The future hangs on your vote
I’m sure we all had a chuckle at Brenda from Bristol and her horror at hearing that there was going to be a snap General Election.
And while her cry that there was“too much politics” might have chimed with many, there is a danger in media outlets focusing on that response rather than on engaging the public with the choices ahead of us.
Because, at the end of the day, that is what elections and politics in general - are actually about and there are some very stark choices ahead of us regarding the sort of society we want to live in.
First up, we have the council elections and the vote we cast will determine whether we have - here in Perth and Kinross - a council that is run by the SNP or the Tories.
This vote is not about independence or about Brexit or anything other than choosing who is best placed to stand up for your community and deliver the services we need.
It is absolutely a two-horse race and in deciding which horse to back in that race the best evidence available to us is the budget plans that both parties brought forward just last month.
The key planks of the SNP Budget were:
An increase of £3.7 million (2.4%) in the budget for Education and Children’s Services
An increase of £1.4 million (2.9%) in the budget for social care
Almost £2 million of additional investment in road safety
£350,000 to continue growing our tourism industry
£250,000 to supporting world-class international events
Free 15 minute parking scheme extended
Conversely,Tory councillors voted to give a Council Tax discount for people with two homes, and to:
Increase Bereavement Charges
Increase local parking charges Cut local bus services Axe support for local Citizen’s Advice service
Cut local Homeless Service
Slash funding for early years education You choose. There is a clear distinction there between, on one hand, a party that wants to protect and develop services, helping our communities to grow and, on the other, a group apparently determined to follow a scorched earth programme that puts the interests of those that have ahead of the interests of those who are struggling.
The services councils provide are massively important to our everyday lives and the way in which our community operates and the election of those councils deserves its own focus.
It was massively disrespectful to the process of local democracy for Theresa May to fire the starting pistol of a General Election.
Local services matter and so, therefore, do local elections. Give them your attention and remember to cast your vote. Roseanna says the council elections are a choice between Tories or SNP