Standing for Freedom Alliance in South Kintyre wasn’t an easy decision to make. I care for my elderly mum, who was the main reason I left residential employment in Argyll & Bute some years ago, so firstly I needed to discuss it with my family. I also have a dog and ten hens (adopted via the British Hen Welfare Trust) but fortunately Ben is a wee mercenary who openly prefers my brother to me, and Judy, Mabel, Henny-Penny, Amelia, Mildred, Petunia, Daisy, Meela, Jessica and Pipsqueak don’t actually care who feeds them and renews their bedding—as long as someone does.
I must admit the beauty of Kintyre is a huge draw. I’ve been sailing on Loch Fyne for some years now so the Mull of Kintyre is not only known to me as a lovely song but also as a magnificent area of Scottish countryside. Living previously on two Hebridean islands, I know that practicality, respect for the community and a certain degree of stoicism are key qualities for living in rural locations far from urban centres.
That’s the second reason: as a registered Scottish teacher, former university lecturer, freelance academic, proofreader and law student, I believe I have the skills to make sure that the voices of the people of South Kintyre are heard by the local council—and also in Council interactions with the governments at Holyrood and Westminster where the concerns of big business, the Central Belt and the Home Counties seem to dominate.
The third reason is that I really believe in freedom and I think that people living in rural communities understand what that entails: self-reliance and responsibility. I would describe Freedom Alliance as a libertarian party with a commitment to community, a bit of a balancing act in terms of policy. Everyone should be free to do what they want and not have obligations imposed on them—provided that this freedom does not interfere with that of others and that it is exercised in keeping with the norms of civil society in which fundamental human decency and dignity are both respected and actively protected.
So I’m standing for your freedom in South Kintyre and if you’d like to support my campaign with leafleting—I’m not asking for money—please get in touch: info@freedomalliance.co.uk (with “Alan for South Kintyre” in the subject heading)
(Photos & videos copyright the author may be used—unconnected to commerce and without transformation—with a link to this blogpost)
Promoted by Cath Evans of Freedom Alliance, 83 Ducie Street M1 2JQ
(Next campaign post: Appointment at the Castle)
Standing for Freedom in South Kintyre 