MPs Diary August
Local Economy
I remain concerned about the state of the local economy and job losses are becoming all too familiar in various parts of the constituency. I am arranging a cross party meeting in Girvan on 16 August which John Swinney has agreed to attend which will focus on local businesses and employment and what can be done to encourage local economic development.
Recently released unemployment figures confirm that in this constituency unemployment is rising and has reached 7.5% of the economically active population. Labour continues to campaign in Parliament to boost jobs and growth in the economy but unfortunately there is no sign of a change in Government policy. A recent report by the International Monetary Fund has called on the Tory led Government to take action to boost growth and economy. I, along with my Labour colleagues, continue to press the Government to take action now because we cannot continue in the current situation of slow growth and high unemployment. How much worse do things have to get before David Cameron and George Osborne finally take action?
Constituency Cases
My local office is inundated with a huge range of constituent cases. Unfortunately many of these relate to vulnerable people who have been taken off benefits and people who are in totally inadequate housing. These issues are certainly not priorities of the Tory led Government and I fear the situation is going to get much worse due to the draconian measures in the Welfare Reform Act.
Unwanted Pregnancy Inquiry
I have been asked to take part in a cross party inquiry into unwanted pregnancy. The first evidence session will take place in September. The inquiry will look into ways of reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, leading to a series of recommendations that will be presented to the Government. It will be broadly divided into three sections – unwanted pregnancy in age groups over 20, contraception and teenage pregnancy. The UK has a higher number of teenage pregnancies than most other European countries and numbers in deprived areas of the country can be three times higher than in the least deprived areas.
Proud of my country
Moments after Mo Farah’s fantastic 10,000m win at the Olympics, he was asked by a journalist if he’d have preferred to run as a Somali. He replied: “Look, this is my country. This is where I grew up; this is where I started life. This is my country and when I put on my Great Britain vest I’m proud. I’m very proud.” It is as much his country as it is mine or yours.
I have found the whole Olympic experience quite amazing. It began with Danny Boyle’s brilliant depiction of Britain at the Opening Ceremony and has just got better the longer it has gone on. I believe there is a feel good factor sweeping the country. Perhaps more significantly though, I believe that this is a moment when the nations of the UK have found a profound sense of unity and solidarity Of course there are many problems facing us – I have referred to some of them earlier in this column - but we are a modern, diverse and confident country – and during the Olympics we have been happy to shout it from the rooftops.
This past week has been great for Britain. Sportsmen and women of every colour and background have proudly worn the union flag and they have been cheered on by the entire nation. We Scots have been especially proud of the Scottish athletes who have done so well and they have been proud to wave the flag in victory just as they will wave the Saltire when they represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. 2012 will hopefully be remembered as the year we all united behind Team GB and redefined our identity based on ordinary people and the special diversity that makes Britain so great.
Local Economy
I remain concerned about the state of the local economy and job losses are becoming all too familiar in various parts of the constituency. I am arranging a cross party meeting in Girvan on 16 August which John Swinney has agreed to attend which will focus on local businesses and employment and what can be done to encourage local economic development.
Recently released unemployment figures confirm that in this constituency unemployment is rising and has reached 7.5% of the economically active population. Labour continues to campaign in Parliament to boost jobs and growth in the economy but unfortunately there is no sign of a change in Government policy. A recent report by the International Monetary Fund has called on the Tory led Government to take action to boost growth and economy. I, along with my Labour colleagues, continue to press the Government to take action now because we cannot continue in the current situation of slow growth and high unemployment. How much worse do things have to get before David Cameron and George Osborne finally take action?
Constituency Cases
My local office is inundated with a huge range of constituent cases. Unfortunately many of these relate to vulnerable people who have been taken off benefits and people who are in totally inadequate housing. These issues are certainly not priorities of the Tory led Government and I fear the situation is going to get much worse due to the draconian measures in the Welfare Reform Act.
Unwanted Pregnancy Inquiry
I have been asked to take part in a cross party inquiry into unwanted pregnancy. The first evidence session will take place in September. The inquiry will look into ways of reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, leading to a series of recommendations that will be presented to the Government. It will be broadly divided into three sections – unwanted pregnancy in age groups over 20, contraception and teenage pregnancy. The UK has a higher number of teenage pregnancies than most other European countries and numbers in deprived areas of the country can be three times higher than in the least deprived areas.
Proud of my country
Moments after Mo Farah’s fantastic 10,000m win at the Olympics, he was asked by a journalist if he’d have preferred to run as a Somali. He replied: “Look, this is my country. This is where I grew up; this is where I started life. This is my country and when I put on my Great Britain vest I’m proud. I’m very proud.” It is as much his country as it is mine or yours.
I have found the whole Olympic experience quite amazing. It began with Danny Boyle’s brilliant depiction of Britain at the Opening Ceremony and has just got better the longer it has gone on. I believe there is a feel good factor sweeping the country. Perhaps more significantly though, I believe that this is a moment when the nations of the UK have found a profound sense of unity and solidarity Of course there are many problems facing us – I have referred to some of them earlier in this column - but we are a modern, diverse and confident country – and during the Olympics we have been happy to shout it from the rooftops.
This past week has been great for Britain. Sportsmen and women of every colour and background have proudly worn the union flag and they have been cheered on by the entire nation. We Scots have been especially proud of the Scottish athletes who have done so well and they have been proud to wave the flag in victory just as they will wave the Saltire when they represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. 2012 will hopefully be remembered as the year we all united behind Team GB and redefined our identity based on ordinary people and the special diversity that makes Britain so great.