Elizabeth gets negative...

I was really disappointed to read in today's Greenock Telegraph SNP Holyrood hopeful Elizabeth Robertson's personal attack on retiring Labour MSP Duncan McNeil.

Elizabeth claims her sole purpose in standing is to unseat "an ineffective MSP, Duncan McNeil". This begs the question: if Duncan is not standing again why is Elizabeth trying to unseat him?

Elizabeth's personal attack on Duncan is unwarranted and unworthy of her.

Duncan is one of the longest serving and most respected Members of the Scottish Parliament. He has served in the Parliament since it was re-established in 1999 and has gained a reputation as a redoubtable campaigner, particularly on health related issues, and a strong advocate for his constituents and his community.

The respect for Duncan is cross-party and I simply can't imagine Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, or Stuart McMillan for that matter, describe Duncan as "ineffective". They would have more respect for  a political opponent and a far better understanding of the role of an MSP and what he or she can actually achieve as an individual. Such negative campaigning brings no credit to Elizabeth.

I have heard both Elizabeth and another SNP Holyrood hopeful Ian McDougall bang on about how they would work with Scottish Enterprise to try bring more jobs to Inverclyde.

They seem to be unaware that Scottish Enterprise is firmly at the regeneration table in Inverclyde.

SE is represented on the Board of the community planning partnership, the Inverclyde Alliance, and co-chairs its Economic Regeneration and Employability Outcome Delivery Group. SE is the Council's key partner in our urban regeneration agency, Riverside Inverclyde, and is represented on the Board and its various committees and arms-length companies.

Elizabeth also claimed in the Telegraph article that Inverclyde needs a new vision, "one that reaches beyond Council and parliamentary terms, and sets out where we're going as an area for the next 20 years."

I can't understand how it has escaped her notice that we have such a vision. It is set out with the Inverclyde Community Plan and the Inverclyde Alliance Single Outcome Agreement.

Our vision for Inverclyde is "Getting it right for every Child, Citizen and Community".

We seek to work in partnership to create a confident, inclusive Inverclyde with safe and sustainable, healthy, nurtured communities, with a thriving, prosperous economy, with active citizens who are achieving, resilient, respected, responsible and included, and able to make a positive contribution to the area.

To deliver this vision the Alliance has agreed eight strategic local outcomes. These are detailed in our Single Outcome Agreement.

As Chair of the Inverclyde Alliance Board I would be interested to know where Elizabeth thinks we are going wrong.

Indeed if Elizabeth really wants to make a difference to the long-term future of Inverclyde perhaps she is applying for the wrong job. The position of Chair of the Inverclyde Alliance becomes available in 2017 and she may want to apply for it. She will of course have to become Leader of the Council first.