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6 May 2016

And Now the Work Starts


Stewart Stevenson in the Evening Express, Friday, 6th May 2016


A constituency as diverse as Banffshire and Buchan Coast presents challenges for all parties contesting an election. And besides the four of us bidding to be constituency MSPs, there were 12 options for people's regional vote. Although visiting all 59,194 eligible voters is impossible for any candidate, I certainly visited over 40 communities and met electors in each.

Royal Mail delivers an Election Address, at no cost to the candidate, to each elector. So it was very disappointing for the democratic process that six of the 12 regional list parties sent nothing to people in our area. And one of the six that did, UKip, did not tell us the name of any of their candidates.

Any candidate taking their campaigning seriously will end the campaign fitter, leaner and (perhaps!) with a sun tan. I certainly lost about 3 kilos and jogged quite a lot of the 400 or so kms that my pedometer suggests I covered on foot since 23rd March.

So it is with great pleasure when I am sworn into Parliament for the fifth time, that I shall be wearing the same suit that I wore on 13th June 2001 and on each occasion since. A good suit can last a lifetime if you look after it, and look after yourself.

When first elected to Parliament, I set myself the target of speaking to three quarters of the members in my first fortnight – and beat that target. With lots of new members this time I shall do that again. Because even with one party much bigger than others, making common cause with people in other parties on issues of shared concern is the best way to support constituents and achieve results.

And meeting constituents at my surgeries – I will soon hold my 1,000th – and elsewhere is deeply satisfying in particular when you can make a practical difference to their lives.

I thank all who voted for me. And promise those that didn't that I will be there for them when they need me.

The election is over. The hard work of the next five years starts now.

Stewart Stevenson
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