{"id":2276,"date":"2014-11-21T11:34:16","date_gmt":"2014-11-21T11:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=2276"},"modified":"2014-11-21T15:37:54","modified_gmt":"2014-11-21T15:37:54","slug":"fighting-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=2276","title":{"rendered":"Fighting against the machine"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Neil Findlay MSP most certainly is not a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098machine politician\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098traditional\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 background in politics,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Neil, the candidate Unite is backing in the forthcoming Scotland Labour leader elections.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But perhaps, right now for Scotland, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098traditional\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is not what is needed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From a small mining community, Neil left school at 16, to work as an apprentice bricklayer on building sites with his father. It was the year of the miners\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 strike and before long Neil had got involved in the fight \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and in the wider labour and trade union movement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt rekindled my interest in education,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Neil, a quietly spoken man. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI went to evening classes and then onto university. I became a housing officer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and saw what life is really like for many people.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before his election to the Scottish Parliament Neil was a teacher for nine years. He has, as he says, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bseen life from all angles,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c angles which Unite believes now make him the candidate that can bring many of Scotland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disappointed Labour voters back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no doubt that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a massive challenge. According to a Unite survey, over half of those voting Labour in 2010 would not do so now. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bPolitics as usual is not enough,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 believes Neil.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But disenchantment with Labour has not happened overnight. Neil believes that traditional Labour supporters\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 disappointment has been building up for years and was brought to a head in the referendum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bDisappointment in Labour and the way it has dealt with social justice issues go hand in hand,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need distinct positions on the issues that people really care about \u00e2\u20ac\u201c jobs, decent wages, education, social housing, social care, the NHS \u00e2\u20ac\u201c these are the basic building blocks of society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bolder<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bLabour has been too timid and people are unsure of what we stand for. Politics needs to be bolder and there needs to be clear dividing lines between us and what the opposition stands for.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will only change people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s minds about Labour if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re absolutely clear about these policies and have the conviction to make them happen. At the moment it would be difficult to name half a dozen things Labour stands for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to get young people back to work; build council housing again \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I think we could build 50,000 homes for rent across Scotland; end the scandal of social care where you get just 15 minutes of care visits from a low paid workforce who are on zero hours contracts, and give those who are being cared for the care and dignity they need.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So how would Neil get that vision for a more equal Scotland across? An identifiable, definitive strategy is central to achieving this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bScotland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Labour leader needs the best team that we can recruit \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to write policies, communicate messages and most of all to devise the best strategy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 believes Neil.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bLabour has been lacking in strategy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and we need to change that.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Active<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no doubt Neil is an active member of Unite. Proudly wearing his Unite lanyard it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very clear the union means a great deal to him. As part of Unite Scotland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Parliamentary Group, he has campaigned against blacklisting and supported the electrical workers in their strike action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But as Labour leader what policies would he follow that would help Unite members and their families?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Employment issues are his first answer. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to provide quality jobs. I see no contradiction between a prosperous economy and decency and dignity at work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor young people we have to eradicate youth unemployment. Getting a job is crucial \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no greater start to life. Training is key whether that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at college or an apprenticeship \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it gives young people hope.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all part of Neil\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bigger strategy to eradicate poverty in Scotland in a generation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And of course there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the NHS.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in a precarious state. I would commission a whole scale review \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but make no mistake \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there would be no privatisation of the NHS in Scotland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn my GP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s surgery lists have been closed \u00e2\u20ac\u201c like 25 other surgeries in my region.\u00c2\u00a0 People go to their hospital and can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get through A and E \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they get boarded out in the wrong ward to save money.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s half a million people stuck in hospital for who the social care system just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work. Social care is a top priority. The cost of care for a week in hospital is \u00c2\u01414,000 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as opposed to \u00c2\u0141300 at home. That has to change.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What would First Minister Findlay do on day one? Neil replies without hesitation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI would start my anti-poverty strategy, tackle youth unemployment, and in as short a time as possible lay the first bricks of the 50,000 new council homes for rent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Currently there are 150,000 people on the housing waiting list \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s equivalent to the population of Dundee.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inspiring<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All inspiring stuff \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but who is Neil\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greatest inspiration?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy mum,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he replies with a smile. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bShe was only the second person in her village to ever go to university. Her dad was a miner who died when she was in her teens. She does things in a quiet way with dignity.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure Mrs Findlay is equally proud of her son. Neil Findlay is a rare thing in politics \u00e2\u20ac\u201c someone who genuinely wants to improve life for working class people, someone who really does walk the walk. After all, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been walking it all his life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02d8\u00c2\u00a0 This article first appeared in uniteWORKS Scotland Labour leader special, Towards a more equal Scotland, available in full at www.unitetheunion.org<\/a> on the Scotland page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neil Findlay MSP most certainly is not a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098machine politician\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098traditional\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 background in politics,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Neil, the candidate Unite is backing in the forthcoming Scotland Labour leader elections.   But perhaps, right now for Scotland, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098traditional\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is not what is needed.   From a small mining community, Neil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[149],"wps_subtitle":"Will MSP Neil Findlay\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fresh approach mean an end to \u00e2\u20ac\u0098politics as usual\u00e2\u20ac\u2122?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2276"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2276"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2286,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2276\/revisions\/2286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}