Download - Ann McKechin Shadow Cabinet Letter
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Ann McKechinforShadow CabinetLabour MP forGlasgow North
Ann McKechin MP
Dear
I am seeking your support for the Shadow Cabinet Elections.
Being in opposition is hard at any time but the coming months and years
will be one of the most difficult periods in decades that this country and
our Party will face.
We need to effectively represent the voices of those who will be hit
hardest by the Coalitions agenda to achieve a permanent small state
solution but we also need to develop the right policies that will convincethe electorate that there is a genuine alternative. Within the
Parliamentary party we need to develop a new range of tactical skills
that will require the Shadow Cabinet to work as closely as possible with
backbench colleagues to maximise our efforts.
I believe I can offer a range of skills and experience to the role that will
fit these challenges.
Resilience
I was chair of the Scottish Parliamentary group during the Glasgow East
by-election and learnt by hard experience of the need to keep your
resolve even in the toughest of times and maintain team morale. I took up
my Ministerial position in the Scotland Office in the week of the
Lehman Brothers collapse at a time when Labours support had slumped,
but was determined to show that our decisions at the height of the
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financial crisis to take over Scotlands major banks were the correct
choice.
I took an active role in the campaigns that led to our subsequent victories
in both the Glenrothes and Glasgow North East by-elections which paved
the way towards our strongest electoral performance in Scotland for many
years at the General Election.
Policy Development
I was Chair of the Manifesto group on International Development before
the General Election.
As Chair of the All Party Group on Debt, Aid and Trade I was one of the
first parliamentarians to actively call for a currency transaction tax and
to produce a detailed report on how it could be achieved.
Campaigning
Before I was first elected in 2001, I spent many years actively
campaigning as a volunteer for OXFAM and as the Scottish representative
for the World Development Movement.
As a Backbencher, I successfully lobbied for a full public inquiry on the
causes of the Stockline Factory explosion in my constituency. This has led
to a number of significant changes in Health & Safety practicesincluding the current replacement of every metal LPG pipe in the
country.
In this years Election I faced a Libdem target campaign against my seat
and managed to increase both my share of the vote and majority at a
fraction of the cost of my opponents campaign.
Understanding Opposition
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As a Scotland Office Minister and now a frontbench spokesperson, I have
spent the last two years on a daily basis working on how to put across our
message and develop our policies against an SNP led administration.
I hope to speak to as many members of the Group as possible but if you
have any queries please dont hesitate to contact me via email or by
phone on 07XXX XXXXXX.
Kind regards
Ann
Glasgow North