Ming brings Kirky leisure centre boost

6.19.00pm GMT Fri 23rd Feb 2007

Ming paid tribute to the work going into Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre

Ming Campbell paid a visit to East Dunbartonshire today, to view the ongoing work on Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre.

The Liberal Democrat leader was joined on the visit by Jo as well as Scottish Parliamentary Candidate Cathy McInnes, MEP Elspeth Attwooll and Council Leader John Morrison.

Commenting on the visit, Jo said:

"I was delighted to welcome Ming Campbell to East Dunbartonshire.

"As a successful former athlete, Ming was particularly keen to see the progress of Kirkintilloch leisure centre. He was very optimistic about the boost to sporting achievement and healthy living that the leisure centre will give to young people in the area."

Ming also addressed a group of Glasgow University students during his visit. Outlining Liberal Democrat priorities for the forthcoming Scottish elections, he said:

"The Liberal Democrats will fight this election on the basis of what matters to Scots - and in the interests of Scotland.

"Our party has been the driving force behind radical reform in Scotland.

"Not just the achievements for which we are already known: the abolition of tuition fees, free personal care for the elderly, and proportional representation for local government.

"But also for the detailed policies which make a real difference to Scots' lives: trebling recycling rates, investing in medical diagnostics, and freeing up teachers' time so that they are able to spend more of it helping children to learn."

Defending Scotland's current constitutional arrangement, Ming said:

"The countries of the union can be a force for good on a scale that would be impossible if they were standing apart.

"The challenges facing the world today can only be met by concerted international action and support for international institutions.

"Opinion polls show that most Scots want a strengthened Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom and that is where we stand too."

On young people and opportunity, Menzies Campbell will say:

"As Nicol Stephen has made clear, young people will be at the heart of our election manifesto.

"One in five Scottish children still lives in poverty. And here in Glasgow, where I was born, it is a shaming six out of every ten.

"I am determined that we shall be a party that provides opportunity for the whole of society. For those who work hard to make ends meet, and those who want to better their lives."

Related Link:

Kirkintilloch's Initiative