We want to bring people back together
‘‘ Yesterday, I set out the hope and change that defines the spirit of my party
Ican’t quite believe that just over a year ago I was writing a very similar piece when Nicola Sturgeon resigned, explaining why I had decided to stand as First Minister. If our politics continues moving at this pace, I worry my standing could become an annual tradition.
While John Swinney may be the new First Minister, he comes with significant baggage. As former SNP leader who previously served as wingman for Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, Swinney has been complicit in the SNP’s appalling neglect of public services for more than two decades.
His is a party that has been in power for too long, and a First Minister who embodies that stale governance will do very little to fix it. It was in this context that I wanted to offer an alternative, liberal vision for our country. To that end, we would rewrite the failed NHS Recovery Plan to bring down waits, get everyone seen and support NHS dentistry which is on the brink of collapse in Scotland. We have set out plans for creating world class mental health services, tackling a crisis that continues to afflict adults and children up and down the country. We’ve put forward proposals for a Clean Water Act to clean up the sewage in our rivers, a scandal that the government-owned water company has been happy to neglect.
And while SNP ministers have ditched key climate targets during the climate emergency, Scottish Liberal Democrats are brimming with ideas for how to boost sustainability, energy efficiency and support households in the process. We want to introduce an emergency insulation programme to make every house a warm one and slash emissions in the process. These are the kinds of fresh choices which, I believe, people deserve.
Yesterday, I set out the hope and change that defines the spirit of my party. It is a spirit committed to a fresh start and good governance; we want to help everyone who can’t get a GP appointment or see an NHS dentist, support our schools, deliver for business and get islanders the ferries they need. We want to bring people back together, put Scotland at the heart of Britain and fix our broken relationship with Europe. It’s time people had that choice.