Inverclyde By Election  

It was good to be in Scotland on Wednesday for the Inverclyde by election.  We probably met 200 people while we were there, and three things came across (other than being introduced to the ‘square sausage roll’ by local butcher Robert Anderson).  The Labour vote seemed solid.  Our candidate Iain McKenzie is and is seen to be local.  And the fear about jobs and the economy was palpable. We walked the streets and visited a community centre in Greenock and went up tower blocks in Port Glasgow.  The history of youth unemployment has left a legacy, but this community did best in Britain on the Future Jobs Fund.  Now it has gone.  The men in their 50s were desperate, and the young people were frustrated. Iain has done some serious thinking about a plan for jobs for the area.  I think he can bring some real passion to Westminster.  I hope he does.  The SNP hardly featured in the conversation...