Taking Time to Chat Aberdeen SNP National Conference
Those of you attending the SNP National Conference in Aberdeen this weekend: please pause for a few moments and have a chat with Tim Pravda @ExcludedFighter he is the face of the Excluded and well known by most MPs and many MSPs too. Five years on from the first cries of exclusion, Tim continues to represent the Excluded taxpayers, collecting stories, pressing for redress, keeping the flame alive. Your voice, your attention, your acknowledgement matters. It is hoped by the Excluded Scotland taxpayers the SNP MSPs and MPs will use their voice again, even within the devolved remit to amplify the plight of those Excluded, to push Westminster, to coordinate, to ensure future crises do not again leave people entirely out in the cold.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the UK Government decreed that the nation must stay home, it became clear that financial support schemes would be central to protecting people from hardship. The Scottish Government’s hands were very much tied: matters of pandemic financial relief, furlough, grants, many welfare support tools, and eligibility rules, are controlled by Westminster. Scotland could advocate, encourage, supplement where possible, but the purse-strings for many relief schemes are held at the UK level. Yet despite those limitations, several SNP MPs (at Westminster) and MSPs (in Holyrood) stood up loudly for the 3.8 million UK taxpayers who were “Excluded” from support, those who received no help under the rules as they were first drawn. Their voices brought attention to the gaps in support, pressed for change, and kept hope alive.
Ian Blackford MP — As the former Westminster SNP Leader, Ian Blackford repeatedly raised the plight of the Excluded. In December 2020 he urged the UK Government to “save Christmas” for the three million who had had no support. Within 20 minutes of receiving an email from Excluded Scotland’s Community Manager and his constituent, Sadie-Michaela Harris – he was on the phone asking how he could help. He met with Excluded’s Aron Padley and Annick Hicks via Zoom, spoke in Prime Minister’s Questions, and made visible the stories of hardship, debt, mental health crises among those left out. Ian continued to use his voice and support the Excluded throughout his time in office.
Stephen Flynn MP – Current Westminster SNP Leader – always takes time out to chat with Tim when their paths cross.
Alison Thewliss MP Former SNP Member for Glasgow Central, was a Co-Chair of the original Excluded All-Party Parliamentary Group – Gaps in Support. She supported statements and letters to the Chancellor urging recognition and urgent action for the Excluded in debates over the mini-budget and later financial statements. The Chair of that original APPG was Jamie Stone Lib. Dem. MP for Caithness, Easter Ross and Sutherland – who recently rejoined the latest APPG following his meeting with Sadie on September 17th.
David Linden MP contributed in Commons debates drawing attention to those excluded from support and advocated for wider eligibility. Hansard contains contributions from him noting the excluded groups
Alyn Smith MP publicly backed cross-party calls for action on the nearly three million excluded and pushed the Chancellor to act in early 2021.
Patrick Grady MP spoke in Commons debates criticising UK support packages for leaving many people out
Kirsty Blackman MP current Gaps in Covid Support APPG ordinary member
Chris Law MP current Gaps in Covid Support APPG ordinary member
There are numerous Hansard records from 2020–21 where SNP MPs collectively and individually raised the “Excluded ” in debates about economic support, the self-employment income support scheme and the Chancellor’s plans. Hansard and debate transcripts are the primary record of many of these interventions.
Maree Todd MSP along with Dr Lucy Beattie met with Excluded Scotland on 17 February 2024 to discuss the Excluded community; Excluded Scotland records this meeting. Lucy herself was excluded form financial C19 support grants. This shows Holyrood interest and engagement from Maree Todd’s office.
We thank Ian Blackford, Alyn Smith, Alison Thewliss, and all others—whether named here or not—who used their platforms, against difficult constraints, to defend and defend loudly the Excluded. Your efforts are not forgotten, and they continue to make a difference.
Why It Mattered
These interventions mattered enormously. They:
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Helped ensure the stories of those entirely left out of support weren’t forgotten or sidelined.
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Pressured the UK Government to at least acknowledge the Excluded.
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Provided hope, leadership and legitimacy, letting people feel that their plight was seen in places of power.
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Reminded that although Scotland’s Government could sympathise and attempt mitigation (through devolved powers), many of the tools needed grants, furlough criteria, regulation of support schemes were outwith Holyrood’s direct control.
As the SNP National Conference gathers in Aberdeen, Tim Pravda hopes to meet delegates in person to express his heartfelt thanks for the support shown to the Excluded community over the past five years. The campaign’s persistence owes much to the voices within the SNP who spoke up when so many were unheard. Tim’s message is simple: please continue to stand with those still fighting for recognition and redress.Your encouragement, your platforms, and your willingness to keep this issue visible remain vital.
