Jim Tolson :: Youth Interview
Our roving reporter Lauren Munro, interviewed Lib Dem candidate, Jim Tolson as he took a break from his Holyrood Campaign.
Why should young people support the Liberal Democrats?
Our leader, Nicol Stephen, has put young people at the forefront of our campaign. As a Party we have been disappointed by the way in which Labour has demonised young people. Nicol has been travelling the country doing a campaign called “Make a Million Matter” which focuses on young people– he visited Lauder College with me as part of this.
We also have a long record of campaigning on the issues young people tell us matter to them, such as:
Green issues – we are the only party to come out and make a bold and ambitious target that all our electricity should come from renewable sources by 2050. At our autumn conference last year we unveiled radical tax plans which aim to change the burden of taxation onto pollution rather than earnings.
We have long supported votes at 16. First and foremost the Lib Dems believe that the minimum age for voting should be lowered to 16 to give them a right to say who should represent them in Parliaments and the Council. I have seen the high quality of people who take up the challenge of representation on bodies such as the Scottish Youth Parliament and general community engagement.
Civil liberties – we have a long history of supporting campaigns to end discrimination and safeguard individual liberties.
International Development – we are pressing the Government to make sure that they honour the commitments made at the G8 summit and build on them. We want to see fairer trade arrangements with developing countries.
Trident – we voted against the Government’s plans to renew Trident.
Iraq war – we opposed this and have called for troops to be withdrawn by October
How can people find out more?
You can find out details of what Willie Rennie and I are doing locally on our websites www.dunfermlinelibdems.org.uk and www.jimtolson.com
Check out www.scotlibdems.org.uk for Scottish Party news. You can also find links to Party videos.
Also, come and make friends with Willie Rennie and I on www.facebook.com
Why should local people support you?
Four main reasons…
1. I’m local, I’ve lived in Dunfermline all my adult life and I know what issues matter to local people throughout Dunfermline West.
2. I’m experienced, I’ve represented the people of Garvock for 15 years as their councillor and they know I work hard to represent them. I have the skills and experience to be a good MSP
3. I am a hard-working team player. Since Willie Rennie won the Westminster Parliamentary by-election last year we have shown the people of Dunfermline and West Fife that Lib Dems work hard and keep in touch with regular newspapers etc.
4. If elected, I will hold regular surgeries to listen to your concerns and I will report back to you regularly about what I am doing.
You say you know what issues matter to local people. What do you think are the key issues?
I believe the main issues are abolishing the £1 tolls on the Forth Road Bridge, having as many health services as possible available at Queen Margaret Hospital and in the community, new and refurbished high schools including one for the West Fife villages and revitalising the City Centre.
Employment is of course another huge issue, jobs for young people in the area is so important. There has been a trend recently for young people to become a little disenfranchised, and this could largely be attributed to unemployment. Finding jobs for young people would fix this which is why I see it as so important. A closely related and equally important issue is that of affordable housing. The sharp rise in house prices to eye-wateringly high levels is preventing first-time buyers from getting onto the property ladder. We need extensive investment in affordable properties for sale and rent to adjust this unfair situation.
I also believe an issue close to the hearts of young people in Dunfermline is the lack of late night bus and train services from Edinburgh. I have campaigned on behalf of some of my council constituents with the boss of Scotrail and have been informed that late trains to Inverkeithing will be provided for the Edinburgh Festival. This is all well and good but we need a regular late night service to and from Edinburgh all the time and I will be able to put more pressure on Scotrail to provide this if elected as your MSP. It shouldn’t be such a struggle for young people to return to Dunfermline after a night out in Edinburgh; everyone deserves a chance to let their hair down in Edinburgh from time to time!
What about independence?
Liberal Democrats strongly believe in making decisions at the lowest practical level, empowering people to control what goes on in their communities. We want more powers for the Scottish Parliament – it’s proved itself over the past 8 years and it’s time to look at increasing its powers. However, there are some things that it makes more sense to do on a UK-wide level – defence for example is much better run from central government. Rosyth dockyard would be forced to close in an independent Scotland because of a lack of contracts, which would cause huge problems for the local economy.
What interests do you have outside politics?
Travel, music (everything from Simply Red to K T Tunstall), and gardening
Some young people hang out with their friends some evenings but sometimes are ‘moved on’ by the police and this just builds resentment of the police. What will you do to change this?
There is nothing wrong with young people meeting up with their friends, after all, most of us did likewise when we were younger. As long as no one is doing any harm to any person or property then they have a perfect right to meet up with their friends. However, many young people tell me that they have nothing to do and want more indoor and outdoor facilities made available to them. It is sad to me to walk past an empty school at night with all the lights out when nearby a group of kids are walking around looking for some facilities and activities that can exercise their minds and bodies. I want to see activities such as sport, music and drama being provided. Young people should be involved in the decisions about the activities and facilities available – there’s no point in providing things people don’t want. Examples of activities in this area include the ‘Blue light discos’ run by the police (often off duty) and the live music, drama and football provided by the Vine Church in Garvock. Both have proved very popular and provide a fabulous example of what can be achieved with a little thought and effort by all concerned.
Young people should be involved in the decisions about the activities and facilities available – there’s no point in providing things people don’t want. The Lib Dems would create a Youth Opportunity Fund which will give young people the chance to decide upon the priorities in their area. This would be supported but definitely not dominated by experts to help facilitate young people’s community priorities.
