Month: October 2023

Westminster diary wb 23rd October 2023

Monday

Another disjointed and unproductive week ensues because the Conservative and Unionist U.K. government and the official opposition are so entrenched in their own identity crisis that they are terrified of losing votes and splitting their parties further. A legislator can’t work effectively if it is afraid of open debate and that’s the case at Westminster. As a result, the business of the day is chopped and changed, promises on votes and amendments are made and broken and Whips pace the floor nervously. As of Monday, nobody knows what will be debated on or voted on this Wednesday or Thursday, so I busied myself elsewhere.

Today I have meetings with cross party colleagues to discuss the Food Standards Authority report regarding the safe level of CBD in food supplements. It is yet another complication to the cannabis conversation and one that is completely unwarranted.

Tuesday

Today started with my select committee interviewing Baroness Deech as the government’s preferred candidate for chair of the House of Lords appointment commission. It was an interesting interview and she could clearly bring a lot to the job. Unfortunately, her remit is tight and it’s hard to see how she could improve the quality of the members without the power to restructure the House of Lords. I met with the Cannabis Industry Council. We continue to work together to change the law around prescribing medical cannabis and we are nudging others slowly in the right direction. But it continues to an immense frustration that both politicians and medical professionals can’t provide a better system now. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on gambling related harm met and took evidence from a panel of experts regarding advertising and marketing gambling products. It is clear to see that the industry is miles ahead in terms of marketing their product and that the current legislation leaves a great deal to be desired. I then, along with John McDonnell MP, met with an organisation called PHSO the facts. They are pushing for changes to the Ombudsman and as the current chair is stepping down they are keen to engage with my select committee as we work closely with the PHSO.

Wednesday

I did a quick tour of the parliament estate with constituents. Quicker than I would have liked as the House of Lords was closing for a rehearsal of the prorogation of Parliament ceremony. Prime Minister’s Questions was subdued, and the Labour opposition steered clear of confronting the Conservative government over the latest conflict in Gaza. Mhairi Black didn’t shy away from her responsibility and pushed the U.K. government for a commitment to seek a ceasefire so as all innocent men, woman and children on both sides of the conflict can be spared further atrocities.

Thursday

With the main debate being cancelled then reinstated then cancelled again I took the decision to return home last night. This freed me up to get up to speed with casework and attend the Notre Dame High School pathways event. My remit was to talk about my job but I expanded that to a more rounded talk on careers in politics. There are far more people with far longer careers in politics than many of the elected members and it was good to highlight their diverse knowledge and skill sets, along with the roles they play in supporting members.

Friday

I started the day by meeting up with my SNP colleagues, Stuart McMillan MSP and Councillor Liz Robertson. The relationship between different governing bodies is important and our regulation catch ups allow us to gain a better understanding of the difficulties and the opportunities that we each face. In these times of austerity, we stand together to do everything we can to represent our constituents first and foremost and if I need to seek that help from the Scottish Government or local council, I am not slow to do so. The rest of the day was taken up with constituents and correspondence on their behalf.

Greenock Telegraph 20th October

In these times of Conservative and Unionist austerity more and more families have less to spend which leads to poor diet and therefore poor health. To address the issue, the SNP approached Sir Keir Starmer for his support in pushing the U.K. government to follow the lead of the French government and cap food prices in supermarkets for essential items. That measure would help with the cost-of-living crisis for Scottish families as we head into winter. I don’t know what Sir Keir thought of the idea because he never bothered to reply. The SNP government in Holyrood has spent 711 million pounds of our block grant, over the last 5 years, mitigating policies that cause harm and those policies are made in Westminster. We have asked Labour to support our call for an end to the two-child cap but they refused, we asked Labour to support our call to end the benefits cap and they refused, we asked Labour to support our call to end the bedroom tax and they refused. And while workers’ rights are under threat from the Conservative and Unionists at Westminster, we in the SNP called for the Labour Party to back the devolution of employment laws to Scotland and they refused. Meanwhile the right to free speech is being threatened by the Public Order bill that was rushed through the Westminster parliament while Labour sat on their hands. Ineffective in opposition, the Labour Party have repeatedly shown that they are no different from the Tories. We have had 14 years of Conservative and Unionist mismanagement, yet Labour has no idea how to lift the most vulnerable out of the cost-of-living crisis. In Scotland our representation will drop from 59 to 57 MPs, while our devolved powers are under increasing threat. Scotland is being undermined and undervalued and that either bothers you or it doesn’t. You either meekly accept it, cap in hand, or you stand up and oppose Westminster rule.

Greenock Telegraph 6th October

The great Muhammad Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Too often, in politics, people think the posturing and grandstanding in public is the job. It isn’t. Publicity helps promote causes and policies, but the long hours and hard work are not for public consumption. Sometimes it goes unrewarded but on occasions and over time it bears fruit. Recently, we have experienced a few wins in Inverclyde that my office have been promoting. The Climate Action Hub have invested ninety thousand pounds in the Trust, the Green Action Trust through Nature Scotland are investing in Inverclyde and among the projects will restore peatland within the Clyde Muirshiel Park. Levelling up funding has been secured to the tune of nineteen million pounds for two projects including phase one of the creation of a culture quarter. On the back of that the U.K. government has announced a further twenty million pounds for the areas that have “been overlooked and taken for granted”, that includes Greenock. The latter money will be drawn down over ten years and will involve engagement with local communities to determine how best to spend it. Along with the council we continue to chase investment zone money. None of the hard work and collaboration that goes on gets noticed but the end result is worth it. The disappointment is when plans don’t come to fruition and the public think we are doing nothing. But just like Ali, we roll with the punches and when the opportunity arises dance under the lights.