Keeping up with you

Hello and welcome to all of you in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.

Thank you for taking a moment to look at this email. I want to keep everyone in touch with what’s going on in the constituency and what it might mean for you.

My door is open to anyone who seeks advice and support, so you can  phone or email me at any time.

You also have the option of visiting  constituency surgeries on Mondays. You don't need to make an appointment.

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General Election
On Friday, the SNP won 80% of seats in Scotland. We now have 48 MPs in Westminster. We were the third largest party at Westminster already but with Labour decimated and the Lib Dems disappearing, our Scottish Members are more important than ever before.

They have work to do, work that they will all be relishing, work to bring an end to the job in London and take up the one in an independent Scotland’s parliament.
 
Here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, I’d be knocking the doors with lots of friends and colleagues campaigning for our local MPs. It was great to see Angela Crawley and Margaret Ferrier safely returned with an increased vote.


 


Perhaps the biggest gasp of the night – even from us – was Amy Callaghan’s fantastic result that felled Jo Swinson as both leader of the Lib Dems and MP for East Dunbartonshire. Well done her!

 

I am weary and depressed by the ‘Get Brexit Done’ slogan. I am reaching out for Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands.

It cannot be democratic for Boris Johnson to phone our First Minister and tell her not to waste her time writing to him in search of a second referendum. He arrogantly and absolutely declares that there will be no referendum in Scotland.



Commenting on the call, the First Minister said: “I pointed out to him, politely of course after I congratulated him, that the Scottish Tories, having fought the election on the single issue of opposition to an independence referendum, had lost – lost vote share, lost more than half of their seats.

“It was a watershed election on Thursday and it’s very clear that Scotland wants a different future to the one chosen by much of the rest of the UK.

“Scotland showed its opposition to Boris Johnson and the Tories, said no again to Brexit, and made very clear that we want the future of Scotland, whatever that turns out to be, to be decided by people who live here.

“You can’t bludgeon a nation into accepting your view of the world when it is made very clear that it doesn’t have that view of the world.

“It couldn’t really be any clearer from the results of this election that Scotland doesn’t want a Boris Johnson government, it doesn’t want to leave the European Union and it wants to be able to determine its own future, whatever that future turns out to be…”



“It is for the Scottish Parliament – not a Westminster government – to decide whether and when there should be a new referendum on independence. The people of Scotland have spoken – it is time to decide our own future.”
 
In both Westminster and in Edinburgh, all the SNP MPs and MSPs are working for the same goals. While I am the MSP in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, I am constantly working alongside Westminster colleagues like Angela Crawley.

Although the Westminster and Scottish constituencies are different, we have so much crossover that of course we are always going to work together in support of everyone in our area.
 
While the myths and legends of the Conservatives in London gradually get untangled and Leave voters begin to see every aspect of their lives negatively impacted. The First Minister has said of the PMs deal that: “Compared with EU membership his deal could cut Scotland’s national income by £9 billion by the end of the next decade.
 
“And if Scotland is taken out of the EU with no trade deal at all next year – which is looking increasingly likely – the cost could be £12.7 billion.
 
“That’s the equivalent of around £2,300 per person in Scotland.”
 
I’ll leave the last word to our First Minister’s speech from St Andrew’s Day.

“It will be a Tory government unlike any we have seen before.
 
“It won’t just be a threat to the NHS.
 
“It will put our economy, jobs and living standards at risk.
 
“In no sense will Brexit be done.
 
“The whole future relationship on trade, security, migration, fishing and a host of other issues has still to be negotiated.
 
“The Westminster chaos will continue.
 
“But the difference is that the ultra-Brexiteers will feel free to put into practice their right-wing vision.
 
“They look to Donald Trump’s America, not Europe’s social model, as their inspiration.

“Outside the EU they will feel free to tear up workers’ rights, environmental and food standards.
 


“Let’s never forget that the leading Brexit supporter, Lord Lawson, hailed the result of the EU referendum as a historic opportunity to finish the job Margaret Thatcher started.
 
“On our national patron saint’s day we owe it to the people of Scotland to set out a different vision for Scotland.
 
“It is of a country where everyone can grow up believing in a sense of possibility.
 
“That means a more prosperous and a more equal Scotland.
 
“In government the SNP is working hard to bring about that better Scotland.
“We’ve already abolished tuition fees.
 
“We’ve set up a genuinely progressive tax system, which helps low paid and middle-income earners.
 
“We’re setting up a National Investment Bank.
 
“We’ve kept the water industry in public hands.
 
“While the Tories have been cutting police numbers in England, we’ve increased the number of police officers by more than 1,000.
 
“We’ve massively out-stripped the rest of the UK in social and council house building. And we are helping with the cost of living.
 
“The SNP is investing in a huge expansion of early learning and childcare for vulnerable 2 year olds and all 3 and 4 year olds.
 
“This will be introduced in full next year, saving families up to £4,500 per child, per year.
 
“With limited powers we have also established a social security system with dignity and fairness at its heart.
 
“We’re introducing a new £10 a week Scottish Child Payment for low income households by the end of next year – it will lift 30,000 children out of poverty when fully implemented.
 
“In this election we’ve set out what we will demand on behalf of the people if the SNP holds the balance of power.
 
“An end to austerity.
 
“A £4 billion boost for Scotland’s NHS.
 
“Greatly enhanced maternity and parental leave.
 
“More action on climate change.
 
“The end of the two child cap on tax credits and associated rape clause.

“These, and a range of other measures, are practical benefits to people’s lives that the SNP will seek to deliver through a progressive alliance.”
 
And that's just part one.
 
Surgeries
A reminder to everyone - sugeries at local venues.