Angus MacKay
- Name:
- Angus MacKay
- Party:
- Scottish Labour Party
- Constituency:
- Edinburgh South
- Election result May 2003:
- 9847 votes (31.56%), second of five candidates
- Election literature available in Aspect:
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- Election policy statement:
- Dear Voter
It has been an honour to serve as your member for Edinburgh South in the Scottish Parliament since 1999. During that time I have sought to represent your interests and act on your behalf. I have opened a constituency office in Bruntsfield, held regular surgeries every month across all of the constituency, visited the elderly and disabled at home on request and invited constituents to 'meet your MSP' tea and coffee evenings to listen to your concerns.
As Labour's Justice Minister appointed by Donald Dewar in the new Parliament, I was proud to set up the new Scottish Drug enforcement Agency to hit the drug dealers hard. Proud too that with Labour we now have record police numbers in Scotland. As Finance Minister I was equally proud to be responsible for finding the money in our budget to pay for Free Personal Care for the Elderly and Disabled.
Older constituents now travel free on the buses in and around Edinburgh, but in the next Parliament Labour will make the scheme national so that they can visit family and friends anywhere in Scotland. Youth crime in Edinburgh has been halved in the past year but it is still far too high. I want to work with the record number of police we now have to see new tough action to make it fall further.
I ask you to support me with your vote on Thursday 1st May
Yours faithfully
Angus MacKay
Gilmerton Pensioners Forum Vice-Chair Margaret Smith and Treasurer Jean Farmer support Angus MacKay's re-election to the Scottish Parliament. Here's why:
- Free Central Heating for Pensioners
- Free Personal Care for Pensioners
- Free Travel for Pensioners after 9.30am
- And now: Free Pensioner Travel Across Scotland
Margaret and Jean are pleased with Labour's commitment to pensioners. "We're glad that Labour will extend the travel scheme so we can go anywhere in Scotland by bus for free."
New Schools & More Teachers
The Howard Family from Howdenhall support Angus MacKay. "We've seen the benefits of reducing class sizes, building new schools and refitting others. Nursery places for all 3 & 4 year olds have been great. Angus made sure South Edinburgh got its fair share - and by sticking with Labour we'll see another £180 million for Edinburgh's schools."
Hitting Crime, Drugs & Dealers
Gracemount's Jimmy Pennycook says: "As Labour's Justice Minister Angus set up the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and got funds for the present record police numbers. He thinks young criminals should be fined and made to fix their own damage. He's tough on drug dealers and their ill-gotten gains. That's why I support Angus."
One of Scotland's Best MSPs
Baroness Smith lives in Morningside and is the widow of the late John Smith MP. She says: "Angus MacKay has been one of the most talented and able MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. He is widely respected by all sides and is a leading figure in developing the work of the Parliament. He's a real asset for Edinburgh South and I'm voting for him."
New Homes and Safer Streets
Sally Scott lives in Gilmerton. "I worked closely with Angus on the bid for new housing funding for Hyvots and Moredun. When others were giving up, he fought on and on to help win the cash we needed from the Parliament. We can trust him to be on our side because he lives locally, he was brought up here and he fights for us."
Mandy Elliot is a Staff Nurse in the National Health Service. She gives care and nursing to people when they really need it from our NHS. Mandy says: "I know that Labour set up the NHS and people depend upon it when they are at their most vulnerable. I have seen the extra money Labour has put in and I know that Angus has seen at first hand the value of services delivered by units like the Sick Children's Hospital. Labour is delivering more nurses, more doctors and more hospitals. I wouldn't want anyone else to be running our NHS."
More teachers, more nurses, more police
In the next Scottish Parliament Scottish Labour will deliver:
- An extra 1,500 nurses and midwives and an extra 600 doctors;
- Another 200 schools rebuilt or refurbished by 2006, rising to 300 by 2009;
- An increase in the number of modern apprenticeships to 30,000;
- An increase in police numbers on operational duty every year in every police force;
- Electronic curfews for persistent young offenders.
LABOUR'S ON YOUR SIDE
Scottish Labour will:
- Invest in an extra 2,500 teachers in Scotland's schools;
- Reduce class sizes to a maximum of 20 in S1 and S2 for Maths and English, as a first step;
- Rebuild or refurbish 200 schools by 2006, rising to 300 by 2009;
- Increase the number of apprenticeships to 30,000.
Scottish Labour will:
- Invest in an extra 1,500 nurses and midwives;
- Invest in an extra 600 doctors;
- Guarantee maximum waiting times of 6 months for all patients by 2005, and maximum waiting times of 18 weeks for heart patients by 2004.
Scottish Labour will:
- Increase police numbers on operational duty year on year in every police force;
- Deliver tougher sentences for drug dealers;
- Extend Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to under 16s;
- Introduce electronic curfews for persistent young offenders.
- Introduce national bus and rail concessionary travel for young people, initially for all in full time education and training.
- Extend free off-peak bus travel for the elderly and disabled to cover journeys across all of Scotland by 2007.
- Provide for recycling in every community by 2006 and introduce doorstep collection for every household by 2010.
ANGUS MACKAY SAYS ...
On 1 May, Scotland will elect those who will serve for the second term of our young Scottish Parliament.
ECONOMIC STABILITY
I believe we need to build on the platform of economic stability and the major investment Labour is making in our schools, our hospitals and health service and fighting crime and the menace of drugs.
I want to build the kind of Scotland of which we can all be proud.
CHOICE OF TWO FUTURES
The choice Scots face on 1 May is between two futures. We can build on what we've started with Labour, inside the UK using the powers of devolution to take our country forward ...
... or we can rip it all up and start again with the nationalists' plans for a separate Scottish state with all the risk, upheaval and uncertainty that such a separation would bring.
A LOT DONE
Labour has already delivered a lot:
- smaller class sizes,
- new nursery places,
- the biggest school and hospital building programme in Scotland's history,
- record police numbers,
- free nursing and personal care, free bus travel and free central heating for Scotland's pensioners.
MORE TO DO
Labour is on your side. A lot has been done but there is so much more to do. By voting Labour on 1 May together we can build a better Scotland.