READING any number of polls as we head towards the general election this week, it’s obvious that the public are concerned about the state of the UK.

Wishy-washy, play-it-safe manifesto commitments or more of the same won’t cut it. Labour’s offering to the voting public to fix Tory-broken Britain is hardly inspiring or indeed reassuring. With their heads in the sand on Brexit and policies such as keeping the two-child cap, there’s not much to choose between them and the Conservatives.

There’s an element of trepidation that a change at Number 10 might not bring the big reset necessary to put the country back together.

In the real world, voters are desperate for our leaders to do politics differently, to rise to the epic challenges that we face and deliver long term change.

With public services on their knees, a stagnant economy, our international reputation in tatters and dangerous intransigence on action on climate change, the public deserve more from the current red or blue offering.

It’s no secret who I believe can bring that change and make sure Scotland’s voice is heard at Westminster.

It’s why I am pleased to endorse former SNP housing minister Alex Neil’s action plan to solve a major challenge that we face in our nation – Scotland’s Housing Emergency.

He has called on the Scottish Government to “think big” with an ambitious target to construct 200,000 new houses over the next five years now that the Scottish Government have declared a “housing emergency”.

READ MORE: Alba launch independence white paper series to rival SNP government's

Last Monday he outlined his arguments in this paper; this Monday I’d like to develop his theme of “thinking big” in order to deliver successfully and rebuild trust with the electorate through long-term, ambitious and system-wide transformation.

Creating a Housing Emergency Action Plan at scale to deliver change could address numerous major issues across society as well as meeting the challenge of a dire shortage of homes.

For instance, with climate change cutting across every sector in terms of much-needed accelerated action and delivery, building homes that are climate proof and future fit as well as retrofitting and renovating drafty and inadequate existing properties could also address decarbonisation of the built environment in Scotland.

Building new homes that are climate resistant is a far simpler process than retrofitting old housing stock, ready for district heating systems to provide low carbon heating and energy efficiency where possible.

Across Scotland we have an incredible mix of renewable and low-carbon energy sources that could be accessed for these heat networks depending on availability and geography.

In my former constituency of Dunfermline and West Fife we have significant untapped potential to source heat from water in abandoned coal mines across former coalfield communities still reeling from the trailing arm of Thatcherism.

Last year, Alex Neil and I co-wrote a discussion paper with think tank the Common Weal, Dr Keith Baker of Glasgow Caledonian University and researcher, Ali Anderson looking at the potential of geothermal energy as a starting point to re-boot our ambitions for a National Energy Company to provide low carbon, low cost, local energy to communities.

I was delighted to see that the Scottish Government’s Employment and Investment Minister, Tom Arthur, has recently visited Iceland to find out more about their geothermal success and reaffirm the Scottish Government’s commitment to exploring similar options for Scotland.

There is an excellent blueprint for success closer to home with the mine water heat project at Gateshead in England which provides hot water and heating to local housing, offices and colleges.

It’s the largest of its kind in the UK and is run by an impressive team as a Public Energy Company committed to delivering this heat source as affordably as possible with customers’ bills at least 5% below the market rate.

I’ve written a lot in the past about Scots as stakeholders in our own energy resources, rather than bystanders as energy giants rake in huge profits at our expense.

READ MORE: There’s no getting away from the racist dimension of the far-right vote

We need to take practical steps to address this inequity, we need to move on from talking about action and start delivering with comprehensive, realistic and measurable plans that are big, bold and inspirational to change Scots lives for the better.

New, good quality climate resilient housing, built by Scottish constructions companies, using local sustainable energy sources, managed by a publicly owned National Energy Company, delivered by Holyrood and at affordable and fair rates seems like a no brainer to me. Investing in our citizens and the environment means doing things differently. It’s time to “think big’.