Our plan for change - Growth is up, and unemployment is down.

I fear, however, that the war in Iran will push the global economy in the wrong direction.

The new disc golf course at Hailes Quarry Park has officially opened:
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article...

Best seat on the bus!

Over 500 firefighter jobs could be lost as SNP blasted over funding plan EXCLUSIVE: Official papers reveal the extent of the losses if uniformed staff are hit.

EXCL: Over 500 firefighter jobs could be lost as warning issued over SNP Government funding plans.

The row comes after a blaze destroyed an iconic Glasgow city centre building.

My Week In Parliament – 13th – 17th April 2026 Addressing the minister during my Adjournment debate on neuroendocrine cancer. Parliamentary Contributions Oral Contributions: Neuroendocrine Cancer – I held my first adjournment debate in th…

This is what I got up to in Parliament last week: scottarthurmp.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/m...

Best seat on the bus -

Today: We had a day of action in Colinton with Catriona Munro for Edinburgh South Western - 100s of doors were knocked!

It was lovely to see so many trees in blossom, especially the ones I got planted on Lanark Road.

Remember - Only Labour can beat the SNP in Edinburgh South Western.

The eating disorder community has come together to fight for change.

#DumpTheScales

The key thing we are discussing is how my office can engage with young people better to ensure their views are reflected in Parliament.

Progress:

In March, I launched the biggest ever survey of young people in Edinburgh South West to understand what issues are important to them.

This is what they said: scottarthurmp.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/h... @edinburghminute.com @edinreporter.bsky.social @edinburghlive.co.uk

*That should be EAPC

Perhaps all the delivery companies should provide their riders with these bikes, rather than exploiting them?

They are EPAC compliant:
1: They have pedals and the rider must be able to use the pedals to propel it.
2: The electric motor is not be able to propel the bike when it is travelling more than 15.5mph (25 km/h).
3: The motor does not have a maximum power output of more than 250 watts.

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Separately, I found out this week that Just Eat UK is now making legal e-bikes available to their riders to rent or buy - I spotted one in London.

See: partnerinfo.just-eat.co.uk/en/your-busi...

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The car I was travelling in today was overtaken by a Deliveroo rider on an illegal e-bike, so getting an update on the situation from @spokes.org.uk today via their newsletter was timely.

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They kept this quiet - The SNP Government's "eco-friendly" dual-fuel ferry Glen Sannox, which is capable of running on gas, has been operating solely on diesel since July 2025... because the gas system is unsafe.

Perhaps they should fit a mast, and sails?

See:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Just under 6ft 1in.

What Housing Crisis - The construction of homes for social rent (including Council Housing) is in terminal decline in Scotland.

New starts are now lower than when the SNP came to power in 2007! Worse than that, the situation has never been worse in the devolution era.

The location of the event was Victoria Tower Gardens, which (I hope) will soon be home of the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

The event brought together people of all faiths and none to remember the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany and its allies, and for the Jewish resistance in that period.

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It was a great honour to be able to represent Edinburgh South West at the Yom HaShoah 2026.

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Best seat on the bus.

So nothing to do with the SNP cutting the housing budget?

Debate Night - John Swinney was happy to commit to an Independence Referendum by 2028, but had nothing to say about the housing emergency he created.

Anas Sarwar was the only leader who committed to building more homes for social rent.

#bbcdn

We welcomed 65 resilient young superstars this morning to run number 31. 😁
- 8 doing their first ever Parkrun. 🫶🫶🫶🫶
- 8 running our course for the first time 😍
A huge well done to everyone who ran, jogged, or walked and especially the 9 runners who achieved new Personal Bests! 👏💪

The model railway show at Heriot-Watt University this weekend has an excellent model of Kinleith Paper Mill - it's worth a look if you have memories of the place.

@edinburghminute.com @edinreporter.bsky.social

Is it time to change how our young people use social media?

I asked 16-17-year-olds in Edinburgh South West what they thought about a ban for under-16s. The responses were very evenly split - 51% in favour of a ban and 49% opposed to a ban.

More here: scottarthurmp.wordpress.com/2026/04/10/r...

It was a real highlight meeting the incredible team of scientists at Heriot‑Watt University that Sam is working with to develop a satellite‑deployable entangled photon source, enabling quantum communication from space to ground. This device was developed in just one year at the cost of £1 million.

It was great to meet Sam Heselwood @heriotwattuni.bsky.social in Edinburgh South West today - COO and Co‑founder of Lumino Technologies, a company doing genuinely exciting work across satellite, telecommunications, optical and quantum technologies.

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