The First Minister began his first full day of electioneering in Wester Hailes, a suburb in the Pentlands area of the Capital. Joining the Greens’ Lothian candidate, /u/weebru_m , he addressed a gathering of party activists from across the city as well as members of the public passing by.

It is certainly known that Wester Hailes is one of the most deprived areas of your - but that does not mean that it should be forgotten. Your community cannot afford that, for some terrific progress has been made in the decades since the the 1980s. You now have an education centre, unique by name in Scotland and welcoming pupils from across the city as Edinburgh came together to deal with the school closures 18 months ago. Wester Hailes is a respected integral part of our capital city and we are proud to have it here. Remember above all that the Scottish Greens shall represent everyone on any street corner, giving those without lobbyists a voice one again.

This voice has been integral to our governmental programme, with 99% of Scotland now having much more money in their pocket than they did at the start of the term. It was places such as this which convinced the government that social security must be our first priority for further devolution. This is not something that suburbs like this, or Easterhouse over in Glasgow, can afford to lose because that is when, and why, social isolation from their cities grows.

The poll released with the newspapers last night shows that’s approximately one in every three Scots voters intends to put faith in me to be First Minister again. When I am back in Bute House places like this will remain at the heart of our movement’s agenda but I cannot take one single vote for granted, we cannot become complacent in our heartlands such as this. It is you, grassroots politics, which wins elections in this era, it is up to you to ensure that we climb the tower blocks, travel the back allies, get our those who have never voted before. Only then can we be certain of victory, only then will communities like your our have a secure future.

With the First Minister stepping aside, it was up to the current Lothian MSP, /u/weebru_m to conclude the rallying of supporters. Subsequently he would lead them on a daytime canvass throughout the suburb.

Indeed, many thanks to the First Minister for stressing that final point. This is the most marginal seat in the country, no matter what the national polls say we cannot be assured of victory until the returning officer reads out the final results over in the Royal Highland Centre. It has been a privilege to serve you in Parliament and it is something which I hope to continue doing for many years to come. However, I will always have to ask you to renew your support in me and my party, we have one democratic voice, one democratic voice, we really should all use it.

Look at what we have achieved in one short term, everyone here will have the opportunity to see a doctor and detect chronic illnesses, a vote for me is a vote to extend your life. Everyone here shall have the opportunity to go to univeristy without tuition fees, and with a more generous living costs grant year after year. Scotland’s universities are per capita the best in the world, a vote for the Scottish Greens will keep them that way. There is more that we can achieve, we can develop training programmes to ensure that we have full employment even in places such as this where unemployment was once endemic. We can help our farmers and live a helaithier life by promoting local produce in the shopping centres and on the high streets even more.

Our city’s wonderfully publicly owned public transport network can be part of a national system. Our city can continue to welcome the world every August in the spirit of equality, and help our Aberdonian friends stage a Winter Olympics. We can help open up Police Scotland to those that they serve, we can expand childcare to get parents back into work. There is so much in my plan for Wester Hailes, Edinburgh and the Lothians but only with your hard work and support can any of it be achieved. Together it will, and I know that it will.