ALBA’s MacAskill announces election bid to Save Grangemouth

ALBA Party’s Kenny MacAskill MP will seek election on a mandate of saving the Grangemouth Refinery from closure. 

The former Scottish Justice Secretary and now ALBA Depute leader announced his intention to secure his Party’s nomination to put the issue of saving the under threat refinery at the heart of ALBA Party’s election campaign. 

MacAskill says that “there is no greater argument for Scottish independence than the absurdity of having fuel poor Scots in energy rich Scotland and this is a message we will take across Scotland at the General Election.” 

Commenting ALBA Party Depute leader and General Election candidate for Alloa and Grangemouth Kenny MacAskill MP said: 

“The closure of Grangemouth is the industrial issue of our age. It is time to make a stand about the nation we were, the nation we can be, and the nation we will be. 

If Grangemouth is closed we will be the only top 25 major oil producing country in the world that doesn’t have an oil refinery. Scotland as an oil producing nation requires a refinery capacity. 

If a ‘just transition’ means anything and isn’t just a glib phrase, it can’t mean shutting down the North Sea. We need Scotland’s Oil and Gas production to help power our renewables revolution. Just stopping Oil means just stopping renewables. It just doesn’t work. 

As the Trade Unions say, Grangemouth is and can be even more profitable. It would be economically disastrous to close Grangemouth and would force thousands into unemployment in the Forth Valley. 

ALBA  have been campaigning to Save Grangemouth and we have been working with the workers and unions. We are the only party that are campaigning to save this key Scottish industrial asset. 

It is why after discussion with shop stewards I have decided to seek the nomination for the Grangemouth and Alloa Constituency. 

Nothing makes the case for independence more than being energy rich but fuel poor. Scotland discovered Oil at the same time as Norway but we did not see the benefits they have. And now the great renewables bounty is set to turn Scotland into a giant transmission station, with the revenue missing, jobs absent and business lacking. 

I seek the nomination to put the campaign to save Scotland’s industrial capacity not just at the heart of my campaign but front and centre of ALBA Party’s campaign for making the case for independence across Scotland at the General Election.”