Election 2021: Labour candidate sets out his vision for Aberdeenshire East
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Every election is a critical point of decision but this one feels like it matters even more.
We have more divisions in our society than we did a decade ago; bigger gaps between rich and poor; educational achievement increasingly based on where you are from not ability or potential; a loss of economic security and uncertainty about what might replace it; and a steady, if too slow, realisation the climate is changing and we must act to protect it.
Over the past 10 years I have run my own small business and helped it grow despite turbulent times.
I have seen my eldest daughter start school and then learn from home during the end of her first year at primary school and much of her second.
I have seen my youngest daughter forget what her grandparents look like, with Zoom calls a pale, if still welcome, substitute.
Tackling those challenges, the global ones about what happens next and the ones that affect us individually, are why I want to be your next MSP.
I want my children to have opportunities to learn, grow and thrive to meet their ambitions.
I want small businesses that follow the rules, pay their taxes, treat staff well and are given the tools they need to succeed playing a vital role in local economies.
To achieve this, we have to work together and know that there is much more that unites us than divides us.
We need more than a safety net.
We need a community that truly is for everyone.
A suitable and safe home for everyone, equal access to health care and educational opportunities, fair pay and conditions at work and a society that ensures no-one goes hungry.
We have to make sure young people have job and career opportunities that allow them to stay in Aberdeenshire.
That means supporting schools and colleges and businesses in towns, villages and the agriculture sector.
Those are the foundations of the society I want to help create and be a part of.
The Scottish Labour Party is the only party that wants to spend the next Parliament focussed solely on delivering a National Recovery Plan.
Wouldn’t it be better if that was the story of the next four years, real change, not more of the same old arguments?
If you agree, then please Vote Labour on your constituency and regional vote on May 6.
