SNP candidate Glen Reynolds’ political interest began as child when he says he would carry around tapes of Martin Luther King’s speeches.
The inspiration he took from those tapes would spark off a career which saw him work as a libel lawyer and then in conflict zones around the globe.
As the SNP’s pick in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, the former Labour man’s life experience is something he wants to bring to his parliamentary ambition.
And he’s desperate to win the seat off Conservative candidate Andrew Bowie, who has represented the constituency since 2017.
Born in London, Mr Reynolds went to university before qualifying as a lawyer, specialising in libel and investigative journalism.
“I was the lawyer for Private Eye. I went on to run the in-house litigation department at Mirror Group Newspapers”, he told the P&J on the campaign trail.
“And from there, my career took a bit of a change and worked abroad alongside the truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa.”
International work
The restorative justice body was set up in the country in 1996, to probe the many human rights violations under the apartheid regime.
After his time there, which he has described as a “transformational period”, he went on to work with third sector organisations and charities in conflict zones, and on human rights and empowerment in other countries.
This saw him work in countries including Iran, Columbia, Russia, China and Japan.
He completed a doctorate in theology and has a Roman Catholic faith.
He said: “I’ve always been interested in politics. As a child I used to carry around tapes of Martin Luther King’s speeches which very much inspired me.
“Maybe that indicates why a lot of my politics is based on helping those at the bottom of the tree getting a helping hand up.”
But he’s no stranger to elections and chose to stand as Labour’s candidate in Berwick-upon-Tweed in 2005.
He eventually moved to Scotland in 2007 and would go on to stand again for the party in 2010 in Banff and Buchan.
However, Mr Reynolds said he was “always” in favour of Scottish independence and got involved after joining the party in 2012.
He would become an SNP councillor for Banff and District in 2017 and was re-elected in 2022, a position he still holds.
“Apart from Scottish independence, I felt a refreshing change from a very strong Blairite tendency within the Labour Party”, he said.
“I began to see very little difference between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.
“Not least around meaningful discussions to do with helping people and empowering people in a very meaningful and radical way.”
Election race
His next challenge is to take on Conservative candidate Mr Bowie in a seat he believes he can win.
It ran close last time when the Tories won by just 843 votes over the SNP.
Both candidates are keen to position themselves as on the side of the oil and gas industry and to portray their opponent as letting those workers down.
Mr Bowie accused the SNP’s north-east campaign as being “left in tatters” after the party’s candidate in Edinburgh, Tommy Sheppard, said voters can “assume” there will be a presumption against new oil and gas licences.
Mr Reynolds made a campaign stop with SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn at engineering services company Dron & Dickson in Westhill on Tuesday.
Speaking to the P&J at their base, he said the Tories have “let down” the region by “not having a long-term vision for oil and gas”.
On the SNP’s own policy, which has appeared confused in recent weeks, Mr Reynolds said: “The party has always been supportive of new oil and gas licences.
“The issue has been around incorporating compatibility statements and policies around that.”
Aside from protecting jobs as the oil and gas industry transitions towards renewables, Mr Reynolds wants to address problems in rural communities who feel “increasingly isolated” from transport and care.
Housing and health are priorities for him, alongside problems with rent prices, housing and pensioner poverty.
And how does he rate his chances at taking the seat on July 4?
“We’re very confident but we’re not complacent about taking the seats,” he said.
“The devastating impact that the Tory party is suffering at the moment, not least off the back of the Rishi Sunak debacle around D-Day and that the Tory Party is losing all credibility with the public.”
Other candidates standing in the seat are Kate Blake (Scottish Labour), Brandon Innes (Reform UK), Iris Leask (Independent), William Linegar (Scottish Greens), David Allen Neill (no stated party) and Michael Turvey (Scottish Liberal Democrats).
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