Campaigning will continue in coming year

Dec 23 2008 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

I’M grateful to the Perthshire Advertiser for the opportunity to deliver a Christmas message, writes Gordon Banks MP for Ochil & South Perthshire.

It also gives me the chance to express my gratitude to Alison and her team for covering the local issues and keeping everyone informed about the goings on in Perthshire.

It has certainly been a strange year with many ups and downs. Undoubtedly the credit crunch will put a great strain on families around Ochil & South Perthshire this Christmas and beyond. But we do appear to be moving in the right direction, and it is my strong belief that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are uniquely qualified to steer us through this time of difficulty.

This Government will go on taking urgent action now to give people real help to get through these difficult times and much of this action was outlined in the recent Queen’s speech. To choose to do nothing, as the Conservatives propose, would be to abandon communities to be scarred by unemployment and families to be broken by poverty.

We have seen the effect of Conservative inaction in these communities in the past and I never want to return to those days.

On a personal level, I have launched a number of campaigns this year, namely to encourage more people to sign up to join the Organ Donation register, backing the retention of the Post Office Card Account, supporting residents affected by Land Maintenance Companies and also leading calls for a change in regulation for the Blind Industry after the tragic death of a toddler in Clackmannanshire.

There will be more campaigns in the New Year and of course my staff and I will continue to work hard to fight for you on casework issues and indeed on representing your views in Westminster.

As always you can find out more about my work as your MP by logging onto my website at www.gordonbanksmp.co.uk or indeed by popping into my office in Crieff on a Tuesday or Thursday and speaking to one of the team who will be happy to help you with any problems or issues that you may have.

In closing I hope you and your family have an enjoyable and restful festive period. And whilst many of us will spend Christmas at home with

family, I hope we can all spare a thought for those serving in the armed forces, emergency and health services who will spend Christmas away from their family. They keep us all safe and provide a much needed service that we can all rely on and indeed must be grateful for.