I KNOW sometimes politicians can get accused of not really listening … but it’s not true. I am listening to everything.

I am listening to everything from what our Prime Minister is saying as inflation rates soar up after he promised to stabilise our economy. I am listening as our First Minister promised free school meals to our children, only to renege on it, instead talking about an Independence referendum.

I am also listening to the Fire Service in Glasgow who are facing cuts – to their work, including the riverside rescue team who pulled no fewer than 22 people out of the river last year alone.

Twenty-two lives that were saved by that one service alone which is due to be axed.

I am listening to the police force who have seen a reduction in their officers in the streets of Glasgow by 300 and I am listening to our businesses, communities and fellow citizens who are furious as cut after cut and policy after policy introduced by the SNP administrations in the city chambers seeks to punish them, the erode them and, it would seem, seek their demise.

And do you know who else I am listening to? The critics. My critics, my party’s critics and my leader’s critics. And why? Because we have a plan, we have a plan for our communities, for our city and for our country. And we have answers.

As the leader of Glasgow Labour Group, my priority is our city, make no mistake about that, but I was delighted to listen to Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar, above, last week announce our party’s plans for Scotland to be a clean energy superpower.

In it, he discussed how it will get more jobs for people, will see our constituents get lower bills and make Scotland a global climate leader. Just pause for a minute and look at that – the Labour leader is talking about things that will improve our society, improve it now and make life better for our citizens, while the SNP leader waffles on about a pipe dream, shared with less than 50% of our population and something that is dividing our proud nation.

What I hear when I listen to both of these is a difference. A difference between those who think they know what is best for the country and those who are willing to serve our country, to listen to what our citizens have to say, and to deliver on it.

And that is my plan too in our city, I am listening to our communities now. I am part of those communities.

And I know that we need to stand together with them as we seek to rebuild our city after the ravages an SNP administration has put them through.

Myself and my Labour colleagues work tirelessly in the chambers to be the voices of these communities, to bring their real and present issues into the debates and to seek answers for them.

Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes our voices fall on the deaf ears of the

SNP/Green administration – they are often not listening.

But we are, and we will continue to listen, to be the voice of and to stand beside our communities, our firefighters, our police our businesses and our citizens for what is right and what is best for Glasgow.