Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. Standing up for Glasgow.
I'm pleased to be taking part in this great idea by The Steamie to get people engaged with this by-election online.Although I know not everyone uses the internet to access their news - I know lots of Glaswegians who are increasingly using it to find out what's going on and keep in touch with friends and family. I hope that by writing on here that I can help some of them understand more about me and my plans.
Despite a late night in the Newsnight studio I'm keen to hit the ground running this morning - talking to voters and hearing their concerns. I've lived in this area all my life - I think I'm the only candidate that can (honestly!) say that. I'm not a politician and I've never stood for election before but I'm proud of this area and I want to do my best for it.
The issue that people constantly raise with me on the door is their anger at the way the SNP is ripping off our city. Despite the SNP's budget going up by £600m this year they are giving extra money to some projects - but shortchanging Glasgow. It's amazing how many times people raise this when you speak to them. So I'm going out and about in the constituency today - knocking of people's doors and letting them know who I am and what I believe in.
I'm also meeeting with Andrew Adonis to tell him about the importance of good transport links to the Glasgow economy and the shockingly short-sighted decision of the SNP to cancel the airport rail link at a cost of 1000 jobs.
The other issue that people keep raising with me is about the SNP candidate fibbing about where he was born. Look, at the end of the day the real issue in this story is about trust. People's trust in politics is at an all time low. We have to start trying to restore that trust and that starts with people being able to believe the people that seek to represent them.
I've been clear with people what my top priorities are:
- stopping the SNP ripping off Galsgow and dishing out the money elsewhere
- cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour - I've been running a carry a knife go to jail petition to get automatic jail sentences for knife criminals
- helping glasgow pensioners through tough times and fighting to protect jobs
- campaigning for better shops, better homes, and better buses
Best wishes
Willie Bain
Labour's candidate for Glasgow North East
Labels: Glasgow, Labour, The Steamie, Willie Bain
posted by Scottish Labour at
08:08
8 Comments:
It would be interesting if just one journalist were to ask Willie Bain why he is campaigning on Glasgow being short changed when it is a fact that Glasgow is allocated more money per head of population than any other mainland council - £2,517 per head as opposed to £1,755 for Edinburgh, £2,243 for Dundee or £1,729 for Aberdeen.
Maybe the journalist could then look at the level of funding per head that Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board gets compared to health boards in other parts of Scotland.
They could also perhaps look at levels of public spending on benefits in Glasgow compared to other parts of Scotland.
Then they could look at capital spending on infrastructure in Glasgow, such as the M74 completion and the new Southern General Hospital and the record amounts that the SNP Government has put into affordable housing in Glasgow.
Then perhaps they could ask the question why it is that Glasgow, which has been run by a Labour Council for decades and represented by Labour MPs and MSPs for decades, needs so much extra spending because of its higher levels of poverty, dependency, ill health, bad housing and so on?
Then perhaps they could ask why people should vote Labour when Labour has failed so spectacularly to reduce poverty, dependency, ill health and bad housing?
But somehow I doubt this will happen any time soon as it would be too political and you don't want a lot of politis cluttering up coverage of a by-election do we?
I understand that Labour's own survey returns have shown that crime is the biggest issue affecting communities in North Glasgow. Bearing that in mind, I imagine that local people will have been hugely disappointed that Glasgow City Council recently refused to debate a motion put forward by the SNP Depute Leader Billy MacAllister (a notable campaigner against organised crime), to try and put the garage run by David Lyons out of business.
This is in the context in which the Labour Council funded the Chirnsyde Community Initiative, run by the Lyons family, to the tune of approx £1 million, and Council support was only withdrawn after Lyons nephew Michael was murdered in December at the MOT station David Lyons still operates.
Billy Macallister has said the whole administration (GCC) backed the Chirnsyde initiative by giving it grants from Culture and Sport, despite the common understanding that the Lyons, well known local gangsters, were using it as a front for their activities.
Councillor MacAllister has asked what GARL could possibly mean to the people of Springburn when crime is right in their back yard.
I wonder what Mr Bain's view is on GCC's refusal to debate this pressing local issue, and what his view was of the Chirnsyde Initiative at the time that it was operating. After all I understand he makes a big play of being a local man.
Willie
I don't expect you to answer this but I'll ask it anyway.
You've laid out your priorities clearly at the bottom of the post, but what you've not said is HOW you're going to achieve these priorities. Please enlighten us.
Here they are again...
- stopping the SNP ripping off Glasgow and dishing out the money elsewhere
As Indy has already pointed out, Glasgow gets top dollar per head in the council, in the health board, and in the benefits system. As Scotland's largest city, it also has £2.5 billion of currentcapital investment commitments.
- cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour - I've been running a carry a knife go to jail petition to get automatic jail sentences for knife criminals
HOW are you going to do that when Holyrood has responsibility for crime and punishment?
- helping glasgow pensioners through tough times and fighting to protect jobs
Very honourable and predictable, but HOW?
- campaigning for better shops, better homes, and better buses
Again, housing and transport are responsibilities of the Holyrood Parliament. HOW will you do that from Westminster?
I think the electorate of Glasgow NE deserve to know.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Willie - you say you've lived in the constituency all your life. How did you manage to combine that with working at London's South Bank University? Do you commute? Do you live in London or Springburn?
If you get offered a ministerial position or the speaker's seat, will you abandon the constituency like your predecessor?
Do you think it's possible to be a minister and an effective constituency MP?
Do you think it's acceptable for an MP not to have a constituency office?
Will you emulate your predecessor and have your office in a spare room at your parent's house and charge it to the taxpayer?
Why should voters believe you will be in any way more effective or more honourable than your predecessor? Are you a better man than Michael Martin? Will you work harder for the constituency than Michael Martin?
"stopping the SNP ripping off Galsgow and dishing out the money elsewhere"
So you'll be trying to reduce spending in other constituencies Willie?
Gee yer heed a chance pal.
I'm not a politician..., yes you are Willie you're just not an elected politician. You have been directly involved in politics for years as Michael Martin's election agent.
If you're going to talk about, "Ripping off", then you have to provide figures. Figures have already been posted above to show that Glasgow is actually very well served by the SNP Government so what you have to do is provide alternative figures to prove your point or it's just untrustworthy shouting.
The SNP Government might have had more money to fund GARL if your Labour colleagues in Holyrood hadn't forced through the £500 Million Edinburgh trams white elephant against the wishes of the SNP government as spiteful welcome gift for their first budget.
I've been clear with people what my top priorities are:
stopping the SNP ripping off Galsgow and dishing out the money elsewhere
Numbers Willie, you've got to provide numbers to back up your point.
cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour - I've been running a carry a knife go to jail petition to get automatic jail sentences for knife criminals
Crime comes under the Scottish Government not Westminster and the police think your policy is "on the wrong tack completely".
Stephen House, the Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, said his force alone would send 5,000 more people to jail a year if everyone found to be carrying a knife was sent to prison. Insisting he was not "liberal" on knife possession, he nevertheless said the policy was "on the wrong tack completely", criminalising people who did not deserve to be put in jail.
Willie, it seems you are like many other Labour candidates, when it comes to an issue like Iraq or dodgy expenses claims you hold up your hands and say 'it's nothing to do with me!'
You can't start this campaign with an entirely clean slate. It is your party that has allowed the sacked former speaker to saunter up to the House of Lords as Baron Martin of Springburn.
It is your party whose unelected minister Lord Mandelson is busily privatising the postal service.
It is your party that is wasting billions on Trident and cutting the Scottish Government's budget!
If you don't support Iraq then do you condemn Lindsay Roy MP for voting against an enquiry?
Why is it anyway that Labour see Scotland as uniquely incapable of the powers of independence?
If the unionists are confident of the case for their beloved British union (Do you remember the vast celebrations of its 300th Anniversary two years ago? No? Not surprising because there wasn't any!) then why not have a democratic vote on it?
If Labour have failed this area and are willing to leave it without an MP for six months, why on earth should the public elect you under that banner?
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