Scottish Greens select Paula Baker as snap election candidate

The SNP’s Martin Docherty Hughes looked initially as if he might have a torrid time holding on to the Westminster seat, and Labour had high hopes that their candidate, Provost Douglas McAllister, would be the person to oust him.

In the maelstrom that is today’s politics anything could happen in this once a safe Labour seat held by the likes of famous Labour figures David Kirkwood, Cyril Bence and Hugh McCartney.

However, although the SNP have suffered one setback after another and more still since the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister, their track record here of crashing the administration of West Dunbartonshire Council under controversial leader Jonathan McColl by making swingeing cuts in public services caused them to be cast out of power in the last local election.

Labour, who took over in West Dunbartonshire Council from the SNP, have failed to cover themselves in glory since by meekly implementing the SNP budget cuts, and their communications have been woeful.

Their powder puff response includes a failure to cut grass in public spaces and roadside verges; close community libraries; shut Levengrove Pavilion Cafe, preside over pot-holed roads and ignore pleas from residents of some social housing areas to become sink estates.

For evidence of this look at the hundreds of posts from residents on the council’s own  complaints column on Facebook. They appear to have lost the plot.

Charges for emptying brown bins are a hot topic and said to be imminent, and there is currently a social housing emergency.

Provost Douglas McAllister and Labour leader Cllr Martin Rooney.

Some homes are being rendered uninhabitable with black damp and the council has come under fire for embarking on a project to measure the extent of the problem instead of fixing it.

One of the leading councillors attempting to steer the Labour ship through these problems, Provost Douglas McAllister, is their candidate in the election, but the odds on him winning back the seat for Labour become longer by the day.

Then there is the Labour leader, Cllr Martin Rooney, whose decision to come out publicly in support of the Flamingo Land project in Balloch just about matches the folly of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s disrespectful decision to quit the D-day events in France to take part in a TV interview.

According to the Green publicity machine, Paula Baker will be one of a record number of Scottish Green Party candidates at this election, “giving the majority of people across Scotland the opportunity to vote for a fairer, greener, independent Scotland”.

Paula lives in Gartocharn and works locally in nature conservation. She is a member of the RSPB and previously stood for the Scottish Greens in the 2022 local elections.

She will make the case that the Scottish Greens have delivered positive change for West Dunbartonshire including free bus travel for 13,690 local children and young people, record spending on climate and nature projects and the removal of peak time rail fares.

She will be supporting the campaign against Flamingo Land’s controversial plans for a leisure resort in Balloch.

The party hopes to build on the successes delivered by its MSPs and councillors through a record Green result at this Westminster election.

They will be campaigning for bold action to tackle the climate crisis and eradicate poverty.

This will include a wealth tax on those with assets of at least £10 million and an end to the tax breaks lavished on oil and gas companies.

The money raised from these measures will be invested in improving the railways, making homes greener and cheaper to heat and other measures which will help both people and planet.

Paula said: “The Scottish Greens have already delivered so much positive change for West Dunbartonshire. I’m standing in this election to give people a chance to vote Green and to build on that record of success.

“Our rivers are polluted, nature continues to be depleted and on top of that more people than ever are struggling to make ends meet.

“I feel we can make a real difference, and the Scottish Greens have already shown that change is possible with Greens in Government.”

Meanwhile, the hustings for the Clydebank Central by-election, organised by the Clydebank Trade Union Council, took place on Thursday in the Hub Community Centre on Kilbowie Road.

Seven party candidates will contest the vote on Thursday, June 13.

Labour, the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Communist Party of Britain have confirmed their candidates’ attendance at the event.

Independent Andrew Muir, pictured here, is also expected to be there.

The by-election was called after disgraced former Independent councillor Craig Edward resigned from West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) in March.

The successful candidate will join the three councillors who currently represent this ward; councillor Diane Docherty (Independent), councillor Clare Steel (Labour), and councillor Sophie Traynor (SNP).

Fiona Hennebry – Scottish Labour Party

Nathan Hennebry – Communist Party of Britain

Ewan McGinnigle – Scottish Conservative and Unionist

Andrew Joseph Muir – Independent

Kai Robert Murray Pyper – Scottish Liberal Democrats

Marina Scanlan – Scottish National Party