Neale Hanvey: with Ash Regan in the Scottish Parliament, watch Alba’s impact grow

This weekend ALBA welcomed Ash Regan MSP as our first member of the Scottish Parliament. Like Ash, who will be the first of many Alba MSPs, we all have our own story to tell about our disaffection with Scottish politics.
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The SNP have abandoned any serious attempt to lead Scotland to independence and are mired in failure and scandal. What Alba have achieved as a party and as a parliamentary group of two is not to be sniffed at.

We’ve held those in power, north and south of the border to account on their many failures to deliver for the people of Scotland.

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On Energy, Alba have exposed the betrayal and lies behind the ScotWind sale and have challenged the PM repeatedly on the robbery of Scotland’s vast energy resources. We’ve led the debate on standing charges, social tariffs and the obscenity of self-disconnection and highlighted the absurdity of energy rich Scotland and fuel poor Scots.

Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan.  Picture: Lisa Ferguson.Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan.  Picture: Lisa Ferguson.
Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan. Picture: Lisa Ferguson.

And we have exposed the economic vandalism of the SNP, Greens and Labour on North Sea Oil and Gas and the huge potential of Carbon Capture to transition to a carbon-less future.

Alba Party have spoken up fearlessly for sex-based rights, child protection and the dangers of men in women’s prisons and women’s sport.

On employment we’ve stood on picket lines with the RMT, GMB, NHS workers and other unions for decent pay and conditions.

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I’ve pressed the case on pandemic recovery, future preparedness and challenged pandemic greed. I’ve defended Scottish businesses in diagnostics and vaccine development when their own MPs were MIA

We’ve delivered for the people we represent with thousands of cases for constituents, businesses and community groups and supported local efforts to tackle the greed fuelled inequality of the cost-of-living crisis. And my office has put almost £105k back into the pockets of cash strapped constituents

In parliament we have exposed Labour as the Tory lite false alternative they are.

We have given voice to the humanitarian consequences of conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East making the case for cease-fire and de-escalation in place of violence, death and destruction.

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I’ve exposed the dangers of the nuclear weapons housed in our country without our consent, control or safe containment – and of course, on Independence we have led where others have given up. All of the above are achievements of substance for which I am enormously proud.

Now that we have a voice in the Scottish Parliament, I fully expect our impact to grow.

> Our columns are a platform for writers to express their opinions. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Fife Free Press.