Hope & Despair

Is Scottish politics mired in a constitutional dogfight with no end in sight? Why has Scottish Labour failed to develop a radical and credible alternative to independence? Is it possible for a campaigning politician to make a difference? Can people power lead to positive change? Over the last few years, political campaigner and former Labour msp Neil Findlay kept a log of his time in the Scottish Parliament, a time which he describes as one of perpetual crisis and scandal. This book is my account of being an elected politician. My comments convey my feelings and emotions as events unfolded. If they cause upset to some, then so be it. I can only report the truth. There is little doubt the tectonic plates of Scottish politics are shifting. Is this a time of hope or of despair? Time will tell. As a socialist, I am an optimist and live in hope and have a belief that tomorrow will always be better than today.

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 father's small business, became active in his local Labour Party and struck up a great friendship with Tam Dalyell mp. After returning to education, Neil worked in social housing before becoming a schoolteacher. 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. He acted as Jeremy Corbyn's Scottish campaign manager in two Labour Party leadership elections. Neil enjoys fishing, golf, gardening and going for a pint.