[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmiGfn3sGzs[/embedyt] On Tuesday, I spoke in the Scottish Government Programme for Government Debate and highlighted that we need to work together to deliver the change we need to see. There are lots of positives in the Programme for Government on which parties should be able to work together and bring about improvement […]
[wpdevart_youtube]ppmKFRAaVp0[/wpdevart_youtube] TEXT – Motion: S4M-15290 Alex Rowley: Achieving Social and Economic Success for all of Scotland—That the Parliament believes that current levels of poverty and inequality are of great concern and commits to using the full powers at its disposal to achieve the social and economic success that all of Scotland needs. Presiding […]
On Tuesday, the first day back after the Christmas recess, I spoke in the Scottish Government debate on: Supporting Public Services, Tackling Inequality and Growing Scotland’s Economy. Whilst I welcomed the debate these are big issues each in themselves and we cannot give any of these subjects justice in a half day debate in the […]
This week I spoke in the debate on employment and set out the levels of unemployment and underemployment, the extent of low wages, and poor terms and conditions that exist. These are the major challenges for Scotland if we are to tackle both inequality and poverty in order to create a fairer and more just […]
I welcomed yesterdays Scottish parliament debate and the consensus that there was in the chamber. While I acknowledged that there are different views around this debate, although it is a minority of people who could be described as having such attitudes, it is for that reason that we need to continue to have this wider […]
Three West Fife women performed a “thought-provoking and provocative” social piece about life in Inverkeithing’s Fraser Avenue at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday night and met with Scottish Labour leader kezia dugdale to discuss the initiative and how much they have overcome to develop the performance. Mary Thomson , Heather Kernachan and Muriel Houston who come from […]
This week in parliament I spoke to a range of organisations who were working in coalition to highlight the dangers of climate change and call on the Scottish government to take a lead in climate change issues ahead of The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on […]
A group of third and fourth year pupils from Beath High School were in the Scottish Parliament this week to see where Scotland makes its legislation. The pupils tried out the committee rooms, experienced the chamber and had some time for reflection in the reflection seat in the office of local MSP Alex Rowley […]
This week the Scottish Government brought forward their Community Charge Debt (Scotland) Bill, a piece of legislation designed to write off all outstanding Poll tax debt. In practice the vast majority of this debt has already ether been effectively been written off or is uncollectable due to the law of negative prescription and the length […]
I am concerned that the budget being brought forward for this year by the Finance Secretary disproportionately cuts the budgets of local councils who end up taking a bigger share of the austerity cuts. For me this is of real concern given that councils are already suffering from the fact that the council tax freeze […]