A veteran publican has revealed that he is planning to run as an MP in the next Westminster parliamentary election to provide a voice for small businesses – and is encouraging other business owners to do the same.
Graham Blaikie operated The Mercat Bar & Grill in Musselburgh for 16 years before rising energy costs forced the venue to shut last year. He had previously run a pub in Haymarket as a lessee and, before that, been a manager for a pub company.
Blaikie, who will run as an independent, has been involved with the Scottish Licensed Trade Association for years, and said he has often been frustrated by politicians refusal to listen to the trade.
“I’ve been involved with the SLTA for years and volunteered a lot of my time attending things like parliamentary meetings or licensing forums, and whenever you go to these kinds of events it’s a lot of time out of your business, and it costs you money.
“Between having a member of staff cover your shift, travel costs, it can cost you around £100 to attend a meeting.
“What I find frustrating is that, when you attend these meetings, you’re often the only person in there that isn’t being paid to be there. And through the years we’ve attended these meetings out of our own pockets and given them advice – on things like business rates, VAT and Duty – and they haven’t listened.
“That’s why I want to run as an MP. We have these amazing small business owners that have so much to offer. Publicans, retailers, restaurateurs and all kinds of other business owners, who are switched on and understand how difficult it is at the coalface.
“How many politicians have run their own business? How many have had to suffer the knock-on effects of policies being made by people that don’t listen and don’t understand?”
