Paisley Daily Express - 26 March 2012

WRVS

Last week I received news of another blow to Paisley Town Centre. The WRVS Information Centre and Community Café is to close from 30 June 2012 because of the increasing financial deficit. I know the centre well and I have held a number of surgeries there. It is a welcoming environment and is a real asset to the town centre. I know how hard WRVS and the dedicated staff have worked to make the centre a success. WRVS invested a lot of money and it’s a real shame that there was not sufficient support to help keep the centre open.

This is the latest blow, coming hard on the heads of the decision by the Paisley Daily Express to move its offices to Glasgow. Despite the promises of the last few years from the Council, Paisley now has one of the worst records in Scotland for empty shops. It’s not just the people of Paisley who suffer as a result. All the neighbouring communities which I represent need a vibrant and healthy Paisley.

RAH blanket problem

My colleague Jackie Baillie MSP is Labour’s Health spokesperson in the Scottish Parliament. She also represents Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven. So when she was contacted by constituents with complaints about the lack of blankets at the RAH, she had every reason to act. Unfortunately some members of the SNP tried to make this a Party political issue and weighed in to defend the Health Board instead of standing up for their constituents. Indeed local MSP George Adam said that my colleague Jackie Baillie should apologise for making “false statements”.

Well the readers of Paisley Daily Express know who was making “false statements”, and it certainly wasn’t Jackie Baillie. Readers have spoken out about their experiences and they all back Jackie Baillie. Indeed this is just the tip of the iceberg. And it’s not just a problem about blankets. Neil Bibby, the Paisley based MSP, quizzed Alex Salmond about the experience of Maureen Leckie from Glenburn. Because no clean towels were available, Maureen had to dry herself with pillowcases.

Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour Leader was asked by George Adam to apologise for what Jackie Baillie had said. Jackie Baillie has nothing to apologise for. She was doing her job speaking up for patients at the RAH.

And above all, my thanks to the readers of the Paisley Daily Express who did us all a favour by speaking out.

SNP Tax Cover Up

Alex Salmond spent £103,000 of your money trying to keep secret his local income tax plans. Just before last year’s elections, Labour said that Alex Salmond’s tax plans would raise taxes by 4.5p in the pound to try to fill an £800 million blackhole. Alex Salmond refused to publish the details despite being ordered to by the Information Commissioner. Indeed he went to court to delay publication until after the elections. Documents now released, show that Alex Salmond and his Ministers decided just before the election to go to Court to prevent the information from being published. I am told that civil servants told Alex Salmond and his Ministers that their appeal was unlikely to succeed but still they pressed ahead squandering your money.

Finally, with the election over, our First Minister decided it didn’t matter if the damaging information was published. But even at that stage, one document shows that Alex Salmond interfered to rewrite the press release in a way that suited him. It’s bad enough when the SNP use the courts to hide their tax plans. What’s worse is when they use our money to do so.

Tesco won’t meet

Councillor Anne Hall from Linwood has been working with myself and Jim Sheridan MP, to try to force Tesco to start work on the Linwood Town Centre. We asked Tesco for a meeting with ourselves and Renfrewshire Council to try to resolve issues of ownership and responsibility. We also wanted guarantees about when the work would start. Tesco decided that they couldn’t meet with us and the Council. Now we find out that in fact they did meet with the Council and community members from the Linwood Community Development Trust (CDT). I have a high regard for the CDT, but why did Tesco refuse a meeting with elected representatives? Yet more excuses and more delays. It’s not good enough.

Consultants’ Benefits

Nicola Sturgeon has gone back on her word to tackle excessive bonuses paid to top NHS consultants. In 2010 she said she would freeze the value of all awards, and block bonuses for new entrants. Now we find the system has remained almost untouched. Distinction awards can give a consultant an annual top up of between £31,959 and £75,880. Remember, this is over and above their annual salary. Front line nursing jobs are being cut yet Nicola Sturgeon can still find money for those at the top. Yet another promise made to get elected, and quickly broken afterwards.

Paisley Daily Express - 7 March 2012

Abusive Marriage Slur

Domestic Abuse is abhorrent and unacceptable. Too many women from all walks of life have to contend with abuse in various forms in the home. Last week Alex Salmond’s parliamentary aide compared the United Kingdom to an abusive marriage. Now we know we will have a referendum at some point, but a decision whether or not to separate from the rest of the UK, needs to be based on facts and figures, and not on inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric. To suggest that Scotland is somehow abused by the rest of the United Kingdom is insulting. It’s also insulting to the thousands of women who suffer from domestic abuse, to trivialise and distort their experience to try to make a cheap political point. Alex Salmond should be ashamed of himself for allowing such nonsense to be published.

Insulin Pumps

Diabetes can affect young and old. Last year a survey claimed there were almost      28,000 people in Scotland living with Type 1 diabetes, which means the pancreas can’t ever make insulin again. Someone who has Type 1 diabetes needs to take insulin through regular injections or an insulin pump, just to stay alive. Scotland has the third highest incidence of Type 1 diabetes in the world, yet we have a very low pump usage in comparison to other countries in the developed world. Access to insulin pumps can transform the life of those with diabetes, yet here in Renfrewshire access to insulin pumps is limited. I have been proud to support the work of local campaigners such as Rosalind Carr who is the parent of an insulin pump user.

I was pleased to hear that we are now going to see a programme to increase the number of people in Scotland who are being given access to insulin pumps. However concerns remain about the number of pumps that will be available to adults. It’s not clear whether children with pumps will have them renewed when they grow into adulthood. So while progress is being made, the fight still has to continue. If you want more information about the Insulin Pump Awareness Group email contact@ipagscotland.org.

McMaster Centre

I was delighted to read in the Paisley Daily Express that Lottery funding has been awarded to refurbish and re-open the McMaster Centre. Renfrewshire Leisure pulled the plug on the centre, but Mark McGee and a team of local Johnstone people have worked hard to bring this valuable asset back into use. Well done to all those local people who will make sure that this will once again become a well used community resource.

Tax Cuts for Rich

Rupert Murdoch has hinted that he might support Scotland separating from the rest of the UK. And just as he and his company are being vilified for phone tapping and intrusion into the lives of thousands of people, our own Alex Salmond has decided now is the time to cosy up to Rupert. Alex Salmond and Rupert Murdoch recently had a cosy meeting. Now it has emerged that they discussed cutting Corporation Tax for big businesses. Someone who has been close to Rupert Murdoch says that Alex Salmond is giving this serious consideration. So is this the deal? If Alex Salmond cuts Corporation Tax, will Rupert Murdoch and his papers support Alex Salmond’s plans to break up the UK? At a time when public services are being cut and unemployment is rising. Alex Salmond’s priority seems to be tax cuts for the rich. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.   

Curriculum for Excellence worries

Teachers and parents from across Scotland have been contacting me to express fears and concerns about the new exam system which is being introduced along with Curriculum for Excellence. Teachers are telling me that schools are not ready for it, and that preparation for new exams is patchy and varies from authority to authority and even school to school.

The teachers unions, the EIS and SSTA have spoken of their concerns. I raised these concerns with Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, and I was told I was being negative. Why am I being negative when all I am doing is raising concerns of parents and teachers? Surely that is my job?

I asked Alex Salmond if Scotland’s teachers are wrong, and he said “That is not the view of stakeholders throughout Scotland”. Despite what teachers are saying, the Scottish Government says that the new qualifications are on track. Both can’t be right. My concern is for the pupils. We can’t afford to gamble with the future of our children. We need guarantees and if they can’t be given, then the Scottish Government needs to explain what it is going to do.