SNP candidate Marie McNair is standing to become an MSP for the first time after a lengthy career in local politics which she began as a councillor for Labour.
The former St Margaret of Scotland Hospice nurse was first elected in 2003 to West Dunbartonshire Council.
However, she said she quickly became disillusioned with the approach of the Labour Party – including always “taking instructions from Westminster”.
The SNP candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie said: “When I first got first involved in party politics I was a working class woman and a long-standing trade union member.
“I joined the Labour Party and served my first term as a Labour councillor, but I became so disillusioned by their approach.
“It was clear it was more and more one that ignored communities and always took instructions from their leaders in Westminster.
“I was also really concerned about how we were treated at party meetings and how voices I was articulating on behalf of my community were being minimised.
“So I made the decision to leave that behind.”
McNair was initially resistant to the idea of moving to another political party and was elected as an independent councillor.
But after campaigning for a Yes vote in 2014 she changed her mind and joined the SNP after the independence referendum.
“The SNP were more willing to listen to our community and they were not afraid really to reach out beyond that party divide to secure positive progress for our area,” she said.
“I worked very well when I was an independent alongside SNP colleagues, who always encouraged me to join.
“Between that and my recognition that we were being held back by Westminster rule, it made me opt to join the SNP.
“It is a decision I have never regretted.”
For the last 10 years, the Clydebank and Milngavie seat has been held by SNP MSP Gil Paterson, who is now retiring. He secured a majority of more than 8400 in 2016, with Labour in second place. However McNair said she is taking “nothing for granted”.
“It is about hard campaigning and proving to our constituents and electorate they can trust us,” she added.
When it comes to the decision to stand as an MSP, McNair said she was motivated to be in politics by trying to make a difference to the lives of people in her constituency.
This includes on issues such as recovery from Covid-19, employment support for young people, more green projects and tackling child poverty.
“There are many great challenges facing my constituents and they deserve to have someone on their side that can really work hard for them and their families,” she said.
She said an independent Scotland could create a “compassionate and caring” social security system, adding: “We cannot go on with the inhumane Westminster system that is used to shame rather than support.”
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