Background

My home town is St. Andrews & I Moved to Edinburgh in 1980 to study computer science at Napier.

I have worked in the homeless sector for 8 years, for the first 7 I worked as a project worker in a drop in day centre for the homeless, most recently I work with homeless teenagers.

This area of work involves providing support, assistance, advice and advocacy for with the homeless and linking in with other support services including the NHS, social work, the benefits agency, the City of Edinburgh Council, accommodation providers and the full spectrum of other statutory and voluntary organisations.

The goal is to provide a safe and supported environment for those in need and help service users to move onto appropriate accommodation as soon as is physically and emotionally practicable.

I was also a Unison shop steward, which I gave up in December 2006.

Previous posts

I have enjoyed a varied career, having switched career several times. I initially joined Ferranti Defence Systems (now part of BAe) in 1984 where I worked for 5 years in the Navigation Systems Dept.

I worked briefly for an oil support company on flow control systems for oil terminals.

I then working in recruitment for many years with several employment agencies. I spent several years recruiting NHS staff to work in America, and this is where much of my views of NHS developed, listening to disillusioned staff fed up with the UK in general and the NHS in particular.

In 2001 I worked with the elderly in a residential home before working with the homeless.

Why did I get involved in politics?

In 1978 I enlisted in the TA, and have served in the TA for over 10 years on three separate enlistments – mostly with the Parachute Regt. and most recently in 2003.

I became active in politics soon afterwards because of my concerns over the Iraqi invasion and question marks over its legality and the whole set of circumstances which lead to the decision to invade. Even now, looking back, it’s hard to believe I was that trusting of our politicians.

I really believed the news reports in the papers and on TV about Saddam Hussein’s Weapons of Mass Destruction. I took at face value the Ministry of Defence’s “sexed-up” intelligence dossier about scud missiles hitting British bases in Cyprus.

raf-bn-mar2004.JPG

RAF Brize Norton, March 2004

Within months of the cessation of hostilities it became obvious that there were no scuds, no weapons of mass destruction, no nothing to be found in Iraq.

Then we had the Hutton enquiry, followed a few months later by the Butler report.

The Great British public had been conned.

Taking the country to war, in my view, is the gravest decision a British Prime Minister can take, but to take us to war based on a false premise? To say it rocked my faith in the British political establishment is understatement.

That is why I got into politics, and the more I learn about politics and politicians the more I understand why the country is slowly but surely going down the toilet. In the main I see that this new breed of “professional” politicians are detached from reality. When you are detached from reality, how can you possibly make intelligent decisions about the community or society you govern?

Later that summer I was horrified by the 7/7 London bombings. I can’t help but wonder what were the victims’ views on the Iraqi invasion – were they supporters of the war or protesters against? Either way, the British public have never been influenced by acts of terrorism.

Anybody familiar with the Provisional IRA 30 year terror campaign referred to, with typical British understatement, as “the troubles” will appreciate this.

Like many Britons watching Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign I was inspired. We need, to to borrow the phrase, “change we can believe in”.

And to coin a phrase: “There is a better way”.