Alex Neil MSP (22/05/14)

Alex Neil MSP



















I can honestly say that Alex Neil is the only Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to have played a consistently helpful role in the fight for equal pay in Scotland over the past 10 years.

While some have dipped in and out, keen to express their opposition to pay discrimination, few have rolled up their sleeves and done anything on a practical level.

So I was pleased to see that Alex saw off his critics in the Scottish Parliament the other day who moved a vote of 'no confidence' in him as Health Minister because the politics surrounding Scotland's NHS can often be troublesome.

I well remember the time during the last Labour-led government at Holyrood when Andy Kerr was Health Minister and part of his job was to push through a programme of changes which would have cut the number of Accident and Emergency Departments in Lanarkshire hospitals.

Yet although this was the official policy of the Labour-led Scottish Government, the Labour Health Secretary had the ground cut from under him by his own side as various MSPs and MPs, including the 'heavyweight' Westminster Home Secretary John Reid, disowned the planned closures - leaving their Labour colleague, Andy Kerr, high and dry.    

The moral of the story, if there is one, is that to survive as Health Minister and as an MSP in Scotland you need to have your wits about yourself and be sharp on your feet - because Andy Kerr lost his South Lanarkshire seat at the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.

Lots of people in North Lanarkshire have been in touch with me about their MSPs and the ongoing fight for equal pay with North Lanarkshire Council, and all I would say is that Alex Neil is a good man to have on your side.

The recent spat in the Scottish Parliament will have done him nothing but good because he will be seen as navigating through treacherous political waters while also standing up for the interests of local people across Lanarkshire, North and South.  

Contact details for Alex Neil - MSP for Airdrie and Shotts

Constituency Office:

One Wellwynd
35 Wellwynd
Airdrie
ML6 0BN

Email: Alex.Neil.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Telephone: 01236 439331

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