May Meeting:
Ken Macintosh MSP

21 May 2013

MP Margaret Curran, obliged to be at the critical Westminster vote on same sex marriage, had to miss Glasgow Business Club lunch on Tuesday 21 May 2013.

However, she sent along a very acceptable alternative speaker in MSP Ken Macintosh who is Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment, and Sustainable Growth.

He told the 67 attendees that he was on several cross- party groups ranging from Gaelic to crofting and from children and young people to cancer and other health issues.

Acknowledging he was addressing business people, he started by saying separation was not the answer to the UK’s present economic difficulties.

‘We are one, shared economy,’ he said. ‘There is no point in erecting barriers.’ He added: ‘It is difficult to envisage a prosperous Scotland outwith the UK. It is difficult to envisage a prosperous UK outwith Europe.’

Emphasising his party was listening after its disastrous results last election, he said: ‘We are trying to develop policies as the main opposition to the SNP. It is essential to win the referendum. So the Labour Party is putting aside some political differences with other parties to work together to win it’.

He commented that the current austerity economics wasn’t working. ‘I don’t want to say it— but I told you so!’ He continued: ‘We have to invest in the economy. The Scottish Government has a lot of powers it doesn’t use.’ And he went on to criticise the Scottish Government for keeping many major infrastructure projects such as the Glasgow airport rail link and the Edinburgh Glasgow rail upgrade, on hold, until the referendum.’ The answer, he contended was to change the government.

The Glasgow Business Club had changed its venue for the lunch-time monthly meeting with around 70 members being hosted in the GTG training premises in South Street. David Scott of Arnold Clark Group Training and Development welcomed Club members and explained the global outreach of the company’s training services.

Bringing the event to a close exactly on time, as usual, Club President Norman Ferguson confirmed actor Johnny Beattie would be guest speaker at the Club on Tuesday 18 June in Ibrox Stadium. The date would be the Club’s annual general meeting and close activities for the summer with a new programme starting in September.

Photos from the Event

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