Some of the people that I have met out and about over the past 9 years as a local MSP have been absolutely inspirational. Today I met a man who was up there with the very best that the East End has to offer.

John Hipson is a 93 year old - who looks not a day past 70, by the way - living in a sheltered housing complex that I went to visit today.

Mr Hipson fought with the Desert Rats in World War II and was treated in hospital for shrapnel wounds. He also fought in Yugoslavia with the partisans against the German occupation.

He reminded me of all the sacrifices our older generation made so that we can enjoy freedom today. I hope every single voter in the East End uses their hard-fought right to vote on July 24th.

Having met Mr Hipson today, I am reminded we owe it to people like him to use our democratic right to vote.

Responding to the calls from the SNP's Councillor Mason, Labour MP David Cairns said:

“Alex Salmond must be furious at Councillor Mason’s latest blunder. This is breathtaking hypocrisy from the nationalists. Will Councillor Mason be calling on Alex Salmond to resign his seat as the MSP for Gordon so he can provide a strong voice in Westminister for Banff and Buchan?

“Margaret is a phenomenally gutsy woman and will be a full-time fighter for the East End. She will be fighting full-time on the issues that really matter: crime, jobs and regeneration.”

A spokesperson from the Scottish Labour Party said:

“Margaret has already made her position very clear. She is taking nothing for granted because she respects the people of the East End. If she wins this by-election, she will become the MP for Glasgow East. She will continue for a period as the MSP for Glasgow Baillieston, which is entirely contained in Glasgow East. She will draw only one salary and, unlike the First Minister, will operate only one constituency office. She will decide when to relinquish her duties as the MSP when she has discussed it with the local party and the wider community.“

Speaking ahead of David Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith’s visit to Glasgow tomorrow, David Cairns MP said:

“The Tories devastated the East End in then 1980s and voted against measures to help people here like the minimum wage, tax credits and pension credits. Iain Duncan Smith may be sincere, but he is wrong. His party put thousands of local people onto long-term sickness benefits and was happy to leave them there. Labour is getting people off benefits and into work.”

Meanwhile, the Conservative candidate for the Glasgow East by-election, Davena Rankin, has apparently forgotten which seat she is standing for – if her web gallery of campaign pictures is anything to go by.
 
On the candidate’s website – 'Davina Rankin – fighting for Glasgow East' – she is pictured with a member of the public holding a leaflet from a previous election where Ms Rankin was an unsuccessful candidate.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Labour Party said: “David Cameron should perhaps buy the Tory candidate a sat nav or compass to direct her to the city’s East End.

“If she really wants to fight for Glasgow East it might help the Tories’ credibility if she was pictured with leaflets from the constituency and not from another several miles away."

Local MSP Margaret Curran visits residents at Denmilne Sheltered Housing to celebrate the 60th birthday of the National Health Service. The NHS was created by Labour in 1948 and has touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people since.