Why I love living on the patch

I took a break from the campaign trail on Saturday afternoon to cheer on my local rugby side in the Scottish Cup final, but voters were never far away.

Although obviously disappointing that Ayr pipped Currie in the last couple of minutes, it was heartening that so many people came up and said hello.

I don’t know how many will vote for me, but at least they knew I was an Edinburgh MSP and acknowledged the work I’ve put in over ten years representing the area and getting things done, like better Water of Leith pathways, improving the Baberton green spaces and as I’ve written here before, saving our schools in Currie and Wester Hailes.

By autumn, both will have splendid new facilities when, if Edinburgh Council’s old SNP-Labour coalition got its way, both would have been bulldozed and replaced with a single school in Clovenstone.

Of course plenty of MSPs and MPs don’t live in their constituencies, some even quietly slope off to live somewhere else, but nothing beats living in the area you represent because you directly experience the issues concerning your constituents and you are visible and easy to approach. I get nearly as much casework out walking my dog Alfie as comes into the office!

Voters will have their say next week, but obviously I hope to be able to carry on representing the people of Edinburgh for another five years, but particularly to be able to take up the cudgels on behalf of my community in South West.