Policies People Care About
Our party is different to the other main parties. Policies are proposed by members and a 2/3rds majority vote by members is needed for policies to become party policy. We encourage local people who agree with the party’s aim of representing ordinary people to join the party. Regarding issues that affect us, our right to informed consent represents real democracy. Please join EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE so that you can propose and vote on policies. Membership fees are voluntary, so do join us.
Local Direct Democracy We oppose the Party Whip. When voting on behalf of their constituents elected EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE representatives must take instructions on a vote-by-vote basis from members pf the party who are within their ward, constituency or region. This is the opposite of top-down autocratic parties who use the whip and the block vote to force their Councillors, MSPs and MPs to vote opposite to how they would otherwise vote if they were free to use their intellect, judgement and conscience.
No to war & genocide We campaign for an end to genocide in Gaza and the war in Iran. We understand that the worldwide military industrial complex needs wars for its survival, so we need to find ways of legislating to reduce its size and to remove the profit motive. People never want war. Let’s make that happen.
Education Improving literacy & numeracy in Primary Schools is a priority. We cannot afford to let standards drop further. We also recognise parents’ central role in a child’s education. The Scottish Government’s own Statutory Teaching Guidance for relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) states: “Parents and carers play a key role in all aspects of their children’s education”. In practice, the Scottish Government fails to inform parents of what their child is being taught, and parents’ consent is assumed. Our policy is to ensure parents are informed of the RSHP topics at the start of each term, proactively requesting all parents either consent or opt-out their child from certain topics. It is time to empower parents.
Additional Support Needs As per the Scottish Government Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2024 publication, in 2024 there were 284,448 children who had additional support needs. This represented 40.5% of all pupils. The figure for 2023 was 36.7%. It is worrying that this 10.4% year-on-year increase is being caused by the younger P1 & P2 cohorts as ASN for the older years only increases a little.
Schools are under huge pressure. Our policy is to call for an annual increase in the budget for ASN which is equal to the annual increase in children with ASN and we call for far more research to be commissioned by the Scottish Government to identify the causes of this increase in Additional Support Needs.
NHS & Health Reverse & stop further privatisation of the NHS. Promote prevention and address the causes of disease more as opposed to just treating symptoms. The current system treats symptoms, prescribing drugs lifelong at a huge cost to the NHS yielding huge corporate profits.
Social Care The Social Care crisis means up to almost two thousand are taking up hospital beds. We campaign for a Scotland-wide minimum wage for care workers which is £1.50 higher than the national minimum wage to recognise the value of their work and to increase recruitment. We campaign for financial support for unpaid carers who are facing financial difficulties. Many carers are in extreme hardship due to being unable to keep working alongside their caring responsibilities. No one should be penalised for caring for their loved ones especially as they are relieving the pressure on Social Care.
Winter Fuel Allowance We call for the winter fuel allowance to be maintained in line with fuel inflation and increased for the poorest pensioners.
Scottish Independence Our members have decided to set aside party-political differences, come together and fix politics as a priority. Our policy on Scottish Independence is to not have a policy on Scottish Independence and to be neutral. Once 2/3rds of members decide we should have a policy then we will vote on whether the party should become pro-independence or pro-union. Our members include pro-independence & pro-union members. The priority for EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE is to have as many voters, members, and candidates as possible to secure as many elected representatives as possible.
Business Support Encourage new small businesses to lease empty shops by offering them a 2-year rates relief holiday to help them get past the 18-month period within which most small businesses fail. Increase the VAT threshold from £90,000 to £300,000 to incentivise small one-man-band & family businesses to grow.
Mobile Telecommunications Provide a better mobile phone signal strength for UK mobile devices by legislating that the four networks set their customers’ SIM cards to roaming. Mobile phones will connect to the mast with the strongest signal. This will reduce the quantity of Telecom Masts needed for the same coverage.
Edinburgh Trams & South Suburban Rail Campaigning for no more trams as the cost is prohibitive. Campaigning for passenger trains on the south suburban line as this will relieve congestion on the by-pass.
East Lothian Parking Charges We campaign for the Council to reverse their decision as the reduced footfall will adversely affect the businesses in our towns