1. "It's the Economy, Stupid" (James Carville 1992)

The British economy will have a major impact on the amount of money available in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.

The first priority must be to address past mistakes and force the banks to lend to British business and industry. With Britain back at work, the economic recovery will reduce the impact of budget cuts on the constituency.

2. The Scottish Jacobite Party

The Scottish Jacobite Party stands for a United Britain, out of the EU.

This is in direct contrast with the SNP who want an Independent Scotland in the EU. At the moment, Scotland has 7 MEPs, Cumbria has 9. In other words on any issue of significance, Cumbria can out-vote Scotland. The idea that an Independent Scotland would be able to negotiate favourable terms for anything is nonsense. The SNP want to spend £9 million on a referendum on Independence. They could save the £9 million and stand on a pledge of Independence at the next Scottish Elections.

The EU regulations are having an adverse affect on most aspects of British life from farming, fishing, health services and assorted health and safety regulations. These regulations are issued from Brussels with little input from British politicians. We do need regulation but regulation that is designed for Britain. Out of the EU, we would control our own destiny and not take handouts from Brussels. Scottish fish would be landed in Scottish ports by Scottish fishermen. Farm policy could be developed for the needs of Border farmers, not dictated by some anonymous bureaucrat who has never ploughed the fields of the Merse or herded sheep on the Lammermuirs.

Gordon Brown does not understand economics and made a serious error in pouring £178 billion of taxpayers money into the bank vaults in October 2008. That money is being used to support bankers bonuses and obscene pay increases. It is not being used to support British industry or business. This money should be removed from the bank vaults to reduce the deficit and the impact on front line services that will result from the downturn in the economy. The British economy is central to the future financial condition of The Borders Council as a ny cuts in England or Wales are passed to Scotland through the Barnett Formula. More of Scotland's work force are employed in the public sector and the impact will be greater in Scotland.

Voters in The Borders should consider the impact of out-of-town SuperStores on the nature and character of the villages and towns of the Borders. The centre of Berwick has been devastated by the decision to place a Morrison's Supermarket on the north side and an ASDA and retail shopping centre on the south side of the town. Galashiels is suffering from the economic impact of the Tesco and ASDA Superstores. Kelso will feel the impact of the Superstore being built there. Selkirk still has time to consider its options.

We need towns with character, with shops that offer a diverse range of products reflecting the diverse interest of the local owners who employ local people and spend their money in the local ecomomy. Tesco hire part time workers at the minimum wage and the profits disappear from the local area.

Serious choices with long term consequences.

3. We need Post Offices in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk is a widespread area with few large centres of population. The small villages need Post Offices. The post office in Swinton has closed. The village has no small shop to provide the essentials of life. Even the smallest item requires a drive to Coldstream or Duns.

The Labour Government have done their best to destroy the British Post Office which is one of the great British Institutions created by our Victorian ancestors. Services have been withdrawn and a Post Office that is coping with the shift to e-mail has been left vulnerable. Post Offices have been closed across Britain. This cannot be allowed to continue. We need to support local Post Offices. They provide vital services to the local community and are often the only public face of government in the area.

4. Each community should have a Community Centre.

There are outstanding examples of a large Community Centre in Stornaway and of a small Community Centre in Lochmaddy on North Uist.

These should be extensions of The Village Hall where the community gathers for public meetings, bingo, whist drives, sales of work etc.

The extension allows for art work in the community and has a museum component that allows visitors to find out about the past and present of the local area.

Most of Scotland's treasures are on display in The National Museum in Edinburgh. Scotland has so many treasures that they can't all be displayed and the surplus is stored in warehouses in Leith.

This important resource should be on display around the Borders. Edinburgh has enough to attract visitors.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is attracting record numbers of visitors after the recent remodelling. Glasgow City Council have the same problem as The National Museum. There is a warehouse on the south side of Glasgow, purpose built to house the art that can't be displayed in Kelvingrove.

Let's use our resources, get the work on display and attracting and entertaining visitors!

The West of Scotland has a fine Agricultural Museum at Newton Mearns. An equivalent Museum in the Borders would preserve the rich farming tradition and heritage of the Borders. This could highlight the life and work of James Small, one of the forgotten heroes of Scotland.

5. Other resources

James Small developed the cast iron plough at Blackadder Mount, Allanton. His work had a profound effect on the labour required to plough the fields of the Borders and Scotland. His work laid the foundation for the prairies of Canada and America becoming the granaries of the world. Yet his work is largely forgotten.

Anne Hepple wrote 27 novels from 1930 to 1959 set in the Borders she loved. Lyric descriptions of the countryside were the stage for these romantic works of fiction. She enjoyed an international reputation and her words continue to paint a picture to attract visitors to Berwick and the surrounding countryside.

The Jim Clark Room in Duns has around 4,000 visitors a year. People who come to pay their respects to a great racing driver who called Chirnside and Duns his home. The room that houses his trophies and other memorabilia is small. A larger space in the town would allow a more comprehensive account of his career and some of the many cars he drove would add the visual connection to racing in the 1950s and 60s.