Stop the decline of our Post Office
Westminster once again is suspended – this time for the Queen’s Speech next Monday.
It’s yet more time slipping away as the clock ticks down on a no deal Brexit that will be a disaster for all of us.
My colleagues in the SNP have been trying to work closely with other parties based on compromise and sketch out a way to topple this Prime Minister with no majority and put the brakes on the kamikaze mission he and his allies are on.
But at every turn these talks have been undermined by the statements from Jo Swinson and her LibDem colleagues saying they’d prefer a no deal Brexit than Jeremy Corbyn as PM.
I am certainly no fan of Corbyn – but a no deal Brexit will do more damage to our communities and our countries in days than he could ever do in Downing Street.
It’s time for the LibDems to choose – do they want more weeks and months of Boris Johnson as our Prime Minister, or will they actually side with those of us who want shot of the Tories and the damage they’re doing as soon as possible?
Given their five years spent propping up the Tories under Nick Clegg, I suppose it’s no surprise they’d side with their former bosses – but the hypocrisy on display is breathtaking, even for a party as loose with reality as the LibDems.
No wonder Jo Swinson lost her seat a few years ago if this is how she thinks her party will win support in Scotland.
A LibDem legacy of bailing the Tories out for a second time will be the kiss of death to the its fortunes across the country.
Elsewhere at Westminster, I was speaking in the debate on moving to a net zero carbon emissions society.
The Scottish Government recently brought in legally binding targets which make Scotland a world leader in tackling climate change.
We should be proud of what has been accomplished so far, and what will be achieved over the coming years and decades.
The renewables revolution is supporting thousands of jobs across the country, and helping to reduce our dependence on energy sources like coal, gas, and nuclear.
The pace of change set by the UK Government, who still control huge areas of energy policy, has been appallingly slow and has meant Holyrood having to work even harder to achieve progress within the powers they have.
Not for the first time, Scottish technological innovation is being held back by the UK and Westminster.
This weekend I’ll be attending the SNP’s Annual Conference in Aberdeen.
On the agenda will be the motion I’m proposing along with many of my colleagues into the state of the Post Office.
What should be a first-class public service is being hindered by UK Government policy and a quite disgraceful attitude to subpostmasters, who make up the backbone of our Post Office network.
In many places across Renfrewshire and Scotland, the local Post Office branch is the mainstay of communities, providing an anchor for our high streets and access to services for those frozen out of the digital revolution.
The potential is there for Scotland to be a world leader in yet another area, and reverse the decline of our Post Office to build a public service that works for all who need it – in stark contrast to the cuts and privatisation agenda we’ve seen from successive Westminster governments.
I’m looking forward to making that case from the stage this weekend.