IT would be the honour of my life to represent the people of Renfrewshire North and West in our Parliament.

I believe one of the best routes to independence is hard work locally and as an SNP councillor in the only Tory voting ward of Renfrewshire, I’ve been doing my best to change attitudes. It’s not always easy as a young woman, sitting in community meetings full of Tories, but I’ve not let it stop me and I have consistently shown that I’m the one who gets things done. I have a proven track record of delivering and I want to take that hard work and use it for the whole constituency.

I grew up in a working-class Renfrewshire household. I have lived, learned and worked in the constituency my entire life. I know the issues our communities face locally because I’ve spent a lifetime living them.

Like thousands of people I joined the SNP after the 2014 referendum, the hopelessness I felt when we lost made me take action and I haven’t stopped since. Independence is how we truly make Renfrewshire North and West flourish. As a new parent I want our children to have the best future and that’s in an independent Scotland. My focus will be on making sure we get the chance to have a choice on our future.

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As a Renfrewshire councillor, I have done everything within my power to improve the area I represent and stand up for all local people and I will use that same effort for the entire constituency, town or village, as an MSP. Back in 2017, as a newly elected councillor, I was thrown in at the deep end to the position of depute convener of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Board, one of the busiest and most public-facing departments in Renfrewshire Council. With that has come a lot of responsibility – but I have taken it in my stride and enjoyed every minute of it. Working in the Renfrewshire North and West constituency office assisting people with a variety of issues has also given me incomparable experience and first-hand knowledge of how our Parliament works.

We live in unprecedented times and tackling Covid-19 must be a priority, we need a candidate that understands the future we face. I understand the needs of those suffering the UK benefit system because I have experienced it myself. I don’t want anyone using food banks or people suffering because of out-of-touch politicians. We need politicians that do more than just talk a good game and politicians that will genuinely go that extra mile to get results for their constituents.

The reality is that people in Renfrewshire North and West didn’t vote for a decade of Tory austerity, we didn’t vote for Brexit and we certainly didn’t vote for Boris Johnson. Independence is our way out and I will settle for nothing less than making this dream a reality.

I will be a local, approachable and accessible candidate. I have the local knowledge and experience, personally and professionally, to represent the constituency and I will stop at nothing to get us our independence.

Councillor Natalie Don (SNP)

Renfrewshire North and West

A SCOTTISH currency? Yes, please. A central bank for Scotland? Absolutely! A Scottish Reserve Bank owned by the Scottish Treasury and headquartered in Edinburgh? Are you kidding me? Three ideas which call to mind Trump and the US, Rishi Sunak and the Westminster Government, and fat-cat Scottish Disneyland, where property prices are already prohibitive. Sharing employment and wealth across Scotland is one of the drivers of independence. Don’t let’s wreck it by alienating 90% of the population by boosting Edinburgh’s status.

Frances Scott

Edinburgh

A DUTCH newspaper reported that an ethical hacker managed to access Donald Trump’s Twitter by guessing the password was “maga2020!”. On the face of it all good fun, but what would have happened if the hacker had posted something like “Ha Ha I’ve fired all the missiles”? I assume the Kremlin reads Trump’s Twitter account.

Brian Lawson

Paisley