Our politicians must be bold with the new kind of thinking that Scotland needs

If I’m honest, this time of year is often a time when I talk to close friends and family about the state of UK and Scottish politics and if I’m bluntly honest my frustrations at times, how things can be better and improved for the people of Scotland but sadly I find that this has just become an annual discussion, much like that of Christmas, it happens every year, all you get is Turkey but deep down you want ham but the reality is that much isn’t changed.

Change is a word that is often used in politics, but rarely do we see any actual tangible change, the rhetoric of the word change versus the reality of the current political landscape has become something that we have all become use to, yet we still hope that change will happen at some point during the political cycle.

For me change is about doing things that improves people’s life’s, it’s why I got into politics in the first place to play my part to try and make things better for the people of Scotland. From a grass roots activist to a former parliamentary candidate for the Scottish Parliament in 2016 and since then I’ve had numerous conversations with people on the door step who all have one thing in common, they want to see someone with a progressive vision for the future of Scotland. Someone who will act as a champion for them and ultimately deliver for them and their family. It’s really quite simple when you think about it.

We the electorate, elect you the political representative, to represent us to ensure that our voice is heard with a focus on output.

If anything, this is the bones of the social contract between the elected representatives and we the people but what has been missing from Scottish politics for quite some time is someone with a progressive vision, someone who just gets it and doesn’t need a focus group to advise them on policy or which policy will get more votes, someone who is politically in tune with the mood and ambition of the country and someone who can sell Scotland at home and abroad.

If I were a politician right now, I wouldn’t need a focus group to advise me of the best policy to adopt when it comes to eradicating poverty or the best policy or policies to implement when it comes to growing the economy, but I sure as hell would make sure that I had a fully costed and funded policy to tackle this growing issue in Scotland and ensure that it was in the draft budget. What really frustrates me is the fact the Scottish Government have formed a narrative that they have somehow eradicated child poverty. This in my opinion is what we call pulling the wool over the electorate’s eyes, even as I write this, I can feel my blood boiling when I think about the people and families who need the state to help them instead of the state playing political chess with people’s lives.

Having had many discussions with people from all backgrounds it’s clear that they want someone to clearly outline how they will improve their lives and that of their children and grandchildren, what they don’t want is someone who regurgitates the same old political speak that sounds good, gets a good headline in the press and a week later it’s a different issue with a different headline.

What I’m talking about here is a vision for Scotland and strong political leadership on a scale that we haven’t see for a long time that will deliver that vision, what we don’t want is pandering to so called populism but rather a focus on policies that will deliver a tangible output for the people of Scotland. The fact remains and I mentioned this in my last column for the Scotsman, about the Scottish budget, the SNP had an opportunity to set a new direction for the country but didn’t, the SNP had an opportunity to transform Scotland’s economy but didn’t. There is no institution in Scotland that is stronger now than seventeen years ago. As a country we need strong political leadership to transform the tired Scotland of today to a forward-looking Scotland of tomorrow. This in itself will require the ability to think big, not small, big bluesky thinking and potentially doing things differently and not shying away from the domestic challenges of governing as there will always be associated challenges when in office.

As I mentioned at the start of this piece, I’m currently in New York City. In New York they have a much more progressive attitude to doing things differently, think about the old disused central rail line that is now the popular high line visitor spot or the incredible public realm throughout the city where the built environment, public realm and landscaping all work in tandem for a better experience and offer. Perhaps what we need is our politicians to think big, think bold, think creatively, no matter how daft an idea might sound just give it some thought, and perhaps then we will have the new kind of thinking that Scotland needs.

Barrie Cunning is a former Labour Scottish Parliamentary candidate for Ettrick, Roxbugh and Berwickshire, Managing director of Pentland Communications and Co- Founder of Scotland 2050.