The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
Thanks for all your support and hard work on this one Ben. We are obviously gutted but we’ll keeping fighting. Please thank Liam for us and we’re proud he used part of our mums story in his closing speech. As traumatic as our story is we will keep sharing to make the change the people of scotland wants and deserves.
I would have voted against but completely respect your position on this. I was not privy to all of the debate but am proud of our Parliament for holding it.
In Ben we trust! Always doing the write thing for the greater good, at least trying too!
Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith you always do what's best. Thank you!!
Ive just moved out of your constituency. Good luck for May 7 though.
I am disappointed this did not get through. Whilst I understand the difficulties for the medical profession with this they make life and death decisions every day. Whilst I questioned whether there should have been a referendum on leaving the EU due to its complexity. I feel very strongly that this an issue that the people should decide as it affects everyone of us one of the most important issues.. how we leave our life and family. I don’t want my family to have to see me in pain and suffering if there could be a way to ease it for everyone. Maybe the concept behind Logan’s Run had some merit. What does annoy me intensely is MPs at Westminster claiming they couldn’t vote for assisted dying on moral grounds, yet the can vote for wars where killing is indiscriminant
Why were the people of Scotland not voting on this bit instead 113 ish people .I was not contacted for my opinion in such a serious case. Parliament works for the people and the people should have a say. I await your Answer MSP
Thanks for your vote but disappointed with the result.
Thanks for your vote Ben watching your loved one go through the most horrific pain and symptoms at the end of life is the hardest thing ever I am talking from experience absolutely heartbreaking, they wouldn’t put a dog through it so why they put humans through it really really sad gutted that it never got the majority in parliament. 🥲💔
As someone that has recently lost a loved one thank you. Trying to make out palliative care is the be all and end all is where people are misguided. My father had what I would say was gold standard care with the best team and a dedicated unit. If their love could have kept him pain free and go gently it would have but it didn't. He suffered 5 long years of heart and kidney failure with the last 2 years being horrific and no life for anyone those were his words. He died literally decomposing and smelling his own flesh rot, a once fiercely proud man wanting to lie in his own urine and feces because touching and moving him was excruciating. I will never forget those poor staff and the tears in their eyes coming back kn shift and seeing him still alive suffering even more than the shift before. I am now left with 2 sets of parents screams in my head both awake and in my nightmares. Now I am not naive, I too am disabled and what this basically has now left me with is to take my own life when that time comes as me doing that is the lesser of two evils on my family. I would never afford to travel to be able to do this and that just adds to inequalities in this country where those with money still have an out unlike the rest of us. This will mean I will do this most likely earlier than I should need to ensuring I can still do this. I do wonder if those politicians will realise when Scottish suicide figures come out what part they have played in these figures. However, what I will do after going through this twice already, is use their screams and begging to end their pain as a driver to continue the fight. I do however think its time the people get their say in this, it has become more than obvious from other MPs posts and videos their vote was for themselves and not truly for their constituencies so why should their choice dictate my ending. Its time the people got their say
Thanks, Ben. So disappointed.😔
So disappointed in the outcome.
Spring is here.☀️ #VoteSNP on May 7.🗳️
For a party that stands up for Scotland (including our right to choose our own future) and is taking our country forward, improving public services and providing additional help with the cost of living.🏴
A candidate who is local, experienced and reliable.⚓️
Promoted by Calum Carswell on behalf of Ben Macpherson, both at Scottish National Party (SNP), Gordon Lamb House, 3 Jackson’s Entry, Edinburgh, EH8 8PJ.✉️
We are the only place in the UK that has an extra alcohol tax that goes straight to the brewery. They could at least have put that money to good use.
Well said Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith
Definitely SNP 🏴 all the way
It’s thanks to you that I can actually vote!
Well done Ben
Lock your doors, the Nat Flashmobs are oot and aboot. Here's your checklist for when they start blathering......
Well said
Well said
reform
Do you agree with men using female changing rooms and toilets?
Once a turncoat, always a turncoat. Didn't Ben once feel a measure of solidarity with ordinary working families throughout the UK? What caused his conversion from international socialism to a narrow-minded, parochial, Sleazy Salmond-approved style of left-of-centre political ideology that stops at the Scottish/English Border? Let's hear the Macpherson rant against the made-in-Scotland Labour Party.
Snp next move what do think Ben
Why have you overseen a 20% real terms funding cut to Colleges Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith?
Council tax up water bills up , honest John says the to afford his promises and the current level of spending he will raise taxes more and cut public services jobs , hardly encouraging.
What About The 10,000 Homeless Children Thanks To Your Disgusting Two-faced SNP Party 🎉🎈🎉
It’s a party that voted against a grooming gang enquiry.
Typical SNP voter.
We’ve had enough shite from SNPOO do one
It's a Party of Gravy train riders. Never admits it's failures. Never delivers for the bulk of Scottish People. Still to bribe the electorate with money it doesn't have. Cut spending to Local Government and Universities, spends £29 billion on Government jobs and quangoes. It badly needs Reformed.
SNP - incompetent and corrupt to the core!
SNP is the party that is bankrupting universities, overseeing failing education standards, stood by for over a decade while our health service crumbles and gives to people who choose not to work while taxing people in full time work to death 💀
SNP no ferries to Arran!! Glen Sannox broken down, Caley isles broken again, and MV Alfred on annual maintenance
Register to vote before the end of Monday 20 April.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.I am writing urgently ahead of the Stage 3 vote on the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill scheduled for Tuesday 17 March 2026. I ask you in the strongest terms either to support the outstanding safeguard and transition amendments, or, if those safeguards are not secured, to vote against the motion to pass the Bill. This is not an argument against proportionate regulation or patient safety. It is an objection to Parliament being asked to approve a framework that is still incomplete, still operationally uncertain, and still capable of causing severe and unnecessary damage to thousands of practitioners, most of them women running or working in small businesses, before any clear and workable route to lawful compliance has been properly put in place. The Bill is at Stage 3 and the motion to pass it, S6M-21100, has been lodged for debate on 17 March 2026. There are several serious reasons why this Bill should not pass in its present form. First, Parliament is being asked to approve offences and restrictions before the training and qualification framework is settled. The Bill, as amended, creates a system in which provision of procedures outside tightly defined permitted premises may become unlawful, yet the detailed training and qualification standards are not contained in the Bill itself and are left to future regulations. The Minister has already stated in Parliament that training and qualification standards are not in the Bill or in the current SSI and that further engagement would still be needed on those questions. That is plainly not an implementation-ready position. Second, the legislation itself shows that Government does not yet have the training route ready. The current framework allows Ministers up to three years after section 3 comes into force to lay draft training or qualification regulations, and if that is said not to be practicable they need only lay a report explaining why. It is unreasonable to expect practitioners and businesses to accept legislation now when the lawful route to compliance may not be properly defined for years. Third, the very existence of multiple late-stage amendments on transition, business support, guidance, consultation, enforcement readiness and commencement delay shows that the framework is still not settled. Where legislation still requires this level of last-minute repair, caution should prevail. Parliament should not criminalise first and organise later. Fourth, concerns about implementation capacity remain unresolved. In the Stage 1 debate, members referred to the committee’s concerns about lack of detail, the need for guidance and support, the need for a staged approach to enforcement, and the need for an implementation route map, including concerns regarding Healthcare Improvement Scotland capacity and resources. These are not minor loose ends. They go to the basic question of whether the system can function lawfully and fairly at all. Fifth, the business and equality consequences are serious. The Scottish Government’s own impact material accepts that women are especially affected because the sector is largely female-led and most service users are women. It also accepts that businesses and practitioners will face costs arising from the new regulatory system. Passing a Bill with such serious consequences before the transition, costs, and training pathways are properly settled is neither fair nor responsible. Sixth, rural and access issues remain obvious. Government material for island communities notes that there are only four HIS regulated clinics across island areas, two in Lerwick and two in Stornoway. That raises an immediate question as to whether this model will reduce access, distort the market, and push treatment activity elsewhere rather than improving safety in any meaningful way. Seventh, there are continuing concerns about whether the eventual structure will in practice favour a narrow part of the sector while excluding long-established independent practitioners without any clear and realistic transition route. The consultation process itself recorded the view from non-healthcare business owners that healthcare professionals had exercised undue influence over the proposals. Whether or not every aspect of that criticism is accepted, Parliament should not ignore the scale of that concern. A law of this significance should not proceed while so many of those directly affected believe that the system has been shaped without fair representation of their sector. Eighth, there is a wider concern that the practical effect of current policy, prescribing restrictions, and professional pressure within parts of the medical aesthetics sector is already making it harder for non-medical practitioners to continue trading. In those circumstances, Parliament should be especially careful not to create a back-door exclusionary model through legislation before it has properly tested impact, transition, training availability, cost, and legal workability. Public protection should not become a vehicle for disproportionate economic exclusion. Ninth, I am extremely concerned that this Bill is being advanced before there has been proper transparency as to the evidence base, stakeholder influence, sector-specific differentiation, and practical planning behind it. We have already sent well over 100 Freedom of Information requests to bodies including the DHSC and the Scottish Government because affected practitioners are still trying to establish who influenced this policy, what evidence was actually relied upon, and why those most affected were not properly reflected in the structure now being proposed. There is also a basic fairness issue here. Parliament should not pass a law that could place large numbers of women out of work, destabilise established small businesses, and create immediate uncertainty across the sector when training routes, qualification standards, implementation timescales, enforcement readiness, and business support are all still unresolved. If the Scottish Parliament wishes to regulate this area, it should do so properly. That means a lawful, evidence-based, proportionate system with clear transition arrangements, published training pathways, realistic commencement, proper consultation, full impact review, and workable routes for existing competent practitioners. That is not what is before Parliament at present. I therefore ask you to do the following. 1. Support amendments which delay commencement until the system is genuinely ready. 2. Support amendments requiring proper guidance, consultation, review of HIS capacity, and business support. 3. Oppose any attempt to force through a framework that creates offences before the route to compliance is available and affordable. 4. If these safeguards are not secured, vote against the motion to pass the Bill. Please also note that if this Bill proceeds in a form that is procedurally unfair, practically unworkable, or legally defective, affected practitioners will reserve all rights in relation to subsequent legal challenge, including challenge to implementation decisions, regulations, and any wider questions of competence or lawfulness arising after passage. I would be grateful if you would confirm urgently whether you will oppose passage of the Bill unless these safeguards are secured.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Hey Ben, please listen to those who work in the early years sector. This will be a disaster. Since the introduction of the 1140hrs early years has been on its knees. Staff absences (very many long term absences) are off the charts and staff leaving the sector (especially from large early years centres) due to stress. We no longer have the time to educate and it is just childcare. That’s not what we trained for nor why we entered the profession. There is never enough staff to give the children what they need (no 1-1 for children with ASN or complex needs) and they’re starting school without the skills we were once able to help them develop. I urge Swinney to visit a large EY centre and see for himself. We are currently not getting it right for the vast majority of children and it’s heartbreaking to see this on a daily basis.
www.gov.scot/news/increased-financial-help-for-carers/
Increased financial help for carers
www.gov.scot
Additional support for people caring for more than one person.I am writing urgently ahead of the Stage 3 vote on the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill scheduled for Tuesday 17 March 2026. I ask you in the strongest terms either to support the outstanding safeguard and transition amendments, or, if those safeguards are not secured, to vote against the motion to pass the Bill. This is not an argument against proportionate regulation or patient safety. It is an objection to Parliament being asked to approve a framework that is still incomplete, still operationally uncertain, and still capable of causing severe and unnecessary damage to thousands of practitioners, most of them women running or working in small businesses, before any clear and workable route to lawful compliance has been properly put in place. The Bill is at Stage 3 and the motion to pass it, S6M-21100, has been lodged for debate on 17 March 2026. There are several serious reasons why this Bill should not pass in its present form. First, Parliament is being asked to approve offences and restrictions before the training and qualification framework is settled. The Bill, as amended, creates a system in which provision of procedures outside tightly defined permitted premises may become unlawful, yet the detailed training and qualification standards are not contained in the Bill itself and are left to future regulations. The Minister has already stated in Parliament that training and qualification standards are not in the Bill or in the current SSI and that further engagement would still be needed on those questions. That is plainly not an implementation-ready position. Second, the legislation itself shows that Government does not yet have the training route ready. The current framework allows Ministers up to three years after section 3 comes into force to lay draft training or qualification regulations, and if that is said not to be practicable they need only lay a report explaining why. It is unreasonable to expect practitioners and businesses to accept legislation now when the lawful route to compliance may not be properly defined for years. Third, the very existence of multiple late-stage amendments on transition, business support, guidance, consultation, enforcement readiness and commencement delay shows that the framework is still not settled. Where legislation still requires this level of last-minute repair, caution should prevail. Parliament should not criminalise first and organise later. Fourth, concerns about implementation capacity remain unresolved. In the Stage 1 debate, members referred to the committee’s concerns about lack of detail, the need for guidance and support, the need for a staged approach to enforcement, and the need for an implementation route map, including concerns regarding Healthcare Improvement Scotland capacity and resources. These are not minor loose ends. They go to the basic question of whether the system can function lawfully and fairly at all. Fifth, the business and equality consequences are serious. The Scottish Government’s own impact material accepts that women are especially affected because the sector is largely female-led and most service users are women. It also accepts that businesses and practitioners will face costs arising from the new regulatory system. Passing a Bill with such serious consequences before the transition, costs, and training pathways are properly settled is neither fair nor responsible. Sixth, rural and access issues remain obvious. Government material for island communities notes that there are only four HIS regulated clinics across island areas, two in Lerwick and two in Stornoway. That raises an immediate question as to whether this model will reduce access, distort the market, and push treatment activity elsewhere rather than improving safety in any meaningful way. Seventh, there are continuing concerns about whether the eventual structure will in practice favour a narrow part of the sector while excluding long-established independent practitioners without any clear and realistic transition route. The consultation process itself recorded the view from non-healthcare business owners that healthcare professionals had exercised undue influence over the proposals. Whether or not every aspect of that criticism is accepted, Parliament should not ignore the scale of that concern. A law of this significance should not proceed while so many of those directly affected believe that the system has been shaped without fair representation of their sector. Eighth, there is a wider concern that the practical effect of current policy, prescribing restrictions, and professional pressure within parts of the medical aesthetics sector is already making it harder for non-medical practitioners to continue trading. In those circumstances, Parliament should be especially careful not to create a back-door exclusionary model through legislation before it has properly tested impact, transition, training availability, cost, and legal workability. Public protection should not become a vehicle for disproportionate economic exclusion. Ninth, I am extremely concerned that this Bill is being advanced before there has been proper transparency as to the evidence base, stakeholder influence, sector-specific differentiation, and practical planning behind it. We have already sent well over 100 Freedom of Information requests to bodies including the DHSC and the Scottish Government because affected practitioners are still trying to establish who influenced this policy, what evidence was actually relied upon, and why those most affected were not properly reflected in the structure now being proposed. There is also a basic fairness issue here. Parliament should not pass a law that could place large numbers of women out of work, destabilise established small businesses, and create immediate uncertainty across the sector when training routes, qualification standards, implementation timescales, enforcement readiness, and business support are all still unresolved. If the Scottish Parliament wishes to regulate this area, it should do so properly. That means a lawful, evidence-based, proportionate system with clear transition arrangements, published training pathways, realistic commencement, proper consultation, full impact review, and workable routes for existing competent practitioners. That is not what is before Parliament at present. I therefore ask you to do the following. 1. Support amendments which delay commencement until the system is genuinely ready. 2. Support amendments requiring proper guidance, consultation, review of HIS capacity, and business support. 3. Oppose any attempt to force through a framework that creates offences before the route to compliance is available and affordable. 4. If these safeguards are not secured, vote against the motion to pass the Bill. Please also note that if this Bill proceeds in a form that is procedurally unfair, practically unworkable, or legally defective, affected practitioners will reserve all rights in relation to subsequent legal challenge, including challenge to implementation decisions, regulations, and any wider questions of competence or lawfulness arising after passage. I would be grateful if you would confirm urgently whether you will oppose passage of the Bill unless these safeguards are secured.
I am so passionate about this policy announcement - I know local families in our area want more childcare support and we in the SNP will deliver that!🗳️
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.📢Office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢:
We wanted to highlight the ‘It’s OK to Ask’ Toolkit 2026, a campaign from NHS Scotland.
‘It’s OK to Ask’ encourages people across Scotland to take an active role in their healthcare by asking questions during appointments and conversations about their care. Whether you’re speaking to your GP, nurse, pharmacist or another healthcare professional, no question is too small.
NHS Scotland say that asking questions can help you:
▪ Better understand your symptoms or diagnosis.
▪ Learn about the benefits and risks of different treatment options.
▪ Feel more confident about decisions affecting your health.
▪ Get the right support at the right time.
You can find out more about "It's Ok to Ask" at the following link:
www.nhsinform.scot
When you understand your health, you can make better decisions around your care and treatment.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.📢Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢
A reminder that Ben's monthly drop-in Help & Advice surgeries are taking place tomorrow, Friday 6th March.
Please note that these will be the last constituency surgeries before parliamentary recess ahead of May’s Holyrood election.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? If so, go into politics in Scotland. MSPs get a salary three times the national average, plus massive pension contributions (really earnings too), perks like Moroccan wi-fi bungs and motorhomes, expenses like chauffeur rides to football matches, and a large bonus for leaving parliament, however poor their performance there. A global sum for one parliament (5 years) would be close to £1 MILLION over the piece. Who needs game-shows? Holyrood has the best clowns by far!
📢Office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢:
We wanted to highlight that Young Start has launched its refreshed programme, putting children and young people at the heart of every decision.
Since 2012, almost £75 million has supported over 1,200 projects led by and for 8–24‑year‑olds across Scotland. After a two‑year research project shaped directly by young people, the new programme now offers clearer outcomes and two ways to apply:
▪Main Grants of £20,001–£150,000 for up to three years, and
▪Small Grants of £300–£20,000 for organisations beginning to involve young people more meaningfully in their work.
Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund and funded through the Dormant Assets Scheme, will invest £9 million each year to help young people build confidence, develop skills, strengthen relationships and take action on issues that matter to them. This refreshed approach aims to empower more young people and support organisations across Scotland to create lasting, positive change in their communities.
You can find out more about the refreshed programme, including eligibility, at the following link:
Funding programmes | The National Lottery Community Fund
www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
Browse all our funding programmes in one place. Filter the list by key criteria to find the right one for you.SNP GIVE AWAYS The priority for any elected government is to disperse the tax payer’s money in a way that benefits’ all. Bear in mind there no such thing as a freebee it might be free to you but the taxpayer has to foot the bill. The SNP have used so called free gifts not to benefit the minority but to win votes. Let us look at these free gifts from our benevolent leaders. First free hospital parking, for long term sick hospital patients all hospital had arrangements for free parking for their visitor. All monies raised from parking charges went to patient’s improvement funds. At my regional hospital the car park is full all the time and not with visitors some people use it as a park and ride. Two, free prescriptions, it goes without doubt that the majority of people can afford to pay and the money saved could be used to support frontline services. Three, bus passes for the young, this has resulted in a minority of youngsters using the passes to congregate and cause social problems. Unlike the senior citizen free travel if the SNP was to remove this concession most routes would have to shut through lack of travellers. Four, the baby boxes, i was brought up to think if you cannot afford to keep a child don't have one. Five, free university places, uni finances are in a very bad way which ultimately affects the students learning ability. Six, the travel concession for islanders, this scheme is one of their more sensible ones; the only thing is the ferry service is so unreliable that businesses and the general population are in a constant worry about their travel arrangements. Bear in mind the millions spent on the ferry overspend could have been used to give every hospital in Scotland £1 million towards upgrading their infrastructure. So next time you see or hear your SNP councillor or MSP spouting on about free this and free that THINK taxpayers money could it be used more sensibly?
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Is there anything you can do to help Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith?
📢Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢
We want to highlight the expansion of NHS 24 Mental Health Hub, which is backed by an estimated £1.5 billion of investment from The Scottish Government.
This funding will enable the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub to expand - offering psychological support for people who will benefit from early access to treatment.
The Hub provides round-the-clock help to anyone in Scotland requiring urgent mental health support or who is experiencing distress, connecting callers to trained professionals for assessment, advice, and directing them to the most appropriate support.
Find out more here:
Mental health services at NHS 24
www.nhsinform.scot
Learn about the mental health services provided by NHS 24, and what to expect when you contact us.Local | Experienced | Reliable - Re-elect Ben, Vote SNP
I grew up in our city and have been very proud to be a local MSP for nearly a decade – serving and representing local communities here (on this side of Edinburgh) strongly, passionately and diligently. Before first being elected in 2016 I had a varied professional career, including as a lawyer. I’ve used this experience to help other people.
I’m standing for re-election because there’s more I want to get done, for our area and for Scotland, using my experience and continuing to work hard as a reliable, local MSP (areas MSPs serve are changing –we live in the new constituency of Edinburgh North Eastern & Leith).
I get things done for the people I serve and I have helped to deliver more resources and opportunities in our local area: social housing, facilities and jobs. The SNP Scottish Government have delivered, from reducing poverty to supporting businesses. We’ve protected our NHS and invested more in key services like schools and childcare. Using the Scottish Parliament’s current powers, we’ve worked hard to help people in many ways, during years of UK economic austerity, while striving to gain independence and more powers for Scotland – to make our society fairer and create a more prosperous country.
I live in our constituency and know it well, and I’m always listening – so please get in touch if you have issues or ideas you’d like to raise. I’m here for you in these hard times and to help build a better future.
Ben
Local | Experienced | Reliable
SNP always, good luck Hazel Wilson)🏴🏴🏴
Do u no the difference between a man and women
Was the SNP in control of Edinburgh when the Gt Junction St-Dock St bike lane was built? And am I correct in hearing it cost £10 million? Who sanctioned £207.5 million for the York Place-Newhaven tramway? Another £10 million planned for a bike lane in Dundee St. Saltire cards for under 22s & now asylum seekers have been given Saltire cards. Is the SNP going to allow Saltire cards to be given to anyone who wants them? Youths are causing mayhem on public transport,all because the SNP was forced by the greens. & now there's the spectre of pedestrianisation of George Street. Wouldn't this money have been better spent on reducing the city's £1.9 billion deficit?
All the best Ben onwards and upwards
Good Luck Ben. I know you will do well in May👍
All the very best
Factor legislation and reform. There are private equity companies buying up estate agencies, landlords and factoring companies. It’s a racket and driving the housing crisis. Unregulated factors are causing havoc and PFEOs are useless.
Ben just get pot holes filled & drains cleared to stop flooding and puddles the size of swimming pools!
Ben, please could you look into pavement changes allowing easier wheelchair access around Leith?
One problem for the SNP in general is that they have been in power for so long in the Scottish Parliament it is difficult to do new things plus there are few people aside from John Swinney with real experience going forward.
Always been here for the community, and love the work you do trying to humanise renting and tenancy so we can afford to live. I know that can't be easy.
Boundary changes mean I can’t but I would have. Would you consider banning homophobia from government and nationalising energy provision?
How will you vote on "assisted dying"? Have you read the evidence from Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands? Are you prepared to gamble with the lives of the vulnerable?
Why am I having to pay tourist tax in my own city 😡
Why are there so many Student Flats being built in Leith? Is this just to fill the Fat Cats pockets? We need social housing
Baaaa baaaaaaaaaabaaaaa
Have voted snp for a very long time but now having second thoughts .All we seem to hear is negativity about the party and people running it. By rights we should be one of the richest countries in Europe and farther but because of the weak leadership we are nearer a third world country. Get rid off the old guard and get some young blood in. People like you Ben who might just make a difference. The first minister is a joke he should never have been put in the position of first minister and some of his minions are just as bad. A free and prosperous Scotland is what people want but there is no chance that happening as long as as we have these people running the country.
Lisa Petrie is one of the strongest, most inspiring people I’ve ever met. Out of the most painful and tragic situations a mother can face, she is doing remarkable things to bring about positive change - in her son John’s memory and to help other people. This progress (see the link) is part of us working together in recent months, in the ways that she wanted to go about pushing for action. It’s hard to put into words how much I admire her courage and determination. So many of us were deeply affected and troubled by John McNab’s passing, and of course none more so than Lisa. I will keep doing all that I can to support Lisa, her family and her campaigns. It’s a privilege to know her and try to make a difference, together.💚
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y4j2g0ql1o
LIFT
Leith Athletic FC
I hope things do change. Having lost my Dad to knife crime in leith when I was only 9 and then being on the receiving end myself in my 20’s again in leith it just feels never ending. It’s refreshing to see someone really make an effort on bringing that change! Well done all involved 👏
Ben I just want to thank you so much for all the support you have given me and my family, you are truly the upmost genuine most caring honest gentleman and have gave me so much support, I look forward to hopefully making changes together for my John. Again thank you X
She is the most amazing woman. Her strength is out of this world I adore her.
This is so heartwarming! ❤️
You’re an inspiration Lisa. 😘 xx
Amazing ❤️❤️❤️
So proud of you xx
Sending loads of love. Xxx
What an incredible person Lisa is! 🙏
Any attempt at reducing knife crime must be applaud, but there are 150 million knifes in circulation, its not knifes its people with knifes
You go girl.. love u Pete xxx
RIP 💚🇳🇬💚
🇳🇬💚🪽
💚🇳🇬💚
Amazing 🫶🏻
You're making a real difference to so many lives! 💚
Stay strong Lisa. You learn how to cope with the grief and nobody can take your happy memories. God bless you hen ❤️🙏
Ben MacPherson is helping with this knife ban , but it is his party that brought out sentencing guide lines that anyone 25 or under found guilty of a crime should receive a reduced sentence in some cases only 4 years for murder. beware of SNP politicians !
Still done nothing after Rupert provided the evidence of Scottish children being trafficked to Pakistan.
The money that the SNP have spent on an obvious election gimmick “the walk-in clinics” should have been spent on engaging more GP’s for the standard health centres where the waiting time to see a GP is ever stretching, The Walk in centres will undoubtedly be an attraction for non register immigrants. THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are generally very nice people but collectively cannot run a country. Their ambassadors are currently going from door to door making promises they cannot keep. They are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, just think the overspend would have upgraded most of Scotland's deteriorating hospital infrastructure, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. To stop the SNP coming in via the back door for the 5th time, think twice about your 2nd vote CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP OR THE ANTI ROAD IMPROVMENTS, ANTI BUSINESS AND ANTI OIL GREENS.
📢Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢
We're pleased to share the great news that ten community projects have been awarded Community Grant Funding following another successful public vote at this year’s Leith Chooses event.
These brilliant initiatives will now be able to progress work that supports and improves wellbeing across Leith. A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the vote and continues to strengthen our community.
Congratulations to all the successful groups - Milan SWO, Dr Bell's Family Centre, Living Memory Association, Leith Community Growers, Water of Leith Conservation Trust, Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), Mustard Seed Edinburgh, Kin Collective, Pilmeny Development Project and Edinburgh Community Food and thank you for everything you do for our area!
Wullie Findlay Let us get down to the nitty gritty here. If and that is a big if, we wish Scotland to be Free from Westminster the only way in which that can be achieved is if we have more than 50% of the Sovereign CItizens voting for it, it is th Citizens that hold the key, not any Political Party, it is the votes that count. Yes we need a Party with a Mandate, that should come from the Constituency vote, FPtP, then we need to have a common goal which is not any party but the Sovereign Citizens standing and getting voted on all under the Banner of Scotland for Independence, that is what the Ship was Named, the SNP agreed this at their Conference, so they would not be voting against their party as they are loyalist to the core, every other party including some from the Tories, Libdems, and Labour who also wish Scotland to be Independent have a place to put their cross and the whole of the YES group and All under one Banner also have a place to put their X. We then have the choice of who we wish to be in the Constituency and keep all the benefits that the SNP have built up over the years to vote SNP 1, and in the Region Scotland for Independence 2. Vote nothing Scottish, and Nothing with their HQ in England. Note we are voting for our country, our country is Scotland, not Scottish, so the parties that have their HQ in Scotland and are Scottish and are on the Regional Ballot think what you are doing because your votes may not go towards, our Independence, so what is more important to you, Independence or trying to win a seat for your party. That is what the other part of the agreement said, Scotland for Independence, Your Choice.
How much money are you hoping to earn for being in parliament? Be honest, please. And include pension contributions, perks, expenses and the bonus for leaving parliament. A global sum for one parliament (5 years) would be fine. Thank you. My guess is about £1 million over the piece. Am I VERY far out?
Today is World Cholangiocarcinoma Day – a rare form of cancer, which has affected several of my constituents who I have worked with to raise awareness of the condition over the years. Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) is a primary liver cancer with sharply rising case numbers in Scotland. You can find out more from AMMF – The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity, here: ammf.org.uk/
How much money are you hoping to earn for being in parliament? Be honest, please. And include pension contributions, perks, expenses and the bonus for leaving parliament. A global sum for one parliament (5 years) would be fine. Thank you.
THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are generally very nice people but collectively cannot run a country. Their ambassadors are currently going from door to door making promises they cannot keep. They are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, just think the overspend would have upgraded most of Scotland's deteriorating hospital infrastructure, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. To stop the SNP coming in via the back door for the 5th time, think twice about your 2nd vote CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP OR THE ANTI ROAD IMPROVMENTS, ANTI BUSINESS AND ANTI OIL GREENS.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Fantastic news for Leith Theatre! I’m delighted for all involved and congratulate the team there on this important milestone.
I’m pleased to have championed The Scottish Government’s visitor levy legislation, to enable investments like this, and to have worked pro-actively to support Leith Theatre over the years.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Keith Gray gonna be busier at your ends, fam.
Great news!
Fantastic news well done all involved.
More great work Ben!
📢Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢
We wanted to highlight Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)’s new public consultation on Scotland’s next Flood Risk Management Plans for 2028–2034.
We’d also like to encourage anyone affected by flooding to take part, as your insights will help ensure that future plans reflect local realities and support the development of flood risk management planning.
The consultation is open until 22 April, find it here:
Flood Risk Management Phase 1 Consultation - Scottish Environment Protection Agency - Citizen Space
consultation.sepa.org.uk
This site contains consultations that are run by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.📢 We're proud to have Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith speaking at the #DYWConf2026 this #SaferInternetDay!
As The Scottish Government's Minister for Higher & Further Education, he praised the launch of the "valuable" new AI Toolkit, highlighting how pivotal youth workers are to empowering young people to make safe online choices.
💬 "It is fitting that today is the launch of a new AI Youth Work Toolkit, this is a resource that will make a real difference, helping young people to think critically and apply their learning to their online lives.
Youth workers are in a really important place to empower young people to make safe choices online. You are pivotal to our collective work around cyber resilience…your support for young people is irreplaceable. You change lives for the better, and we are here to support you."
More info on #DigitalYouthWork 👉 bit.ly/3QvYKnF
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Good chatting with folk again on the doors today, with Craigentinny & Duddingston SNP activists, after a full day of campaigning in Leith yesterday with Leith & Leith Walk SNP. #workinghard 💛
SNP Edinburgh North Eastern & Leith
A vote for Ben is a vote for a genuine msp that has the interests of the local community at heart. Ben strives to make the area a safe place , a place you call home. Vote for Ben again ( that's the new slogan)
I'm guessing there's an election coming? Been a fantastic MP for the area. My kids remember when you visited the school to talk about politics and community. I see him kicking about Leith promoting local businesses. I've also noticed he is using his position in government to represent renters and tenants. Hoping next year he can help with the potholes!
Well done Ben! fantastic work and please continue what you are doing for the area.👍
Is there an election coming soon Ben.
Another SNP clown
Nonce
What any politicians involved with leith should be doing absolutely ruined the place
No to SNP
Vote Reform Then 👋😁😁
www.facebook.com/share/r/1DY9RkVfyZ/ What is the chances of having thay inquiry to find out how many Scottish children have been forced to marry their rapist them trafficked to Pakistan. Why are you all ignoring what is happening not Edinburgh/scotland? Plenty of people evidence of children being trafficked to and from Scotland uet yoi all voted no!!!!
A big turnout 😭.
Why would someone vote for a party that introduced the current sex education curriculum, cannot define what a woman is and is putting women and girls’ rights and safety at risk?
The only time you ever see them
📢Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢
A reminder that Ben's monthly drop-in Help & Advice surgeries are taking place tomorrow, Friday 6 February.
THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are generally very nice people but collectively cannot run a country. They are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP OR THE ANTI ROAD IMPROVMENTS GREENS
📢Office of Ben Macpherson MSP📢:
We wanted to highlight the below community dinner that is taking place this evening in partnership with the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society - SABS and Hibernian Community Foundation . If you can't make it tonight, "Pitch to Plate" is reoccurring event that takes place on the first Tuesday of every month at Hibernian Football Club, Easter Road Stadium.
Local | Experienced | Reliable
SNP candidate for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith constituency (election is on Thursday 7 May)
Promoted by Calum Carswell on behalf of Ben Macpherson, both at Scottish National Party (SNP), Gordon Lamb House, 3 Jackson’s Entry, Edinburgh, EH8 8PJ
Definitely vote for Ben He is 100% honest and works tirelessly for the community
With current prison policies - no way.
Why can't I read the comments?🙄
🤡
Honest and snp dont belong in same sentence
Pot holes are craters
What is a woman?
BBC News - Glen Rosa ferry costs rise by £12.5m after latest six-month delay www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62n1d6dd4qo
SNP you’ve had your day. Liars and thieves !! Stealing taxpayers money you should be ashamed. Vote Reform and get these muppets out.
Piss off your all same full of shit
You vote against the inquiry in rape gangs why
Ben's voting record hands reliably hands the power to men. His party prioritises the wishes of violent men over the rights of vulnerable women by insisting men should be incarcerated with women prisoners. No self respecting woman should vote for Ben.
Bye bye
Snp clowns 🤡 🤣
THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are generally very nice people but collectively cannot run a country. They are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP OR THE ANTI ROAD IMPROVMENTS GREENS
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.This morning I visited Dr Bell's Family Centre to discuss a situation that was of real concern. Using my decade of experience - including how to get things done for local organisations - I’d written to The Scottish Government about it on Monday and followed this up today, working actively as their/your local constituency MSP… I was therefore very pleased that shortly after the matter had been resolved. I know it’s been a worrying time for the centre and am relieved that immediate worries have been lifted. My team and I will keep working with the centre to explore more funding streams, and support the impactful work they do in our communities.
Local | Reliable | Experienced
This Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and all victims of Nazi persecution. We have an enormous responsibility to pass the survivors’ stories to the next generation, and to confront antisemitism and hatred wherever we find it, including in our local communities. It must never happen again, and we all have a responsibility to be keep in mind the lessons of history.💜
We also learn and commemorate where persecution led in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur (and elsewhere too). We must not let any negative or discriminatory forces divide us, and instead invest in, embrace in and believe in our common humanity and shared aspirations for happiness and wellbeing. We can best achieve this by working together and taking care of each other.🙏🏻
Read more: hmd.org.uk/take-part-in-holocaust-memorial-day/organising-an-activity/.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Thank you Ben. Agree. ❤️
A superb and uplifting article in The Guardian, highlighting much of what makes #Leith such a thriving and enjoyable place to live and visit. Thank you and respect to the local writer, Sarah, and all the remarkable businesses and initiatives mentioned. It’s an honour to work for you all.
Zoning in on Leith, Edinburgh – ‘It’s been a joy to watch the area reinvent itself’
www.theguardian.com
The historic port district – and setting for Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting – has evolved into a cultural and culinary hub. In the first of a new series, a local resident visits the venues powerin...No mention of The Wee Museum of Memory, our hearts are broken
Well worth a visit this gaff 👍
Almost unrecognisable from student days in the early '70s; now a destination for visitors. How times change and for the better.
Message from the office of Ben Macpherson MSP:
We wanted to highlight The Scottish Government's new national action plan setting out Scotland’s priorities for suicide prevention over the next three years, which has been backed by an increased budget of at least £3 million in 2026-27.
The new action plan aims to reduce suicide deaths, address the inequalities that can increase risk, and ensure anyone affected by suicide can access timely, compassionate support.
If you or someone you know needs support, help is available: call Samaritans free on 116 123, or Breathing Space Scotland on 0800 83 85 87
Great afternoon chatting with so many brilliant local groups and organisations at Leith Chooses. Find out more and vote here: www.leithchooses.net/. Thank you to all the volunteers, organisers and participants.
THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP
Building our future - a new school for the next generations and this side of #edinburgh. #InvestInEducation
Whats happening with the old building
A proper government in action
U r a great
Ben has always been a great mp
I went there in 1861. what about the old school?
Nowt to do with the fact that the school was falling to bits due to no maintenance
If all in the SNP were like you. It would be worth voting for again.
THINK TWICE ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH 2026 The SNP are aiming for a 5th victory in a row, the last 18 years have been a catalogue of disasters from their policy of controlling the amount councils could raise in local taxes, which alone reduced the council effectiveness in running front line services. The reduction in nurses training places and the reduction in hospital bed capacity overseen by the then health secretary Ms Sturgeon, the broken promises on road improvements on the main arterial routes North and East. The membership scandal cover up, the missing membership money and don’t forget the campervan, the reduction in fire and police services, their education policies that have left newly qualified teachers unable to get a job, the ferry fiasco which has left islanders without life line services, their ignorance about the gender of a human with or without a penis and the latest is the hospital scandal which is affecting many lives. CONSTITUENCY MSP VOTE YOUR PARTY. REGIONAL MSP ANYONE BUT THE FAILED SNP
Snp fucked up education
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