Labour goes on the buses in by-election campaign

Published on Monday 3 November 2008 21:03

LABOUR yesterday launched a bid to give local communities more control over bus services in an attempt to sway wavering voters ahead of Thursday's Glenrothes by-election.

The Labour MSP Charlie Gordon was in the constituency to kick off the consultation process on his member's bill to introduce tougher regulation into bus services.

He said more local control was needed over timetables and fares, and he wanted to make it easier for councils to intervene and tell commercial bus companies what was needed.

He said: "It's clear that, in some parts of Scotland, market forces have failed to meet the public's aspirations for bus services and standards and, therefore, regulation is required; that is the purpose of the Regulation of Bus Services Bill, which has been formally lodged and on which public consultation has started."

Meanwhile, the SNP revised its "Yes we can" slogan from the 1997 election campaign. The decision to bring it back was taken to coincide with Barack Obama's final day of campaigning in the US presidential election – his camp uses the same phrase.

An SNP spokesman said: "In the last few days, the SNP will deploy the positive, upbeat, optimistic election slogan that we first devised in 1997 – 'Yes we can'.

"Yes we can cut fuel bills by lifting VAT this winter, yes we can save post offices, yes we can save HBOS jobs, and yes we can win in Glenrothes."

The Conservatives focused on their proposals to upgrade the A92 in Fife, while and the Liberal Democrats concentrated on the economy and promised to help local businesses.

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