Politics – Page 256 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Diverse opinions as Edinburgh Local Plan moves on

A move toward providing certainty, a missed opportunity to develop a sustainable city region – or a kick in the teeth?

The City of Edinburgh Council today agreed that its Local Development Plan should be moved on to be examined by the Reporter appointed by the Scottish Government, before the final plan is agreed.

To help the Reporter to understand where there are opportunities to change to plan, the Planning Committee also agreed a motion which details where it sees merit in the representations made.

Cllr Ian Perry, Convener of the Planning Committee, said: The Council needs to allocate land to allow much-needed housing to be delivered for the city. While we are keen to ensure that brownfield land is developed first, it is necessary to identify some new greenfield sites in a growing city.

“It is therefore very important that the Local Development Plan is now moved to the next stage to allow the Council to guide developers on future land use. This has been a difficult decision but it is important that we move towards providing certainty for local communities and developers. ”

However Lothians Green MSP Alison Johnstone slammed the decision and said the council is obsessed with suburban sprawl rather than building affordable homes.

The long-awaited plan allocates land around the city for the next 10 years, and has been driven by controversial Scottish Government projections that more than 100,000 new homes are needed across South-east Scotland. Controversially, it earmarks areas including Cammo, Brunstane and Newmills for potential development.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “It’s frustrating to see this plan being passed without addressing the real concerns of communities around Edinburgh where unnecessary developments are earmarked. Our city has thousands of empty homes, plenty of brownfield sites and land that has been banked by developers. That is where the focus should be.

“The city urgently needs more affordable homes – homes which are built in compact communities with easy access to services and transport. Much of the LDP debate has sadly been about swapping suburban sprawl in one location for sprawl in another, without fundamentally addressing the need for a spreading the city at all. It is a missed opportunity to develop a sustainable city region.”

SNP MSP Colin Keir, who’s Edinburgh Western constituency includes green belt likely to prove attractive to developers, is also angry. He said: “I am bitterly disappointed by the decision of Planning Committee today. The Planning Committee has delivered a kick in the teeth to those opposing the 2nd Proposed Local Development Plan.

“This decision is in fact a shirking of responsibility. The Committee could have made a decision that reflected the representations from communities across the City and in particular in my constituency at Cammo, Maybury and South Queensferry where clear and substantial objections were raised based on the inability of the local infrastructure to support development on the scale proposed.

“The Committee has in effect agreed the LDP unamended while attaching a wish list of housing site adjustments which the reporter may or may not pay any attention to.”

Murphy: ‘Overwhelmed by history and by circumstance’

‘We will be again the change that working people need’ – Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has responded to his party’s near wipeout in yesterday’s general election by promising to fight to make Labour the natural voice for working people once again.

Time is not on his side. The party that has dominated the Scottish political scene for so long – in the industrial heartlands it’s said they used to weigh the Labour votes, not count them – has been reduced to one solitary MP: and the Scottish Parliamentary Elections are just a year away.

Mr Murphy, who lost his own East Renfrewshire seat last night, divides opinion both inside and outside the Labour Party, but it will come as no surprise to many that he’s decided to tough it out while Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage (perhaps!) have called it a day.

He’s a fighter is oor Jim, and in a typically combative message to members said Labour will bounce back after having been ‘overwhelmed by history and by circumstance’:

Firstly, thank you.

Thousands of members and activists worked so hard for Labour across Scotland and across the UK for a Labour Government. Your dedication is extraordinary.

I want to thank the 700,000 people across Scotland who voted Labour yesterday. Those people voted for the most radical Scottish Labour manifesto in a generation.

We are coming to terms with a dreadful night for our party.

Far worse than that we have the realisation of a terrible day for Scotland, and for working class people across the UK, as David Cameron forms another government.

The friends and colleagues lost have been faithful servants to our party and forceful advocates for their constituents.

But this isn’t about us. It isn’t about individual’s careers.

Because while we have lost seats the thing that hurts most is the loss of hope that will be felt as we face another five years of a government totally lacking in vision and compassion.

I didn’t stand for leader out of a sense of personal ambition. I stood because I knew that Scottish Labour after losing in 2007 and 2011 and after the emotional hangover of the referendum faced the biggest challenge in our 127 year history.

As Leader I wanted to take responsibility for meeting these challenges and I still do.

Our campaign was energetic and professional on the ground.

But we have been overwhelmed by history and by circumstance. We make no excuses. A party can never blame the electorate.

Scotland deserves a stronger Scottish Labour Party. Working class people need the party back on its feet.

So where now for Scottish Labour?

We have to start from our strengths. And here the success of the SNP strategy offers us a guide on how to move forward.

‘We have been beaten by a party who claimed our heritage, clothed themselves in our values, and copied many of our policies.

We will take confidence in the principles behind our policies and we will renew and retarget them for the Scottish election.

With less than a year to the Scottish Parliament elections. We cannot afford another period of introspection.

People need Labour now.

They need a strong opposition.

They need us to be what we have always been at our best: a voice for working people.

This morning as the sun rose we were hurting.

But in a morning like this, before too long.

We will bounce back.

We will again be the change that working people need.

A message from Mark Lazarowicz

I would like to thank all those who gave me their support in the general election held on 7 May. I was proud of the way we took our message to every street in every part of Edinburgh North & Leith, and although we were unsuccessful, I am sure that the efforts of our team were one of the reasons why I received more votes in 2015 than in the 2010 election.

I have been extremely privileged to have been able to serve the people of Edinburgh North & Leith as their representative in Parliament since 2001, and I thank them for giving me that opportunity.

I congratulate the successful candidate Deidre Brock on her victory. Like all MPs, she can be contacted at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, switchboard 0207 219 3000.

My constituency office will now close down, and as I am no longer an MP I will not be able to deal with any constituency work. However, Malcolm Chisholm MSP continues to have his constituency office at 5 Croall Place, Leith Walk and can be contacted for any Scottish Parliament matters in the Edinburgh Northern & Leith constituency.

General Election: Edinburgh results in full

The UK Parliamentary General Election results for Edinburgh’s five constituencies have been announced.

The Members of Parliament for each constituency are listed in full below and full details of the results are on the Council website:

Edinburgh East Constituency: Tommy Sheppard, SNP

Edinburgh North & Leith Constituency: Deidre Leanne Brock, SNP

Edinburgh South Constituency: Ian Murray, Labour

Edinburgh South West Constituency: Joanna Catherine Cherry, SNP

Edinburgh West Constituency: Michelle Rhonda Thompson SNP

Speaking earlier this morning, Returning Officer Sue Bruce (above) said: “I’d like to pay tribute to the work of the Council’s election team who have put months of hard work and planning into delivering the election. I would also like to thank Police Scotland, the candidates and their agents and the media for working constructively with us to conduct proceedings properly and efficiently.”

“This is the first time the EICC has been the venue for an election count and I would like to thank Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive, and his team for all their support.”

Turnout: 73.01%
Electorate: 357718
Votes cast: 261165

For further details of the results and the General Election, please see the Elections section of the Council website.

Scotland wakes up to a Tory government

‘It is an extraordinary statement of intent from the people of Scotland. The Scottish lion has roared this morning across the country’ – Alex Salmond MP

Scots are waking up to another Conservative government this morning. A night of high drama has seen David Cameron’s party creep ever closer to an overall majority – despite an unprecedented surge of support for the SNP which saw the party sweep to a remarkable victory in 56 of 59 seats in Scotland.

All of the Scottish results are now in and the map of Scotland is now a bright SNP yellow – only Alistair Carmichael (LibDem), David Mundell (Conservative) and Labour’s Ian Murray survived the SNP onslaught.

Among the big names to taste defeat in Scotland are Jim Murphy, Margaret Curran, Danny Alexander, Charles Kennedy and Douglas Alexander.

On what was a truly dreadful night for the Labour Party in Scotland Ian Murray’s victory in Edinburgh South was the one bright spark on an evening of unrelenting misery as safe seat after safe seat fell to the SNP – Labour lost 40 seats. The LibDems also paid the price for their coalition with the Tories, losing ten of their 11 MPs in Scotland.

Locally, both sitting MPs lost their seats. The result of the 2010 general election saw Labour return five MPs and the LibDems one, but from early in the campaign it’s been clear that change was coming. It came with a vengeance – LibDem Mike Crockart (Edinburgh West) and Labour’s Mark Lazarowicz (North & Leith), Sheila Gilmore (East) and Ricky Henderson – in Alistair Darling’s former South West seat – all lost, swept away in an SNP landslide.

Nationally, Labour did not make the vital gains in marginal seats required to wrest power from the Tories and, as predicted, the LibDems lost heavily across the country. Polls barely shifted throughout a lacklustre campaign down south and at 8am David Cameron is on course to form the next government – the Tories may even scrape to a narrow majority and so would not need the support of Northern Ireland’s DUP.

The more things change, the more they stay the same …

LOCAL RESULTS:

EDINBURGH NORTH & LEITH

DEIRDRIE BROCK (SNP) 23, 742

Mark Lazarowicz (Labour) 18, 145

Iain MacGill (Conservative) 9378

Sarah Beattie-Smith (Green) 3140

Martin Veart (Lib Dem) 2634

Alan Melville (UKIP) 847

Bruce Whitehead (Left Unity) 122

EDINBURGH WEST

MICHELLE THOMSON (SNP) 21, 378

Mike Crockart (Lib Dem) 18, 168

Lyndsay Paterson (Conservative) 6732

Cammy Day (Labour) 6425

Pat Black (Green) 1140

George Inglis (UKIP) 1015

General Election 2015: It’s Time …

Around 50,000 polling stations across the country have opened their doors as the General Election vote gets underway, and if pollsters are correct this could be the closest result in many years.

A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with almost 50 million people registered to vote. The magic number for parties looking to form a government is 326.

Local candidates:

EDINBURGH NORTH AND LEITH

Sarah Beattie-Smith (Green)

Deidre Brock (SNP)

Mark Lazarowicz (Labour)

Iain McGill (Conservative)

Alan Melville (UKIP)

Martin Veart (Liberal Democrat)

Bruce Whitehead (Left Unity)

EDINBURGH WEST

Pat Black (Green)

Mike Crockart (Liberal Democrat)

Cammy Day (Labour)

George Inglis (UKIP)

Lindsay Paterson (Conservative)

Michelle Thomson (SNP)

Polls are open from 7am – 10pm – don’t leave it too late to vote!

Austerity: the fight will go on

‘Sadly, all of the mainstream parties in Scotland – including the SNP – appear to have accepted ‘austerity-lite’’ – Phil McGarry, Chair of the People’s Assembly Against Austerity Scotland.

A non-party campaign group set up to challenge austerity says it’s ‘heartened’ by the number of general election candidates to have pledged to commit themselves to oppose all austerity cuts – but warns that politicians’ words must be matched by deeds.

Sixty-two out of 220 candidates contacted responded to the People’s Assembly Scotland’s petition against austerity and most of those have also signed up to it.

Top pledgers were the Greens (14), next came Labour (11) and in third place was the SNP, with 9 of its 22 responders agreeing to sign up to oppose all austerity cuts while the others issued a statement which included: ‘We believe we can manage the deficit down, but without destroying the social fabric that holds us together.’

Six TUSC candidates signed, along with one each for the Communist Party of Britain, The Liberal Democrats, and Class War. Colin Fox signed on behalf of the SSP, but the only Conservative who responded asked what austerity was and didn’t sign.

Launched in January 2014 in Scotland, The People’s Assembly is a broad united national campaign against austerity, cuts and privatisation in our workplaces, community and welfare services, based on general agreement with the signatories’ Founding Statement http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/draft-statement.

It is linked to no political party, committed to open non-sectarian working and dedicated to supplementing, rather than supplanting, trade union, student, pensioner and community opposition to austerity measures.

“With austerity right at the front of so many parties’ election campaign, we are surprised more candidates didn’t take the chance to publicly confirm their opposition to austerity. Given the public campaigning, we are even more surprised at how few SNP candidates were willing to actually pledge to oppose all austerity”, said Phil McGarry, Chair of the People’s Assembly Against Austerity Scotland.

“Nevertheless, It is heartening to see that a good number of candidates across the parties (apart from the Tories) have been prepared to stand up and say they will fight the austerity that has created so much poverty and inequality.

“However it also shows that there is a long way to go before politicians’ actions match their words. Sadly, all of the mainstream parties in Scotland – including the SNP – appear to have accepted ‘austerity-lite’ with the Tories intent on even more austerity”, he added.

“No matter what the election outcome, campaigns like the People’s Assembly, trade unions and community organisations will still have to push politicians to address the real issues facing people on the ground.

“The irony is that the austerity that cuts jobs, cuts the money available in local communities and cuts the tax that is available, leads to a vicious circle of even more austerity. Apart from the human cost with food banks being the only growing industry, local economies are being pushed further into stagnation. We will continue to campaign against a system that punishes the poor and lines the pockets of the rich”.

62 candidates out of the 220 candidates contacted by the People’s Assembly Scotland responded and of those 44 signed up to the 38 Degrees Petition https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/an-end-to-austerity.

The list of those responding and their comments is at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7viJVThyeghZXItVlgwakNQTTQ/view?usp=sharing

Election questions answered in Muirhouse?

Are you confused with the Party manifestos at the forthcoming General Election? (writes James McGinty)

Cammy Day (Labour) will run a drop in to Muirhouse Millennium (Community) Centre from 12 noon -1.00pm on Wednesday 6 May to explain any issues or queries you may have.

So come along at any time between 12.00 and 1.00 pm and either add your questions or sit and listen to other peoples questions and prepare yourself for a very important General Election. The meeting will take place in our boardroom initially (dependent on community response).

James McGinty, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre

Taxi! Keir calls for tighter legislation

‘Public safety is everything’ – SNP MSP Colin Keir

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Western Colin Keir has called for tighter legislation of taxis and private hire cars during a Holyrood debate on the Air Rifles and Licensing Bill.

Mr Keir is supporting moves to introduce a test for Private Hire Car drivers as well as tightening the legislation on booking offices. He also called on vehicles which are currently exempt from the licensing system to be included on the grounds of public safety.

Mr Keir said: “The legislation which deals with taxis and private hire cars was drawn up as a part of the 1982 Civic Government Scotland Act and needs to be amended. The use of mobile phones and apps were not known years ago and the law and the trade have to adapt to modern circumstances.”

Mr Keir added: “Everyone who uses a taxi or private hire car must know that it is safe to get into a vehicle and must have confidence that there’s a fit and proper person behind the wheel – public safety is everything.”

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Row over ‘extraordinary’ claims in Lib Dem newspaper

The SNP has accused the Liberal Democrats of misleading voters in Edinburgh West, claiming plummeting poll ratings have ‘driven their opponents to a new low.’

With the general election now just two weeks away the SNP have challenged claims about the controversial Cammo planning application made in a Liberal Democrat newsletter.

An SNP spokesperson said: “Not content to openly ask Tory and Labour supporters to vote for them in order to stop the SNP candidate Michelle Thomson from winning Edinburgh West constituency, they are now trying to mislead and panic local residents over the housing application which has been referred to Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil for determination.

“The Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Crockart is quoted: ‘The SNP can’t run away from their record on Cammo. Their local councillors voted for the housing development. Only the Liberal Democrats can be trusted to work with residents to stop these plans going ahead.’ This statement is totally untrue. No councillors voted for the proposed housing development. The development was appealed by the developers on the grounds of non determination by the City of Edinburgh Council.

“The Liberal Democrats also ask three questions:

1. Why did the SNP put this in the hands of their housing minister Alex Neil from Airdrie, over our locally elected councillors? This is factually incorrect. No one from the SNP directed this to Alex Neil. The application was appealed on the grounds of non-determination by the Council and the legal pathway is being followed. The Council Planning committee was bypassed by the developers appeal.

2. Why has the SNP delayed the decision about Cammo until after the General Election? This is factually incorrect. The SNP have no part to play in this legal process: if the SNP were involved in trying to influence a live planning application this would be inapropriate and illegal. There is no date known as to when the determination will be made public.

3. Why did SNP councillors on the Council Planning Committee vote for the inclusion of housing at Cammo in the local development plan last year? This is factually incorrect. Councillors on the Planning Committee at last years meeting could not agree on a new local development plan which would have identified areas to be released for development. As a result, a fresh consultation on land available all over the city of Edinburgh was undertaken by the City Council of which Cammo was a part. It should be noted that no Liberal Democrat Councillor accepted a position on the Planning Committee and as a result have made absolutely no meaningful input into the planning deliberations.”

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Western Colin Keir said: “This is an extraordinary newspaper from the Liberal Democrats. It would appear that the blind panic caused by local polls which show the Liberal Democrats in freefall is clouding any good judgement they may have once had. They are now clearly misleading residents. While the SNP candidate Michelle Thomson has been following a positive agenda, the Liberal Democrats are suffering through a lack of trust because of their coalition with the Tories.”

Mr Keir added: “Mr Crockart has had all this explained to him. Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil even wrote to him some weeks ago explaining the process regarding the Cammo housing appeal, which is on record. Obviously Mr Crockart either doesn’t understand the process, or the lack of trust shown in polls to the Liberal Democrats is well founded as residents are clearly being misled.”

Edinburgh West was once a Conservative stronghold but the Lib-Dems have held the Westminster constituency – which covers a wide area from Drylaw and Muirhouse out to South Queensferry – since 1997. The SNP currently hold the equivalent Edinburgh Western seat in the Holyrood parliament.

Candidates contesting the Edinburgh West seat on 7 May are: Patricia Black (Greens), Mike Crockart (Lib Dems), Cammy Day (Labour), Otto Inglis (UKIP), Lindsay Paterson (Conservative) and Michelle Thomson (SNP).