Happy news from Bo'ness

SNP ROMP HOME IN BY-ELECTION ON FIRST COUNT

NO JOY FOR LABOUR AS VOTE FALLS & SNP INCREASE BY 10%

The SNP has enjoyed an overwhelming victory in the Bo'ness & Blackness
by-election in Falkirk by winning the seat on the first count of votes
with an overwhelming 58% of the vote whilst Labour’s vote fell back from
2007. The victory sees the election of Ann Ritchie as the new SNP
councillor for the seat.

The SNP vote rose by 10% from May 2007 to 58% today whilst Labour fell
back 2% to 30%. The result equals a 6% swing to the SNP.

Commenting on the victory Falkirk West SNP MSP Michael Matheson said:

"This is an outstanding result for the SNP in the Central Scotland region.
For the SNP to win outright on the first preference votes with almost
double the share Labour received is a remarkable result for the SNP in
central Scotland.

“Labour very much thought they were in with a shout and will be very, very
disappointed to have not only been defeated but to see their vote fall.

"Ann Ritchie will make an excellent councillor for Bo'ness & Blackness and
her well-deserved victory reflects on how the SNP is addressing the issues
that matter to people locally and nationally.

"More importantly this is a great tribute to the late Cllr Harry Constable
whose sad death led to this by-election. As a long-serving councillor for
the area his hard work has obviously left a strong and enduring legacy for
the SNP."

Commenting on her victory Cllr Ann Ritchie said;

"It is an honour to have been elected to represent Bo'ness & Blackness on
Falkirk Council.

"I look forward to working with my SNP colleagues on the council, in
Parliament and in the SNP Government to put forward a positive vision for
Falkirk and to fight for the interests of Bo'ness & Blackness.

"The sad passing of respected Councillor Harry Constable was a loss to
Bo'ness & Blackness because he had contributed so much to the community
over many years.

"I will work hard to ensure Harry’s legacy continues to show that it is
the SNP which represents the best interests of ordinary people."

ENDS

Notes

1. The results of the first preference votes were:

SNP (Ann Ritchie): 1,604 votes - 58% (+10%)
Labour: 823 votes - 30% (-2%)
Tory: 283 votes - 10% (-3%)
LibDem: 79 votes - 3% (3%)

A 6% swing from Labour to the SNP.

Since a majority of votes was acquired on the first count Cllr Ann Ritchie
was elected at the first stage of counting.

2. Details on Ann Ritchie:

Anne, a married mother of two has a long record of service to the wider
Bo'ness community and is:

• An Executive member of the Bo'ness Children's Fair Day Committee
• Chair of the Appeals Committee for the Fair Day
• A Church Elder and Sunday School teacher in the Carriden Parish Church
• 12 years a member of the Bo'ness Community Council
• Parent member of the Bo'ness Public School Council
• Coach to local girls youth football team

Glasgow North East

First things first: I'm very disappointed in the result. Not so much that we lost, but that we had all worked so hard for so long for little in return. I didn't forsee such a gap between us, and was pretty shocked to see the votes stacking up so emphatically for Labour at the count.

The low turnout was equally disappointing - so many people clearly felt there was no point in voting.

I had discussions on doorsteps with many people, gave them many good reasons to give the SNP a try in this by-election. The relentless negativity from Labour seemed to seep right into the bones of the electorate, and we were unable to shake this off.

From here, we will as a party do the post mortem, dust ourselves off, and do better next time. Lessons will learned, as they are from every result.

This, too, will pass.

Update:

One thing which I forgot to mention - on the stage at the count, there was a shiny slide show of glamorous Glasgow locations, clearly places civic leaders are proud of and want to show to visiting correspondents. These included the Kelvingrove and Royal Exchange Square, but didn't showcase any locations in Glasgow North East. How odd...

Working hard in Glasgow North East

I thought I'd share a couple of snaps from the weekend - on Saturday we had around forty activists out working hard to get David elected. Not bad considering the sun was splitting the sky and the Glasgow River Festival was on! You can never get people in the SNP to stand in the one place for very long, so the photo here shows a few of the activists who were there at 3.30.

People came again from various parts of the country, keen to work and bring about change in Glasgow, and we certainly made the most of the good weather.

David visited the Springburn Gala Day and spent a long time meeting local people and organisations. There were great performances from the Maryhill Integration Network, showing off the diversity of the North East of Glasgow.

I notice from Wardog's blog that Labour are setting a new record in anti-democratic behaviour by leaving the people of Glasgow North East unrepresented for 114 days.

This past weekend also marked the first anniversary of John Mason's epic win in Glasgow East. The best way to celebrate is with cake - and although I arrived back too late to get a chunk, I hear it was very tasty!

Labour candidate in attack on Michael Martin?

While waiting for news of whether the writ will be moved today, I thought I'd take a look at Labour's campaign website for Glasgow North East. I'm not particularly impressed, but this nugget stood out...

"I think too many politicians have lost touch with ordinary people. I promise that if you send me to Westminster, I will never claim lavish expenses and I will never milk the system."

I wonder who Labour's Willie Bain might be referring to? Not former Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, surely?

You could not have picked an MP further away from the people of Glasgow North East than Michael Martin, or one who milked the system more. This is a man who hired a limo to take him on a visit to the Job Centre for goodness sake. It's not quite spitting on the poor, but it's close... and it's no wonder people have lost faith in politicians.

Speaker Martin claimed for luxury items like chauffeur driven limo's to Celtic Park. He used air miles gained at the taxpayer's expense to send his family on trips. He claimed for a constituency office which is in his own house (designated as his second home, naturally) and not actually in his constituency. He has pocketed £44,753 in allowances for his Glasgow (second) home since 2004, which is not far off buying you a flat in Springburn. Talk about out of touch.

Michael Martin will now go off to snooze in ermine robes for the rest of his days. His home in Glasgow has been refurbished at the taxpayer's expense, but to add insult to injury, he will continue to take money from the pockets of his former constituents. There aren't many people in Glasgow North East (or anywhere, really) who have a taxpayer-funded, index-linked, inflation-adjusted pension, worth in the region of £1.4 million, consisting of half his MP’s salary and half his Speaker’s salary.

The people of Glasgow North East should not let Labour off the hook by ignoring this kind of behaviour. Labour have wiped their feet on the people of Glasgow for generations, and it's high time to kick them out. Only the SNP will stand up for the people of Glasgow North East; it's time for a fresh start.

Cakes and canvassing

I meant to blog last night when I got in. I closed my eyes for what seemed to me to be a few minutes, but Joe assures me he watched two episodes of Voyager while I'd been snoozing. You'll gather that the SNP's campaign for Glasgow North East is running at full pelt!

I notice that Scottish Tory Boy has heard rumours that the election will be called tomorrow before Westminster goes on recess. I do hope he's correct - October/November is too long to wait and I loved the excitement/exhaustion/adrenaline of Glasgow East last year.

I've been canvassing lots of people and have been getting a generally positive response. People have been welcoming, keen to chat and discuss politics and independence. There's certainly been no great affection for Labour - the only problem has been a scepticism about politicians among a few of the voters. We are all working to turn that around and give a positive account of the changes we can bring.

This afternoon, I was canvassing with David in the part of my ward which falls into Glasgow North East. It's a nice part of the world, with an excellent housing association which looks after it's tenants. The people we spoke to were aware of the election and glad to see David on their doorstep*. I also met people who already knew me as their Councillor and I'm very appreciative of the positive feedback I got.

In addition to the canvassing, I've been whipping up some tasty treats to keep our footsoldiers going. Thanks to Esther for the photo! Dozens of lemony SNP fairy cakes and slices of millionaire shortbread have been doled out so far, and I'll continue to bring more along. Our members don't need an incentive to come out and work, but it's nice to have a small reward for all their efforts.

*apart from the two residents we woke up - really sorry guys!

Glasgow North East Campaign Launch

Back home after today's Glasgow North East campaign launch for David Kerr. It was a super turnout today - well over fifty activists came out from constituencies across Glasgow to support David, as well as members from Renfrewshire, East Ren, Dundee, and Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (if I've missed you, let me know!). The student and youth wings were also well represented. Since I couldn't be in two places at once, I've taken the pic below as part of the crowd - I'm sure there'll be better ones in tomorrow's papers.

David was out and about meeting voters, shopkeepers and businesspeople, and was very well received.

The people he stopped and spoke to were impressed with his warmth, enthusiasm and professionalism, and there were a fair few won over for the cause. Many were enthusiastically embracing the SNP as a vibrant alternative to the old, tired, shadow that the Labour party has become. One woman on Duke Street, who wasn't even registered to vote, will now be taking up her democratic right for the first time in many years after realising that she can vote to move her country forward to independence.

I intend to keep blogging on the progress of the campaign in addition to the usual political and ward news. If you'd like to help, information is available on the blog http://snpforglasgownortheast.blogspot.com/ or join the facebook group.

Incidentally, Calum has a good post on Labour Party's fear of elections.

Introducing...

Our candidate for Glasgow North East, David Kerr.

This evening's selection meeting in Milton was a very pleasant affair, certainly not the picture of life in the SNP that certain uninformed outsiders would have you believe. After a speech, David answered questions and took on board contributions made by party members. Some stayed long enough to pose for a photo, and others went straight home for an early night to prepare for a busy few days ahead.

I was quietly glad to have the chance to vote on our candidate, as I was away visiting Joe's family in Derby last week and missed the previous selection ;-)

David will be a great candidate - he's personable, smart, and thoughtful. I have no doubt that he'll be an excellent MP, giving the people of the North East of Glasgow a fresh start after generations of stagnation under Labour. I look forward to campaigning with him in the weeks and months ahead.

Naughty Labour

Along with Labour's apparent use of automated cold calling for their European campaign, a couple of other pieces of poor form have come to light.

If you live in the West of Scotland, you may have received Labour's odd-looking electoral address in the past week. It's odd-looking for a reason. Instead of being constituency-specific or very general, some punter called Alan from Bishopbriggs is on the front with his wife and child. Who might he be? Oh right. He's their local by election candidate.

Our candidate, Denis Johnston, is none too pleased!

“I understand the Labour Party are being referred to the Electoral Commission for their blatant misuse of their European Election address – delivered free to the electorate of East Dunbartonshire by the Royal Mail. The supposedly European Election leaflet has the Labour by-election candidate on half of the leaflet and also has their Westminster candidate on the inside.

At a time when the public are rightfully angry at the abuse of the public purse at Westminster we have a Labour council candidate and a would-be Westminster politician abusing the Royal Mail. Not only that, it shows just how much contempt they have for the electorate and the European elections."

I wonder if this laziness is due to a lack of activists on the ground. If you can't get your own people to out leaflets through doors, why not piggyback on the Euros and get the local posties to deliver for you? It wrong, it's misleading, and it gets round election expenses. I hope the proper authorities are taking action.

The second piece of dodgyness relates to Labour's party election broadcast for the English Local Elections. Yes, I'm that sad; I like to watch irrelevant PEBs in quiet moments. Anyway, to the point. At around 50 seconds, and again at 1.30, 1.54 and 2.13 some familiar-looking apprentices appear. I've watched it several times, and I'm pretty sure they are City Building Glasgow apprentices. If I'm wrong on this, please tell me. I wouldn't like to think there's nothing been achieved in apprenticeships in the whole of England that they can use in an English PEB. Labour's links with City Building have made the press before, but this is a step too far!



PS - I notice that the photos from my colleague's recent visit haven't made it up on to City Building's website among the Labour (and single Lib Dem) photos. Hmm...

Exciting news from Dundee

"Friends as you know I’m not long back from Washington D.C. and I said to people there that I couldn’t stay long, because I was off to Dundee.

And they asked Dundee Michigan, Dundee Illinois or Dundee Oregon?

I said the original Dundee.

They asked what state was it in?

It’s in a great state, I replied.

It’s got a Labour council."

Gordon Brown, Labour Conference Speech, 6th March 2009

Since the SNP's emphatic win in the Maryfield by-election on the 12th of March, negotiations have been ongoing to remove the Labour/LibDem/Tory administration from Dundee. There will be a special full meeting of Council on the 30th of March, but ahead of this the tension appears to have gotten too much for the Labour Lord Provost John Letford, who has stepped down from the Labour party to go independent.

Provost Letford said in the Courier “I have been trying to persuade my ex-colleagues for nearly two years to recognise the fact that, in the interests of the city and fair play, Dundee City Council committee conveners should be compiled from all parties... It is ludicrous to believe all the political talent required to run a city is only available in the administration and exclude half of the councillors”.

That doesn't sound like a group in a great state, never mind a Council. The anti-democratic anyonebuttheSNP administration in the city has most recently been criticised for the condition of it's Council housing. When I went up to lend a hand during the by-election campaign I spoke to plenty of scunnered Dundonians who were desperate to kick the administration out of office. I also found out how unhappy some Dundee Council employees are with those in control. What's needed isn't a rainbow coalition - it's a wind of change.

The make up of the Council is now:
14 SNP
8 Labour
3 Conservatives
2 Liberal Democrats
2 Independents

*sigh*

Last night was pretty disappointing; there's no point in denying that.

Baillieston didn't manage to inspire Obama-esqe queues at polling stations. Turnout was only 20.9%. Full results are available on the Council website. I got the feeling that people just weren't that enthused at the idea of going out on a cold dreich night to vote. They got home from work, shut the curtains, settled down in front of the tv and stayed in for the night. Several people I spoke to were ill or looking after their kids, regretfully telling me they couldn't make it to the polls this time. Dark wintry nights are definately a factor, and I recall similar difficulties in a by-election in Renfrewshire a few years ago. It's far easier to encourage people out when it's sunny.

We put a lot of effort into Glenrothes, as you will have seen from my previous posts. Our vote increased, which is always encouraging. I got good, enthusiastic responses from voters. However, there were also places where the people were reticent, where doors went unanswered and clearly Labour managed to prevail.

I really object to references to 'defeat' - Labour had a 10,000 majority in this seat. That does not make them underdogs, it makes them front - runners. Glenrothes was simply a Labour hold, not a win.

Where our campaign was positive, theirs was crushingly negative. Scaremongering, and concentration on non-Westminster issues. People will be disappointed when Lindsay Roy fails to deliver on any of the issues he campaigned on - schools investment, anti social behaviour, and yes, even care charges. As an MP, these are right out of his remit.

I'm hoping to manage through the day without too many hefty sighs. This too will pass.

What's the point of Sarah Brown?

Or, less specifically, what is the point of sending your spouse out to campaign for you? I've been thinking about this since it was first announced that Sarah Brown was going out on the doorsteps, and I'm still not sure. Her actions have spawned a good many articles, but has she convinced any voters?

Sarah Brown seems to be a very competent professional, and she will have a unique insight into the Labour Government. I don't believe, however, that she should be encouraged to go out to the voters as the PM's wife to defend things her husband's government has done. They are not her decisions, unless she has been secretly pulling the strings all along, and therefore she can't be held accountable.

I do think, however, if she were doing it without the media circus as an ordinary party member, rather than the PM's wife, that's different. In the SNP (I'm sure other parties aren't any different) we go out and take people as we find them on the doorsteps. Ordinary activists don't turn up with tv crews and a crowd of journalists because we're there to engage with people on a personal level. Labour completely mishandled the situation, from Mrs Brown being their secret weapon, to gags and threats to shoot journalists.

I wonder what Sarah Brown says to voters on the doorstep? "I think my husband's doing a great job, you should vote Labour". That's hardly a reason! Perhaps she excuses herself thus: "Sorry Gordon couldn't be here, he's sent me instead". Or is she best placed to take news of the failings of Labour back to the boss: "I'll let the Prime Minister know personally that you feel hugely disappointed that the Labour Party has sold out it's values". Given that it seems that the Labour spin machine is targeting specific voters, I wonder whether she'd even get the chance to really win anyone over or speak to anyone that hasn't been hand picked.

From a personal perspective, I can't imagine sending my husband out to campaign for me. Obviously, the situation is very different, but I wouldn't put him under pressure to do something he's not comfortable with. Also he's not a member of any political party and, at present, doesn't see the need to be. I had him out leafleting a few times before the 2007 elections and he comes to the occasional SNP event, but politics is my thing as much as all things computery are his. As I've argued before, we're allowed to have differing opinions too!

I very much hope Sarah Brown volunteered to help rather than being forced, but I still don't think that voters would find much comfort in finding a substitute on the doorstep.

Campaigning goes on - whatever the weather!

The trip to Glenrothes today was a bit more hair-raising than usual due to the weather, and the high winds meant we were diverted from our usual route over the Forth Road Bridge. Huge plaudits must go to our drivers for the day, Grant and Ron, who got us there and back safely despite the storms.

Pictured are some of the hardy souls from Glasgow (along with Councillor Jim Finn, who just wanted to get in the picture!).

Throwing out traditions

It's nice to see that Gordon Brown will be making his own personal contribution in this time of flux by dispensing with old traditions which have lasted... oooh, since about 1999. Because, as we all know, Prime Ministers haven't campaigned in a by election since Uxbridge, Eddisbury, or Hamilton South.

It's up to each individual Prime Minister whether they want to campaign in a by election. There are quite a lot of by elections over the course of a Parliament (12 Westminster by elections since 2005), and I guess it's not feasible that they'd have time to come to them all. Most aren't even that close and the incumbent doesn't face much of a challenge. Perhaps a convention did grow up through this frequency - the BBC article on Uxbridge refers to a thirty year tradition of Prime Ministers not appearing at by elections, but internet links to back this up are a bit scarce previous to '97.

Things have changed dramatically in those thirty years. The reaction of the media to by elections can be incredible, and it's increasingly important for the parties to get a piece of the action. Why else would smaller parties bother with the expense of fielding candidates? I caught a wee bit of the 1964 General Election coverage on BBC Parliament the other day, and it's a world away from the media circus now surrounding elections.

The claim that Glenrothes is different has some merit. The Prime Minister's own constituency is next door; having lost Dunfermline and West Fife as recently as 2006, Mr Brown won't want to lose the constituency to his East. This is probably the most compelling reason for his appearance. Unlike Glasgow East, it is his back yard. Furthermore, it's a bit cruel but probably true that both the new Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament and Secretary of State for Scotland are still too anonymous to make any kind of impact on the good people of Fife.

While Glenrothes might be a campaign Gordon Brown can't shy away from, I wonder whether the suggestion in the Sunday Herald Editorial from during the Glasgow East campaign still stands, and what the implications will be this time around;

"He is being kept away from Glasgow, not because prime ministers don't do by-elections, but because this Prime Minister can't do elections.

It's on!

After all the flirting, it's nice to see that we finally have a date! Remember remember, the 6th of November...

Reflection following an absence

Blogging has been non-existent of late for two reasons - catching up with case work after the stunning Glasgow East By Election and the relentless whirl of satin, net and glitter involved in preparing for my wedding day tomorrow.

The 24th of July was phenomenally exciting - I couldn't quite believe what was unfolding before my eyes, and my stomach was doing flips. I didn't want to take my eyes off the ballot papers, even when John Mason arrived at the count! I found myself fixated by the boxes where the ballots were stacking up, trying to discern exactly how many bundles were in the Curran, M and Mason piles. When the result came, I couldn't have been happier and more relieved (as many people saw from my reaction on various news programmes!).

The pub afterwards was sweatier than... I can't describe how sweaty it was actually, but bear hugs for those returning victorious from the count were still mandatory. You could've lit up the city from the energy in the Barrachnie. So many deliriously happy people, basking in the knowledge that all their hard work had been worth it.

Glasgow East By Election

Apologies for the lack of updates - I've been incredibly busy juggling work and the by election, as well as trying to throw together a wedding!

As Indygal so nicely reported, I also spent two nights in hospital after a dog bite went nasty. It was a disruption I could have been doing without! After a lot of IV antibiotics, the infection stopped tracking back along my hand and my finger returned to it's normal size. The staff at the Royal Infirmary were great, and made sure I was fighting fit before they let me go.

I'm not the only one who's been bitten during the campaign - four of us were swapping stories yesterday afternoon - so you could surmise it's a risky business delivering leaflets! I've had a lot of narrow misses during the campaign so far, so I'm certainly wary when I'm out working.

I wish more dog owners would think of the risks posties and activists take just a wee bit more and install an external letter box. We don't get our fingers chewed, people get their mail in one piece. I could put a picture of my finger up to make my point, but I don't want to put you off your dinner...