Greedy, greedier, greediest: And the need to continue to exercise our voting rights.

Greedy, greedier, greediest: And the need to continue to exercise our voting rights.

I lived in Wester Hailes for 13 years, most of which, if not all, a certain Malcolm Rifkind was my MP. At the time the poll tax was introduced, I remember wondering how he and I could be paying the same. After all, he had that income as an MP and expenses on top of that. And I did not.

All these years later, this latest show of greedy, greedier, greediest with two MPs (Rifkind and Straw) only goes to reinforce what we already know: there is an arrogance associated with 'power' that so readily lends itself to corruption, moral and legal. This is surely a demonstration of one if not both.
We need representatives Cllrs, MPs, MSP, and MEPs that know and experience the working, social, economic lives of their constituents before taking office.
We need those representatives to remember who does pay their wages. Not companies, hedge funds, foreign interests, but us, voters who elect them in the first instance.
If laws & regulations under which they operate need to be refined, tightened - so be it.
But then use those laws & regulations to expose and take appropriate action. If not, we will see many voters regard politicians as corrupt and distanced; perpetuating the myth of ...' Why vote? Nothing changes'.

Why vote? Nothing changes'. That is no longer true. Last year & last year’s voting figures demolished that myth in one glorious day! 

People like me, having resigned from the labour party, and no longer belonging to any party, voted not along party lines, but in a considered manner that spoke of the future: for individuals, families, communities and ultimately Scotland. 

It was just a pity that not enough voted the way I wanted them to. But hey, that’s democracy. https://www.facebook.com/YesScotland.

 

The turnout in 2014, including that younger cadre of new voters, demonstrates that we can and we will turn out especially when we consider more that personalities, and more than ticking the same tired box, election after election. 

A great boost to that turnout was the emergence and tireless work of groups  & organisations, that includes http://www.womenforindependence.org/  pan Scottish, as well as the localised power houses such as Edinburgh Women for Independence: edinburghwfi@gmail.com. 

We’ve not gone away but continue to work within and for communities whilst operating on the national stage identifying and tackling issues of importance. EdinWomenforInde initiated a campaign against the planned 350-bed new prison, but taking that campaign  across Scotland it included  a petition gathering in the region of 3000 signatures, and coverage in the national, local and social media. Success!   “We need to be bolder and take a more radical and ambitious approach in Scotland”Michael Matheson Justice Secretary http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30958609

So was that Referendum vote the most important vote? That day it was, but that was then, and here is now with ‪#‎election2015 looming in less than 70 days time.

So how will I vote? Am I truly' better together' with Rifkind and his ilk? Don’t forget the role, the propping up role, the forceful role that the Labour party here in Scotland played in the months leading up to the referendum.

To add insult to injury, the party I used to belong to, are now asking members and voters to vote tactically, vote Tory! And Labour wonder why they are losing Scotland.

We woke up: we can smell the smell ... And did we boak!

We have a vote, and we have to use it .... ‪#‎election2015.....if not, if we sit back and do nothing, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

 #‎audacious  
‪#‎eastwfi2015