Don’t elect politicians Elect People Elect a Team #1 Marc Wilkinson #2 Mark Rowbotham #3 Derrick Emms… Edinburgh Council By-election, Thursday 26th June 2025, 7am-10pm Everyone in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward has a reason to vote now Let’s set aside party-political differences and come together.

Full statement

Let’s fix politics!
Dear Boss, SOME OF OUR CURRENT POLICIES ARE LISTED BELOW
If you have decided not to vote because you are too disillusioned with the choice, think again because now you can make history! The turnout will be very low because so many supporters of the other parties are embarrassed with the recent track record of their respective parties. Please turn out and vote for us.
The purpose of our new party is to represent the interests of the people of Edinburgh & East Lothian first and foremost. Many feel the large parties are representing party interests and are not representing the interests of their local constituents, contrary to how our representative democracy should be working.
I, Marc Wilkinson, have been chosen by the members of the party to be our front runner. Derrick and Mark are helping explain our vision on the doorsteps. For the January 2025 Fairmilehead and Colinton by-election, 494 people gave me their 1st or 2nd preference vote out of 6223 representing 7.9% of the voters. This was a +79% increase in share compared to the November by-election when 4.4% gave me their 1st or 2nd vote. For the May 2026 Scottish Parliament elections this puts us on target to secure one MSP.
ELECT ME AND YOU WILL BE MY BOSS
As your elected representative, I will be bound by the constitution of EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE to take instruction when voting directly from the majority of party members within the ward.
When there is a vote, I will email members informing you how I would like to vote and why. However, it will be up to the members to get involved and instruct me on how to vote on your behalf.
It is free to join the party so everyone can get involved. Those members who choose not to guide me on how to vote and those who don’t join the party, you can have the confidence of knowing that how I vote on behalf of everyone in the Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart ward will be guided by a team of local people who have decided to get involved to tell me how to vote on their and your behalf.
OUR SURGERIES WILL BE TWICE-WEEKLY OPEN TO ALL IN EDINBURGH
Fridays 4PM-6PM in the City Chambers and Saturdays 11AM-1PM in Fountainbridge Library
If I am elected, Derrick and Mark will help me as case workers with my surgeries. This will prove valuable experience if they decide to stand as front-runners in the May 2027 Local elections. Our plan is to come 4th in the twelve wards that elect four Councillors and 3rd in the five wards that elect three. Seventeen Councillors would make us the largest party in the City Chambers as we would have taken these seats from the current five parties. At our surgeries we will represent constituents from all of Edinburgh’s Wards. We will help constituents coordinate with each other to lobby their respective Councillors as a team making them more effective. We will make the petition feature on our website which is designed for petitioning elected representatives available. This will transform representative democracy.
Printed by Pace Print 19 South Clerk St Edinburgh EH8 9JD. Promoted by Marc Wilkinson 6 Morningside Drive Edinburgh EH10 5LY.
ADDITIONAL MEMBER SYSTEM - SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
The Scottish Parliament elections are almost unique worldwide as everyone casts two votes on two ballot papers and elects up to two MSPs. Your first vote elects a first-past-the-post constituency MSP, and your second vote elects an additional member through the regional list which then makes the parliament proportional overall, excluding parties who get less than around 6% of the votes per region.
With elections 99.9% of the time worldwide it is one person one vote. If someone has always voted Labour then one would have to persuade them to stop doing so before they could consider voting for a new party. This is very hard. In Scotland it is the opposite. This singularly explains the achievability of our plan.
8 REGIONAL PEOPLE PARTIES FOR SCOTLAND’S 8 REGIONS
As Leader of EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE I have recently become Interim Party Leader of seven new parties: CENTRAL SCOTLAND & WEST LOTHIAN PEOPLE, GLASGOW PEOPLE, HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS PEOPLE, NORTH EAST SCOTLAND PEOPLE, MID SCOTLAND & FIFE PEOPLE, SOUTH SCOTLAND PEOPLE & WEST SCOTLAND PEOPLE. People need to join and come forward to be elected.
The message for the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections will be very appealing. Eight new local PEOPLE PARTIES, one for each region of Scotland, will represent first and foremost the interests of the people from each region for which people can vote for on the list. The clincher is that we do not want to change anything about how people vote for their constituency MSP.
If 6% of Scotland per region agree with continuing to vote how they normally would for their constituency MSP but also like the idea that Scotland should elect eight members of the general public to Holyrood as MSPs who will be free to argue and debate about whatever their local members want them to, then Scotland’s PEOPLE PARTIES will secure eight MSPs. When it comes to holding the Government to account, these MSPs will be able to ask the tough questions that other MSPs - being compromised by having to tow their party lines to protect their careers – cannot easily ask.
Please let everyone know Scotland-wide. What is not to like?
Since the 2024 General Election I have stood in five elections. Our mission statement is Let’s come together! Let’s fix politics! I have been working on this plan for over a year. Only three months ago I came up with the idea for our petition which will be sent to everyone’s elected representatives UK-wide demanding that they agree with the objective to STOP the Party Whip and the Block Vote. Can I please urge you that you to not only sign it but – importantly – to then share it UK-wide. Extraordinarily I struggle to find 1% who disagree that our elected representatives should use their intellect, judgement and conscience to cast a free vote as per how their local electorate they represent would want. Do please consider sharing the petition on WhatsApp with all your contacts as the support is almost unanimous.
UNCORRUPTIBLE - our plan in one word
Shortly, I am going to become the Interim Pary Leader of a further 56 new regional PEOPLE PARTIES for every region in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The large parties can easily be captured at the top by donors. Our structure is uncorruptible for two reasons. A) Capturing 64 parties would be too much effort. B) Our elected representatives are instructed on how to vote by only those members who decide to.
With knowledge comes responsibility. Very few people know about our plan. If you believe that together we should give this our best shot, then you must turn out and vote for us. If I am elected this will turbo charge our likelihood of Scotland-wide success. The election on the 26th of June will be a seven-way contest with two new parties added Reform UK and us. It was a four-way race in 2022 when the vote was split CON (27%) SNP (23%) LAB (22%) GRN (20%) and LD (7%). Each of the seven parties will secure on average 14% of the vote. The electorate is 18,600. A 37% turnout means there will be 6,882 votes, 14% of which is only 963. My target is to secure 1,500 1st preference votes and 1,500 2nd preference etc. votes. This might secure us the seat for the people of Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart. Let’s make history!
Most importantly scan the PETITION QR-code, sign and share the petition ASAP. You will receive an email and WhatsApp message which you can forward UK-wide!
Alternatively, you can sign the petition below take a photo and email or WhatsApp it to me or post it.
Yours faithfully, Marc Wilkinson Party Leader
EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE M: +44 7791 843 702 E: info@edinburghandeastlothianpeople.org

SIGN OUR PETITION TO STOP THE
PARTY WHIP & THE BLOCK VOTE
It will be sent to your Councillors, MP & MSPs.

https://edinburghandeastlothianpeople.org/petitions/stop-the-party-whip/

Our Councillors, MPs & MSPs should exercise their intellect and judgement to investigate and should cast a free vote on behalf of their constituents as per their conscience. We no longer want Councillors, MPs & MSPs to take instructions on how to vote from their party or from the majority of the Councillors in their party. If this continues, we will consider voting for EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE in the 2026 Scottish Parliament Elections, the 2027 Local Council Elections and the 2029 General Election.
We petition: 1) Our respective ward Councillors, 2) The Leaders of all the Party Groups of Councillors in our respective Council Chambers including the Conservatives, Greens, Liberal Democrats, Labour, Reform and SNP, and 3) Our MPs and our constituency MSPs and, for the region our seven regional MSPs.
We petition that you please do all that is in your powers to: 1) Encourage as many Councillors, MPs & MSPs as possible to agree with the objective of this petition, 2) For Councillors, please lodge a motion for your Party’s Group of Councillors to vote on allowing your party’s Councillors a free vote, and 3) For MPs & MSPs, please attempt a coordinated group of rebels who vote with their conscience against the Party Whip.
If too many vote against the whip your party can’t suspend all of you. If they do you should form a new party.
NAME: ADDRESS: POSTCODE:
EMAIL: MOBILE: SIGNED: DATE:
My address will not be made public. However, it will be included on the petition delivered to my elected representatives as they need to know I am their constituent. I agree with being informed by EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE & by Marc Wilkinson personally about the progress of this petition and issues relevant to elections, political representation and our PEOPLE PARTIES project to transform politics UK-wide.
SOME BACKGROUND TO THIS PETITION
It is our opinion that the block vote by the six main parties in the City of Edinburgh Council is flawed as it makes Councillors unaccountable directly to their respective ward constituents whom they represent.
When campaigning for election, candidates often claim, “I will be your local champion, and I will represent the interests of the people of our ward or constituency”. Such claims are ignorant or deceitful as Councillors are usually not able to cast their vote freely. Imagine, for example, the two of us were both Councillors from the same party and we both felt strongly about voting in a particular way on an issue. If we failed to persuade the majority of the Councillors in our party to vote how we wanted to vote, then both of our votes would be cast in direct opposition to how we both wanted to vote. We wouldn’t be able to vote how we wanted to - let alone how our constituents would like us to. The same problem exists in Holyrood & Westminster as MPs & MSPs are often whipped and instructed on how to vote by their parties.
We believe this is the single lynchpin flaw in the current system of politics which is causing so many millions to be so unhappy. I know this is a bold claim. Watch our video (QR on front page) and you can be the judge.
The political parties are far too large, controlling far too many thousands of people with a top-down control which is becoming more autocratic - evidenced by the Labour Party suspending 7 MPs within one month of the 2024 General Election. When our elected representatives are whipped and told that they will be told how to vote, that demotes them to the status of a lackey. As a lackey one’s job is to do as one’s told and to not ask questions at which point it is human nature for one to disengage one’s intellect. Is this what we want from our elected representatives? No! We need elected representatives to ask questions for positive societal change.
We believe most people don’t want wars or poverty, and that the big parties and their elected politicians have been manipulated into doing what their donors want. We want them to do what the people want.
POLICIES PEOPLE CARE ABOUT EdinburghandEastLothianPeople.org/policies
Our party is different to the other main parties. Policies are proposed by members and a 2/3rds majority vote by members is needed for policies to become party policy. We encourage local people who agree with the party's aim of representing ordinary people to join the party. Regarding issues that affect us, our right to informed consent represents real democracy. Please join EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE so that you can propose and vote on policies. Membership fees are voluntary, so do join us.
Local Democracy Our elected representatives must take instructions from members of EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE from the constituency on how to vote on their behalf. This is the opposite of top-down parties which whip their Councillors, MSPs and MPs into voting along party lines or risk being suspended.
Education Improving literacy & numeracy in Primary Schools is a priority. We cannot afford to let standards drop further. We also recognise parents’ central role in a child’s education. The Scottish Government’s own Statutory Teaching Guidance for relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) states: “Parents and carers play a key role in all aspects of their children’s education”. In practice, the Scottish Government fails to inform parents of what their child is being taught, and parents’ consent is assumed. Our policy is to ensure parents are informed of the RSHP topics at the start of each term, proactively requesting all parents either consent or opt-out their child from certain topics. It is time to empower parents.
Additional Support Needs (ASN) As per the Scottish Government Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2024 publication, in 2024 there were 284,448 children who had additional support needs. This represented 40.5% of all pupils. The figure for 2023 was 36.7%. This is a huge year-on-year increase of +10.4% when you consider that we are comparing the same children, one year on (apart from the S6 who have graduated being replaced by a new intake of P1s). An obvious potential explanation is the 2023 P1 intake has additional support needs which are far greater than those of the S6s who graduated in 2023.
Schools are under huge pressure. Billions were found and spent during the Covid Lockdowns. Our policy is to call for an annual increase in the budget for ASN which is equal to the annual increase in children with ASN.
ASN Research We call for far more research to be commissioned by the Scottish Government to identify the likely causes of this concerning increase in Additional Support Needs.
NHS & Health Reverse & STOP privatisation of the NHS. Promote prevention to focus on cures. The current system treats symptoms, prescribing drugs lifelong at a huge cost to the NHS yielding huge corporate profits.
Social Care Protect the Social Care budget and oppose cuts. Increase financial support for carers who are facing financial difficulties. Many carers are in extreme hardship due to being unable to keep working alongside their caring responsibilities. No one should be penalised for caring for their loved ones.
Winter Fuel Allowance This should be reinstated for OAPs until energy bills come down more.
Men & Women’s Equal Rights are a central and important issue to ensure all people are treated equally. The Equality Act 2010 enshrines in law that “sex” is one of the nine protected characteristics. Equal sex-based rights must be protected to help Scotland be a more equal society. We welcome the Supreme Court ruling that for the purpose of the Equality Act, “sex” means biological sex. It is not acceptable to engage in intimidation or threats of violence towards men or women who are concerned about their sex-based rights.
Scottish Independence Our members have decided to set aside party-political differences, come together and fix politics as a priority. Our policy on Scottish Independence is to not have a policy on Scottish Independence and to be neutral. Once 2/3rds of members decide we should have a policy then we will vote on whether the party should become pro-independence or pro-union. Our members include pro-independence & pro-union members. The priority for EDINBURGH & EAST LOTHIAN PEOPLE is to have as many voters, members, and candidates as possible to secure as many elected representatives as possible.
Business Support Encourage new small businesses to lease empty shops by offering them a 2-year rates relief holiday to help them get past the 18-month period within which most small businesses fail. Increase the VAT threshold from £90,000 to £300,000 to incentivise small one-man-band & family businesses to grow.
Mobile Telecommunications Provide a better mobile phone signal strength for UK mobile devices by legislating that the four networks set their customers’ SIM cards to roaming. Mobile phones will connect to the mast with the strongest signal. This will reduce the quantity of Telecom Masts needed for the same coverage.