Boris Johnson may be resigning, but Conservatives continue to prove that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Let’s be clear – Johnson should have been removed a long time ago.
For Conservative MPs, including Moray’s own Douglas Ross, to have defended a law-breaking prime minister for any length of time was shocking. It took Johnson promoting a known sex pest within his party for his MPs to realise the party was over.
No matter who wins this leadership election, it is only democratic that a general election is called to give the people a choice over who the next prime minister of the UK will be.
Furthermore, Douglas Ross must start taking his responsibilities as a local representative seriously. Ross even recently missed a Lib Dem-backed vote to cut VAT, saving the average household around £600 in tax per year. Imagine what that could have done for families in our community during this Tory-led cost of living crisis.
And, now, in Moray, the local Conservatives are at war with each other – with a new Moray council co-leader facing a vote of no confidence.
Don’t worry SNP, we haven’t forgotten about you. The handling of the Patrick Grady affair has also been shambolic. Sexual assault and misconduct are not OK.
To have not immediately expelled Grady – and Chris Pincher in Westminster – is outrageous, particularly given Ian Blackford’s initial defence of his colleague.
Public want MPs who put local services first
Now we’re stuck with the great Tory sideshow, with a new leader ascending to the highest office in the land. A total of 359 people are currently deciding our next head of state. The Conservative Party membership might have a say, but they didn’t get to that stage for Theresa May. That’s not democracy.
You only have to look at the recent by-election results south of the border to see that we, the people, are fed up.
The public want MPs who put local services first, like bringing back maternity services to Dr Gray’s, like preventing the closures of more mental health support clinics in Elgin, like creating a proper A96 dual connection road to Moray. That’s what being a Liberal Democrat is all about. It’s what I believe in.
People don’t want feigned care in what matters most locally whilst constantly arguing one side of the constitutional debate.
People don’t want feigned care in what matters most locally
Maybe I’ll be wrong. Maybe the new Tory leader will give the people of the United Kingdom a democratic choice and hold a general election immediately.
But I won’t hold my breath holding out for Conservative decency. Recent history has proven that this trait is in short supply for that party.
Neil Alexander is a Liberal Democrat, a member of the Scottish Executive Committee for the Lib Dems, and a community councillor for Elgin
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