By Alex Cole-Hamilton
Last week鈥檚 by-election in Fountainbridge/ Craiglockhart was astonishing. In that ward, we emerged from fifth place to secure victory, with Kevin McKay elected as the latest Liberal Democrat on Edinburgh City Council. Yet again, we showed what is possible: an energised, hardworking, community-driven politics that gets things done. This was a ward where all the major parties fancied their chances. But in the end, the SNP slumped, the Conservatives collapsed and Reform was eliminated early on. Meanwhile, it was the Liberal Democrats who were talking about the issues that matter most to local people, from the state of the roads to parking and the environment. People placed their trust in us because they know that we will deliver strong local champions who work tirelessly to get results for you. Coming just under a year out from the Scottish Parliament election, Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart was also something of a bellwether victory, and it adds to the bubbling groundswell of support for Liberal Democrats across the capital and across the country. When I first became an MSP, there were just two Liberal Democrat councillors in Edinburgh, there are now 14. Whether it鈥檚 our MSPs taking ministers to task over the state of Scottish schools, or the shifts we鈥檙e putting in to get our constituents swift local access to healthcare, Scottish Liberal Democrats are bursting with positive ideas for how to get everyone a fair deal and unpick the damage done by the SNP. I know there are lots of people who want to see those ideas becoming a reality, but the question they have for me is how exactly they can make their vote for the Liberal Democrats count. Next May, you鈥檒l be given two ballot papers. The first is simple. It is lilac-coloured and it names all the candidates standing in your Scottish Parliament constituency. I鈥檇 love to see your vote on there but it鈥檚 important not to overlook the second: the peach ballot. The peach ballot decides the 56 regional MSPs, seven for each of Scotland鈥檚 eight regions. Regional MSPs are decided after the results for the lilac ballots are in. If a party gets lots of votes on the regional list but doesn鈥檛 win much in the way of constituencies, they are allocated regional MSPs to make up the shortfall. This ensures more proportionate and balanced political representation for every corner of the country. My party has a vision for Scotland: where people can see their GP and NHS dentist in good time, where we fix the crisis in care and give our children the world-class education they deserve. It鈥檚 a vision of a government that looks after your money and believes in working with our neighbours, in the rest of the UK and Europe, giving businesses the best chance to thrive and realising the potential of our economy. Liberal Democrats are offering all those things; everyone has a chance to vote for them by marking a cross beside our name on the peach regional ballot paper. It鈥檚 a chance to send local champions to parliament who will get things done, fight for the issues you care about and bring some much-needed decency back into Scottish politics. Alex Cole-Hamilton is Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and MSP for Edinburgh Western