It is a privilege to have been nominated for the post of Convener of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. We find ourselves at a difficult time for the Party. Our electoral base, both at Holyrood and Westminster has been eroded and at Local Government significantly reduced since the last Local Government Elections. I have no illusions that the challenges we face are enormous, however, they need to be tacked with hard work, determination, co-ordination and targeting. This will help us tackle effectively the financial, electoral and organisational challenges we face. The Leadership of the Party needs to be a spearhead in this process. I consider that I have got the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to tackle the post of Convener.

The work will not be easy and will require a huge amount of effort from Office Bearers, MSPs, our MP, Local Councillors and activists throughout the country. I have now been a Party Member since 1966 and a Councillor since 1980. I currently am Chairman of the Association of Scottish Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners, Vice-Chairman of the Conference Committee, Chair of the Mid-Scotland and Fife Region and Secretary to our local party in Perth and Kinross. I also play an active role as a Returning Officer for the Party. Clearly, if I were to win the election for Convener, this workload would be reviewed!

I believe in leading from the front and have actively campaigned over the last few years in Highland, Grampian, Fife, Borders, Lothian, Lanarkshire, Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire. Prior to becoming a’ full time’ Councillor just over ten years ago I was a Health Service Senior Manager for thirty-four years, working mainly in Tayside. This breadth of management experience gave me, what I would hope would be, a sound basis for helping to run the Party at national level. In my role as Chair of ASLDC I successfully submitted a bid recently to the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust for a part-time Development Officer to work for eighteen months leading up to the Local Government Elections in May 2017. I am pleased to say that the bid was successful and this will provide an enormous boost to our campaigning activity over the next eighteen months.

I am determined to play an important part in the fightback of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. We can, and we will, succeed. With your help and support we can do it.

If you want to contact me, please do so by the following means:

By phone 01738 626270, 07736 217090
Email [email protected]
Facebook.com/willie.wilson.71404

* Willie Wilson is a candidate for Convener in the Scottish Party elections 2015