Who will get your vote?

Seven candidates are contesting the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk seat at next month’s General Election.

They are·Calum Robert Kerr – Scottish National Party (SNP); John Lamont - Scottish Conservative and Unionist; Kenryck Arthur Lloyd-Jones - Scottish Labour Party; Michael Moore - Scottish Liberal Democrats; Peter Thomas Neilson - UK Independence Party (UKIP); Jesse Rae – Independent; and Pauline Stewart – Scottish Green Party. To help voters decide where to place their cross, the Border Telegraph this week asked all the candidates to tell us, in around 500 words, who they are, where they come from and what they stand for. Here is what they say...

MICHAEL MOORE (LIBDEMS): It has been my privilege to represent the Borders in the House of Commons for nearly 20 years – this is my home, where my wife Alison and I are proud to be bringing up our two young children.

Five years ago, my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I formed a coalition at a time of national crisis when the economy was in deep recession. We have had to make difficult decisions, but we have seen unemployment fall, local businesses beginning to grow again and interest rates have remained low which is vital for businesses and for people with mortgages.

By rebalancing the books we have been able to prioritise important issues like the £825 tax cut for people on low and middle incomes, a record rise in the state pension and support for apprenticeships. We have done this while stopping the Conservatives introducing regional pay for the public sector, cutting support for welfare by billions and introducing 'fire at will’ powers for employers – all deeply unfair policies out of tune with the Borders.

In the past five years I have focussed on issues that matter here, like youth unemployment, investment in broadband and mobile phone services, and grants to business to invest and increase their workforces. Over the years it has been great to see local businesses taking on apprentices and young people thriving in these new career opportunities. Through the Borders Digital Forum, which brought together local groups, businesses and providers, we have worked together for a better deal for the area on mobile and broadband services.

There is still a long way to go and if I were to be re-elected this is something that I would continue to prioritise because these services are vital for local businesses and individuals.

While I was Scottish Secretary I spent a lot of time on Scotland’s future: transferring tax and other powers to the Scottish Parliament and making a positive case for our country to stay in a reformed UK. It was also a privilege to take part in the Smith Commission, which proposed further powers to be devolved to Scotland on tax, welfare and employability. While Borderers voted resoundingly against independence for Scotland back in September, I know local people strongly support greater devolution to the Scottish Parliament so I was pleased to be able to play my part as Scottish Secretary and on the Smith Commission to deliver more powers to Scotland.

More recently I have piloted a law through Parliament to ensure the UK supports the poorest in the world at the UN target of 0.7% of national income. Here in the Borders, I know many people are passionate about helping people across the world who are less fortunate than ourselves so I was proud to be able to secure UK aid for the future through this Bill.

My most important job, of course, is at home here in the Borders. I have held hundreds of advice surgeries across the constituency and fought the corner of countless local people over the years on issues from housing and pensions to employment and farming concerns. It would be an enormous privilege to be able to continue to serve Borderers on both local and national issues and to continue to fight for a society that is fairer and an economy that is stronger where everyone has the opportunity study, work and reach their potential.

JOHN LAMONT (CONSERVATIVES): I’ve had the privilege of being the MSP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Ettrick for the last 8 years and would very much like to continue my service to the Borders. Living in Coldstream and coming from a Borders farming background, every day I see the challenges our region faces.

During the past five years, the Borders has had to deal with difficult economic circumstances, but it is a credit to the region that there are now real signs of economic recovery.

Over 2,200 new jobs, the vast majority of them full time, have been created in this constituency under the Conservative led UK Government and more than 80 new businesses have been set up in the Borders. We have gone from having the largest peace-time deficit in our history to the fastest growing economy in the Western world.

Small and medium sized businesses are critical to our local economy. Unless we can offer our young people good quality job opportunities, they will be forced to move elsewhere. With the numbers of unemployed young people continuing to fall, there are clear signs that the long term economic plan of the UK Government is working.

But this economic recovery will all be put at risk if we hand the keys back to Ed Miliband, propped up by Alex Salmond. This would mean more borrowing and more debt for future generations.

And while the national picture is important, local issues will always be my priority. I’ve been knocking on hundreds of doors each week for a number of months now and getting out to speak to as many voters as possible. The same issues come up time and time again, investment in the local NHS, the state of our roads, local jobs, the economy, the need for better broadband and mobile phone connectivity and concern about the continuing risk of Scottish separation from the rest of the UK.

If elected in May, I will continue to fight for local services, improvements to public transport and roads and better broadband and mobile coverage for the Borders. Whilst the re-opening of the railway to Galashiels will assist the central Borders, more needs to be done to protect vital bus links and improve the roads in other Borders communities.

I will also stand up for vital local services. I voted against court closures in the Borders and I will strongly oppose any proposal to close community hospitals.

As your MSP, I have held over 850 advice surgeries, helped over 9,500 constituents and been involved in over 15,000 cases. Borderers support me regardless of whether they support my party because they recognise my commitment to the area and because I always put local people before party politics Away from politics, I enjoy keeping active. I have run the New York and Edinburgh marathons, raising money for local charities and last year became the first UK politician to complete an Ironman Triathlon. I like to apply this type of commitment, hard work and physical exertion to standing up for my constituents!

With the local opinion polls showing Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats in third place here, it is clear I am the only pro-UK candidate who can beat the SNP in the Borders. The nationalists believe they can win here and if they win enough seats they will revive their debate on separation. A vote for anyone else will result in an unknown SNP candidate who is obsessed with separation, representing the most pro-UK part of mainland Scotland. Please don’t risk another referendum by allowing the SNP in through the back door. CALUM KERR (SNP): We’re blessed here in the Borders. We have beautiful scenery, a fantastic history and culture, fierce local pride, and some of the best people anywhere.

But times are tough right now. The Tory/Lib Dem coalition’s austerity programme means poverty is increasing, businesses have been damaged, communities are under pressure and many shops in our High Streets have closed.

However, it needn’t be this way. In this election, only the SNP is offering an end to cuts and an optimistic agenda of hope and renewal. If elected as your MP, then I’ll work tirelessly to bring a new start and economic ambition back to the Borders.

I was born and raised locally and live here with my wife and three children. Generations of my family come from this part of Scotland. This is my home, and I want the very best for it.

We know that the SNP can win Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. It’s a straight fight between us and the Tories - a poll by Lord Ashcroft a few days ago confirmed that.

The survey also showed that the Lib Dems are finished. Their unholy alliance in government with the Conservatives has pushed them into third place and their vote is still dropping.

Instead of the austerity, the SNP is determined to bring a new start here in the Borders. We need to create jobs, attract new investment, and restore fairness and dignity to the workplace.

To do this, our plans include 30,000 Modern Apprenticeships a year, a minimum wage of £8.70 by 2020 and an end to zero hours contracts. Plus we want to give families the chance to get back to work by almost doubling free childcare.

If people earn money, they often tend to spend it locally. That supports the shops in our towns and villages and stops the sort of decline we’ve seen in recent years.

There are ways in which we’re already supporting our vital local businesses - for instance, the Scottish Government’s Small Business Bonus is proving to be a real help in helping companies to survive and grow. That also boosts our High Streets.But it’s not just our towns which need support - our farming and fishing communities are also finding it tough.

Financial assistance from the EU is vital to their survival, but the Westminster government won’t fight for Scottish rural interests, so we’re at the very bottom of the European league when it comes to agricultural payments. I’ll be doing everything I can to change that.

As your SNP MP, I’ll work for the Borders in plenty of other ways, too. I want a review of the changes to Tory disability benefits which have brought so much misery to people, and I’ll always support keeping our NHS free and in public ownership.

We also need improvements to our transport and communications. I’d like to see the new Borders Railway being extended on to Hawick and Carlisle, and upgrading of the A1, A7 and A68.

Plus we need huge improvements in our patchy broadband and mobile phone networks.

If elected, I’ll be part of a dedicated team of SNP MPs at Westminster working to make Scotland’s voice heard like never before. I want full powers for the Scottish Parliament - powers which in turn will in turn bring positive change and prosperity to the Borders.

On May 7, every single vote will count. It’s a choice between more austerity and neglect with the Tories, or a better Borders in a stronger Scotland with the SNP.

Please vote for me. Then together, we can make our region the best it can be.

PAULINE STEWART (GREENS): Pauline is a full-time mum and charity shop volunteer who lives in Longformacus, originally from the Highlands she came to the Scottish Borders via Edinburgh where she was a small business owner and worked as a Medical Herbalist.

Actively involved in the Green Yes campaign, the continuing #NOTTIP and anti-austerity campaigns she is a passionate supporter of the Citizens Basic Income and believes the Scottish Greens vision for tackling wealth inequality and bringing public services into public hands offers the electorate a real alternative in 2015.

The Scottish Greens are campaigning for a £10 minimum wage and an end to zero hours contracts to tackle the low wage economy so prevalent in the Scottish Borders, we also want to address the unfair targeting of the poorest by the austerity agenda by reversing welfare cuts, abolishing the Bedroom Tax and Workfare programme as well as lifting the punishing benefit sanctions which are in our eyes inhumane.

As well as scrapping Trident and campaigning for nuclear disarmament internationally we would also like to see an end to the controversial Fracking and UCG which is planned for Scotland.

Whilst we welcome the Scottish Governments moratorium on fracking it unfortunately does not go far enough and does not include Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) which is currently planned for the Forth. The moratorium is also due to end conveniently just after the Holyrood elections next year so we would urge everyone who does not want to see Fracking in Scotland to get involved in the various campaign groups around the country and put pressure on the Scottish Government to clarify their stance on this matter.

Whilst I am not ashamed to say that I am no fan of corporations or big business I want to see a shift in policy to favour small businesses in our communities in order to provide a more sustainable local economy and regenerate our flagging high streets, as well as giving our rural agricultural producers more support against the supermarkets never ending squeeze on their financial viability.

This is one of the reasons I am completely opposed to the current secret trade negotiations that are taking place across the world – most notably the TTIP which would see a removal of non-tariff trade barriers in the form of legislation to protect our environment, food safety and worker’s rights. Whilst there has been some welcome opposition to the inclusion of our public services (most notably the NHS) in this trade deal from some parties this does not go far enough. If we want to see our governments be able to act in our favour without fear of legal action from corporations, and if we want to see the survival of our small and medium businesses which provide 88% of all new employment outside of the public sector in this country then we need to stand up and oppose these trade deals.

If you choose to elect me as your MP then I promise to oppose Trident renewal, TTIP and Fracking unequivocally and to put the interests of my constituents and our environment before profit.

If you have any questions for Pauline please email her at pauline.stewart@scottishgreens.org.uk KENRYCK LLOYD-JONES (LABOUR): I was born and brought up in South Wales, and moved to Scotland over 20 years ago. I’m married with a regular job and have two daughters at local primary school in Berwickshire, where I have lived with my family for the past eight years.

I’m not a career politician and I certainly know the price of a pint of milk. I am standing because I want to make a real difference for every day families, and stand up for ordinary people. I have the passion, the skills and the experience to be a voice for those that need support, and to listen to those with real concerns. I am committed to improving the things that matter to everyone in the Scottish Borders.

Our local economy depends on two essentials. Firstly on investment in infrastructure, roads, houses, and so on. Government spending is essential to growth, and to local employment. Secondly, all our local businesses depend on people having money to spend. The decline of our high streets has accelerated as wages are squeezed, as earnings decline and living costs rise.

So a Labour government will put a bit more money back in people’s pockets. That means money staying and growing in the Borders, rather than being siphoned away by rising fuel costs, depressed wages, under employment and cuts to investment.

It is the Labour party that wants to create jobs and opportunities by reinvesting in our economy, increasing the minimum wage and banning zero hour contracts. And a Labour government will freeze energy prices, stand up to the tax evaders, and make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules.

But there is something else. Labour voters are sticking with Labour. They know that Labour stands for the NHS, for better education and opportunities for young people. And they know that voting for something else means getting something you don’t want, and people want a Labour government. The choice of what we don’t want is wide enough already.

People have had enough of broken promises and failed economic plans. And whether it’s London or Edinburgh that holds the purse strings, the Scottish Borders seems to get left out. In the Borders we trade with our neighbours in the North East. Our prosperity depends on theirs as well. If the North East gets less, the Borders feels the pain too. Only the Labour Party stands in solidarity with all parts of the UK, and seeks a fair deal for all. A Labour government can re-balance our economy, tax the wealthy a bit more, stand up for working people, and share the prosperity that the Scottish Borders deserves.

So as the posters go up on the windows and people join me on the campaign trail, I know we are standing up for what people in the Scottish Borders need. A vibrant economy, a fairer society and a better future.

If you want to join our campaign then why not get in touch?

PETER NEILSON (UKIP): I have lived in the Scottish Borders for over 35 years besides having half my childhood here. I am a previous chairman of UKIPScotland who has stood in several previous elections. I work as a horsewhisperer.

In the early 1970s during a cabinet meeting a minister said to Edward Heath, “You have to tell people this referendum is about political union.” “No,” replied Heath, “They will vote against that, it is a Common Market.” Deceit.

Heath lost the election and Harold Wilson took on as prime minister. A few weeks prior to the referendum in 1975 Wilson broadcast on TV: “It is all right any cabinet minister can veto any legislation issued by Brussels.” A lie.

We live in a paternalistic political system of aggression and confrontation with the winner taking all. Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair both had enormous majorities in parliament, but the majority of the population did not vote for their parties. The system is past its sell-by-date. The political establishment is doing nothing about it.

When devolution took place in Scotland the question of the “West Lothian question” arose. A little tinkering took place with a modest reduction in the number of Scottish MPs, since then they have been trooping down to Westminster though they have no say on domestic issues in Scotland. Now even more responsibility for ruling Scotland is to be transferred to the Holyrood Parliament. Scottish MPs will continue to travel to Westminster with no say at home. The political establishment is doing nothing.

The EU is governed by a small unelected committee called “The Commission”. It has a gigantic staff, and the Commission produces all the laws and regulations (some 3,600 since 2010) which it passes to a body called the Parliament. The Parliament is not a parliament it is a fraud, it forms no government; there is no EU government, however, it has to rubber stamp the Commission’s laws and regulations. This is how communist countries are governed.

There is an annual membership fee to be part of club EU. For every £1 the UK sends to the EU, The Commission gives 50p away to other countries, sends 30p back to the UK for projects the EU has approved with the condition that the UK chips in a further 30p to these projects, requires 10p to cover its costs and needs 10p to cover the EU fraud.

There has always been immigration and there always will be. However, Britain has been flooded with immigrants. The net annual influx is equivalent to twice the Dundee population or three times The Scottish Borders population.

As a result there is an overload on housing, welfare, health and education. This is unsustainable. A control system needs to be introduced without any discrimination between the colour of their skin, nationality, faith, or sexuality. The political establishment is doing nothing.

JESSE RAE (INDEPENDENT): I’m Jesse Rae, born at Gala Cottage Hospital 1951. My father was Headmaster at St Boswells Primary, my Mother school auxilliary. Married tae Audrey, 30 years this year, we met as she was playing her tenor drum in a pipe band at Kelso agricultural Show. We have three Sons Cuillin, Clinton and Cairn.

My career has seen me working on farms tae working on the Floor of New York Stock Exchange. I wrote a no.1 song 'Inside Out’ for the group Odyssey,won top awards for pioneering Music Video in the States. My wife is a skilled Seamstress, two of my sons are skilled gardener and time served joiner. Cairn, who also works locally when at hame, is in his final year at Stirling University, and I am volunteer Head of Broadcasting for Brick FM 103, a community radio station in St Boswells.

We all contribute tae the local economy of the Borders. In 2006 the banks went intae meltdown with unrecoverable Stock Exchange losses and went bankrupt. The public were only made aware of this in 2008. Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling decided tae save the Banks and not the people.

David Cameron and George Osborne also refused to address the debt,a nd created 'the Living’ and the 'lived upon’ society. Lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, debt collectors living off those in debt as an industry.

Just turn on yer television and if it’s not loan companies, it’s gambling sites, right through onto yer phone 24 hours a day. There has tae be something better for us here; and our children’s children; in the Borders.

I’m going tae put a stop tae it all, starting right here in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. In 2006, instead of selling off the assets of the banks and immediately setting up new Government banks, rehireing ordinary working staff, to safeguard Peoples savings; Democracy and British Politics ceased to exist.

All Elections since, are a farce, run by media. When you are bankrupt, you cannot promise the electorate you will put money intae anything whether it be NHS or Defence. You must face up collectively as your duty tae the public that resposability.

I voted Yes in the Referendum for a new start for the Scottish Borders. The SNP didn’t deliver it so, consequently, we lost devolution of Broadcasting that I was developing for schools.

As MP I promise tae use all my skills in the World of TV and Broadcasting, as well as through Parliament, tae promote our fishing, farming, shops and buisnesses, tourism and talent.

I’m a one off. I have acheived major things by myself. Surely with your support ,we can dae it taegether. No letters through doors. No banners in fields, just word o’ mouth. This is God’s Country, we can transform The Scottish Borders in less than a year, if you will only believe in me, as I believe in you.

Yours Jesse Rae.

(Facebook. Jesse Rae Independent MP Candidate 2015 Berwickshire Roxburgh and Selkirk)