Around fifty local residents attended a mini-hustings organised by Drylaw Telford Community Council last night.
Five of the six constituency candidates, along with a list candidate, gave brief speeches telling residents why they should vote for them before taking questions from the floor.
Edinburgh Northern is a new constituency, which takes in part of the current Edinburgh Western seat and part of Edinburgh Northern & Leith. It stretches from Davidson’s Mains in the west to Bonnington in the east, taking in Blackhall, Drylaw, Silverknowes, Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton, Wardie, Inverleith, Trinity, Canonmills, Stockbridge, and Comely Bank.
After the introductions, chairperson Mhairi Curran opened up to questions from the floor and local residents of all ages were quick to grill the wannabe politicians.
First out of the traps was a teenage pupil from the Royal High School, who raised the issue of rising class sizes directly linked to the UK Government adding VAT to private school fees. The pupil stated that some class sizes at his school have risen to 35 pupils.
Another resident sought support for further education funding, which all candidates pledged to back. Candidates were also asked if politicians who deliberately “lie” should face criminal prosecution, alongside questions regarding immigration, independence, and fly-tipping.
Before the meeting ended, all candidates pledged to hold local surgeries if elected.
The Candidates’ Pitches
Christopher Cowdy (Scottish Conservative) told the meeting “Education and health services are paramount. I have been a councillor for a couple of years, but I am not a career politician. The reason I want to go to Holyrood is I have a real yearning to help people. I find politics to be very challenging, rewarding, and frustrating. I think I can do similar stuff from Holyrood and be a constructive influence.”
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie (Liberal Democrat), who is also a current councillor, said “Some of the issues we will focus on are ones raised on the doorstep. I have spoken to thousands of people. The cost of living is a huge issue, especially with uncertainty around energy bills at the moment. I want to be a really good, committed MSP working hand in hand with other elected representatives to get things done.”
Euan Hyslop (SNP), who is also a local councillor, said: “My pitch to you is I hope you put your trust in me. I have a breadth of experience and have a real insight into the challenges constituents face.
“The cost of living keeps coming up time and time again. The next parliament has to have a laser focus on this. I am determined to reduce the pressures on housing and make renting more affordable.”
Andrew McLaughlin (Reform) told the meeting: “We need to make energy cheaper and we need energy independence. We should have a Pupil Support Assistant in every class and they should be paid the living wage. Every single classroom has a kid that is dysregulated and that takes all the focus away from teachers and PSAs. We should align our tax with the rest of the UK, and we need more specialist medical staff to support our ageing population.”
Eleanor Ryan-Saha (Scottish Labour) replaced Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury, who was due to stand but was suspended from the Labour Party in September. She said: “After fourteen years of austerity and nineteen years of SNP mismanagement, I want to fight for families against this. “As a long-term activist in our area, I see the work that needs done and I want to get on and do it. Our education standards used to be the best in the world. You deserve to be represented by someone with deep roots in the community.”
Chris Cullen (Communist Party of Britain), who is a list candidate, said: “I’m a trade unionist and work with homeless people in the city. “Things are happening within our council and Holyrood that are against our best interests. What I would fight for is mostly housing, as that is extremely poor. We have record homelessness. “We can make things slightly better for a few, and that’s all we will do if we have the same system. If I get anywhere near Holyrood, I would fight like hell for you.”
The Questions
