Candidate statements — East Renfrewshire

Jim Murphy, Scottish Labour

East Renfrewshire is a great place to live and work. Our schools are the best in the country and we should keep them that way.

I always have and always will try to do my best for our area.

I’ve always worked with people regardless of their politics; that’s why so many people of all political backgrounds are backing my campaign.

East Renfrewshire and right across Scotland can vote for Labour. On Friday, a Labour Government can begin the work of changing our country. That’s what is at stake in this general election.

If the SNP win lots of seats then Scotland will be on the road to a second referendum. Surely we can agree that there are more important things to do over the next few years than re-running last years vote.

Only Labour has the solutions to the big problems in our country – like inequality and low pay. Our mission in government every single day will be simple but important – making sure working families get a fair shot at life.

One of the first things a Labour government will do is get rid of the bedroom tax.

We will use the money saved to end the need for foodbanks in Scotland. It’s shameful that in a country as rich as ours some parents need to rely on the charity of others to feed their kids.

We will make sure that it’s worthwhile going out to work by increasing the minimum wage and

expanding the living wage. And we will abolish those awful, exploitative zero hours contracts that do so much damage to the security of families in East Renfrewshire and beyond.

That’s the kind of change a Labour government can deliver. But to get that Labour government people need to vote Labour.

Kirsten Oswald, SNP

This general election is a real opportunity for us to change things in East Renfrewshire. And it is time for a change.

Under the current Westminster system life is a struggle for many people in our community, and Tory and Labour austerity plans will hit harder still over the next five years.

Our economy and our society will suffer if we continue down this road.

By voting SNP you are voting for a stronger voice for Scotland, and a stronger voice for East Renfrewshire.

People in East Renfrewshire deserve a dedicated local MP who cares about them and their families, and who will speak up for their priorities — healthcare, education, social justice.

If you elect me, I will work hard for you every single day.

Our MPs are there to represent us. That’s their job. They don’t belong in ivory towers. They shouldn’t be remote or distant. We deserve an MP who is really interested in their constituents.

If you elect me, I’ll commit to this being my only job, and my absolute priority. I will not be standing for election to any other parliament or for any other job. And I will make sure that I am available to all my constituents.

A vote for the SNP is a vote for hope, and a vote for change. And in East Renfrewshire, it’s a vote for someone who will listen, and who really understands the priorities of local people.

People are politically engaged more than ever before. They want their voices to be heard, and they want to be sure that their MPs are listening to them.

Democracy is alive and well in East Renfrewshire, and people are ready for a different approach.

Please vote Kirsten Oswald SNP.

Robert Malyn, UKIP

My name is Robert Malyn. I’m an economics and policy researcher for David Coburn MEP.

I have a degree in business economics from Paisley and Eastwood High School FP.

Here is my stall. Vote UKIP If you agree with the following:

Scotland voted No in last year’s separation referendum. No Means No. We need new whole of UK and new devolution settlement and Holyrood should use its tax raising powers where appropriate.

Stop EU privatisation of the NHS via TTIP. Keep the NHS free for UK Citizens. Stop the LiblabCon and SNP backdoor privatisation of the NHS via expensive and wasteful PFI schemes. Prioritise social housing for local people & servicemen. Yes to affordable energy & no to fuel poverty caused by green taxes. Say No Tax on the minimum wage. No to the bedroom tax and ATOS style assessments. No to inheritance tax or no to mansion taxes.

No to uncontrolled immigration which lowers wages and places pressure on jobs, housing, public services and the welfare system. Yes instead to an Australian points based immigration system.

Say no to £55 million a day membership of the EU which dictates 70 per cent of our laws.

The UK is the sixth largest economy can negotiate our own trade deals. Political union with the EU to is not required to trade with it. Three million jobs depend on trade and not EU membership. Yes to bringing power back to Holyrood, Westminster and to the people via referendums.

Say no to spending £12 billion in foreign aid, much of it is wasted on management consultants and corrupt dictators to subsidise space and weapons programs. Why lavish money abroad when we have domestic poverty? Our aid should be prioritised to provide water, fighting disease and on emergency relief.

If you want real change, vote UKIP.

David Montgomery, Scottish Conservatives

I went to university to train as a doctor, full of hope that I would have a long and fulfilling career looking after people less fortunate than me.

But under Labour, the training of doctors in the NHS suffered so much that I felt I could not achieve what I set out to.

Many people reading this will have their own stories to tell about how badly they have been let down by Labour, and I know that is why so many people are turning to the SNP.

But there is another choice, and it is a choice that I know many people will make today in East Renfrewshire. It is the choice that I have made; the Scottish Conservative party.

The Tories have changed. Ruth Davidson, our leader in Scotland, is a great example of that change. Ruth is a Conservative because she wants to help people get on in life, as I do. She wants our country to be a place where we can create jobs, create businesses, get people working and make that work pay. Because to create a better society, we all have to work hard together.

Ruth isn’t a ‘posh Tory’, she is a hard working Scot who wants to stand up for other hard working Scots by lowering their taxes, helping keep their mortgage rates low and working to ensure that everyone has a decent job. Solid Conservative values.

Five years ago the Conservatives inherited a country on the brink of collapse. Labour crashed our economy. It meant there were tough choices to be made, but they had to be made. We could no longer go on borrowing and spending beyond our means.

So we have gone about balancing the books. This has meant we have had a tough few years, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. But only if we keep going. And the only party that can keep Labour out in the UK is the Conservatives.

Jim Murphy says that we should kick the Tories out of Scotland. I say that if you are a Tory, if you believe in low taxes, working hard and getting on in life, you should send a clear message to Jim. That you want represented in Scotland by someone like you.

That is why I am asking you to vote for me, and for the Conservatives. I want to go to Westminster and be a strong voice for Scotland in a Conservative government.

I want to fight for lower taxes, better jobs, greater opportunities for every Scottish man, woman and child. If you want that too; greater prosperity and a strong voice for Scotland in a strong government at Westminster, then vote for me.

Graeme Cowie, Scottish Liberal Democrats

This is one of Scotland’s most diverse communities. Diversity makes it stronger. We are proud of our values of tolerance, equality and opportunity.

Today, remember how the Liberal Democrats prioritised these values in government.

Tolerance: resisting anti-immigration rhetoric, defending the economic and cultural contribution immigrants make to our great country. Equality: leading the charge for all loving couples to have the right to marry, and introducing shared parental leave so mums can get back to work and dads can spend quality time with their kids.

Opportunity: creating two million apprenticeships for young people, giving them the skills to live stable and fulfilling lives.

The biggest successes in this government happened because the Lib Dems fought your corner.

An £800 income tax cut for every full-time worker: something David Cameron said was impossible. Our state pension protected against inflation with our “triple-lock” guarantee. Our deficit halved. Two million new jobs, most of which are full-time. Ending routine child detention in immigration cases. Labour’s ID cards scrapped. Human Rights Act protected. We stand up for the many, not the few.

Let’s stick the course. Lurching left lets Labour and the SNP undermine our efforts to balance the books. They will borrow more, and will ignore your civil liberties.

Lurching right lets Conservatives and UKIP impose £12 billion of cuts to welfare, hitting families in work. Worse still, our economic recovery is at risk if they pull us out of the EU.

The only party anchored to the centre-ground is the Liberal Democrats. Our plan for another £400 tax cut, £800 million for Scotland’s NHS, and real, lasting powers for Scotland’s Parliament, will give Britain a fighting chance of building for the future.

If you think like a Liberal, we need you to vote for one. Let’s build a strong economy and a fair society and let’s do it together.

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