Husband and wife team Louise and James McDaid are standing as candidates for Socialist Labour in two of Ayrshire’s parliamentary constituencies.

Louise is candidate in Central Ayrshire covering Irvine, Troon and Prestwick as well as part of Kilwinning, while James is standing in the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency, which includes the rest of Kilwinning, the Three Towns, the Garnock Valley and North Coast areas as well as Arran.

Louise revealed: “We first met 42 years ago at Irvine’s youth CND group and have been active ever since.

“We have campaigned for peace, in support of striking miners, against South African apartheid, against the Poll Tax and on trades union and community issues throughout the years. 

“We both joined the Socialist Labour Party on its formation in 1996. 'New' Labour under Tony Blair, rendered it no different from the Tory party in essence."

She added: “The billionaires and politicians who meet annually in Davos revealed that the richest 10 per cent of the world’s population own 90 per cent of the world’s wealth, a situation that continues and worsens year-by-year. 

“This begins to explain the cause of austerity that causes so much inequality, poverty and misery here in Ayrshire and elsewhere. Recent figures showed one in three local children live life in poverty. 

“This is disgraceful, but austerity can be consigned to the dustbin of history by using 90 per cent of that wealth owned and controlled by just 10 per cent of the world’s population to finance the policies essential for an equitable society.

“It would spell the end of unemployment. It would see North Ayrshire’s youth have free education from nursery and primary school to a university degree. It would provide Britain’s pensioners with an index-linked pension equal to the average wage.

 “It would spell the end zero hours contracts and allow workers to be paid a fair wage with holidays and sick pay entitlement. It would provide a National Health Service available at the time of need, upon demand, and completely free. 

“It would result in the building or refurbishment of local authority and council housing each year until homelessness is eliminated."