I will continue fighting to make Paisley’s future a positive one
SNP candidate George makes a pledge to the ‘town he loves’
Renfrewshire residents will hit the polls on May 6 to elect the region’s new MSPs for the next five years. Today, the Express speaks to George Adam of the SNP, who is seeking re-election in Paisley.
Paisley election candidate George Adam has pledged to continue pumping positivity back into the town if Buddies back him for a third term in Holyrood.
During a decade spent as the area’s MSP, the SNP politician insists he and his team have helped to cast aside an “almost begging bowl mentality” among the population and helped people to believe in Paisley’s potential.
And the 51-year-old said he wants to continue to be a “strong voice” in the Scottish Parliament to ensure the country’s biggest town continues to get the investment it needs following the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ve often said it’s been the perfect job being Paisley’s MSP because I feel it’s the job I was designed to do,” said Mr Adam.
“I love this town and it’s made me the man I am today.
“I was lucky in 2011 when the Boundary Commission changed the area from two Paisley seats to just one because it gave me the chance to do a very positive campaign for the whole of Paisley.
“I feel that positivity has now taken a life of its own.
“You only need to look at the 2021 campaign for the UK City of Culture. That’s something we never would’ve done if I hadn’t managed to get us into that positive space.
“The former Labour councillor Mark McMillan said to me the only reason the Labour council administration bid for the City of Culture was because of my positive message.
“I know there are challenges in this town, but I think we’ve managed to get everyone into that positive mindset.
“I think you can see it’s made a lot of difference and we’ve moved away from that almost begging bowl mentality.
“My idea is let’s not sit there and say something needs fixing, let’s roll up our sleeves and find a way to fix it. I hope people will vote for me so I can continue to deliver everything I possibly can for this town.”
Mr Adam first clinched the seat in 2011 with a slim majority of just 248, before winning by a landslide in 2016 with a gulf of 5,199 votes between him and Labour rival Neil Bibby.
He will go up against familiar faces again this time with Mr Bibby on the ballot sheet alongside Liberal Democrat Eileen McCartin, who is campaigning for a third time.
But Mr Adam is confident his “glass-half-full” attitude is what will get him over the line to secure another five years in the chamber.
And he said he wants to keep attracting families into the town as a priority.
“There is always work to do in Paisley. My family are from Ferguslie Park, so I know all about the challenges this town faces,” added Mr Adam.
“But I’m a glass-half-full sort of person and I think that’s what sets me apart from the other candidates.
“There are plenty of places where we can make things better.
“We can do that through goodquality housing. The SNP has already committed to building 100,000 new homes over the next decade, which will support around 14,000 jobs a year.
“We need to make sure we keep building homes in Paisley and attracting families.
“Places like Lanarkshire have managed to entice new families to come into the area and we need to do more of that by building more houses. We’ve already done well in the social sector but we need to encourage more private sector housing as well because it’s all about making Paisley a larger town.
“I just want to keep making sure we get that investment in our town. We’ve seen £44million of support from the Scottish Government to support businesses in Renfrewshire and we need to ensure we still have that support.”
There’s an array of things Mr Adam says he has enjoyed about representing Paisley for almost a fifth of his life, but he admitted the simple act of helping people who had hit breaking point was the most satisfying part of the job.
Having been born and bred in the town, he vowed to continue being there for residents and taking pride in the day job.
He added: “You ask anyone who is Paisley’s MSP and they will say it’s George Adam because I will get it into every single speech.
“For me, it is all about the town and its people.
“I love the day-to-day work and helping people.
“When someone comes into your office heartbroken about something that’s happened in their family and need help and it’s my job to guide them through that.
“For me, that is the most satisfying part of it all.”
I’ve often said it’s the perfect job being Paisley’s MSP because I feel it’s the job I’m designed to do