Thread by @SNPPeterhead

We all want ready access to services.

We all also want MSP’s who know what’s reserved and what’s devolved!

Everyone meet Douglas Lumsden MSP, former leader of Aberdeen City Council and List MSP for the North East Region since May the 7th.

eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/…

Now Douglas is quite rightly concerned about Post Office branches closing, lack of access to cash etc.
And he quite rightly drew attention to it by raising it in Parliament and posing for a wee photo outside a local post office with a concerned look slapped all over his coupon.

But Douglas Lumsden would have done well to do a bit of research first…

Banking regulation, which led to the closure of bank branches in the first place is of course a reserved matter where he’d be better raising this with the UK Gov’t.

Postal regulation, is also a reserved matter he’d be better pursuing with the UK Gov’t.

And you’ll never guess who was in power when the Royal Mail was broken up, privatised with branch services contracted out to chains of convenience store owners?

Yup it was the Tories!

Douglas Lumsden is correct to speak up for folk who still prefer to control their finances in cash.

He's also correct when he says it is vital that people aren’t excluded from society due to a lack of infrastructure in communities.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day

But Douglas Lumsden is being disingenuous in his assertion that The SNP Government MUST start recognising how important banks and post offices are to places like Aberdeen. Because we have always recognised this.

It’s just a pity that the Tory Led UK Gov’t didn’t seem to appreciate this when they impose banking regulations.

It’s a further pity that the old Tory led UK Gov’t didn’t appreciate it, or foresee this kind of problem when they privatised almost every publicly owned service and company (including the Royal Mail and the Post Office) that WE the public owned.

Don’t worry though Douglas, the SNP Government will likely add this to the long list of Tory Harm done to communities across Scotland that we sadly have to mitigate.

• The Bedroom Tax
• The Rape Clause
• The Universal Credit Cut

For your part Douglas Lumsden MSP, perhaps look for the REAL cause of the issues you want to tackle before opening your yap in future.

We respectfully suggest starting with what's reserved and devolved.

Or we could make it easy for you and just take control of everything?

@threadreaderapp unroll please