This blog was established while Hugh Henry was a Member of the Scottish Parliament.

As the Scottish Parliament has now been dissolved there are no Members of the Scottish Parliament until after the election of 5th. May 2011

Paisley Daily Express - 15 March 2011

Election Changes

This is my last article as MSP for Paisley South. Because of boundary changes, I will be a candidate for the new seat of Renfrewshire South which covers Johnstone and Elderslie, Barrhead and Neilston, along with Linwood, Craigends, Kilbarchan Howwood and Lochwinnoch. It has been a privilege to have been the MSP for the majority of the town of Paisley since 1999. During that time I have made many friends and I have been supported by many fine people at all levels. The forthcoming elections are important for the whole of Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. The Liberal Democrats have sold their soul and are the cheer leaders for Tory attacks on ordinary people and ordinary families. Alex Salmond has reneged on promises on class sizes and dumping student debt. He has been supported by the Tories every step of the way. Locally the SNP and Liberal Democrats have made a mess of Council services. They have rewarded the top Directors with huge pay rises, while cutting terms and conditions of the lower paid. They tried to replace teachers with unqualified staff, but only the opposition of parents and teachers stopped them. The next few years are going to be difficult no matter who is elected. I hope that I will be able to continue as an MSP representing the new Renfrewshire South seat. Whatever happens there is still a need for a campaigning local paper like the Paisley Daily Express to keep politicians on their toes.

Alcohol Failure

Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond have said they will try to introduce minimum pricing of alcohol, a policy rejected by all the main opposition parties. Why has Nicola Sturgeon failed to use the powers given to her to ban discounting for alcohol? According the Scottish Government’s own study, a ban on discounting would have as much impact on problem drinking as minimum unit pricing. The legislation was passed months ago but Nicola Sturgeon has failed to act. It looks like she is more interested in political posturing rather than taking effective action.

Fuel Prices

Recent world events have pushed up the price of petrol and diesel. The Tories and the Liberal Democrats have added to the problem by hiking up VAT. This has increased prices by at least 3p per litre. Labour is calling on the Chancellor to cut the VAT rise and to look again at the fuel duty rise due in April. Ordinary families are struggling to cope with job losses, pay freezes and increases in the cost of living. It’s the right time to give people a break and I will be campaigning on this over the next few weeks.

Anti Social Behaviour

In my previous article, I pointed out that the SNP were more intent on tackling badly behaved dogs rather than badly behaved humans. I’m pleased that the Scottish Labour Leader, Iain Gray, has promised a crackdown on anti social behaviour across Scotland. I’ve had numerous complaints from constituents whose lives are being ruined by anti social behaviour. Among the new proposals are two which are badly needed in Renfrewshire. The first is a crackdown on problem neighbours. Labour wants to give Councils and Housing Associations the power to impose behaviour contracts to stop nuisance neighbours. Over the last few days I had more complaints about this from Paisley and Johnstone and I know other areas are affected. The second is a promise of new laws to force private landlords to act against anti social residents. We are seeing more and more private lets in our communities. Most landlords are responsible. The irresponsible minority allow their tenants to cause havoc, and they hide behind the rules and regulations. I want them to act on complaints about nuisance tenants not wait on formal notices. Why should the lives of decent people be ruined by a thoughtless minority?

Home Safety

I recently visited the Home Safety Scotland (HSS) display in the Scottish Parliament. Unintentional injury has a significant financial impact on the economy. It also has a human cost with the misery and grief that come from injuries in the home. In 2007/08, there were 224 deaths in Scotland and 16, 308 hospital admissions. From what I can gather, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Taking preventable measures can save lives and reduce horrific accidents. House builders can play their part by looking at design and construction. Everyone can do their bit by thinking carefully and acting responsibly. It really does make sense.

Paisley Daily Express - 1 March 2011

Solitaire Club

I was delighted to learn that the Renfrew Solitaire Club, based in Paisley, has received a grant from the Awards for All, run by the Big Lottery Fund. The club supports older, single people in this area. Living on your own can be a problem for many, particularly if they have no family close by. It’s important to keep older people active and healthy. Meeting other people is an important part of this. If you want to learn more about this club, call me on 0141 848 7361.

Window Blind Cords

In 2010, six children in the UK and Ireland died through strangulation by window blind cords. There are more than 250 million window blinds already in the UK and 25 million more are sold each year. John and Pat Astley are grandparents who have campaigned for improved safety. They funded the WindowBlindSafe project themselves. They want Government guidelines on what is safe to use and what is not. If you are worried about window blinds for your home and want to do something. You can contact the company by email at john@windowblindsafe.com

Dog ASBO’s/Human ASBO’s

Dog owners who allow their pets to become out of control in a public or private place, could be issued with a "dog control notice". Out of control dogs can be a real nuisance and can be downright dangerous if not stopped. I support action to nip the problem in the bud at an early stage. It’s right to tell irresponsible owners that they will face action if their dog runs out of control.

Let’s hope that the SNP takes a more robust attitude to this than local SNP Councillors like to ASBO’s against people who behave badly. The SNP seems to have a problem about taking action against the irresponsible minority who cause grief to the responsible majority. They don’t want to use existing powers to crackdown on youngsters who are out of control. It’s seems the SNP are prepared to tackle the dogs who cause problems but not the humans. It’s time for them to sort out their priorities.

School Transport
 

Parent power, backed by teachers has forced Renfrewshire Council to back away from its ridiculous plan to replace teachers with unqualified staff. The Director of Education refuses to apologise for his actions. What part of the word humility does he fail to understand? Derek McKay, the Leader of the Council, and David Martin, the Chief Executive won’t instruct Mr Naylor to apologise. They are failing parents with this inaction. The SNP and Liberal Democrats are hoping that the review sponsored by the SNP Government will bring back this recommendation after the election. We should be telling them to bury this once and for all.

Now that they have been forced to back down on replacing teachers, I hope the SNP and Liberal Democrats Councillors will now think again about school transport. These Councillors have forced 1, 000 children to walk up to three miles each way per day during one of the worst winters we have seen in years. There is a human cost, but also an educational one. These same Councillors won’t walk three miles themselves to Council meetings. Why should they inflict this on our children. It’s time to do the right thing and think again.

Buying Jobs
 

Many young people across Renfrewshire are finding it hard to obtain employment. The cuts being driven by the Conservative led Government are having a devastating effect on Scottish jobs. The Liberal Democrats are just nodding through whatever the Tories suggest. But not every young person in Britain is finding it hard to get a start. The latest wheeze from the Tories to fundraise for their Party, is to sell internships with top City firms. If you have the cash, your son or daughter can get work experience in the City of London. Do you have £3, 000 to spare? Your son or daughter can have an internship with CMC Markets in return for your donation to the Tory Party. £2, 500 will buy a place at hedge fund Caxton Associates. £3,500 will secure a place at Arbuthnot Latham which is a private bank. And so it goes on. This really stinks. While our sons and daughters struggle to find work, the rich are as usual buying access and privilege.