Prime targets indicate SNP progress

THAT North Lanarkshire council is now regarded as a prime target area for the SNP is an indication of just how far Alex Salmond’s party has come.

For as long as anyone can remember North Lanarkshire has been regarded as an impregnable Labour stronghold.

This is despite the scandal of the 1990s when local politics in the area was associated with allegations of Labour misconduct. Back then it was claimed the old Monklands District Council in North Lanarkshire was hiring staff and letting contracts on the basis of nepotism and political and religious bias. A Government inquiry subsequently concluded that there was no malpractice.

Nowadays, North Lanarkshire is perhaps better known as the last bastion of Labour power in Scotland’s town halls After losing majority control in both Glasgow and Midlothian recently, North Lanarkshire is the last council where Labour still dominates.

At the recent Holyrood election, the SNP made impressive inroads into Labour’s territory, although the SNP’s campaign has been harmed by revelations that local Nationalist councillor posted offensive messages online.