In the heartland of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (WAK), the temperature outside is below zero, I sit in the front room of Glen Reynolds’ Alford home. We can hear the shouts of the young football team training across the road. The dogs are upstairs, since I asked beforehand if we could record our discussion; copies of the Financial Times are piled up behind Glen who is sitting across from me.
We met the day after he attended the Ballater Flood Defence Community Council meeting. He fills me in: “The hall was full of people who were still reeling from the effects of Storm Frank.”
A storm that hit nearing a decade ago. A room full of people that had been hit again and again with little to no assistance or backup. The current MP, Andrew Bowie, expected to chair the meeting but in true Tory practice, he was a no-show.
“It appears we are on our own here,” said the community council leader in their opening remarks.
But you’re not reading this to see us bash the Tory representative – rather to get to know Glen and what he’s going to be like as your MP.
“People will see a big difference,” he says. “They’ll see accessibility and a more down-to-earth MP who wants to be very much part of the constituency. I’m a people person, not a profit person. I hope people will see a more human face, someone who’s going to represent them, their interests and values.”
Glen, along with his team of activists, has identified key issues that cause people in WAK concern: from everyday matters that you expect your MP deal with, to the big problems where your MP really needs the expertise to stand up for constituents.
The cost of living crisis is at the forefront of people’s minds, both for those who have been forgotten about by the current government and those who never used to worry about day-to-day expenses.
“It’s going to be very different in terms of levels of engagement with my constituents who are being let down by the incumbent MP,” says Glen.
“What they will see from me is someone who actively wants to engage with people on issues like the cost of living crisis, the economics of it. I want to look out for the most vulnerable constituents, also those who have only struggled lately to pay their rent and mortgages, and those businesses that have suffered as a result of the pandemic.”
The oil and gas sector has been the economic mainstay of the economy in the city and shire for decades, bringing job opportunities and prosperity. But the industry saw a sharp downturn from 2014. As a reserved matter, it will be a big talking point in Westminster for Glen.
“I will be on the ball in terms of the energy sector as I want to protect jobs and investment,” he says. “It’s so much more than just economics. What we are seeing more and more is that we need a long-term vision. We need to focus on protecting the whole energy sector. We want to look at it more broadly than just diving straight into renewables. I want to help transform WAK into a world-leading energy hub.
“Renewables are the future but the oil and gas sector has to play a part in our getting there. That’s the direction we need to be headed.”
Someone like Glen understands that here in the UK we still have a democratic culture. His experience of working with people on a local level as a councillor since 2017, as well as his work as a lawyer for 35 years, spans oil and gas, media and third sector organisations. He is someone who has wandered many paths and come across people from all walks of life. Frankly, this makes him the perfect candidate to bring a democratic voice for WAK back to Westminster.
“True democracy empowers, enlightens and emboldens people to see there is a vision,” he notes.
“My background isn’t moulded purely around politics though. I focused on social justice – and the business aspects of oil and gas – as a lawyer in the early days, then moved into human rights work overseas. The scope of my experience is broad but deeply relevant in terms of my elected role as a councillor and I believe it also applies to being an MP.”
Back in 2019, there was a measly 2 per cent majority for the current MP in WAK who is now a minister at the UK Department of Energy and Net Zero. He is an integral part of the government that has created so many problems while it has been in power. The irony of the current MP’s ministerial role is that Aberdeenshire is paying the fifth highest energy bills in the UK. Glen focuses in on the contrast.
“The really big difference? The SNP is the party of the future,” he says. “We believe in the people of WAK and of Scotland.”
You don’t have to be some sort of expert to see that this is a constituency with great potential: land and talent that can be used to set up the future of the energy sector, and a rich history that has seen world-class agriculture take shape and continue to grow. Glen hopes to create a thriving and working constituency where he can collaborate with employers to maintain a healthy and productive workforce and see communities within WAK evolve.
Stretching from the Cairngorms to the North Sea, WAK encompasses all walks of life. Therefore we need a representative in Westminster that will be able to understand the needs and means of the people here. Given the current MP’s nano-thin majority, change is possible. Historically, Aberdeenshire has been favourable to a Conservative representative but since 2019 – Johnson, Truss, Sunak – the popularity of that party has taken a nosedive. According to the Economist, only two-thirds of those who voted Conservative in the last election would vote the same way again.
Conversely, when you read, hear and see the majority of the media pushing a narrative about the SNP, it’s easy to believe what they are telling you. Undoubtedly there have been difficulties the last year but the focus has been on the party because it is building a consensus around the direction of travel. The agenda for Scotland’s future is not just about independence but also a more democratic plan overall.
“I believe 100 per cent that we can win WAK,” says Glen. “But you won’t be surprised to know, on the back of that, there is no ‘peacetime’ in this campaign. There will be no complacency in what we do. My confidence does not and should not take away from the political battle we are facing. In this coming election, the Tories are fighting for their political life, even though they are a democratic embarrassment.
“Campaigning is tough. Without a shadow of a doubt, winning is going to be hard but we have to enjoy it and I will enjoy being WAK’s MP. I think for those who are disillusioned, I can understand that, I’m listening to that, but with me as your MP, my ultimate aim is to ensure that a person should feel that they are empowered and play a part in their decision-making process that will impact on their lives.
“In that regard, I believe the work I plan to do here as MP will be fulfilling.
“I suppose I am asking voters to trust in the party that has the interest of the people of Scotland in its heart. It’s that trust that led us through the pandemic and is making genuine and plausible plans for dealing with the cost of living crisis.
“There is momentum behind our campaign and the Tories know that they are going to lose the general election. It’s about damage limitation for them. The people of WAK need to make sure that we have a fresh MP and a party that will look forwards. We cannot be looking backward. That is the key message here.
“We have to do better and we will do better.”