General Election, Kirkcaldy: Lib Dems - 'politics is all about standing up and being counted’

The party has always had a core support across the Lang Toun, electing councillors and actively campaigning in Scottish and UK elections, but that appears to have waned in recent years.

The 2010 UK election saw John Mainland poll just over 4200 votes - a benchmark it has not come close to matching in the last 14 years. The elections of 2015 and 2017 were near wipe outs with its vote crashing to just 1100, and while Gill Cole Hamilton reclaimed some of that ground in 2019 with a 2903 poll, it was still just six per cent of the vote.

The party’s hopes of making up the rest of that terrain next month’s election rests with architect Fraser Graham. He grew up in Glenrothes and his parents still stay in the Lang Toun - and a sense of community sits at the heart of his ethos. Its a stance that chimes with Scottish party leader, Alex Cole Hamilton’s pledge that any Lib Dem elected will be a "strong local champion.”

The party’s key pledges include a £500m "rescue package" for care to get people released from hospital to ease pressure on NHS services; and a commitment to “lift up” education by tackling the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Mr Graham an architect by profession, believes the cost of living crisis is also `a major issue on the radar of many local voters.

“It is shocking. The figures showing the numbers of people reliant on foodbanks, and 30% of children in poverty are abhorrent. My mum volunteers at the foodbank and I would be delighted if she was not needed. I’d love a future where people didn’t have to go to foodbanks.

He cites multiple issues contributing to the crisis -Brexit, leaving the single Market, the pandemic, and short-lived Prime Minister Liz Truss crashing the economy.

“The only way we are going to turn it back is to go back into the Single Market and start to re-stabilise the economy. We need to bring in food security, and reduce the cost of food. These are big steps but we have to take them.”

Brexit - or rather, the result of the referendum - was Mr Graham’s entry in politics. The day after vote leave won, he joined the Lib Dems; “the party that was shouting loudest to keep us in.”

The party’s links to community politics were also key, together with his own experience of growing up in Fife.

He explained: “What drew me to the constituency was growing up as an LGBT+ person in Fife I didn’t see much representation of my community. It has grown through Fife Pride which is fantastic - so to see someone standing as a candidate and openly supporting the LGBT+ community is a big thing when you see what goes on in politics and reactionary words thrown around. This is a great opportunity to put across a positive message to people growing up and seeing others doing this.”

Mr Graham will have a stall at Fife Pride on June 29; another opportunity to meet people and also be part of an important day. That engagement has also taken him to two hustings, with a new leaflet also about to drop through letter boxes outlining the key issues his party wants to address.

“Politics is all about standing up and being counted, and if you can change something or the better that’s what I want to do. I’ve also been out supporting colleagues in several seats and there has been a huge amount of good engagement on the doorsteps. People are responding well to Lib Dem policies. Our manifesto is a promising message for the country.”