By Sophie and Eve
Last week we had the privilege of speaking to Ronnie Cowan, the Member of Parliament for Inverclyde. We spoke on a range of topics, including life as an MP, his work in parliamentary committees and Scottish independence.
We began by discussing his beginnings in politics. He spoke about the events leading up to his winning of the constituency seat and his journey to becoming a Member of Parliament.
We moved on to what he would consider an average day working in Inverclyde – the answer being that there isn’t one. We discovered that as an MP there is no set working day, he listed various events and meetings he may partake in during a day – from visiting a food bank, to a meeting with men’s mental health charity Man On Inverclyde, to visiting Notre Dame High School for an interview. No two days are the same in his profession, which is something that he enjoys about his job.
We also discussed the importance of meeting local constituents. Cowan said he tries to spend “as much time in the community as [he] possibly can”, as well as holding an aim to attend at least one event in the local area throughout the weekend. He said that as the voice of Inverclyde, it is incredibly important for him to listen to the concerns of the people within the constituency.
Cowan went on to reveal what it is like to work within parliament. The topics of discussion vary from day to day and can range from a number of concerns, including business, transport and education. He explained that at the beginning of a parliamentary day, schedules displaying the order of business are provided to keep the day structured. Working days within the House of Commons are long and busy, with debates that can last until late hours of the night. Cowan also mentioned his participation in multiple parliamentary committees.
He highlighted the significance of this cross-party communication as a way of reforming laws and benefitting the wider public. While they may disagree on a number of issues, Cowan believes in leaving bias behind in the name of their committee and shared goals. Through the (gambling reform committee), he has worked with Iain Duncan Smith of the Conservative Party and Caroline Harris of the Labour Party to change laws surrounding fixed odd bettings terms, highlighting their success in in successfully reducing fixed odd betting terms to £2 after 7 years. Cowan also spoke of his aim to see reformation of drug laws.
As well as communicating cross-party within parliament, we also discussed his connection to the Scottish Parliament, namely Inverclyde representative Stuart Macmillan MSP. Although they do work together at times and hold joint surgeries if need be, he said that it is important that they do not get in each other’s way. As they are from the same political party, he suggested that this may make communication between them easier, yet they still keep their responsibilities separate when they should be.
We asked the question “will there be a Scottish Independence referendum” which led to our discussion about the changes Scotland could see after independence such as opportunities for green renewable energy and ownership responsibility of Scottish land.
We also discussed the recent state of the economy and the effects of the pound crashing, focusing on what this could mean for scotland.
Finally Cowan gave us an insight into what he likes to do in his free time, from seeing his grandchildren to playing rugby to going to art galleries. He emphasised that his favourite book is Aldous Huxley’s Brave New Word as he has read it many times and finds it to be very impactful. He also mentioned that the question “What is your favourite music album” is a difficult one as he’s seen a huge evolution of music throughout his time.
We would like to extend our thanks to Ronnie Cowan MP for taking the time out of his very busy day to visit our school, answer our questions and give us an insight into his life and career.
