In his Daily Record column, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar urges action against e-bikes and streets being used as “race tracks”.
Back when I was a student dentist I would take the subway to Glasgow city centre, walking through Garnethill from Cowcaddens station on my way to the Glasgow Dental School on Sauchiehall Street.
When I visited Garnethill again last week, it brought back good memories from those days.
The city centre was vibrant, full of life, the shops were bustling, and the pubs were full every Friday night.
It was a fun and exciting place to be, and importantly, it felt safe and well maintained.
But speaking to residents there now I heard a tale I’ve heard across Glasgow and Scotland – about shopkeepers being threatened, graffiti scrawled on walls, and drug users in public stairwells.
Like people across Scotland, it doesn’t diminish their passion for their community, but when they say their community changed they asked for help and people didn’t listen.
There is no doubt that things have changed in Glasgow.
Just as it has in many cities and towns across Scotland.
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Two decades of SNP cuts have left our local communities increasingly worse for wear, with rats drawn by the rubbish and anti-social behaviour on the rise.
Garnethill is an area of historic importance and it is studded with architectural gems – but it is being let down.
And one thing that locals demanded action on above all was the scourge of e-bikes.
They expressed their frustration with the vast numbers of e-bikes that would fly past them while they were simply making their way down the streets.
Through red lights, on pavements and walkways, e-bikes are putting residents in danger.
The issue of e-bikes is a modern phenomenon, and while some are used totally safely there is a worrying rise of yobs and dangerous delivery drivers putting people at risk.
At a time when lockdowns were in effect, the streets were quiet and e-bike riders were free to fly through the streets with impunity.
But now that our city centres and towns are busy again there must be respect for local people, who are increasingly frustrated by pavements turned into racetracks with them left to leap to safety as people joyride past.
Shocking figures show that in Greater Glasgow alone, the number of e-bikes seized by police has risen from just 10 in 2022 to 207 this year up to September.
Across the entirety of Scotland, the number has risen from 29 to 452 in the same period.
The figures, released by Police Scotland, show that the bulk of these bikes were seized for being uninsured.
Our police officers work hard, and I commend them for clamping down on this problem.
But the reality is that Police Scotland has been hollowed out by the SNP, with fewer officers on our streets now than when the force was created in 2013.
This type of reckless driving is just one of types of antisocial behaviour blighting Scots.
We need to back our police service and ensure they have the resources they need to meet the challenges of today.
As First Minister I will back our police to keep our communities safe and clamp down on yobs that make too many in our towns and cities feel unsafe.
Everyone should feel safe in their community – its time to make that a reality.
MAMDANI IS AN INSPIRATION
Like millions around the globe, I watched on as Zohran Mamdani – the young, progressive candidate for New York Mayor – swept to victory on Wednesday.
Zohran defied the odds.
He took on the American political establishment, the right wing media and the pundits and won.
How did he do this? Through two main approaches.
First he used the latest in digital communication to showcase his campaign – contrasting his energy and charisma against the tired alternatives.
Every platform – TikTok, Instagram, X – was flooded with engaging and energetic Zohran content.
But above all, he won because he focused on the basics.
On improving lives, making New York affordable and tackling inequality.
Cutting rents.
Cheaper transport.
Safer streets.
That’s the simple – yet optimistic – message Zohran Mamdani campaigned on.
And that’s the platform that delivered a political earthquake.
There are lessons for the world’s political progressives from the Mamdani campaign.
First – we defeat the politics of division and hopelessness with a strong message of unity and energy.
And second, we connect with voters by talking directly about their concerns.
Concerns around how they make ends meet, the future of our public services and the opportunities and safety of their children.
Energy, optimism and humility.
That’s the lessons we all should learn and we should all put into practice.
CELEBRITY TRAITORS
Celebrity Traitors has kept me and my kids on the edge of our seats, providing more psychodrama and spin than Scottish politics.
In an age of streaming, it’s been great to have a show that families across the country can sit down to watch together at the same time.
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