Links Market visit for ReformUK’s Malcolm Offord & a go on the waltzer

The newest political leader north of the border was joined by Julie MacDougall who is standing for the Kirkcaldy seat in May’s poll having joined the party last August after sitting as an independent councillor at Fife House following her split from Labour.

The party set up a campaign table outside the entrance to the Mercat Shopping Shopping Centre before heading to the market as the funfair opened for the day. It felt churlish to point out it was the very spot where Jim Murphy MP was famously egged by independence campaigners during the 2014 referendum when he stepped on to his soap box and reeled them in.

Only an insult was thrown this time with one man saying “scumbag” as he passed the party leader in mid interview with the media. It went un-noticed. On the flip side, others were happy to take leaflets, but most at the market were far more interested in the sights and sounds of the rides than talking policy or politics.

There was limited interaction with folk in the High Street or en route to the market - as with all election photo-calls, this was aimed at a much bigger picture with national coverage in mind rather than a meet and greet with locals

Reform has two councillors at Fife House, both the result of defections. The first councillor to sign up, former St Andrews Tory, Robin Lawson, sits with them but he joined in a personal capacity and sits as an independent.

While the party has made its mark in two recent local authority by-elections - it pushed Labour into third in November’s Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages poll - it has yet to win at the ballot box.

With Cllr MacDougall second on their list of regional candidates she is effectively assured of a seat at Holyrood regardless of the constituency result.

But, Mr Offord said: “We are a new party - there hasn’t been one for a generation, and securing a core of MSPs at Holyrood will let us start to build a programme for change.”

“There are target seats in every region. The pollsters and pundits only look at the regional list, but there are constituencies we have a chance of winning.

“This is a new party and a movement of people - ordinary, decent, hard working Scots who feel things have gone wrong and when they try to do the right things they are punished. We are on the side of hard working Scots who have been taxed too much and got poorer services in return.”

The soundtrack of music pumping out from each ride at the market drowned out any political messaging - on the waltzers, all they could do was throw their hands in the air and, in time honoured market tradition, scream if they wanted to go faster.

Flanked by supporters carrying ReformUK branding, they took in the market before one final photo-op with the more tranquil coastline behind them.

Mr Offord described Kirkcaldy as “a cracking mainstream town” and drew comparison ton his home town of Greenock.

“It is a microcosm of Scotland,” he said as we spoke outside the shopping centre, “I see vape shops and charity shops, but I don’t see prosperity,” he said as we spoke outside the shopping centre, “And we have so much potential in Scotland…”