Gary Smith is standing as the Scottish Libertarian Party candidate in the March by election.
Mr Smith also stood in the Drumbrae/Gyle ward in 2022.
He said: “I am not a politician, that is now an insult word on a par with journalist and lawyer.
“I am just a citizen of Edinburgh, born and bred, and my reason for seeking election to the Council is to stop the politicians, journalists, and lawyers, who have no moral compass, from interfering in peoples’ lives and instead just leave us to live as free people in a free country.
“There are many issues that need tackling but a pressing concern is the draconian control measure befitting a medieval principality of the Rhine called the “20-minute city”.
“SAY NO TO THE 20 MINUTE CITY is a main plank of this short by-election campaign. Raising awareness of the heinous attack on freedom and the exponential rollout of state surveillance and control measures on people is paramount.
“I do not want to live in a city where I need a permission slip from some eco green commissar to go outside and travel, and by their insane warped world view being exposed we can now see the rotten core that exists in the management of Edinburgh.
“Everyone in Edinburgh needs to be aware of what plans this current regime in City Chambers have for us. Firstly, this idea of anti-car lunacy is not their idea, they are not that clever, but it is being rolled out everywhere, at the moment, so one must ask the question, who gives the orders?
“This proposed unlawful statute is just another link in the chain of a digital slavery system that these politicians, journalists and lawyers are cooking up for us. It must be snuffed out, now, and this small election in a sleepy West Edinburgh suburb could go down as a first step in fighting back and stopping this lunacy.
“Vote Scottish Libertarian for pragmatism not activism, common sense not nonsense, vote for a councillor on your side and not a council on your back. Vote for FREEDOM!”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
