A by-election no one wanted
June 6th, 2011
It’s the by-election no one wanted.
The untimely death of my friend and our MP David Cairns has left a vacancy that needs to be filled, no matter how uncomfortable some of us are with the idea of moving on.
It has been a few weeks now but, like many of David’s family and friends, I am still coming to terms with the shock of losing him.
But life inevitably goes on and the people of this community need to be represented.
One of David’s last political battles was over the misguided and dangerous coastguard cuts, which he expertly challenged and made the Tory Government think again.
But that fight is already moving on and Inverclyde needs someone at Westminster arguing our case and standing up to the Tory cuts.
And the UK is going through a major overhaul of the benefits system and it will mean some people in this community, such as pensioners and the low-paid, will lose out unfairly.
That is why we need a new MP so we have someone they can turn to and fight their corner.
While there is no doubt that David leaves big shoes to fill, I am confident that we will have good local candidates who will be able to take on the baton.
These are people who knew David and will be inspired by his hard-work and commitment to the area should they be fortunate to be chosen by the people of Inverclyde as their new MP.
This campaign will attract national interest as people speculate about the power struggle between the David Camerons, Nick Cleggs, Ed Millibands and Alex Salmonds.
But for us, this is about finding the right person to stand up for the Inverclyde community at Westminster in these challenging times.
That is what David did so effectively, and that will be the challenge for our new MP once you decide who gets the job.