An Incredible Result

In many ways, the past seven weeks from the dissolution of the last term of the Scottish Parliament to the swearing in of MSPs for the new term following the election feels like it has both lasted an eternity and passed in the blink of an eye. The last few weeks have seen huge amounts of activity across the country as SNP activists worked tirelessly to campaign for the team, the record and the vision of the SNP.

That hard work clearly paid off with the unprecedented SNP election victory. For the first time ever, the people of Scotland have entrusted a single party with a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament.

For my own part I am extremely humbled to have been re-elected with the highest share of the vote of any seat in Scotland. I am immensely proud to have won that backing from people in Banffshire & Buchan Coast and can only express my sincerest thanks for the trust that has been placed in me.

I have now represented people in this part of Scotland for almost 10 years, however this election also saw changes to constituency boundaries which means that some of the areas I have previously worked for are no longer within the constituency, while new communities have been added to the redrawn seat in the west. While I am saddened to see those areas go, I am looking forward to working as hard for the new parts of Banffshire & Buchan Coast as I previously have for the rest of the constituency.

The new balance of the chamber in Holyrood, with 69 out of 129 MSPs coming from the Scottish National Party, will undoubtedly give this parliamentary term a very different feel to the one which preceded it. Where the Scottish Government operated as a minority before, it will this time hold a majority and be able to pass the legislation it wishes without opposition parties blocking their efforts.

Perhaps most significantly this means that we can now say with certainty that a referendum on Scotland becoming and independent country will take place during the course of this five year term. People in Scotland will be given a voice on their constitutional future where before the other parties were determined to deny them one.

Having spent my entire time in politics working towards achieving the powers of a normal independent country for Scotland, it is a contest I am looking forward to immensely. Nowhere more than Banffshire & Buchan Coast do people understand the need for Scotland to be able to make our own decisions and speak with our own voice on the world stage.

In Europe we need a Scottish voice articulating the needs of Scotland on issues such as fishing and farming, where we have suffered from our lack of representation in the past. With reform of both the Common Fisheries Policy and Common Agricultural Policy coming up, this is more essential than ever if we are to ensure Scotland’s interests are protected.

We need control over our own finances to ensure that economic policy is set in the interest of people in Scotland rather than as a cash cow for the UK Treasury, as we recently witnessed with the North Sea oil industry tax raid which threatens jobs and investment in the area.

Although there are undoubtedly many challenges ahead, the next five years promise to be an exciting time for Scotland and I am looking forward to getting down to business and continuing to work for people in Banffshire & Buchan Coast.