Constituents go to polls in Glasgow North East by-election

Published on Thursday 12 November 2009 13:24

VOTERS are today casting their verdict in the Glasgow North East by-election, the seat made vacant by the resignation of the Commons Speaker Michael Martin.

• Voters leave the polling station at Scaraway Nursery School

The seat is next door to Glasgow East, where the SNP snatched from Labour last year in a stunning by-election victory. This time round, however, the bookies have made Labour 5-1 favourites to win the seat, and the SNP 10-3 against.

SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond promised a "brammer" (belter) of a campaign but has avoided making rash predictions of victory.

Meanwhile Labour claims to have learned the lessons of its Glasgow East humiliation and is taking nothing for granted.

While the SNP has focused on Labour's 74 year record in power in Glasgow, Labour has accused the SNP administration in Holyrood of neglecting Scotland's biggest city by decisions which include the scrapping of a planned airport rail link.

Mr Martin, who after his resignation moved to the Lords as Lord Martin, had a majority of more than 10,100 over the SNP at the last Westminster general election in 2005.

In line with convention, the major parties, with the exception of the SNP, did not stand against him.

Turnout will be a particular worry for all the parties today.

The turnout in Glasgow North East in 2005 was 45.8%.

In the Glasgow East by-election – a high-profile contest in a constituency with similar social characteristics – turnout was just 42%.

Four months later, in the Glenrothes by-election, it was 44.2%.

That contest saw Gordon Brown break with tradition to go campaigning, and his wife Sarah also went on the campaign trail.

The Glasgow North East battle is widely seen as a two-horse race between Labour and the SNP, with the Tories and Liberal Democrats jostling for third place.

But the far-right BNP is also fielding a candidate, and party leader Nick Griffin has paid a campaign visit.

His party polled 920 votes, or 3.2%, at the general election and Mr Griffin has said he would count beating the Tories or Liberal Democrats – or beating both combined – as a good result.

• Decision time in a seat left to rack and ruin

• Read what the candidates have to say on The Steamie

The full list of candidates:

WILLIE BAIN, Labour

DAVID KERR, SNP

RUTH DAVIDSON, Conservative

EILEEN BAXENDALE, Liberal Democrat

TOMMY SHERIDAN, Solidarity

CHARLIE BAILLIE, BNP

JOHN SMEATON, Jury Team

MIKEY HUGHES, Independent

LOUISE McDAID, Socialist Labour

DAVID DOHERTY, Scottish Green Party

COLIN CAMPBELL, Tilt<