David Maddox: George Galloway come-back suggests that some interesting times lie ahead for the SNP and for Holyrood

Published on Monday 8 November 2010 22:33

AFTER a colourful absence of six years, it seems that "gorgeous" George Galloway will be back on the ballot paper and trying to charm Glaswegians into voting him into Holyrood.

Few doubt that he will succeed and, indeed, Labour's own modelling of what it sees as the probable results already has calculated that Mr Galloway will take the last list seat in Scotland's largest city, with the SNP apparently losing out.

The mind boggles at the thought of what effect this will have in Holyrood. Unlike Westminster, the Scottish Parliament has a distinct shortage of big personalities and in recent years has noticeably struggled to cope with the ones it has got.

This is why Alex Salmond has so easily dominated proceedings there, even as his party's fortunes have begun to ebb. MSPs have never even appeared certain how to handle the other George – Lord George Foulkes – who, while he is jocular and well-versed in the old political tricks of Westminster, was never Cabinet rank down South.

However, the more immediate issue is the effect that George Galloway's appearance will have on the Holyrood election itself and in particular the desperate race to win the hearts and minds of Muslims in the west of Scotland.

Mr Salmond has made no bones about his desire to win the Muslim vote, which SNP strategists see as a key element in cracking the west of Scotland conundrum. While the party has made great gains in other parts of the country it has failed to keep a foothold in and around Glasgow.

Famous by-election successes have always been followed by subsequent defeats by Labour in general elections.

The sad death of Bashir Ahmad, the first and so far only Muslim MSP, has left the Nationalists with a significant gap in its armoury for 2011 in Glasgow. In comparison, Labour has the Sarwars – with Anas following his father in the Glasgow Central Westminster seat – who have a powerful influence on the city's Muslim vote.

It is worth noting that the man Alex Salmond hoped would replace Mr Ahmad as his point-man for the Muslim vote, Osama Saeed, the chief executive of the controversial Scottish Islamic Foundation, was crushed in May in the Glasgow Central seat by Anas Sarwar.

The SNP now has two more Muslims on the Glasgow list for Holyrood: Humza Yousaf in second place, and Sid Khan in fifth.

But into this mix arrives Mr Galloway and the Respect Party, which courtesy of their views on Iraq have significant backing in the Muslim community. It means Mr Galloway does stand a good chance of picking up enough votes, and his presence will potentially change the party political picture there.

The SNP is the most likely loser because Labour wins so many constituencies in Glasgow that it never qualifies for list seats there, while the Nationalists relies on winning them.

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