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?