Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
WEST EDINBURGH TIMES (Forrester High School, new Prime Minister)
A few weeks ago, I visited Forrester High School. The main reason for my visit was to meet S5 and S6 students who were about to go on an educational trip to the House of Commons.
I was impressed by the range and robustness of their questions and realised very quickly that they were not going to give me an easy time! Their questions covered many of the big issues that we face today – how would climate change be tackled, what is the case for nuclear power, what were my views on the Iraq war and the withdrawal of troops, what did I think about nationalism. The time that was available ran out before their questions did!
The knowledge and passion displayed left me feeling optimistic about the ability and willingness of young people to be involved in political debate and the democratic process. That must be good to Scotland and is a credit to our education.
I also had the opportunity to spend some time with the new Headteacher to hear about progress on the plans for the new school building.
The following week on 27 June the students went on their educational visit to the House of Commons. The visit had been arranged for sometime but this turned out to be the day that Gordon Brown became the new Prime Minister.
Gordon Brown offers a new government with new priorities. From talking to people throughout the country we know that some of the challenges faced now compared to ten years ago are very different, unprecedented and pressing.
The momentous challenges of terrorism and security which were brought closer to home when we witnessed the attack on Glasgow Airport; the threat to our planet from climate change and how to protect the British way of life in a world of global competition. But our starting point will always be the concerns, struggles and rising aspirations of hard working families.
Ten years ago people spoke to me about the problems of getting a job and a decent wage. In the last five years, housing has become a much more important issue and many people are concerned about being able to afford to buy or rent a home. There simply aren’t enough houses for the number of people setting up homes. Last year 160,000 houses were built in Britain, well short of the 223,000 we estimate are needed each year. I was asked by Gordon Brown to take over the job as Chancellor of the Exchequer and looking at measures to tackle the crisis in housing will be be one of my priorities.
