As part of Chamber’s ‘On the Campaign Trail’ series, we heard from parliamentary candidates across the political spectrum as they fight for their seat at the next General Election. In this article, SNP’s Seamus Logan details why the SNP is best fit for Scotland’s prosperity and expresses the biggest policy issues affecting his constituents.
Seamus Logan
Parliamentary Candidate for Aberdeenshire North & Moray EastIndependenceย is vital for Scotland to thrive as a nation. This is a forward-looking vision โ the current Westminster model as the status quo is not working for Scotland.
Failures of the Westminster Model in Scotland
The cost-of-living crisis created by years of austerity imposed by the Tories and then exacerbated by the disastrous mini-budget of Liz Truss & Kwasi Kwarteng was not an accident, it was a series of political choices. The people of Scotland have not voted for a Tory government since 1955, yet Westminster imposed those choices upon them. It is plain to see that the people I seek to represent are having to pay higher monthly mortgage repayments, higher energy bills, and higher food bills. This is a result of decisions taken outside Scotland.
Poverty is being imposed from afar by an uncaring Westminster Tory Government. Scotland can and does make different choices, such as the Child Payment. This policy alone has been described as transformational in lifting children out of poverty.
The slashing of public services by the Tories inevitably had a knock-on effect on the Scottish Government block grant. We should be protecting our public services, such as the NHS. Those relying on our services rightly expect the Government of the day to look after them in their time of need. Given the shrinking resources, the Scottish Government does just that. However, those resources are shrinking in Scotland as the Tory Government and Labour have wed themselves to Tory spending rules.
I will seek to secure the resources we need to make our NHS and all of our public services better.
SNP and Scottish Communities
Our communities have been built on our farming and fishing industries. The SNP and I understand how these communities have been failed by successive Tory governments, and even more so when you add in the effects leaving the EU has had in these sectors. I will fight to ensure a fairer deal for our fishing and farming industries.
State pension changes by the Tories, over many years, have created injustice for women, most of them born in the 1950s. If elected, I will use my office to promote a just and fair settlement as recommendedย by the Ombudsman.
Final Thought
I go back to the independence question. Without independence, Scotland cannot undo any of the wrongs inflicted upon it by the Government the people of Scotland did not vote for โ the cost-of-living crisis, the diminution of our public services, a Brexit we did not vote for. With independence, the people of Scotland can have a government that they vote for, and they can make different choices.
Tonight, the Scottish Leaders including SNP’s John Swinney, Scottish Conservative’s Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar, Scottish Lib Dem’s Alex Cole-Hamilton, and Scottish Green’s Lorna Slater will be debating in the Scottish leadership debate. It will give members of the public a chance to put their questions to the politicians. To watch, please click here.
To gain access to the full list of candidates running for the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, please visit: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ppcs/.
This is just one of the articles that features in the ‘On the Campaign Trail’ Section of Chamber UK’s pre-election journal. To gain access to others, please subscribe here.
