In what is fast becoming a serial on the Glasgow North East by-election, I thought it was worth taking a beat to stop and think of the Geography of winners past and present.
Back in July 2008, John Mason surprised almost all by winning Glasgow East. John lived in Glasgow East, worked his socks off as a local councillor and knew the constituency like the back of his hand.
In Novemeber 2008, Lindsay Roy won Glenrothes in something of a shock victory for Labour. A headmaster at the time who was so popular that he had been headhunted to reverse the fortunes of a local High School, Lindsay no doubt knew the local parents, the local kids and was immersed in the Fife community.
Now turning to the Glasgow North East constituency (and neatly glossing over the fact that the SNP are one candidate short of a campaign), I have learned that the Labour candidate is a senior law lecturer. No bad thing of course, but he teaches in London South Bank University. A local man? Sounds a bit hollow personally. I wonder how that'll go down on the streets of Springburn.
Even the claims that Willie returns every weekend to his beloved home constituency sound a little bit rose-tinted, a case of over-reaching perhaps? Have Scottish Labour merely flown in a decent candidate from England's capital because noone else would do it?
Anyway, I don't know why I am getting carried away with this particular contest. As Westminster correspondent Kevin Schofield has been telling us for so long, the by-election may not even be held until November!
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5 comments:
Why will it not be held until November, when the one in Norwich is in a few weeks' time? Is there a reason?
The reason stated in The Herald is that Labour don't want to trouble people during the holidays.
Not that it stopped them last year for Glasgow East when the by-election was held during Glasgow's fair fortnight.
The real reason is that Labour fancy their chances with Glasgow NE and want to use it as a springboard into the General Election in early-2009.
That and the fact that leaving it as long as possible will increase their chances of winning (like Glenrothes) whereas Norwich is a lost cause whenever it is called so best to get it out of the way early.
Glenrothes does not count, as there is a strong whiff of fraud. But if the Guardian Council says Roy won, who are we to argue?
Older SNP activists know Willie Bain well and I can't force them to say anything bad about him. It really will have to be a case of playing the ball and not the man. (Which is how things should be anyway...) ;-)
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