Derek Brownlee
- Name:
- Derek Brownlee
- Party:
- Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party
- Constituency:
- Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
- Election result May 2003:
- 5686 votes (21.30%), fourth of six candidates
- Election literature available in Aspect:
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- Election policy statement:
- Derek Brownlee says ...
We've had a raw deal from the Scottish Parliament. Edinburgh is just a short drive up the road, but it often seems a million miles away for all the attention we get. Money can always be found for pet projects in the Central Belt, but investment in the Borders and Penicuik never happens. It's time we got a better deal from the Parliament - it isn't going to go away so let's sort it out.
The Liberals have been around here so long they take us for granted. They've had their chance.
I'm not going to promise you the Earth, but I do promise to work hard for you. And though you may not always agree with me, you will know where I stand.
The Liberals have had forty years. I'm asking for four.
On May 1st, Give Change a Chance.
Parliament Bill tops £340m
Lib/Lab Pact to extend road tolls, says leaked memo
Council Tax set to soar
Liberals vote for smacking ban
Derek Brownlee: we need to get a grip on waste in Government.
The Lib/Lab pact is spending more and more of our money. (And what have the Liberals done for us locally by putting Labour in power?)
The cost of the Parliament seems to go up by the week. It's cost the Borders over £6m and Penicuik over £1m - just think what we could have done round here with that sort of money.
It's not just the Parliament building which is costing us a fortune, it's the number of well paid Government Ministers, and their limousines and "special advisers" too. The Lib/Lab pact wastes a fortune on expense advertising campaigns but can't find money to invest in local roads, support small businesses or help our schools and hospitals,
I'm the only candidate in favour of cutting the number of MSPs and Executive Ministers to cut the cost of government.
Derek Brownlee: Time to improve our transport links
Our roads are a disgrace. Heavy traffic goes through many of our town centres. The Lib/Lab pact is very "anti-car" but many of us don't have an alternative. We pay the highest fuel taxes in Europe and now they want to impose road tolls to get into Edinburgh.
Poor transport infrastructure holds us back. Better transport links would allow more young people to stay in the area, as well as helping local businesses and attracting tourists.
I support bringing back the railway but the Lib/Lab pact have used it as an excuse to starve our roads of investment.
I will vote to repeal the road tolls and invest more in our roads. And as a step to improving public transport, we will fund the restoration of the railway to the Borders, axed by Labour in the 1960s.
Derek Brownlee: What have we got to show for all the extra tax?
Council Tax has just gone up again, hitting pensioners and the low paid hardest. National Insurance went up this April, costing most people - even the very low paid - more every week, and landing every employer in the country - including schools and hospitals - more tax to pay. The Liberals and SNP supported this extra tax. They always do.
Meanwhile, our businesses are paying higher business rates than their competitors in England because the Lib/Lab pact abolished the UK wide Uniform Business Rate.
But are our public services any better? What do we have to show for all this extra tax?
High taxes are costing jobs and holding back wages. Government should spend carefully, rather than throwing money at every problem.
I will vote to cut business rates to English levels to help our businesses compete again - and I will oppose any attempt to impose the "Tartan Tax".
Derek Brownlee: The Scottish Parliament should focus on the real issues
The Scottish Parliament always seems to find time to debate things like trying to ban smacking, rather than concentrating on the real issues, such as how to improve standards in our schools, or improving the health service.
There's far too much playing to the gallery and political correctness. Party political point scoring seems be more important than addressing the things that matter. A cut in the number of MSPs will force the Scottish Parliament to be more focussed and spend less time on irrelevant issues.
Too many MSPs think that passing a law or introducing new rules is the answer to every problem. It's an easy way to get headlines, but doesn't always deal with the problems. More laws are the last thing we need,
If elected I'll be work my hardest to get results, not easy headlines.
- Personal details used in election:
- Derek Brownlee, 28, is a Chartered Accountant - and if ever there were an institution in need of an accountant, it's the Scottish Parliament. He has more business experience than over 100 of the MSPs in the last Scottish Parliament.
Derek grew up in Selkirk, where he attended the High School. He studied law at Aberdeen University, working part time to fund his studies and graduating in 1996 with a First.
As a regular commuter into Edinburgh, Derek knows just how bad our local roads are - which is why transport is at the top of his agenda if he is elected to the Scottish Parliament.