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00:00My name is Michael Pereira. I'm the candidate for the Scottish Labour Party for Inverness, West Rochshire and Skye.
00:06Now, trust is an issue for a lot of people with politicians.
00:10How are you going to deal with that with this upcoming election?
00:13I think that comes down to integrity, doesn't it?
00:15So, I think we've had quite a few years now of politicians promising things and not following through.
00:21Politicians gaslighting the public on occasions.
00:26I saw that with the gender debate where half of the population's views were written off as invalid by a former First Minister.
00:33So, I think from our point of view is that we want to be a listening party.
00:39My background in mental health means I've got lots of skills in that field anyway.
00:43Not to blow my own trumpet, but yeah, I was taught how to listen and appreciate people's opinions as valid.
00:50Young people are generally not involved as much with politics.
00:54And it's growing that way a lot with the older generation as well.
00:57I see that a lot when I'm going out and doing Vox Pops.
00:59How are you going to deal with that?
01:01How are you going to get people to get more involved with it and know what's happening in the world of politics?
01:06The first one is local media, obviously.
01:09Picking up, going round the doorsteps an awful lot.
01:12And people have been paying attention to Ohio and news media have been putting out, which was quite encouraging.
01:16The other one is to, I suppose, work on engagement.
01:21Part of the disengagement, I think, is that people are seeing decisions taken hundreds of miles away from where they live.
01:28And with a constituency the size of this one, when we were over in Skye,
01:32that was very apparent that they were feeling pretty fed up.
01:38That decisions that affected them were taken in Edinburgh, mostly, without them really being involved.
01:45They were distrustful of the consultations.
01:47They've been around that consultation roundabout numerous times and they didn't feel that their views were ever factored in.
01:53I'm talking about the closure of the Pottery Hospital with this one.
01:59Whatever their views they put forward were never included.
02:03They were pretty jaded about being offered yet another round of consultation.
02:07That has to be meaningful.
02:09I think part of that is looking at the devolution process itself
02:13and reversing some of the over-centralisation that we've seen in the last ten years or so.
02:18Do you think getting more into social media and that kind of aspect in the general election,
02:24do you think that's going to pull more people to vote this year?
02:27You would hope so.
02:29But there's definitely... people live their lives online.
02:32I've got five kids myself, adult kids and eight grandchildren.
02:38I wouldn't say they're welded to their phones and their social media, but they're on it a lot.
02:44One of the worries is... I know TikTok is being used by the Reform Party down in England, for example.
02:51It worries me that that kind of soundbite approach can take people down a different route from a more considered approach.
02:58But that's where people are. You have to meet people where they are.
03:01I know that you mentioned your family there and how some of them are welded to their phone almost.
03:06Are they going to vote? And if so, have they discussed their opinions on this with you?
03:11They'd better vote.
03:13My oldest grandson's just turned 18, so he's got himself a postal vote because he won't be...
03:17So that's handy.
03:19But yeah, the adult kids, yes.
03:21I mean, I haven't told them they've got to vote for me, but maybe if they know what's good for them, they will.
03:26But yeah, we're, I suppose, pretty much a left-of-centre family, as you would expect.
03:32And keen on seeing social justice as the way ahead.
03:38And a couple of them have flirted with nationalism in the past.
03:43But a lot of people that I've been speaking to are very jaded and disillusioned and disappointed with what they've had so far from the SNP.
03:53And they very much dislike the Tories.
03:56Oh, it's in your favour?
03:58Now, people like me do look at politicians and wonder will they ever do what they say.
04:04How can you guarantee that you're a party that we can trust and you're going to do what you promise?
04:11I don't want to harp back too long, but when Labour was in power here in Scotland and in the UK Parliament,
04:20the wave of change that the country saw was tremendous.
04:26We did save the NHS in 1997. It was getting dismantled by the Tories across the country at that time.
04:31And the wave of investment that we had had a huge impact on waiting times, on accident and emergency waiting times, on cancer survival rates, etc.
04:42So there's, and that's, I'm speaking about the health service because that's my background.
04:46But that, and I worked in mental health, and the increase in investment in mental health made a huge difference to the most vulnerable people in this country's lives.
04:55So the Sure Start centres that were put into place, giving people a better start in life than they had previously.
05:03So my view is that the Labour government doesn't overpromise, but it does promise that it will put people before party.
05:11And it will make sure that people who have, the workers and the most vulnerable are the priority for the future government.
05:21So that comes down to integrity, and I think we've seen that both governing parties have had senior members without integrity,
05:29and focusing more on themselves rather than the people of the country that they're meant to serve.
05:34So I think that would be my pledge, is that if I'm returned, you won't see any of that carry on for me, or hopefully the rest of the Labour party in government.
05:46And I know that you've mentioned it a few times regarding mental health, and your kind of background in that.
05:52Could you explain a little bit more on a personal level why you got involved with mental health and why it's important to you?
05:58God, you take a phrase that was very common, and it's, there's no health without mental health.
06:01And I think it's been encouraging to see, and I think all governments, certainly since the turn of the century, have appreciated that.
06:10But we're seeing that the more people come forward, and are encouraged to come forward, the longer the queues get,
06:17and it makes it difficult for people to get the help that they require.
06:21So there's, I suppose on a personal level, is that the scale of the major mental health conditions,
06:30like for numbers wise, depression and anxiety, and people going down an addictions route as well,
06:36is that, I think these are signs and symptoms of a society that's not working.
06:40And I do think there's a bit of a, as a society, we're showing signs of post-traumatic stress because of the damage that we've had under the Tories,
06:48and the kind of failures of the SNP that we've had, is that these are diseases of despair, is that people are very unhappy.
06:56And I think Labour's plan is to grow the economy, to get a bit of stability back in, get on top of some of these energy concerns that we've got,
07:05is that hopefully get in amongst that and turn that around a bit better than we've had over the last ten years or so.
07:13We see charisma playing a big role in political popularity nowadays.
07:18You've got Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, even Donald Trump.
07:22So what would you mark yourself out of ten in terms of charisma, and why?
07:28You'd probably best not ask any of my kids or grandkids about that.
07:33Charisma, wow. I don't know, think of a number.
07:39No way I'm going to get myself out of ten, but I wouldn't give myself one either.
07:42On different days, I suppose I would fluctuate between five and seven, I think.
07:47If I'm top of my game, then yeah, probably a bit, a high seven perhaps.
07:53But yeah, I do better when I'm fully prepared.
07:58I can't think on my feet, I suppose.
08:01But yeah, I've got good people skills, as you would imagine, working in mental health.
08:05I'm a senior manager, so I had to talk to lots of different audiences frequently, often at different times of the same day.
08:12So definitely a lot of information to keep in my head at the same time,
08:17and keep abreast of changing patterns in people's thinking and performance.
08:25I'm more solid than very charismatic, perhaps I would say.
08:30And voters are being swayed quite a lot recently by Nigel Farage.
08:35Do you think that is down to charisma, or do you think that's down to popularity?
08:40I think it's down to him, and using, I don't know if he's got a psychologist as part of his team,
08:47and manipulating people. He's definitely taking advantage of the cost of living crisis,
08:52and some people's tendency to blame others.
08:58He started blaming Europe in the past, but really did nothing much when he was a member of the European Parliament
09:04to change that around, other than complain about it while taking the huge salary he did.
09:09And the way that he's trying to load the blame onto immigrants for Britain's ills, I think it's pretty disgusting.
09:18It's quite disappointing that so many people are being persuaded by that approach.
09:24We saw that with the Tories at the last election with the red wall,
09:28when they focused on immigration rather than the strength that immigration can bring.
09:33There's no doubt that it's an issue that's high up in people's minds, and they want a solution for that.
09:38But the policies, if you can call it that, from reform to address that,
09:43are I think getting close to being dangerous.
09:46A big problem we do see is misleading information.
09:49I've seen it myself on social media recently, with AI-generated social media posts.
09:55Have you experienced this at all, and how do you see it affecting this general election?
10:00Obviously, but you're aware of it, and I think it's probably outside my area of expertise.
10:10I think it goes back to your earlier question about a lack of trust there, and where people are getting the news from.
10:17I think programs like the Russian-backed news channel and various others,
10:25I know speaking to members of my own family and friends,
10:29is that the lack of trust in the BBC is quite an issue now.
10:34They source their news from online or YouTube or other channels,
10:39which I don't know if they've got the same levels of checks as the BBC are obliged to,
10:43which is a real worry that people are open to that.
10:49It's pretty difficult to counteract that, other than I think by our own behaviour over time,
10:56and saying that we can't be trusted.
11:00No matter what, people who are getting the news from overseas, for example,
11:05or from Russian-bought, inspired channels and so on,
11:10we'll have to give people a reason to trust what we're telling them,
11:14and that comes down to integrity, I think.
11:18In terms of young people, how do you plan to gain their trust and support?
11:25That was something we talked about at the third sector hustings last night,
11:29and just how disenfranchised some youngsters are feeling.
11:32I'm a big fan of the youth parliament system that's going,
11:35and although whether that's made any tangible difference on the ground to people,
11:42a lot of people in the audience were kind of shaking their heads
11:45that a good principle and a good intention hasn't actually translated into meaningful action
11:52close to where these youngsters are.
11:54So, personally speaking, I think there's scope, or there's an opportunity,
11:58to take that principle and bring it closer to where people are,
12:02and that is like reversing that over-centralisation that we talked about.
12:06So, some kind of citizens' chamber, including a youth element at local authority level,
12:12would be something that I'd be very interested in pursuing,
12:15because I do think people are interested in politics,
12:18although they might say they're not when you get into saying,
12:20well, how do you manage to get around the Highlands?
12:23What's your job opportunities?
12:26Have the drug and alcohol services, for example, the reduction in funding to that?
12:33So, these are all political things that are kind of high up young people's agendas,
12:38and connecting what they are saying with ourselves through some kind of youth parliament system,
12:45I think, would be one that had some level of authority,
12:49and accountability as well would be, I think, something that I want to explore further.
12:53And the housing market is so bad at the moment.
12:56People, young people in particular, are struggling to rent, you know, far less buy a property.
13:01How is that going to change, and is it going to change?
13:06You'll not be surprised to hear that Labour has got that very high up their agenda.
13:11I think the state of the housing market is almost scandalous.
13:16When I bought my first house, it was like three times salary,
13:20and it's, what is it, seven, between seven and eight now, and massive deposits required.
13:25You know, you're just thinking, how on earth can anyone get on the housing ladder in the current situation?
13:31And that is because our government, our governments, have choked off the housing supply.
13:40So the solution to that is to accelerate the social housing programme for the rental market,
13:46and look at the planning laws so that the Not In My Backyard crew aren't choking off the new houses that we require.
13:58I mean, if after the Second World War the Labour government was able to build one million houses in just over 12 months,
14:04it shows it's possible, if there's a will.
14:08And we've got the skills here.
14:09I mean, Inverness is actually a kind of case in point, it's like accelerated housing development,
14:15but the prices are accelerating away from people's ability to, local people especially, to buy them.
14:22So people are coming in from out of area and purchasing it and maintaining their prices.
14:26But I was speaking to someone from Fort Augustus yesterday,
14:30he is the only man in his street, the only household in his street,
14:34who is an actual resident in Fort Augustus.
14:36The rest are all Airbnb or second homes.
14:39And that's replicated, I think, across all of Highland.
14:42And again, back to the health service, when we were in Skye,
14:46is one of the big issues for them being able to safely staff their hospitals,
14:49is even if they manage to recruit,
14:51is there's no place for the nurses or the doctors to live when they get a job.
14:56So that's, and again, I think that is not beyond the wit of government departments
15:01to get their heads together and come up with a solution to that.
15:04And how do we get that ball rolling?
15:06How is that going to support more young people with housing?
15:11Filling these empty buildings, how do we get that going?
15:15I'm not a huge fan of interventionist government, really.
15:18I like to think that adults are capable of running their own lives as much as possible.
15:23But for things like that, that's an area where people need the government's help.
15:29And that's legislation, I think, that needs to come into that.
15:32And I think one of Labour's plans is to put 100% community charge on Airbnbs.
15:41And I think there's also taken lessons from some of the European cities,
15:46like Barcelona, for example,
15:48that have just put a cap on the amount of Airbnbs that can be available for the tourist market.
15:57And it's a balance that needs to be struck,
16:00because tourism is obviously hugely important to the Highlands,
16:03but the people who live here all year round,
16:07picking up on the frustrations with them,
16:09particularly those who live along the North Coast 500.
16:12I went to Skye a couple of weeks ago, and it was a real eye-opener.
16:17It was almost like a car park from one end to the other.
16:20So the anxieties that people who live on Skye have about safe health services
16:26when you've got 6,000 tourists a day coming onto the island is, I think, tangible.
16:33And again, it needs to be those views taken into account.
16:36Obviously tourism does have a major impact for the Highlands and the economy.
16:41But what do you think are the dangers, such as Airbnbs,
16:46of tourism taking over the Highlands?
16:49It's becoming more and more.
16:51Also the safety on the roads and so on.
16:55A live issue on Skye is the fact that there's no emergency care in the north of the island,
17:01and there's no emergency care on the west coast either.
17:04So there's trying to get an ambulance from one end of Skye to the other when it is the road.
17:10It was just pretty much from one end to the next was camper vans,
17:16tourists enjoying the view and the countryside and so on.
17:19But it's a real concern for the people who live there
17:23and we saw that with the recent festival and the road crashes.
17:28Ambulances had to leave the island and left no cover on the island.
17:32And the fact that there's only one accident emergency at the south of the island.
17:37So I don't think you can ignore those concerns for much longer.
17:43But there's no doubt though that tourism brings a huge amount of income into the area.
17:50The air B&B, the weather there, we're striking the right balance.
17:57The chap in Fort Augustus was telling me that his neighbours who have a hall at a second home
18:03and they only come up a few weeks a year,
18:05as soon as they arrive they get delivery from Morrison.
18:09So they're not even buying groceries in the local shop kind of thing.
18:13So how much are they actually boosting the local economy from it is up to question.
18:19So I don't know if I've got the answer to be honest,
18:22but it's something where I think if we had a citizens chamber
18:25and people were able to come up with solutions that they've given their own thoughts to,
18:30it's something that politicians should take into account.