A Week in Parliament

Kiltwalk

With my wife Cyndi I did the Edinburgh Kiltwalk to raise money for Ayrshire Cancer Support. It was a great day, and the route was very scenic, heading out to Musselburgh and Portobello on the Firth of Forth before following the water of Leith. I am just shy of £400 of fundraising so if anyone wishes to give it a wee boost, you can donate via https:/edinburghkiltwalk2019.everydayhero.com/uk/alan-8. As all donations are further topped up by 40% from the Hunter foundation, then a number of small donations make a huge difference.

The walk also makes use of a number of old railway routes and I found it fascinating to see how extensive the rail network was in and around Edinburgh and how many small rail stations had been in place. I also had a thought – there were many campaigns in Scotland against the Beeching rail cuts, which mostly fell on deaf ears. In itself, this was a simple illustration of decisions massively impacting the daily lives of people in Scotland being made remotely in Westminster. Things have moved on, and we now have a Scottish Parliament funding the re-opening of some of the former rail lines. However, these former rail lines do perfectly illustrate that Westminster decisions are made for the sake of central UK finances rather than local communities.

Newmilns Food Festival

Yet again, the Newmilns Food Festival was a roaring success. Well done to all those involved. On the day, it is fantastic to see so many volunteers in their “Love Newmilns” tee-shirts. A lot of folk liked to joke that I was on a five-week holiday due to Parliament being suspended. However, when I had a pint in my hand and enjoying the company of friends it was much harder that day to state I am still working hard!

Surgeries

I am continuing to do street surgeries as well as my regular outreach and office surgeries. With my office staff we have door-knocked about 4000 households. An example of the positivity of this approach is one constituent who engaged with us, raised a matter about benefits which had been stopped. Following our intervention, £4000 of back dated money was re-instated! 

As part of our engagement process we sometimes send out letters notifying people of relevant surgeries or that we will be door knocking. While some may question the cost of such an approach, I do have a postage budget for constituent communications. If I didn’t utilise my postage money, then this would serve no financial benefits to local taxpayers as the money saved needs to be divided across the entire UK and would save something in the region of 0.01p. Therefore, the positive outcomes easily outweigh this value.

Debate

I took part in a debate at Glasgow University, speaking to the motion “This House has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government”. I outlined how Boris Johnson isn’t fit for office and issues with other Government personnel and policies. While the audience may have had their own bias, not one student in the audience disagreed with the motion. A damning indictment indeed. 

A Week in Parliament

So the chaos continues. Parliament was suspended…in chaotic scenes. The Scottish Inner Court ruled based on evidence that the prorogation/suspension was illegal because it was intended to “stymie parliament”. Johnson’s advisors then chose to attack the impartiality of the Scottish judicial system. This was bad judgement fuelling conspiracy theories. As a sidenote, I would suggest that anyone who believes Scotland’s place in the Union is welcome across the UK to read the comments sections in papers such as the Daily Mail, Express and Telegraph. These people might not be in the majority but there were many expressions of how “outrageous” it was that Scotland was “telling England what to do” and it was time for us to be cut loose / “build a wall” etc. Worryingly though, these are the extreme UKIP/Brexit voters that Johnson and his far-right Government are trying to court which does not bode well.

Given the decision by the Scottish appeal court is a higher level than the High Courts of England or Northern Ireland then that should have been enough for parliament to be recalled in the meantime. Constitutionally, it is the UK Supreme Court that makes the final decision on this which I will be happy to abide by without questioning the judges impartiality.

Election or Not?

Johnson’s attempts for another election were blocked again. This does mean we remain in limbo – we all know a general election will come, we do not know exactly when. With the extra period at home, as well as working in my office, I am taking the opportunity to get out and about and speak to constituents. There is no doubt the current chaos has resulted in many more people coming round to the idea of an Independent Scotland being a much more attractive proposition. It has been interesting speaking to those who have changed their minds. There is of course also a cohort of people who are fed up with politics because of the chaos and it can be equally interesting speaking to them. What I find is that people do appreciate their MP taking their time to be out and about. Do we really think this happens with Johnson and his comrades? This is why those who are part of the UK Government never really know what people think. They rely on focus groups, opinion polls and advisors telling them what’s what. This, however, is no substitute for face to face conversations which I hope to continue.

Energy Policy

As SNP Energy Spokesperson, I have raised my concerns about the lack of a coherent UK energy policy. A White Paper was due out in July, but has been delayed. I had 74 written questions I submitted in July during the recess on energy generation capacity and just before prorogation I was given an answer for each one there wasn’t time to answer. So, between summer recess and prorogation the UK Government has avoided scrutiny for a full 3 months and prevented challenge from MPs. No wonder I think there must be a better system.

A Week in Parliament

Well, where to start with the latest UK Parliament shambles? There is rightful anger at Boris Johnson and his right-wing cabal suspending Parliament at such a crucial time. Thus, avoiding scrutiny and trying to run the clock down towards a no-deal crash out of Europe. In amongst this farce we also need to remember this falls within UK / British “democracy” and the “unwritten constitution”. It seems to have always been accepted that the Prime Minister’s representatives can ask the Queen to suspend parliament and that she should just oblige. This shows once more this archaic system of Government is not fit for purpose. I have previously expressed frustration about the summer recess at this critical time, let alone having another parliamentary break.

I currently have over 80 parliamentary written questions awaiting publication, as over the recess these do not get published/submitted for formal answer. Therefore, scrutiny really is suspended. Who knows what will get resolved in the short period back before Parliament is prorogued? Once parliament is suspended all legislation not formally passed falls away as well. This happened in 2017. Bizarrely, this means if the UK Government is to be truly ready to crash out of Europe without a deal, then it still has a whole load of legislation to pass. Critical stuff like the Fisheries Bill, an Agricultural Bill, and loads of secondary legislation. So it is incredible that they will need to try and do so in an extremely short period.

Some of the UK Government’s justifications for suspension are clear nonsense – it has been observed that Parliament would be in recess anyway for the Party Conference season. However, as this recess had not been agreed, a vote in Parliament would be required. Would Johnson win such a vote? Unlikely, so this process avoids the voting process. They also say it is normal for a new Government to have a Queen’s speech to reflect this new Government. However, it isn’t a new Government as such. It is a new Prime Minister sure, who has reshuffled the cabinet. However, they should actually be bound by their manifesto, and if they want to be so radically different then they should stand on an election platform to have that electoral legitimacy.

Meanwhile, given Johnson has no working majority at Westminster and that many more MPs still within the Tory party are determined to work against him in key votes to try and prevent a No Deal crash out, it seems inevitable that there will be another general election, either just before, or just after the October 31st date. If this does come to pass, and I am lucky enough to be reselected by the SNP, it will mean I will have fought two additional general elections, in a time period which should still have been my first term in office as an elected MP under the fixed term parliamentary system. Not only is this a demonstration of how unstable UK politics is but it makes a mockery of the Tories lecturing the SNP previously about “now is not the time” regards a referendum, given they are forcing elections whenever suits them.

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

So Boris has been anointed Prime Minister following him winning the Tory leadership vote. It will surprise no-one at all that I am neither impressed with him or the cabinet he has appointed. Make no mistake, this is the most right wing cabinet there has ever been. This is significant as Theresa May’s cabinet was more right wing than even Margaret Thatcher’s and now Boris has surpassed that immediately. He also made the biggest overnight cabinet change in history. Way beyond the levels of the “night of the long knives” referred to by commentators. Can anyone advise how getting rid of 18 cabinet Ministers can possibly bring any stability?. 13 of the 33 overall ministerial positions have went to complete newcomers, while even some of those retaining positions will now be cabinet attenders for the first time. These are all guys who have to get to grips with their new briefs, whilst still caught up in the Brexit madness.

It is a cabinet of the maddest Brexiteers possible. With the one exception of a previous Minister, Steve Baker who refused to take up a position. Whether that is because he has realised his limitations or because he is a coward who is all talk and bluster while avoiding having to take responsibility is only for him to know…

Then we have the mad Brexiteers – Priti Patel, Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg,  Dominic Raab, Esther McVey, Theresa Villiers to name but a few. All part of the Leave campaign lies, and also the Leave Campaign Director, Dominic Cummings is now the main advisor to Boris. Remember Vote Leave has been investigated and fined for basically cheating.

Other aspects of this cabinet – Priti Pratel when a Secretary of State for International Development was caught out holding secret meetings with the Israeli Government. Think what this freelancing means – there were no civil servants in the room; she was dealing with a foreign government with no control of what was going on in the meeting and worse still was obviously discussing matters outside her role and probably against the UK Government position or else it would have been officially planned meetings. So, she effectively breached UK Government security, and now as Home Secretary she is in charge of…security. What a choice!

Dominic Raab is the one who as Brexit secretary admitted he didn’t realise how important the cross channel trade was from Dover to Calais. Just the man to believe when it comes to suggestions that there will be no issues from a No Deal Brexit. With such in depth knowledge he is of course just right to be the Foreign Secretary!

For Scottish Secretary of State we have Alistair Jack. [or Alistair who? to most people]. He is someone who previously stated he doesn’t believe there shouldn’t be a Scottish Parliament and that is why he would never be an MSP. Just the man to stand up for Scotland then!

Boris Johnson was probably best summed up by a taxi driver who stated “Alan, you know I am not into politics or that, but I know one thing, Boris is a Buffoon!”. Enough said.

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

The Unelected Lords 

Proposals to try and arrange sitting days of Parliament to stop Boris Johnson proroguing [suspending] Parliament were incorporated into the Northern Ireland Bill. This was a Government defeat by just one vote. This amendment was then strengthened further in the House of Lords. “Outrageous” says the Government. “How dare these unelected peers do this”.  Let us look at the hypocrisy of this. Firstly, it is simply a mechanism to stop Boris Johnson thwarting parliamentary democracy. Then, when it suits them do they get all uppity about unelected peers making law changes. When we argue for abolition of the Lords, we are told it is a useful “modifying chamber” ie there to make improvements to law! When it comes to the argument there are way too many lords – some 800 compared to 650 elected MPs, the UK Government tell us changes to the Lords isn’t a priority. What is it to be?!  If we need these people’s expertise then this can be managed through select committee pre legislative scrutiny of bills and abolish this expensive place.   

The Tories have always been in favour of the House of Lords, whilst Labour promised to abolish it over a 100 years ago, but never followed through. Tony Blair did scrap many of the hereditary peers, but then filled their places with cronies, donors and party placemen so there are still so many fundamental democratic outrages. It really is time we get rid of 800 unelected lords, who remember are peers for life.  

Killie in Europe 

On the day of the Northern Ireland – Brexit votes, Killie were playing the second leg of their European tie against Connah’s Quay. There was no telling when votes would finish and if the amendments would bounce backwards and forwards between the Commons and the Lords. So, I didn’t know if I would make the flight that would get me to the match in time. And I also knew that if I didn’t catch that flight all other flights out of London were fully booked so I would not only miss the match but have to stay in London overnight. However, I got away in time; got to the airport in time just before there were problems on the tube lines and got my flight. Ah, I thought – it is all looking so good. While I thought it must be a good luck omen, there was a wee voice in my head that was saying “this is all going too well tonight!”. And so, the result proved to be a huge disappointment.   

Afterwards I found it strange that many local non Killie fans thought it funny. Apart from the fact the result is bad for Scottish football overall, it deprives the club of another European match. A match that would generate money for the club; also for businesses in and around the town and keep the momentum going of higher regular crowds . All these businesses employ local people. By revelling in Killie’s defeat, you actually end up revelling in hits for local businesses. It is one thing to have enjoy banter if your team beats Killie, but surely not to wish them ill in Europe?  

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

PMQ Result 

Yet again I used a PMQ to highlight a constituent issue. William Cree has epilepsy and suffers considerable ailments as a result. Somehow in the benefits assessments he had been turned down for independence payment support which he only got through appeal. He has also been turned down for the limited work element of universal credit which was astounding. He was at appeal stage for this and the DWP didn’t even file their paperwork in time with the court leading to his hearing being postponed. So I raised this matter with the Prime Minister. For once, she did listen to the question and said she would look into the matter. By the afternoon the DWP were making enquiries and I was delighted to get confirmation by the next morning his benefit had been awarded without having to continue the appeal process. So in less than 24 hours we had secured some of the support that William should rightly have been receiving.  

It is rewarding when my office can make such an impact. However, this case again confirms what is wrong with the system – clearly the assessments had been inadequate. Somehow at first appeal stage, known as a mandatory reconsideration, then the original decision was upheld which is another failing. The DWP not getting paperwork to the courts in time is another. And finally, while I am glad to have the matter resolved, it shouldn’t take me raising a matter at PMQs for that to happen. How many people give up and don’t go to their MP for help? They simply fall through the cracks. So that reflection always puts these matters in context.  

 National UK Polling 

Yet another poll has 4 national parties spread between a percentage span of just six points. What is more incredible is Labour polling at 18%. Imagine, we are going into the tenth year of a Tory Government. A Government completely split and inept and Labour is in 4th place in the polls?! Yet again it blows holes in the argument that Scotland should not be independent as we should have solidarity with people in Liverpool and Cardiff etc. This is a complete false argument. What good does it do for Scotland to suffer Tory policies we didn’t vote for, purely for “solidarity”? Why should we continually get a government we did not vote for, in “solidarity”? Also, the people in Liverpool are getting the Government that England voted for, so that’s a matter for the English electorate. Meanwhile, we are told devolution at least allows us to mitigate Tory cuts. It is a fallacy that the Scottish Government can keep doing this, given that the UN Special Rapporteur has said this is not sustainable in the long term. And of course Scotland is to be taken out of the EU, because the voters in Liverpool and most areas of England outside London voted to leave. Where’s our share of the “solidarity”?  No wonder more and more people are coming round to the idea of an Independent Scotland.  

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

Stagecoach / Irvine Valley Bus Service 

Staying in the Irvine Valley I am well aware that many people feel the bus service is unaffordable. I have met with Stagecoach on this matter a couple of times and even written to the Transport Minister on the subject. [Local communities have done likewise as has Willie Coffey MSP and Councillor Elena Whitham]. So I was delighted that they have agreed to do a new trial period of more frequent buses and a much lower fare structure. As it is only a trial period I would urge people to use the bus as often as they can. My wife Cyndi has pledged to use it to go to work – the weekly dayrider ticket works out much cheaper than driving. So here is hoping we have a business model that delivers for the customers while working for Stagecoach making it an easy decision to continue with this pricing structure.  

 Killie in Europe 

As a Killie fan I was delighted to see Killie get to Europe for the first time in 18 years. While I am the MP, most people know my credentials as a Killie fan, having run a supporter's club for 25 years; was chair of the overall Supporters’ Association for a while; paid for a privileged seat and am also a member of Trust in Killie. It is such a shame that we have only received 800 tickets. I have seen some complaints on social media from some about how the club has allocated tickets to fans. But the reality is that with only 800 and demand way outstripping supply there can be no way of allocating that is going to please everyone.  

I appreciate that many dedicated supporters have attended a huge number of games over a long period. But there are also the newer fans, who by dint of their age have never seen Killie play in Europe at all. Imagine how galling it must be for some of them if they miss out? There is a logic to giving tickets to supporter's clubs, and then upholding the privilege seat aspect. And of course, players need some tickets for families. Hopefully there will be a decent number left for a form of ballot.  

I personally think UEFA’s rules fall well short. I am all for smaller teams being able to compete – however, there has to be a reasonable way of dealing with demand for clubs with larger supports. I am well aware that for the final game of the season, Killie upset Rangers fans by only allocating one stand. However, that allocation of some 4000 is still larger than many of the allocations Rangers get for other games. But for Connah’s Quay to have switched venues to a larger ground that still only has a capacity of 1500 is bizarre. They were “unlucky” that Wrexham’s much larger ground wasn’t available, but surely this should have been considered at time of entering the competition? I think working in the Killie ticket office at the moment must be way more stressful than trying to resolve Brexit!  

A Week in Parliament

Vote Winner

I often complain about Westminster’s archaic voting system – the system of filing into a room and then getting manually counted as you leave the voting lobby is such a waste of time. For once I was happy to be involved in it: I was acting as a teller – someone who oversees the Government whip who is responsible for the counting. I was able to tell the Tory “No” lobby was quite empty and so I could see we were likely to win. It was good being up there when the Government whip had to hand over the results slip and step aside. This gesture itself confirms who has won the vote before the results are formally read out. So I now brag to the whips team that I have a 100% winning record!

Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

The UK Government has lost in court over its process and dealings of arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Human rights campaigners have long argued sales to Saudi should be stopped while they commit atrocities in Yemen. Additionally, the way they treat Saudi citizens accused of diffidence often amounts to torture and/or murder. Yet the UK Government have refused to listen and in a parliamentary answer to myself confirmed that not one export licence for arms sales to Saudi has been refused. Yet, instead of this court case being a wake-up call, the UK Government are appealing it. They literally have no moral compass.

The End of the Union

It is fair to say some people complain about the SNP having the ambition of Scotland of being independent. “Don’t break up the precious union” we are told. Yet there is now another cohort who want to break up the union, or don’t care for it – the Tory party membership. Yes, 63% of the members of the “Conservative and Unionist Party” confirmed in opinion polls that they would be happy for Scotland to be independent as a by-product of Brexit. For them Brexit is more important than Scotland being in the union and more important than Northern Ireland being part of the UK. 61% think Brexit more important than the economy and 54% are happy for their own party to be destroyed as long as Brexit is achieved! The only outcome they were concerned about as a consequence of Brexit was Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister. For that, they would rather they remained in the EU. as an aside it shows how many people think Corbyn a liability as Prime Minister and he is unlikely to ever repeat the momentum he had in the 2017 general election.

The Tory leadership candidates know how important Brexit is to the Tory membership, which is why most are advocating a No Deal Brexit if need be. So they listen to their members on this, but don’t listen to their members on the fact that they don’t care about Scotland being part of the UK. Makes you think that perhaps Scotland isn’t such a drain on UK finances as they make out, doesn’t it?

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

The end of May through to the end of June is peak gala/event season. It means my Saturdays in particular are very busy trying to get out and about to as many as possible. It is a great way to be out and about in the constituency speaking to people and volunteers. I know how much work goes into these events – people working all year to plan a one day/afternoon event. It is important therefore that they get the support of the local communities and from what I have seen this year, this is still well and truly the case.

My season kicked off with Mauchline Holy Fair and that same day I popped into Celebrate Kilmarnock’s Family Fun Day. The next Saturday saw me at Dunlop Gala, Newmilns Cattle Show and seeing off the fantastic group of kids doing a sponsored walk from Galston to Darvel to raise funds for Kyle Ritchie. The following week was Galston Gala Day and I took so long there unfortunately I never managed to make it to Fenwick. The same happened the following week where I had a great time at Stewarton Bonnet Guild but by the time I got to Crosshouse their fun day was finished and I only managed a photograph of the last marquees being taken down!

My next challenge is trying to do the Lapraik festival in Muirkirk, Hurlford Gala Day and Stewarton Beer Festival on the one day. I look forward to these and other events and attending a beer festival is just one of the sacrifices I have to make in my role as MP!

That Leadership Contest

So the next UK Prime Minister will ultimately be chosen by the elderly, right wing Tory Party membership of some 120,000 or so people. This also means that it is hard to see anyone other than Boris Johnson become Prime Minister. This is a man sacked from the Times newspaper for making stuff up in an article he wrote. Sacked as a shadow minister for lying to party bosses. Terrible as Foreign Secretary. He is also clearly anti-Scottish – he was the one who proclaimed a pound spent in Croydon is of more value to the country than a pound spent in Strathclyde. It has emerged he was the editor of The Spectator who published an anti-Scottish poem which calls for the extermination of the verminous Scots. It is no wonder that some Scottish Conservative MPs launched a campaign to try and derail him before the vacancy arose. They chose to call this “Operation ar*e”. When this became public it wasn’t denied and indeed was referred to by Ross Thompson who has always been a Johnson acolyte. Yet despite this and his other failings, such as lying about Brexit, more Scottish Tory MPs are now backing him. Suddenly, both Ruth Davidson and David Mundell find that they can work with him despite previously announcing they could never do such a thing. It seems hypocrisy is one thing they have in common with our future Prime Minister. A Boris premiership is certainly not what I would call a Union Dividend.

These views were first expressed in the Kilmarnock Standard.

A Week in Parliament

So parliament has started back after recess not with a bang, but a limp whimper. With Theresa May announcing her planned resignation, then this confirms the ongoing Brexit paralysis of Westminster. With the Tory party now solely focussed on the appointment of their new leader, then Parliament will continue in this state until July 22nd. It means the business is filled with general debates, backbench business and opposition day debates. These do offer opportunities for debates on important subjects. However, it means no binding Government votes, and all legislation on hold.

Worse, with the Zombie Parliament to continue into July, there will likely still be a summer recess at the end of July/beginning of August. September/October will still have the 3 week recess for the Party Conference season, so suddenly we could arrive at the next Brexit cut-off date of October 31st without much happening in Parliament. It also means all those Tory candidates talking about renegotiating with the EU or just leaving without a deal in October haven’t given a moment’s notice to the practicalities from a parliamentary perspective. Which puts into question their suitability to be Prime Minister.

Trump Visit

So President Trump visits and not surprisingly he claims that for any trade deal with the US, the “NHS is on the table”. This was to be fair, denied by Theresa May and then some other Government figures. However, it shows the reality of thinking a trade deal can be negotiated with the US, which is somehow loaded in the favour of the UK. With other senior Tories often supporting part privatisation (or the requirement for health insurance) then we should be worried about the future implications of post Brexit trade deals. With Nigel Farage coming to prominence again, we should also note he is in favour of a private healthcare system. Farage may pretend he is anti-establishment but he is a compete capitalist and actually wants to operate under as few rules as possible so the rich can get as rich as possible at the expense of the rest of society. Many leavers claim Brexit will allow opportunities for growth and for the UK to become “Great “ again. The reality is many of the opportunities they foresee are for themselves and associated companies. We should never lose sight of these matters.

Peterborough By-Election

The Brexit Party won the European elections in England and Wales, and came close to electing their first MP in the Peterborough by-election. Not bad for a new party with no manifesto, and no policies other than demanding the UK leaves the EU! In all seriousness this is alarming. Politics is very volatile just now, and opinion polls are a mere snapshot in time. However, some opinion polls show that if a snap general election was held, then the Brexit Party could in theory be the biggest party at Westminster and therefore Nigel Farage Prime Minister. A party and a Prime Minister with no social policies, no costed proposals to run the UK? It does not seem credible but this is the where the failed UK political system is.