Lib Dem MSPs will let Scotland flourish - Alex Cole-Hamilton
Following our conference at the weekend, one commentator described the Scottish Liberal Democrats as ‘Holyrood’s constant optimists’. I couldn’t help but smile.
It’s true: as a party, we are optimistic about so many things and it’s not just about our fortunes, although we have excellent reasons to be cheery about them. Optimism also underpins what we want for the people of Scotland: a bright, positive, practical vision that will deliver change with fairness at its heart.
After two decades of SNP government, Scotland is crying out for change. The bleak drumbeat of record waiting lists for healthcare; the rising cost of living squeezing households for every penny; classrooms that are more violent than any other UK nation.
The SNP have had their chance - 18 years’ worth of chances - and they’ve failed. Scotland deserves better, so much better.
At our conference Scottish Liberal Democrats wasted no time in getting to work. We were unveiling our blueprint, our realistic plan for how we can fix things.
That starts with fixing the health service. When people get ill, they should be able to freely access that first, vital port of call - their GP.
In my conference speech, I explained how we would train and recruit new staff like nurses and mental health professionals, who can work alongside GPs and ease their workloads. I spoke of the need to end the ridiculous requirement for a GP’s signature on every prescription that passes through the practice and to give infants and everyone over 70 access to a named GP - to someone who knows you well.
And we didn’t stop there.
The SNP’s ferries fiasco is a national embarrassment. It has cost us a fortune and yet no SNP minister has ever had the decency to resign over it. That’s why our party conference committed to introducing a Ferries Bill; legislation that will guarantee new vessels are replaced on time, take power away from ministers and give communities a real say in how the ferries are run.
And all of this is just a snapshot of the vast array of ideas we have to get Scotland moving again. It’s all about delivering change with fairness at its heart.
But here’s the best part. Come next May’s election, no matter where you live in Scotland, you can vote for these policies by marking a cross next to the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second, peach-coloured regional ballot paper.
That ballot paper matters. It’s how we can get everyone across Scotland a hardworking, Liberal Democrat, regional MSP. The more of them are, in every part of the country, the more we can get done.
This is set to be a historic breakthrough election for my party. Last month in a Highland by-election, we got double the vote of the SNP and triple that of Reform. We’re becoming the home for everyone scunnered with the Conservatives and Labour, for all those searching for a brighter, more reasonable alternative. Call it constant optimism, sure, but the signs are indisputably there.
Liberal Democrats believe in Scotland; we believe in its people and in its intrinsic potential. And by getting more Scottish Liberal Democrats elected to parliament next year, we can let this country flourish.