Election Diary Post 7 - The Banana Flats

As you know I initially re-started this blog as sort of campaign diary.  Quite simply I wanted to encourage others to do a leaflet run or knock a door or two.  I hope I’ve managed to do that a little at least either through this blog or my social media posts.  This campaign has been one that I will remember with a great deal of affection for a long time to come.  There have been many experiences & sights that have really driven home just why we do what we do.   There have been things that have made me angry and sick to the stomach.  But there have also been a great many more things that have me happy, very happy indeed.  Most who know me…. Scrap that…. All who know me know me as a being a bit obsessed with politics.  But I have had my peaks & troughs of political activism over the years.  This year does feel different though, maybe it’s age, maybe it’s experience, maybe it’s the cohesiveness of the team that we have working for this constituency.  One thing I am certain of is the importance of this election to Edinburgh North & Leith. 

 Across the constituency you will see clear examples of the failures of the Labour Party to effectively represent the people.  I’ll leave that statement there.   As a party the SNP has achieved it’s greatest successes when we have run positive campaigns.  This is not a Machievellian technique done only with the desire to win votes.  The SNP is a party with a vision of a progressive future for Scotland.  As I say on the doorsteps, by all means judge us on our record and judge the other parties on theirs.  Easy to say when armed with a list of 131 achievements of the SNP Government.  I’ll not run through them all.  I don’t need to.  People know.  People can see that on a day to day basis life is better than it was pre 2007.  Recorded crime is down 40% since we took the reins.  “Politicians just throw statistics about, politicians lie” I hear the more cynical of you cry.  I’ll give you an example though.  There is a tower block in Leith that is famous, not always for the right reasons.  Cables Wynd House, known to many as The Banana Flats due to the shape of the building, has quickly become one of my favourite places to campaign.  This was a block that many, many years ago was notorious for drugs & crime, a perceived no go area for many.  Take a moment to digest that.  We’re talking about a building that contains over 2 to 3 hundred individual properties.  It’s beyond disgusting that anywhere that families live, that people live could be perceived as a no go area.  I could not feel safer there.  Looking at the names on the canvas sheets tells a story in itself.  We know that Edinburgh North & Leith is one of the most ethnically diverse constituencies in the country.  To see the mix of names on sheets of A4 paper is quite something.  Eastern European names, Western European, Asian, Middle Eastern, Scottish, African, the lot.  I find this reassuring and heart warming.   Just a few days ago there I had a great chat with a gent originally from Poland.  You may say he was Polish.  I say he was a Scotsman who was born in Poland.  This is absolutely fundamental to my politics.  It may be influenced by my own family ancestry.  He is an SNP & independence supporter.  He’s lived in Scotland for over ten years & loves it.  He loves Peterhead & wants to retire to the highlands.  “I love the character in the highlands” he said.  “I come to Edinburgh to work.  It’s good.  My kids are Scottish…”  I replied that’s exactly it.  I told him that as far as I’m concerned, as far as our party is concerned “If you live here, work here, study here, make your life here then you are Scottish.  A nation is a coming together of people.  You are as Scottish as I am.”  He beamed at me & warmly shook my hand.  The thing is, I really do mean every word of that from the bottom of my heart.  My own Great Grandfather fled pogroms in Eastern Europe to build a life for himself in Edinburgh.  You would only know that if I or another family member told you so well has our family integrated into the community, an integration that happened very quickly.  This history helps to form a level of empathy & understanding towards those that come to Scotland for a better life.  It may be those fleeing war & persecution or they could be seeking better living conditions in which to raise a family.  All are equally important and equally valid.  We should be welcoming them all.  I’d like to think that man’s kids, grandkids & great grandkids might work within our community to make things better for others in the same way that my family has over the years.  The Proclaimer’s tune Scotland’s Story is a cliché, but it’s true. 

It is partly due to the diversity across the constituency that makes the choice of parliamentary representation so important.  An elected representative of any level, be it Holyrood, Westminster or the City Chambers is elected to represent ALL of their constituents.  Not just those that voted for them or are members of their own party.  I say again, judge the SNP & our candidates on our record and judge the others on theirs.  Much of the material disseminated by other parties does not suggest that they seek to represent the whole of the community.  It is no surprise that many are disengaged with politics & feel that all politicians are the same.  The problems in communities like Leith have often been exacerbated by a sense of entitlement felt by those elected to represent them.  Working Class communities across the country have been failed by representatives that took their votes for granted.  The fact that we have not is why the electorate have placed their trust in us. 

As I entered Cables Wynd House a man in his mid-fifties brought up the issue of politician’s tax returns.  I explained the First Minister’s position as best I could.  Still not convinced that all politicians weren’t in it for themselves we entered the lift.  This is a charge that I will always refute.  It simply is not true of most in the SNP.   Let’s face it, a politician of ambition for either position or wealth did not join the SNP any time before 2007.  I’m not suggesting that those that join now are any different.  Only that those that have joined in recent years have done so because the core of the party is still true.   I know so many who have sacrificed so much to represent the communities in which they live over the years.  I do get annoyed when I hear my friends being doubted simply because they now win elections.  We work hard to do so.  In the lift, I told the man about free prescriptions, free tuition & free bus travel for OAPs.  Leith is a great constituency but a lot of work does need done.  That’s why we need SNP representation so we can work with the community to build on our record.  “ I’m giving up my free time to do this because I really think we can make a difference in Leith”.  I said as he left the shiny metal box. He turned to me and said “I’d vote for you, if you were the candidate.”  To which I responded pointing at a picture of the candidate “Aye, well that’s why I’m campaigning for this man.  He’s my mate & he’s just like me.  He’s doing it for the same reasons. ”  

I’ll not lie it was the nicest compliment I’ve had for some time.  But ego is not important here.  What is important is the awareness that every single vote counts.  We as a party have to work to gain the trust of many who have been let down by other parties.  This is not an easy job & we fail the very second we forget to engage with the entire community.  Remember that.  Remember that next time someone tells you they are voting for someone else.  Talk to them.  Listen to them.  But especially listen to those that don’t feel engaged.  Engage with them.  Smile at them.  Tell them you understand.  Not because you want their vote, although of course that is true.  But because you do understand because you have eyes & can see the massive inequalities all around you.

I do feel very lucky at this time.  It is an exciting time in Scottish politics.  We have a team nationally & locally that has a progressive, socially just vision for the country, the constituency & the city.  I am lucky to be campaigning alongside local councillors who have visions for the city that will have an impact 15, 20 & more years into the future.  We have a candidate that is honest & fundamentally decent.  Exactly as our party is.  I’m looking forward to playing my wee part in the future of our community.  

 Scotland's Story - The Proclaimers