims to be as realistic as possible to give firefighters the best possible training. There will also be an academic block to allow for seminars and conferences.

It's a large site, and will also house the merged Cambuslang-Parkhead station. I noticed on the visit that you can actually see the current Cambuslang station from the site - obviously Parkhead is a wee bit further away. Hmm. One of the Councillors on the trip seemed to be trying to bait me on the issue. I accept the Fire Board voted against retaining Parkhead, but that doesn't mean I concede the argument.


On a much happier note, I visited North East Area Headquarters in the Calton and got to see the award winning Firereach programme in action. This aims to break down barriers between young people and fire fighters, allowing them to learn about the dangers of fire while having a bit of fun training with fire crews. It started in Easterhouse as a means to deal with fire hydrant vandalism and anti-social behaviour, and has snowballed due to the hard work of some very dedicated firefighters.

When I visited on Friday, third year pupils from St Mungo's were taking part in fire hose drills and fire and rescue simulation activities in Kilbirnie House. They certainly looked like they were getting a lot out of it. I sat in on two of the boys completing a 'rescue' in the cage room - they had to work together to negotiate their way around a two storey cage structure in the pitch dark wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatus. It's a great way of encouraging teamwork and communication, and I was impressed by the serious way the young people treated the exercise. It's certainly a good way of instilling respect for the dangerous work carried out by firefighters. Check out the video below!

SNP Conference Roundup

SNP Conference was quite a busy one for me in my final turn as Convener of Young Scots for Independence. I have turned 26, and therefore have to retire at the YSI's conference next month.

Preparations started early in the week with a marathon baking session of millionaire shortbread, fairy cakes and brownies to sell on our stall. Wednesday evening and Thursday morning were spent in Glenrothes, and conference proper started with the traditional smile and clap welcome to our First Minister on Thursday afternoon.

Young Scots for Independence had a number of resolutions on the agenda, including one on destitution and asylum seekers, a constitutional amendment to move the SNP membership age from 16 to 14 and, the thing that most journos had picked up on, an amendment to a resolution on the Scottish Government's consultation on alcohol.

Bailie David McDonald spoke passionately moving the asylum seeker resolution, followed by equally enlightening speeches by Bob Doris MSP and Anne McLaughlin. Our amendment to the constitution unfortunately failed but not without a fight by Alex MacLeod, a (stylish) 16 year old former Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, who stood up to the onslaught of party stalwarts Lachie McNeill and Gerry Fisher.

And so to the alcohol resolution. The YSI fought the good fight and lost. I was quite nervous and I wasn't particularly pleased with my own speech in the end, but I thought the other speakers in the debate spoke very well. I wasn't aware that I was being watched even when I wasn't speaking - but according to the Scotsman my tense worried face predicted the outcome! The debate itself was mature, interesting, considered; something the party should be very proud of. I know there were many many people who wanted to speak that the constraints of time didn't allow, and many of them spoke to me afterwards. Thanks all! I was proud of the support the YSI had from delegates, and feel that even though the Minister for Public Health didn't agree, she did respect our participation in the wider debate:

"The Young Scots for Independence have gone about this the right way, by responding to the consultation, in stark contrast to the opposition parties, who carp from the sidelines and couldn't even respond to the consultation."

Other highlights and stresses of conference included Friday night's infamous YSI karaoke (this year subtitled "if you can't sing it, wing it!") which raised the roof an a fair bit of cash to sustain the youth wing and the student wing over the year to come. Huge thanks go to Alyn Smith MEP, and to Christine Grahame MSP for her winning bid for the framed Glasgow East campaign photo montage, signed by Alex Salmond and John Mason. The karaoke was expertly provided by Andi Candoo.

The YSI's fringe event on Sunday morning (the unearthly 8.30am slot) was on the topic "Young People and Driving - boy racers or responsible road users". We've had internal YSI discussions on what could be done to reduce the number of young people killed and injured on Scotland's roads, and we felt it was time to air this wider. We had a good turn out and were delighted to have Stewart Stevenson MSP, whose Ministerial portfolio includes Road Safety, and Chief Superintendent Michael McCormick from ACPOS to present their views on the matter. There was no doubt from the statistics presented that young drivers are disproportionately likely to be killed on the road, and there were followed some very interesting suggestions as to how this situation should be addressed. I'm sure this is something we will be hearing more about.

I'm looking forward to Conference returning to Inverness next year, not least as I'll be able to enjoy it as a delegate, rather than the YSI Convener. It won't be the same, but I guess I'll have to live with getting older!

Drink!

Drinking is a problem. Underage drinking is a problem. But this can't be the solution. It's not the difference between 18 and 21 we should be worrying about, but those under 16 who are drinking in increasing numbers. According to Alcohol Focus Scotland:

- Less than half of 15 year olds and a third of 13 year olds report drinking alcohol in the past week.
- The number of 13 year olds drinking in the past week has doubled since 1990.

The problem of young people drinking is less of people buying alcohol underage - many shops do require ID to be shown, and I've certainly been ID'd a few times even after I passed my 21st birthday. The problem is more one of young people having access to alcohol and adults tolerating this. If someone of twelve or fourteen is drinking, someone older (a sibling, a parent, or a friend) has most likely given it to them or knows that they've been drinking. It's easy to blame the media or blame society, but in reality, it's down to responsible parenting. As long as getting drunk is endorsed or allowed by a 'responsible' adult then it will be much harder to tackle the problem of underage drinking.

The impact of alcohol on a young person is far greater than on an adult. The health consequences aren't emphasised enough in my view - the HEBS ad with the school girl drinking at a party is more about the embarrasment of the the day after the night before. That's perhaps a factor in persuading people to drink less, but if young people think it's cool to drink til they pass out that battle is already lost.

Schemes like Young Booze Busters by GEAAP are good at highlighting to young people the health impacts of drinking as well as the social aspects. GEAAP already have access to some schools in Glasgow to raise awareness, but much more needs to be done.

Buzz Off

Reading this article about mosquito devices reminded me that I've been meaning to blog on this issue for a while. I feel deeply uncomfortable about them. These devices aim to disperse young people from areas by emitting a high frequency noise only discernible to those under the age of 25. There is no means of discriminating between young people who are causing trouble, or those who are just going about their business. It affects all young people who can hear, from 25 year olds with jobs and responsibilities right down to babies

The article claims that there are more than 3,500 devices around the country (not sure if they mean the UK or England and Wales), which seems excessive. That surely means that there are 3,500 no-go areas for young people. Punishing all young people for the bad behaviour of a few is extreme and unjust.

The Children's Commissioners for England, for Scotland and Liberty have started a campaign against this, and I hope it's widely publicised and supported. I intend to write today to Kathleen Marshall to give my support, and would encourage everyone reading this to do likewise (email: Kathleen Marshall and Professor Sir Albert Aynsley-Green)

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty and a public figure I have a great deal of time for, says in the article:

"What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids"

She's completely right.

Independence on the up

I'm chuffed to be able to post with some excellent news - the TNS System 3 poll in today's Sunday Herald showing 40% of Scots would support independence.

As Convener of Young Scots for Independence, I was particularly pleased to see strong support from the younger end of the voting spectrum: 47% of 18-24 year olds and 53% of 25-34 year olds favour independence in this poll. Interestingly, 20% of 18-24 year olds have answered "don't know", the highest of any age group, so there's definitely still a lot of work for the YSI to do in the months and years ahead.

Art and Sectarianism

I attended the launch of an exhibition on sectarianism at the Gallery of Modern Art this evening. As most people will know, I don't originally come from Glasgow, and I don't support either Rangers or Celtic. I'm not much into religion either. So why the interest in the exhibition?

A part of the exhibition (on the first floor balcony if you have time to pop in) is a series of photographs taken by boys from the South Camlachie Youth Project, as part of Sense Over Sectarianism. That particular area is in my ward, and sits in the shadow of Celtic Park. I've learnt a lot about the rivalry and tribalism in the East End of Glasgow in the past few months, but I get the impression I'm only starting to scratch the surface. The SCYP and SOS are working to break down some of the barriers between people in Glasgow, and seem to be making some progress.

The youth worker who was supervising the boys told me how they've been working with Rangers and Celtic, and trying to challenge the attitudes of young people in the area. For example, they've taken the boys to tour Celtic Park and Ibrox sit in the home end of both teams during games. This seems to have been hard for some of them at first, but a bit less so over time. It would be hard to roll out to every group of kids in Glasgow, but I think more education programmes like this would be a positive step - different perceptions, breaking down barriers, changing the way people see the world - it can only help.