Be Kerr-ful what you wish for

So, the SNP candidate for the Glasgow North East by-election is David Kerr with the contest probably not being held until November 12th ,unless an MP brings a writ into the last class of the term with them, as opposed to board games (as long as they're quiet*)

A strong local candidate didn't step forward in the first selection contest and so it has proved in the second. Not that it matters, the party has a very strong candidate in a man who clearly backs himself to take this campaign by the scruff of the neck and give it his all. I suspect David Kerr's decision to step up and take the candidacy despite initially losing to James Dornan will actually endear him to local party members.

No doubt we are set for a few days, weeks or even months of hilarity as the SNP is derided for having a 17th choice candidate who not only doesn't live in the constituency but comes from Mars.

After all, we had The Scotsman claiming David Kerr was the fourth choice candidate when he is clearly the third and now we have The Herald even more bizarrely claiming David has won the candidacy at the third time of asking. Was there another selection contest that I wasn't aware of?

But is the issue of David Kerr not being local a concern?

Well, yes and no.

I personally say yes as I myself don't tend to vote for candidates who do not live in the constituency which they are planning to represent. It is a situation which has led Chris Walker to step down as the candidate for the distinctly winnable Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, his reticence to move to the area being the stated reason for his departure.

But, clearly, such a condition for voters is not universal.

I looked up the last time a candidate from outside the constituency won a by-election and I didn't have to look far. Edward Timpson, the target for Labour's misguided Tory toff campaign, won Crewe & Nantwich with a stomping majority. Parallels can be drawn further in that both Timpson and Kerr are well-known names generally for reasons outside of Politics and they are both a youthful 35 years old.

Furthermore, the only reason that geography was an issue last year during Glasgow East was that Margaret Curran tried to pretend she lived in the constituency when she clearly didn't.

And, given the contest is so far away, either triviality that David wasn't the first choice candidate and isn't from Springburn shouldn't matter. When any candidate is asked about the economy, schools, Afghanistan etc, it will be difficult for them to squeeze in an answer that amounts to 'well, at least I live just down the road'.

It will be a particularly intense contest coming as it does just months away from the General Election. A nervous Labour party with less than yeasty poll ratings could be an erratic sight to see and for parites big game players are required.

I have no doubt the SNP has just such a candidate.

Opposing parties may well enjoy the supposed 'meltdown' that they think they are seeing but I don't think David Kerr is who Labour HQ would have chosen to run their candidate against if they had a vote themselves....



* I don't know if it was just our school that allowed kids to bring in board games on the last day of school as long as they were quiet but I always remember Hungry Hippos being the most popular game which, given its considerable noisiness, was a flagrant breach of a clear rule, indeed the only rule, that had been set down. I'm just bitter cos no-one ever wanted to play chess....