Scottish Labour
Tom Greatrex (Labour)
1. Rutherglen and Cambuslang’s move to become part of NHS Lanarkshire has proved controversial. What will your party do to protect vital NHS services and keep them in the area?
Local health services should run for patients, not the convenience of NHS administrators. That is why I have fought against proposals to include Rutherglen and Cambuslang in their out of hours care changes, and will not be intimidated in fighting to stop the Scottish government’s national out of hours review removing local services. With one in five patients waiting more than four hours at A&E at Hairmyres, Lanarkshire NHS needs investment – that is why Labour will use the money raised, mostly in England, from a UK wide mansion tax to provide 1,000 extra nurses and 500 new GPs in Scotland.
2. There is a severe lack of social and affordable housing in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, how will your party tackle this?
Housing is the biggest single issue raised with me by constituents in the last five years – there are just not enough affordable houses being built. The SNP government has presided over the lowest level of housebuilding since 1947, so many are forced into high cost and insecure private lets. Locally, there is some new social and council housing – in Fernhill, Cathkin, Spittal and Cairns – but we need more. That is why Labour will tackle the housing crisis by building 20,000 new homes a year in Scotland by 2020, while limiting rent reviews to one per year and controlling rent rises.
3. What can you and your party do to keep jobs in Rutherglen and Cambuslang and encourage inward investment?
We have a proud industrial heritage, but could have a bright future too. New infrastructure will need manufacturing – and manufacturing needs materials. That is why I have fought for steel in Parliament, and Clydebridge in particular. Government should support industry here – and the SNP government decision to buy steel for the Forth Road crossing from China should not be repeated. With Clyde Gateway’s regeneration underway, we need to attract companies. UKTI advertise our area to companies looking to invest – but it is a missed opportunity that the Scottish government controlled SDI (Scottish Development International) refuse to do so.
4. Jim Murphy has been quoted as saying there will be no cuts in Scotland after 2015/ 16 but Ed Balls has said otherwise. Can voters trust a party whose election message seems to be so muddled?
Labour have set out our manifesto commitments – every policy paid for, and no additional borrowing to meet those promises. Reducing the deficit by different choices on tax, investment and promoting growth in the economy. That increases tax coming in, and reduces unemployment benefit being paid out. In the last five years, we have seen swingeing cuts that choked off economic growth inherited by the incoming government and led to £200bn more borrowing as a result. The choice at the election is between a Tory government making deeper cuts, and a Labour government’s better plan to invest and grow.
5. What three people, either living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party?
Any dinner party at my house would be interrupted by two inquisitive and opinionated five-year-olds – so I would invite Katie Morag to keep them happy. Meaning I could get the most out of my other two guests – and would chose film director Ken Loach, whose mixture of social insight and humour in recent films Angel’s Share and Looking for Eric would be interesting to discuss. I would also invite Scottish internationalist Graham Leggat, who not only scored for Scotland against England more than once, but also scored the fastest League hatrick when Fulham beat Ipswich 10-1 in 1963.