Distracted by Scotland? Yes we are.

I was speaking at a hustings in Riddrie tonight and yet again, Paul Martin the Labour candidate, peddled the line about Alex Salmond and the SNP being "distracted" by Independence.

As I told him ...

1) We were not too distracted to freeze the council tax, to put an extra 1000 police officers on the street, to abolish prescription charges, to reduce crime to a 32 year low, to build 330 new schools ...

2) I'd rather have a "distracted" Alex Salmond than a focused Iain Gray any day.

3) If we're "distracted" it's a distraction with fighting for a better Scotland. And if we can do this good a job being distracted, just think how much more we'll achieve AFTER Independence when it's no longer distracting us.

Can't remember what his answer was. I was too distracted by paint drying somewhere in the distance.

Disgraceful way to play with workers' lives

Got some great news from the guys at City Building I've been speaking to recently about their potential job losses. When the UKBA ended the contract with Glasgow City Council to house asylum seekers and gave it instead to Y People, these guys, plumbers electricians etc whose job had been to maintain the asylum seekers' homes, were told they would be transferred under TUPE to Y People. But Y People said they didn't need them.

So since 8 March these men, some of whom have worked with the council (and subsequently City Building) for nearly 20 years, have been stressed and worried sick as CB claimed it was not possible to redeploy them.

There were only 7 of them so of course they could be redeployed. In fact one of them told me his boss said if he left, he'd have to get another full time plumber to do the job he was currently working on.

What way is that to treat loyal workers?

Not just LOYAL but hard workers. They told me all of them have exemplary records in terms of attendance at work, timekeeping, getting the job done. I am furious that they have had all this stress and all these sleepless nights FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON as it turns out.

Because today, at the last minute, they decided they WOULD keep them on after all. They are relieved obviously and I am delighted for them but I am furious that they were treated in this way. If there was a way to keep them in their jobs instead of throwing them on the scrap heap (and there clearly WAS a way seeing as they've done it) it should have happened right away.

One can't help wondering if this was done this way deliberately so they would feel GRATEFUL to City Building. It's not the first time people have been made to suffer in this way. I wrote about the asylum support staff in my last blog and the SNP supported them until they finally got justice too. It shouldn't have to be this way. We really have to start treating workers a whole lot more humanely.

A complicated life

So, today I decided to take a day off from the campaign and take my mammy out for the day.

But work still had to be done. Leaflets still had to be folded. And that's where Doreen came in!

I was picking my mum up in Gourock so I dropped by Doreen's in Port Glasgow en route. On the way back we rendezvoused in PG Tesco carpark.

All very organised and job done! Mum happy, leaflets folded. Ayr was stunning today if you're interested :-)

Latest poll results fantastic but ...

let's not get carried away. I agree with Brian Taylor, so much can happen and so many have yet to make up their minds. Having said that I've been canvassing this week in the Blackhill part of the constituency and let's just say I had a smile on my face all night. That said we'll keep working for every vote right up to 10pm on 5 May.

Leafletting in Larchgrove

The Sun does the right thing

Helen from Greenfield knows I'll get stuck in

Mary Doll in Govan today

I just heard that Elaine C Smith (who I''m sure gets fed up being referred to as Mary Doll but tough, she shouldn't be so brilliant at being her lol) is out campaigning for Nicola Sturgeon and Chris Stephens in Govan Market right now. Ach Mary Doll, come on oot tae Easterhoose, they'll love you there just as much!

Wellhouse community activist offers me his support

PIctured here with Tam Burrows a very well known community activist in Wellhouse, part of Greater Easterhouse.

Delighted that he's publicly endorsing me and I didn't need the banner for me to "be positive" after that!

The perils of campaigning

I frequently have people asking me is it not scary standing in Glasgow Provan. And of course it isn't but I sometimes wonder if I'm not too busy / tired to notice. For example, last night I was delivering supporter letters in Cranhill when I passed a group of toddlers, one of whom was carrying a saw! Yes A SAW!!! And it wasn't a half size, plastic or imitation saw, it was a real one. Obviously I called the police but it took me a while to actually "notice" it! This is what being politically obsessive does to you. Tonight, I was delivering letters in Barmulloch and nearby there was a helicopter circling. Suddenly I heard a man's voice over a loud hailer saying "drop the firearms to the ground". The worrying thing was that although it unnerved me, that was followed by the thought that there was no way I was stopping until the street was finished!! Campaigning is an addiction and clearly you become so single minded that things that would normally freak you out become nothing more than minor irritations. Now wonder folk think politicians are weird.

Provan SNP footsoldiers flee the rain!

Tony wants that bag!

Provan SNP working hard

The SNP campaign kicks off

Seamless transition ...

It's Saturday 19th March, my last as an MSP in this session. On Tuesday at midnight, parliament dissolves. That means many things to me but for the sake of this blog it means that I will be free to campaign full time - and to blog about it.

So this blog will seamlessly signal the end of the Indygal Goes to Holyrood blog and the start of this one which will follow the campaign to win Glasgow Provan for the SNP. Starting soon ...