Election / ‘I get a kick out of helping folk’ – on the campaign trail with SNP candidate Leslie
THE COST of living first comes to mind when SNP candidate Robert Leslie is asked about the key issues which have been raised to him by constituents during the Orkney and Shetland general election campaign.
Since the last Westminster election in December 2019, which Leslie also stood in and came second with around one third of the votes, a heck of a lot has changed.
The Covid pandemic, the rising cost of energy and living – and Leslie’s own party losing a leader twice and a police investigation into the SNP’s finances too.
As part of a series of features with candidates, Shetland News has joined Leslie out on the campaign trail in Bressay – an island with plenty of political links, such as through former Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott and previous SNP election candidate Tom Wills.
Armed with a yellow and black rosette (proclaiming ‘See me, I’m SNP’) and a satchel full of leaflets, the Orcadian is out to knock on doors of people who have in the past expressed an interest in the party.
It’s a Friday morning, so there’s many people out at work, and plenty of leaflets having to be left in porches.
The first person who does answer the door, with an excitable dog happy to see some new faces, seems somewhat sympathetic to the SNP cause but feels the independence momentum has died off a little.
Down the road a bit and Damian is happy to speak at his gate with the election candidate, with topics raised in their discussion including re-joining the EU and energy efficiency.
Having previously supported the SNP in Scottish elections, the Bressay resident appears to be undecided in terms of how he will vote in the general election.
One thing the constituent is clear about, though, is that Westminster – where Labour is predicted to take control from the Conservatives – is “broken”, calling it an “outdated and old system that needs to be changed”.
Another thing that has changed since the last general election in 2019 is the arrival of Viking Energy’s 103 wind turbines in Shetland’s Central Mainland.
Leslie backs the idea of cheaper energy bills for locals, given that Shetland is set to become a net exporter of power.
“The cost of living crisis, the issue of being covered in turbines and the cost of energy not reflecting the fact that generating clean green renewable energy, and the disconnect between that, is definitely something that’s come out at the hustings and speaking to folk in the street and on the doorsteps,” he says during a break in leafleting.
Leslie also says transport is a “given” when it comes to issues on local folk’s minds, saying he is aware that Shetland has less carrying capacity on the NorthLink service compared to Orkney, which has the Pentland Firth connection as well as Aberdeen.
There also the push for fixed links to some of Shetland’s islands, including Bressay – with Leslie generally backing these as replacements for the council’s ferries.
Back to the campaign trail, and it’s a bit of wild goose chase trying to find certain numbers in Bressay’s housing schemes.
But we’re now joined by local man and former SNP Holyrood election candidate Tom Wills, who knows the place like the back of his hand.
Soon after there’s cups of tea, a warm welcome and a chat in a local’s house, who has a stack of election leaflets which have dropped through the letterbox perched on a living room table.
They wish to remain anonymous, but say as we leave that they would be interested in voting for the Greens’ Alex Armitage on 4 July but view the SNP as having the better chance of toppling the Lib Dems’ election dominance over Orkney and Shetland, which stems back to 1950.
With the SNP consistently coming second in local elections over recent years, it looks like Leslie’s got their vote.
As we step back outside into the blustery sunshine, Wills reflects on his own experience of standing in Scottish Parliament elections, highlighting the importance of getting out and about speaking to people.
He says the 2019 Shetland by-election was an “intense” one with the SNP sending up politicians to help the campaign. “The other time around [in 2021] it was a weird one because it was the middle of Covid, so I couldn’t really interact with folk,” Wills adds.
But he says “it’s energising to talk about things that you believe in”.
Back to Leslie, and the former newspaper reporter who now works at an Orkney housing association and also helped to set up a fuel poverty charity, admits that with Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael being the Northern Isles’ MP since 2001 it can be difficult to break the mould.
But he says get gets a “kick out of helping folk”.
“A lot of my job satisfaction with the housing association where I work is from being able to help folk with their energy issues and get their money back off energy companies that are holding onto it.” Leslie adds.
There have been suggestions from pundits that the SNP is now not quite the force it has been, with the momentum from the 2014 independence referendum appearing to tail off, and with Labour performing well in opinion polls there are predictions the SNP could lose seats in Westminster.
Leslie admits that if you focus on the personalities then people might see “turmoil”; a few months ago Humza Yousaf resigned as first minister of Scotland and SNP leader, a year after replacing Nicola Sturgeon, while there’s the investigation into party finances and senior MSP Michael Matheson’s data roaming expenses.
“Personalities can come and go but the drive for a fairer, more equal society is what keeps me going,” Leslie – who many years ago voted for parties like Labour and the Scottish Socialist Party – adds.
“Ever since I joined the SNP in 2014 after helping the Yes Orkney campaign for the referendum in 2014, it’s been because I saw benefits that Orkney could have. I don’t think that’s going to come through sticking with Westminster.
“If I didn’t believe that Orkney and Shetland were going to benefit from being part of an independent Scotland and winning more autonomy for the islands, I wouldn’t really be standing.”
Back in his car, Leslie is asked about accusations of “pro-Russia” sentiment shared on his Twitter a number of years ago which re-surfaced in the media recently – much to the concern of rival politicians.
There are reports it was suggested on his social media in 2018 that then foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind had been sent to “lie on behalf of the UK Government” about Russia’s role in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
“I think anybody that knows me and has seen me next to Alistair Carmichael when we were standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and Ukrainians in Orkney, when that Russian tanker was going to be coming into Scapa Flow in 2022…I’m very much aligned to backing the Ukraine line on that,” he says in response.
“That was a long time ago, and things move on. You learn from these things, that your social media is going to be open to interpretation from other parties that want to go trawling through it.”
The quick whirl around parts of Bressay is up; Leslie is preparing to head off to the community cafe for a bite to eat, while he has a meeting arranged in Lerwick with Shetland Fishermen’s Association in the afternoon.
Stepping onto the ferry back to town, it remains unclear if toppling the Lib Dems in Orkney and Shetland may be a bridge too far for the SNP, or any other party for that matter – but all will be revealed next week.
The other candidates standing in the 4 July election are in alphabetical order: Alex Armitage (Greens), Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrats), Shane Painter (Conservatives), Conor Savage (Labour) and Robert Smith (Reform UK).
More about the candidates and our election coverage so far can be found here.
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