Councillor Norma Austin Hart is the Labour Councillor for Liberton/Gilmerton. Councillor Hart is the Vice-Convenor for Culture and Sport and this weekend she is attending the Labour Party’s National Women’s Conference in Brighton.
She is keeping us up to date with her conference experience from Brighton where she is a delegate.
Johann Lamont and Margaret Curran presented the Scottish Report at what will be the last conference before the referendum. They are in full pre-referendum mode, promoting a strong Scotland in a strong UK. Key message is that the politics of identity do not equal the politics of justice. Men and women who fought for apartheid and equality did not do so because they were Scottish. They did so because they believed in changing the lives of men and women across borders regardless of their nationality. Division is the greatest bar to the nation’s progress.
Cost of living, housing, unemployment and NHS are prioritised policy areas for conference debates.
Yesterday all delegates voted on their priorities and these were the highest scoring. We are now debating policy on the rising cost of living and how it affects all working people and most of all the lowest paid.
The true value of pay packets has fallen by 20% and seven million people are refused access to bank accounts and credit by the same banks that caused the financial crisis. There is much criticism here of the hypocrisy of the Tory/ Lib Dem coalition who have cut support to the disabled and introduced the Bedroom Tax while giving tax cuts to the richest.
For anyone wondering where Councillor Austin Hart stayed last night (there has been a mix up with her conference accommodation) here is the update:-
Had a call from the hotel with the superior room – the couple who cancelled had turned up! I had already unpacked into my room so I was moved into a single room for the night with the promise of the superior room tonight at the single room rate. Everyone profusely apologetic!
Councillor Austin Hart is a bit of a novice Tweeter – but nonetheless a very enthusiastic one! Here are some photos from Twitter:-
#blonde on blonde chat with @Margaret_Curran shadow Secretary of State for Scotland #lab13 pic.twitter.com/TQltC1Rq6O
— Norma Austin Hart (@normaaustinhart) September 23, 2013
She caught up with former councillor Ewan Aitken in Brighton:-
@EwanAitken and @ianmiller co-operating at the Labour Party Conference #lab13 pic.twitter.com/1HGhz0uD0O
— Norma Austin Hart (@normaaustinhart) September 23, 2013
Here she is with George Foulkes
Good to see @GeorgeFoulkes at the Better Together stand at #lab13. #goodlord pic.twitter.com/8Lcocil7mf
— Norma Austin Hart (@normaaustinhart) September 23, 2013
She met the Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont:-
Excellent speech from @JohannLamont at today’s Scottish report pic.twitter.com/i8R6Ku3pc0
— Norma Austin Hart (@normaaustinhart) September 22, 2013
And she also met Edinburgh MP and leader of the Better Together campaign The Rt Hon Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling @TogetherDarling stall in exhibition hall at @UKLabour pic.twitter.com/SxkCEY4T9v
— Norma Austin Hart (@normaaustinhart) September 22, 2013
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
