David Maddox: The Numbers Game (24) - Scotland at odds with itself

So with the SNP's big show this morning the bookmakers have again been the first to deliver their verdicts on the chances of independence or even a referendum being achieved.

First came Ladbrokes within minutes of the launch of the white paper. It is offering:
2/1 on a referendum on Scottish Independence before 2015
20/1 on Scotland to become independent of the UK before 2015

Paddy Power's odds have just landed offering:
8/1 on Scotland to gain full independence by 2015
7/1 on a referendum on full independence to be held in 2010

The only one of those bets worth even thinking about is independence before 2015 at 20/1 but even then you would probably be wasting your money.
The odds reflect the fact that a referendum will be blocked by the pro-Union parties before 2011 and anything further for the SNP depend on Mr Salmond and his cohorts becoming the biggest party in the 2011 Holyrood election and the Lib Dems agreeing to a referendum and having enough votes between them and the Greens to force one.
It is still possible that in his dotage Alex Salmond may look back to Wendy Alexander's "bring it on!" invitation when his party's popularity was at its height and realise it was the great opportunity missed.

SNP Tactical Voting: The Referendum Bill

Now is not the time for soundbites, but I do believe that the hand of history is on our shoulders.

It is fitting to use Tony Blair's famous phrase to honour the Referendum Bill's white paper as Tony was the Prime Minister who delivered devolution to Scotland and it was Tony who was Prime Minister when the SNP won an historic victory in the Scottish Parliament elections in 2007, a victory that clearly pained the Labour leader who could only congratulate Alex Salmond through gritted teeth.

A similar pain is in abundance across the SNP's political opponents and some parts of the media as the Nationalist movement seeks to complete its destiny by bringing the people with them in its quest for independence.

The claim that Scotland's unemployment level is too high to be thinking about independence has been raised and yet our level of unemployment sits favourably against Scotland's historical levels, not to mention the UK and even EU levels.

The lamentable state of Scotland's economy is cited as another reason not to hold a referendum next year and yet if our lagging economy is a product of the United Kingdom constitutional framework then surely it is incumbent upon us to test the potential solution of indepdendence and gain control of the full gamut of financial levers sooner rather than later.

Far from being a reason not to have a referendum, being in recession while the rest of the EU returns to growth could be a key reason for getting on with one as quickly as possible.

Being a relative whipper-snapper of an SNP member it is easy for me to forget how many senior Nationalists have knocked doors, delivered leaflets, pleaded the case, received verbal abuse, decade after decade after decade just to be given the chance for Scotland to have a say on Scotland's future. I was lucky enough to be in attendance when Gordon Wilson painted out the long, hard road that the SNP has travelled thus far.

Amidst the daily hurly-burly of Scottish politics it is also easy to forget just how hugely symbolic today is so it is worth stepping back to look at the context.

Scotland has been ruled from London for 302 years. There have been 20 Conservative Governments, 17 Whig Governments, 11 Tory Governments, 10 Labour Governments, 6 Liberal Governments, 5 National Governments, 3 Coalition Governments and 1 Palmerston Government.

Yes, the Whig party governed Scotland more recently than Scotland fully governed itself.

But Scotland has a Scottish Government, one that will forever be famous in our country's history. It may not always feel like it, but we live in historic times.

So when Alex Salmond raises the Referendum Bill white paper above his head later today he won't be the only person holding it.

So too will Alexander McEwan, the first leader of the Scottish National Party back in 1934.

So too will Dr Robert McIntyre, voted into Westminster as the first SNP MP in 1945.

So too will James Halliday, a former leader who is currently Chairman of the Scots Independent publication.

So too will Arthur Donaldson, who was party leader throughout the 1960s.

So too will William Wolfe, who brought greater professionalism to the party and led the party when it won a record 11 MPs in 1974.

So too will Jim Sillars and Margo MacDonald (albeit through gritted teeth), both winners of breakthrough by-elections in Glasgow Govan.

So too will Bashir Ahmad and Sir Neil MacCormick, popular personalities within the party who both sadly died this year.

And so too will Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney, Mike Russell, Kenny MacAskill and so many more who have brought the SNP tantalisingly close to its dream.

David Maddox: The SNP's cybernat problem

There have been some questions posted on the Scotsman's website about why comments are no longer allowed after my stories.
It has been alleged that I am afraid of criticism or that I can't handle a bit of abuse. Neither of these allegations are true, if they had been comments would have been blocked long ago.
It has also been claimed that I personally ordered comments to be stopped. Again not true, although it is nice to think that people seem to believe I have such authority in the newspaper. If only.
The reason the comments are no longer allowed after my stories is because cybernats - by which I mean the extremist element that supports the SNP and manifests itself under anonymous names - were putting up comments actually seemed to be threatening me physical harm and asking people to track down my home, car etc.
At that point it was decided by the newspaper's management that comments should no longer appear after my stories.
While I think it is a shame to close down the debate, I agreed with the decision, not least because my windows have been smashed eight times in the last two years, which makes personal security for me and my family a high priority, even if the vandalism was probably done by local kids.
I confronted via e-mail a couple of the pro-Nationalist posters who put up these threatening remarks and one, who at least had the decency to apologise, admitted to being a party member.
In the stories we have seen today in Scotland on Sunday and other papers, we have seen that again there is a link between the party and these vicious bloggers.
It rather makes the odd excuse that the SNP have officially always used that these are not party members and claims the posters may even be unionist plants just look silly.
It also does gives some credence to the case of those who believe that many of these bloggers are employed by the SNP or are members and that this sort of thing may actually be co-ordinated, although personally I think we need to see much more evidence before we can draw that conclusion.
I know that this is not only an SNP problem. Labour had Damian McBride, Wendy's drunk spindoctor foul mouthing Alex Salmond and various unionist posters have been pretty vicious too.
However, in Scotland the vast majority of the vicious and defamatory posters on the internet are supporters of the Scottish National Party, whether they are actual members, staff or not.
The SNP has simply refused to deal with this extremist element who do not represent so called civic nationalism, but the extremism evident in other types of nationalism.
The party's silence on the matter has always puzzled me. Some have taken it as actually condoning the behaviour, personally I think it is the equivalent of sticking its fingers in its ears and singing: "La la la nothing's happening."
One thing that is for sure, though, is that if the SNP want us to believe it really stands for civic nationalism, as I think its leadership mostly does, then it has got to tackle this problem and wheedle out the extremists once and for all.

A note on the good guys:
I feel I should add that there some excellent Nationalist contributors in the blogosphere, even if they are a minoritry.
Two of them, who happen to be among my favourite bloggers, but are not the only good ones, are Jeff Breslin of SNP Tactical Voting and now the Steamie, and Calum Cashley, the party's Westminster candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith and a researcher in Holyrood.
Both make thoughtful observations, do not hide behind anonymous names and are well worth a read. Neither feel the need to be abusive or defamatory but address issues through proper political debate.

SNP Tactical Voting: New Holyrood Powers Have Never Been Further Away

The Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy will today address Parliament to discuss transferring further powers to Holyrood, powers that will only be devolved to Scotland after the next General Election.

They will only make it into the statute book if Labour forms the next Government which, call me a cynic, is the only reason they are being announced today mere months shy of the General Election. The attempt to find middle ground between the SNP's call for an independence referendum and David Cameron's intransigence on constitutional change may be smart politics but it may well ultimately prove to be a waste of everyone's time.

Needless to say, given that Labour are distinct second favourites to form the next Government and given that Cameron has already ruled out further changes to devolution in the next term, we in Scotland should not be holding our breath that we will have control over banning airguns or speed limits any time soon, powers that Jim Murphy claims would "close an accountabilty gap".

However, the Scottish Government has helped the Scottish Secretary out by preparing draft orders which could be used to immediately transfer these powers if Mr Murphy so chooses. It is clear that if the Scottish Secretary is serious about boosting Holyrood's remit then he would sign these order papers before the next election whereas if he is merely posturing for electioneering purposes then he won't sign them.

It is, surely, as simple as that. After all, Sir Kenneth Calman himself has already made the point that some further powers can be transferred immediately.

No doubt the Scottish Secretary hopes that his hushed, gentle, placatory tones wash over the Scottish people like a warm, comforting hug but I suspect his electioneering ruse will unravel as the General Election date nears and the SNP presses home the glaring inconsistencies in Labour's stance on further powers for Scotland.



(written by the Editor of SNP Tactical Voting)

David Maddox: DIY outrage

As many readers know the Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) is the first or in some cases the eventual port of call for any journalist who wants outrage over public spending.

I know of one or two colleagues in the more rightwing press who even have their number on speed dial. Then there is the fascination with TPA's Susie Squire (pictured) who caused a bit of a flutter at the recent Tory Party conference.

But rather helpfully a website has been created for newspapers to generate a TPA quote without having to call anybody. If you want to try click here.

Having run a couple of options through, as an occasional user of TPA, the quotes are pretty close to the real thing. However, I should point out that it is a spoof created by a group that seeks the opposite aims of TPA.

Chris Mackie: Burning a disc

From time to time, protesters gather outside the Parliament here in an (often vain) attempt to directly influence the policy makers as they enter or leave the building.


A couple of weeks back it was the doughty Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers crew, armed with placards, posters and an in-depth leaflet detailing the supposed injustices of Scottish Law. I happened to pass the group as former lawyer David McLetchie made his way through the crowd and into his waiting taxi, with a look of bemusement mixed with sheer terror on his face.


Today as I entered the building, a single rain-soaked chap huddling under an umbrella thrust a sodden flyer into my hand. He was, the leaflet informs me, from a group called Green Alternatives to Incineration in Scotland who are opposed to the burning of waste. They have now released a song on itunes to publicise their fight by a mysterious looking chap by the name of Ro J. I don't know if that is pronounced "Rawj" or "Row - Jay", but he has kindly allowed a section of the lyrics to the track - "It was Madness to Burn Our Waste" - to appear on this publication.


You have to admire the leafleteer's dedication to the cause, but I stop at admiring the lyrical skills of "Ro J", which frankly leave a lot to be desired.



You be the judge:



Verse 1

In this world of insanity,

We just need a little purity,

We are sick with pollution,

And we don't want their solution,

We're not asking for charity,

All we want is some clarity,

Burning waste for the sake of wealth,

Makes no sense if you lose your health.

Eddie Barnes - Sillars and the SNP

We've uploaded Jim Sillars' new pamphlet "Thoughts on getting to the only sensible choice for Scotland: Independence" onto our website this morning. You can read it here.

Sillars' basic point is that the SNP has to look at some of its policies - for example on Nato, Trident and the EU - and ask a simple quesion: is this harming or helping to build support for independence? If it's the former, then he says it needs to be changed. "The SNP, by itself, cannot win a vote for independence. It has to build a coalition of forces if it is to carry a majority, and that requires re-examining policies which, if adhered to in a dogmatic manner, will prevent the forging of a successful coalition," he declares. Well worth a read.

David Maddox: Why politicians should learn to play chess

Some of you may remember the debate I started with "Green" James Mackenzie (of Two Doctors and now Steamie blog fame). Sadly I was unable to persuade him that chess is by far a superior game and test of skill and intelligence than backgammon.
The Green party's spindoctor, chief strategist and general dogsbody still seems to believe that the random throw of the dice is of more value.
The advantage of chess is that it forces a player to think at least several moves ahead, look at the consequences of an action and the possible counter moves by his or her opponent.
And a story cropped up yesterday which again shows that politicians really need think more than one move ahead and not rely on random events.
In this case the "game" was MSPs vs the children of Scotland - the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) Act 2007 which was purely a piece of social engineering aimed at trying to force children from to not eat chocolate, sweets and other unhealthy food by banning their sale on school premises.
But because MSPs (and civil servants) didn't look ahead this had an unintended consequence. The story from yesterday was pupils from Dyce Academy in Aberdeen presenting a petition to have the law looked at again. Their fair trade tuck shop had been forced to shut down because the new law had banned most of their products.
Of course, the youngsters at the school generally had not been affected by the law at all in their eating habits, simply taking the two second walk to Asda to stock up on sweets, chocolates and all the other banned food.
So the only effect of this new law in terms of this school was to prevent teenagers from learning about running a business successfully and promoting ethical standards, instead their fellow pupils were driven into the welcoming arms of a commercial giant and health standards remain unaffected.
If more MSPs played chess they might have realised that social engineering is much harder to achieve than they seem to have thought in 2007.
Here's a prediction on another piece of social engineering. The SNP, Lib Dems and Greens are getting together in the upcoming criminal law act to have a presumption against short sentences of six months or less in favour of community sentences. What's the bet that we see a huge increase in the number of seven month sentences handed out by Sheriffs afterwards?

David Maddox: Political betting

I received a slightly cocky e-mail this morning from a Labour spindoctor concerning his prospects of winning a bet the two of us have on the next general election.
At the start of the by-election he bet me £10 that the SNP will have less than 10 seats after the next general election.
And, according to his e-mail, after Labour's crushing defeat in Glasgow last night he is confident that I will be handing over a state sponsored RBS note some point next year.
I took the bet because I'm always happy to receive free money and my opinion has not changed from last night.
True, the SNP juggernaut came to a halt in Glenrothes and last night only confirmed that the breakthrough needed is still a long way off. The SNP will struggle to get Alex Salmond's target of 20 seats. It seems a long time ago now since the SNP were passing around a list showing that all Labour's seats bar one would fall to them on the basis of the Glasgow East swing.
However, they will gain seats. They managed to win six in 2005 with a mere 17.6% of the vote, they are now regularly polling above 30% in Westminster voting intentions and haven't dropped below 25%.
The other factor is that the Lib Dem vote appears to be disintegrating before our eyes. The party is running at around 12/13% in the polls (half what it was in 2005) and last night came a dismal sixth with just a handful of votes. Most of the disaffected Lib Dems appear to be going to the Nationalists and, to a lesser extent, the Tories.
As things stand my prediction for the SNP at the moment is 14 seats, four for the Tories, nine for the Lib Dems and 32 for Labour. Obviously, though, the chances are I will be very wrong.

Eddie Barnes - By-Election 2am

Finally, after a prolonged count, the results for Glasgow North-East have come back in with Labour increasing its percentage share from the 2005 election, claiming 59% of the vote, up from 53% in the 2005 general election. The SNP has remained relatively stagnant - its 20% share of the vote was marginally up on the 17% it got in that same election. That makes it a 3% swing to Labour. After all the hue and cry of the last few weeks, they have won at a canter.

But the drama of the night at the SECC was the battle for the third spot. Up until a few minutes before the count, there was a growing consensus in the hall that the BNP had beaten the Conservatives into third place, handing them what would be a major publicity coup. The BNP candidate Charlie Baillie was already parading around the hall, claiming it was a fantastic night for his party.

But then the results came in, showing that the Tories had beaten the BNP by 62 votes. I think I can say without fear of contradiction that it was the first time in recent political history that a hall full of politicians in Glasgow was united in support of the Conservatives. There followed a dignified protest from the entire group of politicians. As Baillie stood up to the microphone to make his post-result speech, they all simply walked off, as did most of the watching crowd. The BNP's surge in Scotland was over before it had begun. The Conservatives are now breathing a huge sigh of relief.

All that has rather taken away the attention from a good night for Labour. However, the question tonight is whether they can translate that support into less favourable territory.

Chris Mackie: Glasgow North East - the turnout

There is some typically insightful stuff from Mike Smithson at his ever fascinating Political Betting blog this afternoon. Despite near-universal predictions of a depressingly low number of people actually bothering to cast their votes in today's Glasgow North East poll, Mike has a decent stab at arguing that the official turnout could be surprisingly high.

He argues: "Just look what happened a year ago in the last by election where Gordon Brown campaigned. That was held in early November and we saw more than 52% of those on the electoral roll recorded as voting - which wasn’t that far short of the general election figure. "

This, the increased postal vote and the 42 per cent turnout in the Glasgow East poll has led Mike to put his money on the turnout being higher than 38 per cent.

Despite the weather in Glasgow holding up so far, I think this is slightly optimistic. The big issue he fails to tackle is the impact of the expenses scandal and the resultant voter apathy - a problem felt especially keenly in a constituency such as Glasgow North East. This effect will be exacerbated by the absence of any real political fight in the seat since Michael Martin became speaker. Numerous party workers have told us of the logistical problems they have faced during this campaign caused by the lack of any meaningful voter data or polling records on which to base their campaign strategy.

Things have not been helped, frankly, by the vague air of chaos around the whole enterprise caused by the existence of a number of no-hoper candidates all fighting for attention. That is undoubtedly a welcome sight in any democracy, but it has not helped any semblance of a pervasive narrative for the election break through to the media and subsequently, the voters.

The Glenrothes and Glasgow East fight were fascinating contests because they represented a clear referendum on the popularity of the Labour government. This contest has no such backdrop, despite the efforts of the SNP, and that is partly because of the number of competing voices shouting to be heard. There have been snatches of the BNP furore, a smidgen of red-faced socialist outrage and a touch of Tory toffage, but nothing that has dominated the news agenda throughout the campaign.

On the other hand, the increase in the postal vote will help, so it seems likely the doomsday predictions (see below post from David Maddox) will not materialise, I therefore confidently predict a turnout of around the 30 per cent mark and fully expect to be proved hopelessly wrong tomorrow morning.

David Kerr: after 159 days it's time for a fresh

After 144 days of waiting to vote for a new MP today the people of of Glasgow North East will finally have their say.

Thinking back on the last four months, I have met some real characters.

Lauren - the school pupil from Smithycroft - who came along for a day of work experience on the campaign and ended up helping to run a press call.

And Mr Ramza, the Carntyne shopkeeper, who invited the First Minister and I in from the rain for Tunnock's Wafers and a cup of tea.

Joe, the lift engineer and RAF man from Springburn, who was voting SNP forthe first time. He used to be Minutes Secretary of the local Labour party but will be voting SNP today as he is sick of 74 years of Labour neglect.

And the young mums from the Rosemount Centre who demanded to know if I could do anything about the price of nappies - I said I'd see what I could do - and I am working on it.

These people must be the winners in this by-election.

They deserve a full-time active MP who shares their priorities and will always put their interests firsts.

I hope today the voters will put their faith in me and that is why I will be out chapping ondoors for the rest of the day working toward a victory for the SNP and the people of Glasgow North East.

Glasgow North East, Eileen Baxendale, Liberal Democrats - Making the Difference in Glasgow North East

Another day in the by-election campaign and more doom and gloom statistics for the good people of Glasgow North East to contend with.

We should be helping people not drowning them in statistics about unemployment and benefits.

I want to put my 20+ years experience as a social worker and manager to good use.

Tavish Scott and I have met people from all across the constituency, employed, unemployed, at school, college and university, pensioners who have done their bit and many more besides.

They are looking for answers, not headlines and because I'm not a career politician like some of the others I want to be given that chance tomorrow and put my experience from the real world to good use here in Glasgow North East and help them get the answers.

I want to ask the Governments and the Council how the spending in Glasgow is allocated, down to the last penny and is it fair? Is it going to the right people?

I am certain that the Liberal Democrats and I can make a difference and provide the change in Glasgow North East that is so badly needed.

Labour have had 74 years and have failed. The Conservatives are to busy propping up the SNP in Holyrood and not making the right calls in Westminster.

They voted with Labour on the Iraq war when Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell led the Liberal Democrats opposition to the unjust and illegal war.

The Conservatives got it massively wrong on Europe and the recession when Vince Cable led the way, a long time before the experts.

We can't trust the SNP, just look at the promises they made in 2007, knowing full well they could never keep them all, just to get elected!

It is this legacy of broken promises and bad decisions from both Holyrood and Westminster as well as the issue of MP expenses that are losing politicians respect.

Well I'm a different kind of politician, I'm a real person and I believe working together we can change Glasgow North East, and its time for that change tomorrow.

By voting for the Liberal Democrats let's bring a halt to the nonsense and change Glasgow North East's future for ever.

The polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm and you don't need your polling card to vote.

Eileen Baxendale
Liberal Democrat candidate

David Maddox: Inspiring candidates

As many of the papers have noted this morning there is concern that Glasgow North East could set a new low in the turnout records for Scotland.
Some commentators have suggested that it may be around 25 per cent, which is pretty depressing considering the effort that has gone into this by-election by the various parties and that it is the last serious test, with the possible exception of the English council elections, before next year's general election.
However, it will struggle to beat the all time record of 19.6 per cent set in 1999 when Hilary Benn, the son of Tony Benn who is now a cabinet minister, was elected as the MP for Leeds Central.
But one interesting statistic is that the previous Scottish record was 36.6 per cent in Falkirk West in 2000 when Eric Joyce won for Labour.
Who was the defeated SNP candidate then? It was David Kerr of this very same by-election.

Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. EDDIE IZZARD DROPS BY

It is not every day that a famous comedian drops into my campaign centre to lend support to the by-election battle, and so it was a great pleasure to welcome Eddie Izzard to Springburn this morning.

We are all familiar I am sure with Eddie Izzard on stage, but it is great to meet the man behind the jokes. As tempting as it was to share the odd joke, we thought we'd give him a break before his show tonight.

Funnily enough, it is not the first time I have met Eddie Izzard. We met by chance when he, quite literally, ran past me on Springburn Road back in September while he was taking part in his charity marathons.

When I heard he was in Glasgow today I asked him to pop by to speak to the campaign team and was delighted he said yes. Staff and volunteers showed him around the campaign centre and chatted to him about what we have been doing over the past few months. He was also genuinely interested to hear what my campaign is all about.

I have had great support throughout the campaign and I will fight to the last minute to convince people to choose me tomorrow. I've been out knocking on doors with Iain Gray, Douglas Alexander - and later I'll be with Jim Murphy.

Willie Bain

Labour's by-election candidate

David Maddox: How do we remember the bad guys?

The two minutes silence most of us observed a few minutes ago allows us to remember those who died for this country and, in terms of the Second World War at least, those who gave their lives in the cause of liberty and democracy.
But what about the men who fought on the wrong side?
A few weeks ago I tried to find an answer to this while I was visiting my Dad in Normandy.
One of the places I visited was the German war cemetery at La Cambe (pictured) where more than 21,000 men are buried.
These were men who after all gave their lives defending modern history's most notorious regime which subjugated Europe and was responsible for the systematic murder of six million people. Some of those under the soil may well have played a part in those crimes against humanity.
Yet the message of the cemetery's existence is that everyone deserves to be remembered and not forgotten. After all, just because they were fighting on the side of evil does not mean there are not men buried there who showed acts of bravery to help out their friends and comrades in battle just as many Allied soldiers did.
The opening statement at the cemetery reminds visitors too that many of these men were also forced to fight for the Nazis, although it is impossible to say how many.
The German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfüsorge) has perhaps done all it could do with the site which is to dedicate to peace and the futility of war. The visitor centre includes pictures of other more recent wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the Second World War.
It's perhaps a little ironic that many of the men buried in the cemetery and certainly the Nazi leaders they served did not share that world view, and indeed one argument for war is to defeat such regimes.
Indeed, the American and Commonwealth cemeteries are in some ways celebrations of liberators with enormous car parks for the many visitors who come each year compared to the very modest collection of parking spaces at La Cambe for the modest amount of visitors.
But the German cemeteries are equally worth a visit just to remind us that even the bad guys were ordinary human beings and the waste of life that the pursuit of unnecessary war brings.

Glasgow North East: Ruth Davidson: Giving people the skills to succeed

I’ve been out today on the campaign trail with Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families visiting the campus at North Glasgow College, in Springburn.

I feel that I know the College very well by now, it has played host to several events during the campaign, and it was great to be able to be able to show Michael around.

Earlier this week I wrote about Conservative plans to get Glasgow, and Britain, working again. However, there is no point in creating new jobs if we don’t give people the skills to do the jobs well.

What is really sad is that many schools force kids who are not academic, to study subjects they don’t enjoy and which they don't do very well in. They then leave school without the skills that they need to get a job and to succeed. Because of that they end up unable to get a job, and get trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Labour have done nothing about this. During the last 12 years they have created a benefits system which punishes people who want to work – with marginal tax rates of above 90%.

Labour’s failed system therefore discourages kids at school from learning the skills that they need, and then once they are adults they are discouraged from coming off benefits. And Labour claim that the Tories are the party who don’t care about poverty.

It can’t be said enough times, the best route out of poverty for people is through work. By getting a job people obviously get extra money. But working also builds up self-respect, a sense of community, and an involvement in the wider world which just doesn’t happen if you are unemployed.

That's why the Scottish Conservatives have talked about introducing more vocational training into schools in Scotland. And it is why places like North Glasgow College play such an important role in giving people the vocational skills they need to get jobs.

Michael said afterwards what a pleasure it was to visit the College. Both of us were very impressed with the staff and students who are working hard to acquire the skills needed for the world of work. We need to encourage more people to come here and learn these skills. That means dealing with Labour’s pernicious benefits system, and it means creating jobs. Only the Conservatives have the policies and ideas that can make that happen.

David Kerr: One last challenge...

During this by-election I have run a 10k race, dug an allotment, called the bingo, spent an evening with an ambulance crew, taken part in a joinery class, and pursuaded two former Labour party officials to vote for the SNP.

That's just a light hearted sample of the amazing time I've had over the last 5 months and the experiences I hope will continue if voters in Glasgow North East give me the honour of representing them at Westminster.

More importantly I've met hundreds of people who are actively working to improve lives in this constituency, to bring jobs to this constituency and to create opportunities in this constituency and I've met thousands of people who are ready to vote for a fresh start for Glasgow North East. I hope to be their MP on Thursday night.

With 24 hours to go before polls open I've set myself one last challenge, to speak to another 1000 voters on the doorsteps, in the streets, at the stations and on their way to and from work. If elected that's the kind of challenge I will always live by - to be open, accessible and available to the people of this constituency.

Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. FINAL 48 HOUR PUSH

Polling day is just two days away, and my campaign is gearing up for a final push to persuade local people that I will work hard for everyone here if they choose me to represent them.

I will continue to disregard the speculation and bookmakers' predictions about how this by-election will end - it will be a close battle and I am fighting for every vote. The vast majority of people have not yet cast their vote and I want to talk to as many of them as possible.

My focus over the next few days will be to encourage my neighbours and others who live in the constituency to make that trip to the polling station, because I want to see a good turn-out.

What drives me is the chance to make the area where I grew up and still live today a better and fairer place to be. I will fight for jobs and more opportunities for young people, and that is the message I took to John Wheatley College today as I met with staff and students at the fantastic new campus on Haghill Road.

Tackling crime, and in particular knife crime, is also one of my priorities. I welcomed Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Baker to the constituency today and I am pleased that he backs my 'carry a knife, go to jail' campaign. We need a stronger deterrent to stop people carrying a blade and using weapons to attack people.

As polling day gets closer, I hope I have worked hard enough to convince people in my area to put their trust in me - but we are still 48 hours away from polling and there are thousands of people still to speak to.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate

Glasgow North East, Liberal Democrats: Nick Clegg Joins the Campaign Trail

Yesterday I was joined by Nick Clegg and Tavish Scott on the campaign trail.

We were campaigning at the ASDA in Robroyston where we heard how local people are suffering as a result of Labour’s recession.

It is this issue that has dominated this by-election and it is the concern that people have raised with me most often on the doorsteps.

People in Glasgow North East are looking for something different in this by-election. They are fed-up being overlooked by a tired old Labour party.

People in this area want their new politician to hit the ground running with fresh ideas, working hard to create jobs and put more money back into hard working people's pockets.

Liberal Democrats are the only party that are offering new ideas and new hope for Glasgow North East. We are Scotland's second largest party at Westminster and we are the real alternative for local people.

One of the most worrying aspects of Labour’s recession is that it risks leaving the poisonous legacy of a jobless generation.


Instead of pouring money into the ineffective VAT cut, Liberal Democrats have called for a paid internship scheme for our young people.


We want our young people to not go more than three months without a right of access to a place in work, training or education.


Rather than allowing someone to sit at home on benefits, young people would gain invaluable skills and experience in an actual workplace.

This is a win-win situation for both employers and those looking for work. It means that when we do finally come out of this recession our young people will have gained essential work experience.


Liberal Democrats are the only party with the practical ideas offering hope to people in Glasgow North East who are struggling through Labour’s recession.

Chris Mackie: Pwoud of the Wabour Party

So, Sir Alex Ferguson has lent his support to Labour candidate Willie Bain's campaign for the now imminent Glasgow North East by-election (see entry by Willie below).
Playing up his former role as a shop steward Sir Alex urged local voters to turn out for the Labour candidate, saying: "I always tell young players that being a footballer is the best job in the world. Yes, it’s hard work to reach the top but nothing to bringing up a family or running a household on a tight budget. As the only genuinely local candidate in this election, Willie understands what needs to be done."

Quite how significant the endorsement of a former Rangers player, born in Govan will prove in the Celtic steeped neighbourhoods of Springburn, only time will tell.

Sir Alex is by no means the first football figure to become involved in politics - Bill Shankly was a declared socialist - but his views are significantly more moderate than some others connected to the beautiful game...

Despite turning out for Celtic - a traditionally left-leaning club - former Italy striker Paolo Di Canio is a self-proclaimed fascist, who stoked controversy in Italy in the aftermath of a Rome derby in 2005, when he offered the Lazio "ultras" a straight arm salute. It was the third time he had made the gesture during that season, and earned him a £7,000 fine and a one game ban. In the wake of the salute Di Canio told an Italian news agency: "I am a fascist, not a racist."

At the other end of the spectrum, Oleguer Presas i Renom, the former Barcelona midfielder and avowed Catalan nationalist refuses to play for Spain or speak Spanish in public and was regularly booed in away grounds in La Liga because of his outspoken anti-Spanish government views. In 2007, he lost a boot sponsorship deal after writing an opinion piece in a Basque newspaper questioning the validity of the Spanish judicial system in dealing with a member of the terrorist group ETA.

As for Scotland, a trawl through the Scotsman archives throws up the following incendiary insight from Pat Nevin, the ex-Chelsea, Everton, Kilmarnock and Motherwell winger. When asked if he supported independence, he said:

"I am not a huge fanatic either way, though I am leaning towards independence - but it's not a fanatical 'let's do it tomorrow' and kick down the doors of parliament."

David Maddox: Don't count your chickens....

Labour have just put out a press release with the following subject title: "Words from the Prime Minister on Willie Bain's election"

I know Labour are confident about Willie Bain winning Glasgow North East, but perhaps they should wait for the voters to do their bit on Thursday before announcing the result.

Just to clear up any confusion these were not words from Gordon Brown prepared in the event of Mr Bain's anticipated victory, but comments from his morning briefing of journalists supporting his party's candidate.

David Kerr: Back to school for Labour

Five months ago when Michael Martin resigned there was a more local issue dominating the news in this constituency. School closures.

Today schools are back on the agenda. The SNP has dug up papers , produced last week by the council showing how many teaching posts Labour have cut over the summer months.

The figures, tucked away in a staffing report show that since June Glasgow's Labour council has let an astonishing 150 teaching posts go.

Even more astonishing, when I looked back at the figures for last September they show that Labour have let over 300 teaching posts go in the last 12 months.

In the summer Glasgow's Labour council shut five local primaries in this constituency over the wishes of the community. Holding off on the by-election, even voting against it in Westminster, might have helped Labour get the issue out of the papers but as I have met parents from those five schools through this campaign it is clear they have not forgotten Labour's betrayal. The loss of 300 teaching posts, that could have been used to cut class sizes - starting in Glasgow North East - is a further sign that Labour's commitment to education in this city is not what it should be.

Labour have no excuses here - Glasgow's Labour council receives more money from the SNP for every resident than any other mainland council, but it spends less of it's money on education than any of Scotland's other 31 councils. Labour cannot escape that fact.

This morning I will join Nicola Sturgeon at the site of one of those schools with local parents. Their concerns have not gone away and nor has their fighting spirit. Their children now have a difficult and dangerous walk to school and this morning those parents will be highlighting those concerns.

My commitment to the parents, children and teachers of this constituency is that if elected on Thursday I will not keep quiet while Labour shut schools, cut teachers and increase class sizes. Labour may not be spending the money Glasgow receives on Glasgow North East's priorities, but the priorities of constituents will be my priorities if I am given the honour of representing this constituency. I will take the fight to the City Chambers and I will stand up for parents when Labour rips them off.

Glasgow North East, Conservatives: Getting Glasgow Back to Work

Perhaps the biggest theme of the campaign has been how many people have come to me worried about Labour’s jobs crisis. There are 4,212 people in the constituency who have to claim unemployment benefit. That’s up nearly a thousand (989) in just a year and gives Glasgow North East the highest claimant rate in Scotland. That’s Labour’s legacy to Glasgow, unemployment and a jobs crisis.

Labour’s record in Glasgow shows a worrying complacency. Labour closed one Job Centre in Glasgow North East and replaced much of the face-to-face contact in the other with a mere telephone helpline. That isn’t going to help people get jobs. Labour have claimed in this by-election that they care about getting people back into work – but their actions in government don’t back that up. Broken promises and a broken economy, that’s all we get from Labour.

The Conservatives are different. We want to help people get into work because we realise how important jobs are for people. The Conservatives have the policies to bring new jobs, help the unemployed retrain, and tackle Labour’s debt mountain that threatens to hamper investment.

So we will provide tax breaks for new companies who provide new jobs. We will free up credit to help businesses. And we have a radical welfare plan that will help people who are out of work to get back into employment by providing the individual support they need, as well as providing incentives for providers who can help those in the most difficult circumstances get back into work.

This sounds like a tough message – as if we are forcing people to work. But in reality there is nothing compassionate about the current situation where people are left isolated outside society. We need to integrate people into work, support them, and help them. Most people don’t want to be on benefits, but the current system forces them there and then abandons them. That’s not progressive, and it’s not what the people of Glasgow North East need.

These are the Conservative plans to get Glasgow working again. But the only way that can happen is if you vote for the Conservatives at this by-election, and at the upcoming General Election. Only Labour or the Conservatives can become the next Government, and therefore the choice is between this failing Labour Government, or a fresh government, with real ideas to tackle the jobs crisis and recession, led by David Cameron.

Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. Sir Alex - united with team Labour

I was delighted to learn that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to endorse my campaign for Glasgow North East.

As a Glasgow man himself, Sir Alex knows how the people of Glasgow think and feel. Despite his success, Sir Alex has always stayed true to his roots.

He knows that people need help now to get through these difficult times.

I think Sir Alex’s endorsement is a real boost my campaign. He is well respected by people here – and he knows a thing or two about running a good campaign.

You can head over to my website to see what he has to say. This is me at Petershill FC last week - in the rain.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate.

Two Doctors: A new Forth Road Bridge - wrong on every count.

It's satisfying, commissioning opinion polls, especially on topics where the other side is rich and powerful but hasn't published any poll results. That always makes me suspect our position is popular as well as right.

The one we released today (thanks to Friends of the Earth Scotland and the ForthRight Alliance for co-commissioning it) covered Ministers' plans for a new Forth Road Bridge.

We found that just 34% of Scots back the SNP's plans, while 57% would prefer to repair the existing bridge, confirming my suspicions.

But is that the real choice that Ministers face? Could they definitely repair the existing bridge? There are two ways it could be delivered. First, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority are highly confident that the dehumidification of the cables will work. It's underway, and it's costing £10.3m, which is pocket change in bridge terms.

To give the SNP the maximum benefit of the doubt, though, let's assume that that dehumidification fails. We'd then have to go to recabling or cable augmentation. There are three variants of this approach: replacement above, augmentation above, and augmentation to the side. Any of these would simply work, guaranteed: it's a standard operation, with lots of international expertise available.

A report from FETA in February 2008 showed that this would cost between £91m and £122m, depending on the option chosen. Perhaps by coincidence, FETA just got a shiny new website and the report is no longer available. I'm not saying it's a deliberate whitewashing, mind: as I've recently been reminded, sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice. You can see the Google cache of the report here.

In case there's still any doubt about the potential to fix the existing bridge, the proof is, ironically, in the spin deployed by Ministers in response to the story in today's Scotland on Sunday. They say "we are building a replacement crossing as well as utilising the existing bridge". I can imagine more accurate words than "replacement" to use there. Perhaps "additional"?

So £122m is the top end for fixing the bridge, and that's what YouGov offered as one option. The other, again giving the SNP's spin machine the benefit of the doubt, is their current upper estimate for an entirely new bridge - £2,300m.

Despite the constant deluge of spin, by almost two to one the public just don't think that's a sensible choice. To sum up, the new bridge would be:

Unaffordable. Scottish Ministers don't have the money. They begged Westminster for it, and sensibly, got knocked back. John Swinney and colleagues ceaselessly complain about "£500m of Labour cuts", yet they're planning to blow more than four times that on this structure.

Unsustainable. It's just more road capacity. Labour argued for a "multimodal" bridge, with rail or light rapid transit built in as well as a road route, but the SNP didn't listen. The existing bridge, magically repaired despite all the Ministerial bluster, will supposedly be reserved for buses and taxis, but no-one believes that. As drivers sit in jams on the new bridge and look downstream to the probably empty old bridge, they'll understandably get a bit miffed. If there's one constant since 1999, it's Ministers doing whatever the motoring lobby want, and that reservation for public transport will melt like snow off a dyke.

As a result, there'll be four lanes of traffic feeding into Edinburgh, and congestion levels will inevitably worsen alongside carbon emissions. This ignores the opportunity cost, too - if the same money were spent on public transport, the SNP could be cutting emissions and congestion rather than worsening them.

Unnecessary. There's no argument against simply fixing the existing bridge, apart from the unsubstantiated handwaving about economic impact. The real reason it's being pushed for so hard is two-fold. First, there's a misconception that people in Fife vote for whoever promises them more bridges. Second, Alex Salmond loves his hard hat openings, and who knows, the bridge may even end up being named after him. I look forward to watching the Labour leader's face if that happens.

Unpopular. Our poll had crossbreaks by voting intention, and every party's voters are against it. The closest you come to sympathetic is amongst SNP voters, but even they aren't convinced by John Swinney's arguments. In these times of budget pressure, Tory and Labour voters are the most sceptical, as you might expect, but there's not much in it.

Going by the constituency vote, here's the specific extent to which all the other parties are out of touch with their supporters:

Conservative - Repair: 64%, Replace: 30%, Don't Know: 6%

Labour - Repair: 59%, Replace: 32%, Don't Know: 9%

Lib Dem - Repair: 56%, Replace: 37%, Don't Know: 7%

SNP - Repair: 51%, Replace: 41%, Don't Know: 9%

Bad politics. Public transport projects across the country are getting put on hold, with GARL just the most obvious example. When the budget and the timescale get blown, and when Fife and the Lothians are snarled up in congestion, the new bridge will plumb depths of unpopularity that will make my time on the Parliament building project look like a walk in Holyrood Park.

Right now there are four opposition parties, and just one, the Greens, arguing against this scheme. I keep expecting one of the other parties to get the arguments against and join us to campaign for repair instead of replacement. Whoever does so can clearly reap a massive political reward, a reputation for prudence, and some pretty substantial environmental credentials.

The alternative is for it to be just us holding the SNP to account while the others go down with them, and while we have to watch the bridge eating a decade's worth of discretionary capital spend. Who's with us?

Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. Rememberance Sunday

Today is a sobering and important day as we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The service, dedication and professionalism of our armed forces should stop us in our tracks every day, not just once a year.

My thoughts and prayers are with all our brave soldiers serving around the world, their families at home, and all those who remember their loved ones.

As a mark of respect to those who have fallen, we suspended our campaigning for this morning, and will do so again at on Wednesday, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day.

Willie Bain
Labour's candidate in Glasgow North East

David Kerr: A time to remember

Today is Remembrance Sunday and the SNP campaign will join people across the country as we take time to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in our name and to stand in solidarity with our veterans and those who currently serve in our armed forces.

I have spoken to many people in this campaign who have served themselves or whose children are serving at the present time in Afghanistan.

It will be a particularly poignant day for our service men and women on the frontline and the members of the Black Watch who yesterday returned to Scotland and to their families. I will be attending the service at Colston Milton Parish Church to pay my respects and my thoughts today will be with our brave forces and with those who went before them.

David Kerr: Labour hypocrisy in Glasgow exposed as SNP close the gap

As the by-election enters its final lap the SNP campaign is really closing the gap on Labour and today's revelations that the Labour Government is to axe rail services between Glasgow and Kings Cross have exposed the hypocrisy of Labour's campaign over the airport rail link.

Reports here, show that the London Labour government is planning to axe services on the east coast between Glasgow Central and London.

After weeks of campaigning over 1 mile of track, Labour are now cutting off a 500 mile service - one of the main routes bringing business, tourists and jobs from London into the city.

This decision shows where their priorities really lie and is yet another example of Labour neglecting Glasgow North East. After 74 years it's time to end this neglect. Only a vote for the SNP can stop London Labour in their tracks and deliver the best services for Glaswegians.

This revelation also shows that it is the SNP that is really investing in rail services for Glasgow with a £1 billion investment package to cut journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh to 35 minutes, as well as the Glasgow-Paisley improvements, and improvements toDalmarnock station – while all the time Labour are cutting services.

Labour are treating the people of Glasgow shamefully. They have presidedover 74 years of decline in this constituency and I won't, the SNP won't, and certainly the people of Glasgow North-East won't put up with it anymore.

On a lighter note, I was joined by SNP activists, local residents and athletes from Glasgow's international community for a fun run this morning in aid of the Ruchazie Family Centre. It's a great local project that I was pleased to support.

Off to campaign with Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon for the rest of the day. More updates later...

Glasgow North East: Willie Bain, Labour. Prime Minister visits Glasgow

I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister to the constituency this afternoon.

Gordon and I visited North Glasgow College – a shining example of what Labour has achieved in the area. I’m proud that Gordon was so impressed with the building, and the opportunities that the college provides for people in my area.

It’s sad that some people want to talk down our community, but I think the college is a great example of the changes I have seen in my life here.

I’ve put some more information up on my website. The man in the photo with the Prime Minister is my dad (also Willie). He was really proud to meet the Prime Minister.

It was taken inside our campaign centre, which is in the old college building over the road from the new one. The building was opened by a former in 1909 by Earl Rosebery who was Prime Minister in the 1890s. The foyer contains a moving and sobering war memorial to the college students who died in the First World War.

Willie Bain
Labour’s Candidate in Glasgow North East

David Doherty, Scottish Greens: why I'm standing in Glasgow North East

Over the last few years, Glasgow has become one of the Greenest parts of Scotland, and Glasgow North East is no exception.

Glaswegians are represented at Holyrood by Patrick Harvie MSP, and the city has returned five Green Councillors, one of whom, my colleague Kieran Wild, represents Canal Ward here in Glasgow North East.

In the Euro-elections Greens came third in Glasgow North East, ahead of the Conservatives and the Lib Dems, although it'd be dishonest to put out a leaflet saying "only Greens can win here".

It's not hard to see why Glasgow's increasingly backing the Greens. Our major campaign at Holyrood over the last year has been to try and insulate all of Scotland's homes, cutting bills, boosting jobs, tackling fuel poverty and beating climate change all in one go. As a volunteer I'm on the board of a building renovation charity, and I'm only too aware of the problems in this area across the city. The parties who've governed Glasgow, locally and nationally, should be ashamed of themselves for letting people continue to suffer in damp, unhealthy and expensive homes.

What's more, Labour and the SNP may be bickering about GARL, but only the Greens have consistently opposed the M74 currently being bulldozed through the South East of the City. We could have had Crossrail built by now for a fraction of the cost of this motorway, but sadly only Greens continue to make that case.

Finally, Glasgow's economy has taken a serious blow from the credit crunch and the recession, and people are understandably reluctant to back any of the parties who celebrated the risk-takers, backed the deregulators and handed over vast amounts of our money to the bankers. Pretending it all never happened isn't a long-term response to this crisis, nor is it a sustainable one.

So, let me be the first candidate to admit this election isn't in the bag for us, but we are part of the world's fastest-growing political movement, and we have confounded the naysayers who said we couldn't get MSPs, MEPs or Councillors elected. Sometime soon I'm confident we'll make that Westminster breakthrough, and people in Glasgow North East can be the first to deliver that radical change.

David Maddox: The Tale of Mr Toad and the Dark Lady

Momentarily dragging this blog from the streets of Glasgow North East back to Holyrood, an interesting controversy happened this week which was quite instructive about the culture and lack of culture in the corridors of the Scottish Parliament.
On Wednesday evening in a debate on the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, the SNP list MSP Professor Chris Harvie described Baroness Shriti Vadera, one of Gordon Brown closest advisers, as "the dark lady of the London underground."
Almost inevitably there was a ripple of shock. Did he really just describe an Asian political figure as "dark"?
Within hours a press release had been turned out in Margaret Curran's name (remember her? She lost the Glasgow East by-election last year) demanding that the Professor apologise because his words "could be construed as racist."
Certainly one or two seasoned observers believe he would not have been able to get away with such language in the Westminster parliament.
Having said that everybody who knows him knows that Prof Harvie is not racist, but simply eccentric. The professor, nicknamed Mr Toad (which he celebrates on his website), has landed himself in trouble before by criticising the town of Lockerbie, attacking Neds dress sense and even describing Hitler as a genius and Blue Peter as evil. Most of us, though, believe he adds much needed colour and thoughtfulness to Holyrood's usually dull, robotic proceedings.
However, the response to Labour's attack from the SNP took everyone by surprise.
A party spokesman said: "This sort of innuendo is unworthy of Margaret Curran. Professor Harvie's remarks were a play on Shakespeare's 'dark lady of the sonnets' – which obviously has nothing to do with race – and Baroness Vadera's role in undermining the London Underground."
Leaving aside that many of us thought that Nationalists were only allowed by party leaders to quote Burns and not the English bard, the link between Shakespeare's sonnets and GARL was not immediately obvious and did not entirely appear to exonerate Prof Harvie.
The dark lady is a married woman who betrays her husband in an affair and represents lust, moreover, she is described as having dark hair and dun coloured skin. But essentially the literary point that Prof Harvie was clearly trying to make was that the dark lady leads the man into bad ways, which I guess is why he believes the Baroness has done for Gordon Brown on the underground.
Nevertheless, several of us wondered if the SNP press office had simply Googled dark lady and noted the third option as being the literary figure. So one of my fellow newspaper hacks went to confront the Professor in his office.
He found a completely unapologetic Professor Harvie who snorted: "Don't Labour read Shakespeare any more!"
Which certainly seemed to be a damning indictment on the quality and education of Labour MSPs these days.
This was ruined, though, by his researcher, who as my fellow journalist was turning to leave noted: "I thought he meant the dark lady of the Sith from Star Wars."

David Kerr: Investing in opportunities for Glasgow's future

Less than a week to go and the SNP campaign is in full swing.

SNP activists are out across the constituency - with more coming to join the campaign this weekend - including a visit from the Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

Today I'll be joined on the campaign trail by Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop to meet some of the young people that are benefiting from the SNP's investment in education in this constituency.

A few weeks ago we visited Glasgow North College and today we'll be heading to John Wheatley's campus. These colleges have received record levels of investment from the SNP and with help from the Scottish Government are providing extra places to support people during the recession.

That's the kind of investment we need to bring opportunities to this constituency, to ensure a bright future for our young people.

There's another sign of the SNP's commitment to Glasgow today. In the face of serious budget cuts from Labour in London the SNP has had to take some tough decisions over how we allocate Scotland's budget. I'm proud of the fact that the SNP's priorities are health, education and making our communities safer.

Today Nicola Sturgeon will announce the next step toward a new £840 million Southern General - built entirely with public funds - as the contracts are signed. Alongside it will be a new children's hospital for Glasgow.

That's the kind of investment I want to see across the city - and that's the kind of investment the SNP will continue to put into Glasgow.

Eddie Barnes: Kerr throws it away

Is this a moment which David Kerr will come to regret? In the TV debate show last night on STV's Politics Now programme, the SNP candidate had a moment of madness. Click here and scroll forward to five minutes in for the full details. I was among those watching the show in STV's green room, along with all the various party spin doctors and I can assure you that none of them thought it was the greatest moment in by-election history.

But the debate was an excellent format, allowing each candidate to cross-examine one another, with host Bernard Ponsonby offering some light-touch chairmanship from the sidelines. Definitely one for the future. We learnt that Labour candidate Willie Bain opposed the invasion of Iraq (which Labour candidate doesn't these days?) and that Kerr thinks the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link was the right thing to do, in tough economic circumstances.

Ponsonby, who lives in the Glasgow North East seat, said before going on air that he had brought along his postal vote and would decide who to vote for after chairing the debate. Sadly, Bernard was too much of a pro afterwards to let us know what he had decided. But congrats to STV for a well-conceived show.

Glasgow North East: Willie Bain, Labour. Standing up for Glasgow.

Just back from the STV studios where the four main candidates cross–examined ourselves in heated spirits.

In a slightly peculiar manoeuvre, the SNP man decided to throw a two-pound coin at me. I was thinking a question might be more likely, but there you go.

Amazingly, he vigorously defended the decision to scrap the airport rail link and the loss of up to 1,300 jobs. I thought he’d want to stand up for Glasgow, but he seems he wants to be Salmond’s man in Springburn.

Earlier, I met with Andrew Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss the importance of good transport links to and from Glasgow. He got the train from the centre of town up to Springburn.

Like me, he was angered by the SNP’s decision to cancel the rail link. If elected I will do all I can to fight the SNP’s decision and stop them ripping of Glasgow in the future. I oppose the cuts in housing and regeneration in the SNP’s draft budget for next year and I believe that Glasgow should get a metropolitan supplement, as Edinburgh does and is proposed for Aberdeen. The SNP cannot continue to rip off Glasgow. It isn’t a by-election slogan as the SNP try to brush it off: it is a tragedy for our city.

Harriet Harman also joined the campaign this evening and was out knocking on doors with me – first with the cameras, and then just the two of us later on. We stopped for a quick coffee in Dennistoun.

It really was all hands on deck today. Tomorrow I’ll be out and about again from first thing to late.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate

The Steamie: Welcome to the virtual by-election

The Steamie today brings you a first in Scottish politics and Scottish journalism.

Over the coming week candidates in the Glasgow North-East by-election, in adddition to fighting the contest on the doorsteps and on the hustings, will be taking the fight online.

Candidates for the main Scottish parliamentary parties will be be guest bloggers here on The Steamie for the duration of the by-election.

They'll be announcing their policies and their plans here, and taking on their opponents' arguments as well, making The Steamie a major forum for the by-election debate.

And of course, there will be the chance for readers of The Steamie to comment on their contributions.

The internet, one of the most influential tools in the US presidential election last year, is still an untested forum in Scottish and UK politics. But it is certain to be an important part of the forthcoming general election.

This virtual by-election on The Steamie is a chance for all sides to get a taste of that future.

Kenny Farquharson
Deputy Editor
Scotland on Sunday

Glasgow North East: Eileen Baxendale, Liberal Democrats; Campaigning for Change

I think this is a great idea from the Steamie. I would love to see more newspapers and media outlets adopt innovative approaches to help get more people engaged in politics.

I want to say right from the start that I think it was simply outrageous that the Labour party have allowed the people in Glasgow North East to go without an MP for so long, well over 125 days now. This just shows that the Labour Government has lost touch with the people it serves.

Since this campaign kicked off all those weeks ago, I have been working hard, knocking on doors and listening to people right across the constituency.

The message that I am getting again and again is that people are fed up being overlooked and ignored and that they want change. They want their politician’s focus to be on sorting the economy, creating more local jobs and tackling local crime.

I believe that it is Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats that have the policies and ideas to make a real difference on these issues.

To really tackle these problems we need more than just sensationalist, headline grabbing soundbites. We need a new approach.

On the economy and banking, it is Vince Cable that has been the voice of reasoned authority over recent months. It was he who first warned about the impending economic collapse. Labour were too slow to act and the Tories were simply nowhere on sorting out the economy.

On tackling crime and creating jobs, Liberal Democrats believe that this is best done at a local level. We are committed to putting the heart back into our communities and giving local people a greater say over their own affairs.

Locking everyone up and sending our young people to prison is not the best way to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We need more community based initiatives that tackle the root causes of why young people in our society get involved in crime in the fist place.

Labour’s recession has led to tough times for all of us. The Liberal Democrats want to sort out the tax system to give a boost to those on low and middle incomes. We want to raise the income tax threshold so those on less than £10,000 a year don’t pay tax. This would put around £700 a year back into the pockets of those on low and middle incomes.

It is the Liberal Democrats who are the only party offering real progressive change to our society. Unlike the SNP it is the Liberal Democrats who can make a real difference at Westminster and stand up for the people of Glasgow North East.

A fresh start for Glasgow North East

Welcome to the Steamie's by-election coverage. It's great to be taking part in this new way of covering a by-election, putting my campaign direct to you the voters.

In the next few days I’ll use this blog to tell you about some of the amazing people and inspiring projects I have met and seen in the constituency and the kind of MP I will be if the people in Glasgow North East vote for me.

Five months after Michael Martin resigned we are now into the last seven days of the campaign and it's turning out to be closer than many people thought. Despite the lengthy delay voters haven’t forgotten the expenses scandal that caused the by-election or the five school closures in the constituency that left Labour so scared the vote was delayed for five months.

Those issues have many people, who had always voted Labour, questioning the party they have supported and looking toward the SNP.

I'll be out campaigning today with John Mason MP, in Carntyne where Glasgow East meets Glasgow North East.

John's political earthquake demonstrates the difference an SNP MP can make. When it came to school closures – Labour didn’t dare put forward any closures in John’s constituency but they took people in Glasgow North East for granted.

Residents of Glasgow East had been let down by their MP - with no constituency office and no one to vote for their interests. John has set a new standard for Glasgow MPs - accessible, available and putting his constituents first.

In Glasgow North East constituents have been in the same position - with no office for the local MP in the constituency and decades of being taken for granted by Labour in Westminster and in the City Chambers.

People in Glasgow North East deserve the same level of representation their fellow East Enders have in the neighbouring constituency. This constituency deserves an MP whose priorities will be constituents priorities and that’s what I will deliver if elected next week.

Kezia Dugdale: Sky's the Limit

Readers may or may not be aware that every MSP office in the Scottish Parliament has a television in it.

The power of remote control allows MSPs to tune into the BBC Parliament Channel, Radio Scotland, or even the lunchtime episode of Doctors, should they wish to brush up on the troubles facing local GP practices. And there is always Jeremy Kyle for the latest on the breakdown of our social fabric as a nation.

It also allows MSPs and their staff to tune into the Scottish Parliament's own debating chamber or any one of its six committee rooms, so that they can follow the day's developing business while working away.

However, earlier this year the Parliament renegotiated the deal it had with its TV provider and as a consequence MSPs have lost a few vital channels.BBC3, Channel 5 and Radio 1 stay but Sky News goes.

In fact the only 24 hour news channel MSPs have access to in the Parliament is BBC News 24.

The loss was particularly keenly felt when, a couple of weeks ago Sky News ran with the huge potential scoop that Abdel Basset Al Megrahi had passed away in Libya.

By the time MSPs in Parliament had cottoned onto the developing news story it had been retracted. But this does pose some interesting questions, particularly as it was recently revealed that St Andrews House, where most government Ministers hang out, still has access to Sky News.

Why is a national Parliament, in the 21st century age, in a 24 hour news cycle, cutting access to news services?

Surely if the Parliament is to shake its parochial image, it's parliamentarians and their staff should have ready access to international news channels, CNN, Sky, Russia Today, NBC, Al-Jezeera?

Or should our horizons end at Hadrian’s wall?

Glasgow North East: Ruth Davidson, Conservative: Trust in Politics

Well done the Steamie for coming up with this idea. I’ve been blogging on this campaign for sometime and I’m glad now the other candidates won’t be able to run away when I ask them a question!

During the five months that this campaign has been running it has become clear that the issues in Glasgow North East are not that different from those across Britain. People are worried about their jobs, worried about Labour's recession, worried about public services, and worried about crime.

MP's from all parties have betrayed the trust that the public had placed in them. That is why David Cameron apologised as soon as the details of MP's expenses claims came out, because it was wrong and the people of Britain deserved an apology. It was then that he said he wanted a new type of politics - which was when I decided I should put myself forward as a candidate. I am not a career politician, but I do believe that politics needs new people to get involved, get stuck in, and try and change things for the better. As candidates we all need to work to restore the public’s trust in politics.

That is why the very first thing I did following selection was to promise to run a clean campaign - which I invited all the other candidates to join. I have kept to that - the Conservatives won’t use personal attacks in order to get votes. That is why I have pledged to be open about my expenses if elected. Simple things, not exploiting expenses, discussing the issues not the personalities, but I think that they help people to believe I will keep my word if elected.

David Cameron and the Conservative Party believe the same thing. That is why we have been honest about the problems with the public finances. Instead of pretending nothing needed done, the Conservatives have told the truth that there will have to be savings in Government spending. We don't want to reduce spending, but we have to be realistic and tell people the harsh truth that Labour have spent all the money – and it is up to the next Government to repair the damage.

That’s why in the Scottish Parliament we have identified ¼ billion pounds worth of savings. Take Scottish Water out of public ownership, stop this nonsense of free prescriptions and free school meals for people who can afford to pay. Some things in life are not free – we have to accept that, especially in this current climate.

This election is about which party can bring the change that is needed to Glasgow North East, and to Britain. The Conservatives have the policies that will create jobs, repair the public finances, and help to fix our broken society. Most of all, we are the party that will be open and honest with the public – that’s what is needed to help rebuild trust in politics.

Glasgow NE: Willie Bain, Labour. Standing up for Glasgow.

I'm pleased to be taking part in this great idea by The Steamie to get people engaged with this by-election online.

Although I know not everyone uses the internet to access their news - I know lots of Glaswegians who are increasingly using it to find out what's going on and keep in touch with friends and family. I hope that by writing on here that I can help some of them understand more about me and my plans.

Despite a late night in the Newsnight studio I'm keen to hit the ground running this morning - talking to voters and hearing their concerns. I've lived in this area all my life - I think I'm the only candidate that can (honestly!) say that. I'm not a politician and I've never stood for election before but I'm proud of this area and I want to do my best for it.

The issue that people constantly raise with me on the door is their anger at the way the SNP is ripping off our city. Despite the SNP's budget going up by £600m this year they are giving extra money to some projects - but shortchanging Glasgow. It's amazing how many times people raise this when you speak to them. So I'm going out and about in the constituency today - knocking of people's doors and letting them know who I am and what I believe in.

I'm also meeeting with Andrew Adonis to tell him about the importance of good transport links to the Glasgow economy and the shockingly short-sighted decision of the SNP to cancel the airport rail link at a cost of 1000 jobs.

The other issue that people keep raising with me is about the SNP candidate fibbing about where he was born. Look, at the end of the day the real issue in this story is about trust. People's trust in politics is at an all time low. We have to start trying to restore that trust and that starts with people being able to believe the people that seek to represent them.

I've been clear with people what my top priorities are:

• stopping the SNP ripping off Galsgow and dishing out the money elsewhere
• cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour - I've been running a carry a knife go to jail petition to get automatic jail sentences for knife criminals
• helping glasgow pensioners through tough times and fighting to protect jobs
• campaigning for better shops, better homes, and better buses

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me in this campaign. If you want to get in touch with me then you can email me at willie@williebain.com.

Best wishes

Willie Bain
Labour's candidate for Glasgow North East

David Maddox: It's a local by-election for local people

The atmosphere of Glasgow North East in recent days has been something akin to the League of Gentlemen's mythical town of Royston Vasey.

The press releases from Labour and the SNP could almost have been written by Tubbs and her husband (and brother) Edward (pictured) from "the local shop".

People who don't approve of outsiders who don't understand their local ways, telling incomers "there's nothing for you here."

You can almost hear the incessant question "Are you local?" echoing around Springburn.

First we had Labour's Willie Bain banging on about being the "only local candidate". Then the SNP's David Kerr pretended to have been born there after pretending in the 2000 Falkirk West by-election that he was born in Cumbernauld.

His boss - Alex Salmond - compounded the problem by saying there were no maternity hospitals in Glasgow North East in 1973, when in fact there were two.

Then the whole thing came to an excruciating climax when in revenge, the SNP today put out a press release complaining that Mr Bain who lives in Springburn was claiming to be "local" in other parts of the constituency.

The whole episode is painfully embarrassing and parochial.

Why should anybody care?

Here's a thing - what about electing somebody with some ability?

SNP Tactical Voting: Local Factors

It is common for by-elections to involve local factors but it is pretty rare for the main factor in a contest to be locality itself.

The Labour party has built its campaign on it's candidate's local credentials but the campaign has also involved bussing numerous activists and PPCs up from England, unions providing call centres in Edinburgh for phone canvassing and the Prime Minister's wife adding guaranteed press coverage by knocking on a few pre-knocked doors.

These are all non-local elements that the SNP simply cannot match due to not having any activists south of the border, not having unions in their pocket and having a party leader with a spouse who is (probably quite sensibly) seemingly uninterested in getting involved in politics.

Consequently, to consider this by-election as truly local and a dry run for the General Election is not accurate. Only when the 646 constituencies are simultaneously contesting elections can a local contest come into its own with activists (and money) spread more evenly across the country.

In terms of the main story of this by-election so far, it's pretty clear that David Kerr claiming to have been born in Cumbernauld falls into the 'gaffe' box but for it to dominate the remainder of the campaign is surely ridiculous, particularly as it happened almost a decade ago. Sadly, however, that domination seems likely given the continued press coverage and the apparent focus on drawing out the story for as long as possible.

Has there ever been a by-election held during a recession, in a constituency with one of the worst unemployment rates in the UK, that has discussed whether the main challenger should say his place of birth was where the hospital was or where his home was? I very much doubt it.

On the day that the Kelly proposals are announced due to MPs flipping homes, overclaiming thousands for mortgages and generally milking their expenses allowance for all it was worth, it seems alarmingly trivial and not a little hypocritical of Labour to call foul over the wording of a 2000 election leaflet.

Furthermore, it is absurd for a candidate from the party that has represented the constituency for 74 long, fruitless years to deride an opponent for having lived several miles away when that same distance away from Glasgow North East can mean an increase of up to 30 years to one's life expectancy.

This regrettable fact has been curiously absent from Labour's campaign which is surprising given that we are regularly told that the party's main drive is tackling social inequality. The inconsistencies and subterfuge does not end there.

The UK's deficit is staggering, the economy is struggling and the banks are buckling but if Labour had its way this by-election would come down to where a candidate's place of birth was claimed to be nine years ago.

A by-election is an opportunity to lift our gaze beyond the everyday hustle and bustle of parliamentary politics and focus on the big issues with a great debate focussed squarely on the concerns of the constituents.

It is a chance to take a beat and consider which direction our country is heading in, a chance to look at health and unemployment and education and the environment and defence in order to discuss what needs to be done to improve our lot, a chance to fire up constituents rather than let them down and a chance to either hold a Government of twelve years to account or boast about its proud record.

So far, with only a week to go and Labour obsessing with the minutiae of the SNP campaign rather than the important issues of the day, this by-election contest looks likely to be a missed opportunity.



(written by the editor of the SNP Tactical Voting blog)

Eddie Barnes: Strictly nonsense

So Gordon Brown prefers the X-Factor on Saturday night. Whereas Lord Mandelson likes Strictly Come Dancing. TV news presenters declare with a wry grin how there is a split at the heart of the cabinet. Oh my, I nearly laughed.

I was told a salutary story the other day involving one highly capable political adviser within Downing Street. Managing to escape work one Saturday morning for a game of golf, and a chance to clear his head of political wonkery, the publicly-funded adviser had his game ruined as he was dragged into a conference call about how to deal with the political fall-out from "Biscuitgate". Brown had not seen a question in a web-chat for a woman's magazine asking him to name his favourite biscuit; now the story had got legs and Brown was being mocked for dithering over his choice. And so well-paid, well-informed special advisers were called upon at the weekend to manage 'the crisis'.

Are similar conference calls taking place now over the cabinet "split" on Saturday night viewing habits? Please God, let it not be so. I am beginning to wonder whether Armando Ianucci's brilliant series "the Thick of It" is actually a documentary. This has to stop.

Gerri Peev: How MPs will get around expenses rules

First, MPs came up with the idea of the great "wife swap" to get around having to sack their spouses as their secretaries: pass them on to another member and employ their partner instead.
And for their next trick of getting around the ban on claiming for mortgages, I predict we will have the great house swap. For MPs - who will be banned from claiming for a mortgage for their second home - will simply rent out their flats to each other. One MP told me last week that he would be laughing if he was banned from claiming his mortgage interest, which is currently just £250 a month thanks to the all-time low tracker deals. His swanky postcode would allow him to rent his pad out for £1500 a month, and he could pocket the difference while still finding somewhere to rent for £1250 or less a month, the new proposed cap.
Other points raised by the Kelly report: a ban on dual mandates from 2011. This will allow Alex Salmond to stand down at the next election, but how about other certain MSPs planning to run for Westminster? Will they have to resign their Holyrood seats and trigger a by election?
Lastly, expect after the election, for MPs to suddenly get a payrise for their sacrifices. They have outsourced the setting of their pay to an independent body and it will no longer be subjected to approval by MPs. Luckily for most, the pay overhaul probably won't come into force until long after polling days. Far from Kelly drawing a line under expenses, it will keep the howls of indignation reverberating around these Pugin walls for some time to come.

David Maddox: Preparing for the end of the world in 2012

So it looks like a referendum on independence is now most likely to happen in 2012 if at all, as predicted in The Scotsman on Saturday by a senior SNP source and Professor John Curtice.
After the Lib Dems decided not to support the referendum bill next year at their conference on Saturday, but have clearly left the option open for the future we can fairly predict it will be a negotiating tool after the 2011 election.
However, today's Yougov poll on Holyrood voting intentions suggesting Labour would be the biggest party with 45 seats compared to the SNP's 41 seats in a George W. Bush style victory where they win less votes, means that it is not totally certain the Lib Dems would jump into bed with the Nationalists.
But, assuming for a moment that they do and the price of a ministerial Mondeo for Tavish Scott is a referendum and this happens in 2012 then it seem that even a vote for independence may be a hollow victory.
The end of the world may be a reflection of how ardent unionists would feel about separation, but according to a cult using the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar - from the Mayan culture - the world will literally end anyway on 21 December 2012.
The popular myth has been taken up by New Age types around the world and is now the subject of a new movie - simply entitled 2012 - so Scotland may get its "freedom" in May of that year but only have seven months to enjoy it.
By a strange coincidence, Labour's Holyrood campaign in 2007 was largely based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (pictured above) visiting Scotland should the SNP win power. Looks like they just got their timing wrong.
The good thing is that at least we will be able to squeeze in the London Olympics before Messrs Death, Famine, War and Pestilence arrive.