Europe - and Edinburgh City Council

The big focus in Westminster last week was of course Europe - starting off with the debate on the proposal for a referendum on UK membership of the EU. I opposed that, and spoke brirefly in the debte explaining why (we all had to be brief, as so many MPs wanted to speak!). I was also able, however, to raise an issue about the difficulty which can be experienced by some disabled people with visual impairment when seeking to claim benefit.

However, this week I came back earlier to take part and speak in an important event here in Edinburgh - a lobby of the City Council against its proposals to privatise a number of council services. I'm glad that the public pressure meant that the controlling LibDem/SNP councillors decided to think again, although of course the final decision is still not certain.

Coming back early allowed me to visit a number of local organisations - to West Pilton for the inaugural meeting of the 'Living Well' project, bringing together the PROP stress centre in West Pilton, with a similar group in Clermiston. I was able to attend the AGM of Dr Bells Family Centre in Leith, including a performance about the difficulties trying to cope with bureaucracy when jobseeking. A powerful message - and a reminder of how unemployment/jobs/financial issues are now a theme of almost every single community meeting I'm attending at the moment. Surgeries were busy as well this week, with a lot of issues about unemployment and benefits coming up.

More local visits

Wednesday saw me visit Blackhall Bowling Club to give a talk to the Craigleith Probus Club, on 'The Work of an MP' - lots of probing questions. In the afternoon, I called in at the open evening at The Junction, Great Junction Street, a centre which does a lot of good work on health related issues with young people. Like many of my visits over the last few months, worries about unemployment and the economic climate are being to affect more and more local people, including some of the young people who visit the Junction. And later, a brief visit to a lively party in the Stand Club for the launch of a book by long standing trade unionist, and Labour Party member in my constituency, Pat Kelly: 'Scotland's Radical Exports' - a history of the influence and role of Scots left wingers and trade unionists outside Scotland.

Later in the week, I visited the Edinburgh Remploy factory whose workers are understandably very worried about their future given the government's current consultation suggesting their closure. Unemployment and cuts was understandably a major concern of the local Leith Labour Party meeting this week - and there were a lot of issues relating to benefits and poverty issues at my surgeries this week.

However, the sun came out for the unfurling of another Green Flag in a local park this week - this time at Victoria Park, where we were joined by keen school children from Trinity Primary School.

I was also glad to meet with two local organisations who have a concern with wider international issues - the new HQ of the Vine Trust for Global Citizenship, on a barge in Leith docks! - and combining domestic and international concerns, I spoke at the beginning and then stayed to listen to two moving speakers, one from South Africa, and one from the UK at a meeting organised by the Edinburgh University Stop AIDS group.

Good triumphs over evil...on Calton Hill

The wind and rain which took over from last week's heatwave didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those taking part in this year's Dusherra festival on Calton Hill last Sunday. The traditional dance, music and finale celebrating the victory of good over evil was very well attended again, and I was glad to be able to attend as I have done most years. All credit to the Scottish Indian Arts Forum for a great success, particularly after the 60% cut in public funding they suffered this year had forced the cancellation of the traditional parade up to the Hill. Earlier in the day I'd been to another event focussing on public space, the AGM of the Friends of Hopetoun Crescent Garden, followed by the unveiling for the 3rd year running of the garden's Green Flag award. More celebration on Tuesday, when I joined a lobby by locals campaigning against the planned sell off by Edinburgh City Council of part of Inverleith Park. I'm glad to say that the proposal was rejected, on the motion of my Labour colleague, Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds. Monday I joined dozens of parents and friends at a charity lunch organised by pupils and staff at Victoria Primary School, Newhaven, in aid of St Columba's Hospice, which is currently undertaking a major fund raising appeal for their new development. I also took part in a meeting of the Leith Museum campaign - a campaign which has stalled a bit following the City Council's refusal to help with a study into the possible conversion of Leith's Custom House into a museum and centre, but we've now some new ideas of how the campaign might be taken forward again which hopefully will be followed up soon.

Local worries over cuts

Came back day early from Labour Party conference last week as I wanted to attend a local protest meeting, organised by Greater Leith Against the Cuts. The focus of their concern are the proposals from the SNP/LibDem Edinburgh City Council to privatise a wide range of services which are currently run in-house. Council workers are very worried about these, and there is growing public concern about what this might mean for public services. There will be a crucial Council vote on the plans at the end of October.

Funding, or lack of it, was a concern at another local meeting I attended this week, the AGM of the Pilton Youth and Children's Project. Like most local organisations, they've had funding cutbacks and have had to lay off staff. Fortunately, they've managed to keep going, and still undertake an impressive range of activities.

So too does the Granton Youth Project, whose AGM I also went to this week. Held in the open air as the weather was so good, and preceded by a short sketch from a play produced by the project about growing up in West Granton in the early 90s. There's been a lot of changes for the better since then - and it's worrying that current local and central government policies could turn the clock back to those times.

Voluntary organisations and charities like these are going to come under more and pressure in the current economic situation - which makes the role of volunteers even more crucial, as I saw when I dropped in briefly at the this week, held at St Pauls and St Georges church.