Paisley, pies and paranoia – where Truss went wrong in her conference speech

‘Ms Truss seems to have forgotten which prime minister’s free-market economic policies were the cause of the blight on lives and communities.’ Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

During her conference speech on Wednesday, Liz Truss referred to growing up in Paisley and Leeds during the 80s and 90s, and the effects of social and economic deprivation on communities. She said: “I know what it is like to live somewhere that isn’t feeling the benefits of economic growth … I’ve seen the boarded-up shops. I’ve seen people left with no hope turning to drugs.”

Of course, it wasn’t just in Paisley and Leeds that this occurred. It was prevalent across much of Scotland. I saw it, too, when teaching at a school in what had once been a thriving mining community.