Neil Findlay - Socialism & Hope: A Journey Through Turbulent Times

NEIL FINDLAY was born in 1969, the son of a bricklayer and a primary school teacher. Brought up in the working class village of Fauldhouse in West Lothian, after leaving school at 16 he was an apprentice and tradesman bricklayer for ten years with his fathers small business, became active in his local Labour Party and struck up a great friendship with Tam Dalyell MP . After returning to education, he worked in social housing before becoming a school teacher. A West Lothian Councillor for nine years, he was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2011, serving in various front bench posts and contesting the Scottish Labour leadership election in 2015. Scottish campaign manager for Jeremy Corbyns two leadership elections, Neil is current chair of the Scottish Parliaments health and sport committee. He enjoys fishing, golf, gardening and going for a pint.

NEIL FINDLAY

with

JEFF HOLMES

First published in 2017

ISBN : 978-1-912147-27-4
eISBN: 978-1-912387-07-6

The authors right to be identified as author of this book under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.

Neil Findlay 2017

This book is dedicated to Fiona, Chloe and all my family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and comrades whose friendship, humour, advice and help I have enjoyed over the years; also, to my great friend and mentor Tam Dalyell, who died the day after I finished writing. I miss him greatly.

Thanks to you all; live life to the full youre only here once!

Contents

Foreword by Jeremy Corbyn MP

I AM DELIGHTED to have been asked to write this foreword for my friend and comrade Neil Findlay.

Becoming leader of the Labour Party has given me the opportunity to meet people from across the Labour movement and one of the personal highlights for me has been getting to know Neil. I value enormously the support and friendship he has given me.

Of course you know a true friend when they are prepared to be honest and forthright with you and tell you the things you sometimes dont want to hear. Neil is one such person, as most people who know him will confirm: he is not one for pulling his verbal punches! When Neil calls he is always clear, of course very friendly, but always robust. So no one should be in the least bit surprised that this diary is an honest, frank and challenging as well as humorous of course account of his time in the Scottish Parliament and at the forefront of Scottish politics.

Neil has observed and been part of a tumultuous time in Scottish and British politics. In Scotland, unfortunately, the changing political landscape has seen difficult times for the Labour Party. One of the brighter spots amongst an often rather miserable period was Neils election in 2011 . He was elected on a platform of an uncompromising determination to create a better, fairer and more equal Scotland and Britain. Nobody should be in any doubt that he has used his position to throw himself with per cent commitment into the campaigns and issues for which he cares passionately.

A tireless campaigner, Neil fights on the side of justice and against injustice at all times. He has supported and stood alongside blacklisted construction workers, unjustly sacked and victimised miners, local government workers and women who have been injured and left disabled by polypropylene mesh medical devices which were meant to make their lives better, not worse.

To state the blindingly obvious, Neil is a very active Parliamentarian, introducing a members bill to establish a lobbying register in Scotland, which was subsequently passed by the Scottish Government (though to his great regret significantly diluted).

During the 2011 2016 Scottish Parliament, Neil was also a key Shadow Cabinet Member, holding the SNP Scottish Government to account for their failings in health and social care. Never one to think that holding them to account was simply about criticising the Government of the day, Neil always looked for positive and progressive alternatives, shown when he commissioned two radical reports into social care and the persistent scandal of stubborn health inequalities.

And whilst engaged with all of that, Neil also found time to be a key protagonist in the debate about Scotlands constitutional future. He spoke at countless meetings, arguing with energy and conviction for Scotland to remain part of the UK but within a federal and decentralised set up. Alongside his colleagues from across the broad left, he was part of the Red Paper Collective and worked with leading Labour and Trade Union movement figures who argued for Scotland to stay tied to the UK for reasons of solidarity and socialism.

He also found time to stand for the post of Scottish Party Leader and put up a brilliant fight, which, although ultimately unsuccessful, was very important in ensuring that a strong, socialist vision of Scotland was heard during that particular campaign.

Reflecting upon this rich experience, Neils book provides entertaining insights into remarkable and transformative political machinations over six years. What he has to say in relation to normal parliamentary dynamics is in itself interesting; against the backdrop of the Scottish Independence referendum, Brexit, his own Scottish Labour leadership campaign and the Labour leadership elections, Neils observations become a must-read for all those wanting to better understand this fascinating period of Scottish and British political history.

Our movement should value Neil for his energy, commitment and dedication as a trade unionist and socialist. However, there is much more to Neil. He is a thinker and someone who has the heart and the imagination to lead people out of drudgery and isolation to a better society.

I count Neil as a good and real friend and one who teaches us to think and act.

Jeremy Corbyn MP

August 2017

Preface

SOCIALISM IS ABOUT optimism and hope. And by God, over the last few years, as a member of the Scottish Labour party, that optimism has been tested. These years have taken us from a position of power to a point where people were questioning our continued relevance.

This existential crisis has been enough to take even the greatest optimist to the edge of despair.

However, politics is nothing if not unpredictable.

As this book goes to print, we enter into another Scottish Labour leadership election. It comes at a time when Labour is winning trust across the nations of the UK with a policy manifesto that truly addresses the needs of our communities. A manifesto that embodies a vision of full employment, fairness, equality and, crucially, solidarity, it reflects the socialism that I have always believed in.

Throughout the th century, it is the labour movement that has brought about radical social change from council housing and the National Health Service, to devolution and the National Minimum Wage. I believe that, in a spirit of newfound optimism, Labour will build on these historic achievements and rise to the challenges of the future, with policies to Transform Our Society For the Many, Not the Few.

Neil Findlay MSP

August 2017

From Bangour to Holyrood

WE ARE LIVING through one of the most turbulent periods in UK political history. The last few years have seen a Scottish independence referendum, a couple of General Elections and a vote on whether or not we should remain in the European Union. Throw in two uncompromising Labour leadership battles at UK level and a couple in Scotland, and it would be true to say that nothing less than a political whirlwind has swept through the corridors of the Scottish Parliament since it reconvened in 1999 .