By George Thank you for the world’s best job
I think it is safe to say the past two weeks have been very busy but happy ones, and I cannot wait to get stuck into a third term of representing you all and the town that I love.
Election week and the first week back as a Member of the Scottish Parliament are always a whirlwind – but being re-elected to serve my town is a feeling unlike any other and it is truly the biggest honour and privilege of my life to be in this position for a third time.
It is all of you I have to thank for giving me the best job in the world so I would like to start these next five years by thanking every single person who voted for me to represent them and to assure you I will continue to champion our wonderful town and its fantastic people – and I will keep sharing the positive
Paisley message for as long as anyone will listen.
For me, Paisley has always had a very positive and vibrant spirit but the difficulties we’ve all faced over the last 14 months have only highlighted the sense of family and togetherness we are very lucky to have here.
The efforts of businesses and the wonderful organisations we have here in town in supporting our elderly and vulnerable Buddies during this tremendously difficult period has been second to none, and I wish all the business here in Paisley – and across Scotland – who are newly open, or set to reopen in the coming days and weeks, all the very best.
I know how hard this year has been for businesses and I know all of our local employers will be very happy to see some sense of normality resuming again.
While the financial impact of Covid-19 has been hard to say the least, the difficulties our local economy has faced would undoubtedly be worse without the record breaking investment from the Scottish Government – and I am proud to live in a country where the Government has continued to put its people, their livelihoods, local businesses, and families first for the duration of the pandemic.
The resounding success of this recent election is a testament to the faith Scottish people have in the SNP in government, and the trust you all place in us to do our best for you and to never lose sight of what’s truly important in life.
The SNP manifesto for the upcoming parliamentary term is undoubtedly their most progressive, bold, and ambitious yet but I have no doubt that all of my colleagues and myself will not rest until we have delivered for our towns and cities, and helped to create a Scotland we can all be proud of.
From delivering at least a four per cent pay rise for NHS staff, building 100,000 more affordable homes, creating a National Care Service, and implementing universal free school meals for all primary pupils; to doubling the Scottish Child Payment, abolishing all NHS dental charges, scrapping council tax charges for all under-22s, and bringing ScotRail firmly back into public ownership – it’s clear the SNP are committed to bringing us out of this pandemic stronger than ever before.
I, for one, cannot wait to see all these positive changes implemented here in our town and I look forward to what we can achieve over the coming years.