18 December/January 2013/2014
Voices from the East End
Margaret Curran MP THE end of the year is typically a time for reflection, this year perhaps more than usual. The death of 10 men and women in the Clutha Vaults tragedy has touched us all in one way or another and my thoughts and prayers will be with the victims and their families this Christmas. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank the emergency services for their hard work which helped prevent even more fatalities. The selfless passersby who stopped to help the rescue efforts also played a huge role which will not be forgotten by anyone associated with Glasgow anytime soon.
made a huge contribution to the Labour Party, and to Glasgow, and both are poorer places for their passing. I was also saddened by the death of my friend Helen Eadie MSP, a tireless campaigner who was well-respected in her native Fife. Across the political aisle, SNP Councillor Allison Hunter and Former Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie MSP also passed away. In the tribal world of politics we rarely consider the human side of our opponents, but I know that both David and Allison dedicated much of their lives to public service and to causes they believed in. And who can forget the death of Nelson Mandela. There are few figures that can unite the world as Mandela has, in life and in death. I never knew him yet, like many people, I almost feel as though I did. I was proud to be a Glaswegian when Glasgow became the first city to offer Mandela freedom of the city and I vividly remember the elation I felt when Glasgow Council renamed St George’s Place, which housed the South African consulate general’s HQ, Nelson Mandela Place. These gestures really helped set the tone for the International antiapartheid movement and helped create a special place for Glasgow in the great mans’ heart. Amidst it all, however, we mustn’t forget the positives. After Clutha our great city came together as one, showing beyond all doubt that there is more that unites us than divides us. And on this note, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Margaret Curran MP Member of Parliament for Glasgow East Constituency Office Academy House 1346 Shettleston Road Glasgow G32 9AT margaret.curran.mp@parliament.uk Tel: 0141 778 8993
This year also saw the sad passing of a number of my colleagues and excolleagues. Ex East End MP Jimmy Wray and East End Councillors George Ryan and Tom McKeown all
Margaret Curran MP Your MP for Glasgow East
Advice Surgery Details 1st Friday of the Month 10am 11.15am
Carmyle Community Centre, Hillcrest Road The Bridge, Easterhouse
1st Saturday of the Month 10am 11.15am
St Andrew’s Secondary School, Torphin Crescent, Carntyne St Andrew’s Church, Church Street, Baillieston
3rd Friday of the Month 10am
Parkhead Housing Association
Online Surgery Email:
margaret.curran.mp@parliament.uk There will be no surgeries held during school/bank holidays
I also offer specialist surgeries throughout the year for young people, schools and others as requested. Please contact me for more details.
5 ways to contact Margaret Write: Academy House 1346 Shettleston Road Glasgow G32 9AT
Phone: 0141 778 8993
Email: margaret.curran.mp@parliament.uk
Tweet: @Margaret_Curran
Web:
http://margaretcurran.org/
John Mason MSP DO you get excited about budgets? Probably not! But as I am on the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee, I spend a lot of time seeing how the money is spent and whether it could be used better elsewhere. Last week John Swinney (Finance Secretary) told Parliament how much he was giving to each of Scotland’s 32 councils. And once again Glasgow came out on top – getting more per head than any other mainland council. Of course, Labour pretend that Glasgow is hard done by. But up in Aberdeen Labour are busy saying how good a deal Glasgow gets from the Scottish Government! Week after week in Parliament Labour tell us they want more money for particular areas. One week they want more money for health, the next
week it is more money for transport, then more money for housing, more money for education, more money for childcare – the list goes on and on. But they don’t tell us where the money should come from! Perhaps from the magic money tree? The reality is Scotland gets a fixed budget from Westminster. That budget is being cut each year by the UK Government. So choices have to be made to allocate money to health, education, housing, etc. The SNP believes freezing council tax, no prescription charges, no tuition fees, no rates for small shops and other local businesses, and keeping 1,000 extra police on the streets are top priorities for ordinary people. If Scotland votes No next September, there is a real danger that Westminster will cut another £4 billion from Scotland. That’s £800 from every person living in this country? Could you cope with that? And talking of money and budgets takes us on to Christmas. Is that really what Christmas is all about? Sometimes it seems like it! But beneath the pressure to shop and spend money we may not have, I believe there is something much deeper. The Bible tells us that Jesus came into the world at Christmas. He and his family did not have many possessions and he died aged only about 33. Yet His was one of the most successful lives ever lived. John Mason MSP Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Shettleston Scottish National Party (SNP) Constituency Office 1335 Gallowgate Parkhead Cross Glasgow G31 4DN john.mason.msp@scottish. parliament.uk Tel: 0141 550 4327