Jim Devine Speech

On the side of the people of West Lothian
Monday 5 September 2005

Check against delivery

Good morning ladies and gentlemen

Welcome to Blackburn.

As you may know this is my home town. I was born and raised here, I went to school here and I worked here, in the health centre just over the road.

I also received my political education here. I've fought elections in this constituency for many years.

No one wanted to be fighting this by election, least of all me. We would all rather that Robin was still here to represent the people of West Lothian as well as he did for two decades.


Robin's priority was West Lothian. And because that was his priority, he knew that what people here needed was a Labour Government and a strong Labour voice locally.

It was Robin's devotion to West Lothian that saw him work for a stronger local economy, with record investment in health and education, a minimum wage and the working families tax credit. Robin was proud not only to stand on the Labour ticket in 2005, but to work throughout Britain for the return of a Labour Government.

And during my political life Blackburn and the whole of West Lothian have changed.

When I worked in the health centre I saw people being prescribed anti depressants and valium – if they could have been prescribed a job they wouldn't have needed to see a doctor in the first place.

Perhaps we should remember that we were told there was no alternative, that unemployment was a price worth paying, that if it wasn't hurting, it wasn't working. And now, here in this constituency, under Labour, employment has never been higher.

Working class people across this constituency are benefiting from Labour's policies in many other ways too. For example, the introduction of the minimum wage made a real difference to the lives of many people here. And yet instead of standing up for Scotland during the crucial debate, the nationalists went to bed while Scottish Labour MPs delivered that minimum wage.

And where Labour is doing more for hard working families, the Liberals and the Nationalists want to punish them with a massive tax rise. Under the Liberals' Local Income Tax plan a Ward Sister and a Fireman living together would see their tax bill rise by two hundred and thirteen pounds and that same couple would be four hundred pounds worse off each year under the Nationalists.

These are not the priorities of the hard working families of West Lothian – more tax and lower pay.

If I am elected I will share the priorities of the people of West Lothian:


More and better jobs as we move the whole country towards full employment.

More opportunities for hard working families

Dignity and security for pensioners

Better public services

I want to work with a Labour Government in Westminster; working in partnership with a Labour led Scottish Executive and a Labour run local council, delivering the priorities of the people of this constituency.

Robin had a long future in Parliament ahead of him; No one doubts he would eventually have been back in Government; One day he wanted to be the father of the House. But his greatest ambition was to work hard and be on the side of the people of West Lothian. That's an ambition I share.