Jamie Stone chosen by Lib Dems to contest Caithness, Sutherland and Ross seat in Holyrood election
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Tain councillor Jamie Stone has been chosen by Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Lib Dems to contest the seat in next May’s Scottish Parliament election.
He said yesterday: “I am delighted, and also touched, that my party is keen for me to make a reappearance on the national stage.
“My campaign next year will be a positive one. The message will be that I offer voters experience, knowledge, and a proven track record.
“I come from Tain, and having brought up my family here and having spent almost all my working life here, I can say that I know my home patch.
“In addition I trust that my 13 years as a Ross-shire councillor and twelve years as the MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross – the last time returned with an increased majority – indicates my experience, and also the fact that voters recognised it.
“There is much to be done for this area though.
“Health services, schools, local roads, care services, the availability of housing, agriculture, quality employment opportunities – we all know the issues that must be raised with the Scottish Government in Holyrood.
“Having taken time out of national politics – I stood down as an MSP in 2011 in order to attend to family matters – and also from my recent work as a local councillor, I can see only too clearly, bottom up, rather than top down, the work that needs to be put in.
“In Sutherland and the far north, special challenges are posed by the remoteness of the area and the increased cost of delivering services when compared to the Central Belt. I know how to raise these matters with Scottish Government decision-makers – and I would be only too happy to start doing so once again.
“During the months ahead I shall be knocking on doors all around this huge constituency. I am much looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and discussing local needs and concerns. If I was to be fortunate enough to be returned to the Scottish Parliament next May, then the information so gained will prove invaluable.
“Meanwhile if voters want to get an early glimpse of the prospective candidate speaking in public – then they only have to buy tickets for the Tain panto in December when I shall be playing the arch-baddie Abanazer in Aladdin!”
