Chris is unashamedly a bit of a character. He can frequently be seen performing in bars and venues around Glasgow as a singer, poet, ventriloquist and storyteller. On a wider stage, Chris may also be familiar from appearances on television game shows such as University Challenge, Countdown, A Question of Genius, Are You An Egghead? and The Weakest Link (which he won in 2002, having made Anne Robinson crack a smile if not laugh). His writing has been broadcast on both local commercial radio and BBC Radio 7.
In the serious world of politics, Chris has been actively involved with the Liberal Democrats since 1992. In particular, it was environmental issues which drew him to the party. Since his schooldays, Chris has been a keen and proactive recycler and a follower of innovative technology in energy conservation, generation and storage.
Having worked in the field of historic buildings, Chris is keen to develop ideas and practical policies to make Glasgow’s buildings work better: to find economically viable uses for historically sensitive sites; to maintain and improve tenement housing; and to provide some sort of strategy for making use of vacant retail and industrial units.
Chris has for several years been active with the Friends of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust, offering his services as fundraiser, performer and occasional master of ceremonies to bring back to life the world’s oldest surviving music hall, situated on the Trongate. He hopes to get more involved with other projects all around the constituency.
As a victim of more than one recession, Chris understands the problems of unemployment and the social security system. Reform of the tax and benefits system, to one which offers more carrots and fewer sticks (rewarding rather than penalising honesty, thrift and enterprise), is one of his legislative priorities on being elected to Westminster.
