SNP supportersGlasgow East result
John Mason, SNP - 11,277
Margaret Curran, Labour - 10,912
Davena Rankin, Conservative - 1,639
Ian Robertson, Lib Dem - 915
Frances Curran, Scottish Socialist Party - 555
Tricia McLeish, Solidarity - 512
Dr Eileen Duke, Scottish Greens - 232
Chris Creighton, Independent - 67
Hamish Howitt, Freedom 4 Choice - 65
Turnout 42.25%
I must admit it I thought Labour would win. Very safe Labour seat, traditional loyalities, that sort of thing.
SNP canvassed with the leaflet with Brown greeting Mrs Thatcher. Traditional working class Labour voters will clearly vote for an alternative to the left of Labour, in this case the SNP.
SNP government is popular, also the Newsnight interview with Margaret Curran about the previous MP's expenses for a home/office must have caused a couple of hundred voters to swing.
Not so good for my sister party, normally Greens are not strong in parliamentary by-elections but we put in strong performances in Haltemprice and Henley.
I think of course that Greens, SSP and Solidarity should at least be talking...three candidates after the same vote...clearly the SSP and Solidarity split is locura, they have the same policies...and I suspect 90% same policies as the Scottish Green Party.
Any way lets watch Brown, looks like New Labour is falling.
A lesson for all those who indulge in politics for cash and career instead of social change and love control freakery almost for the fun of it.
I am moving from anti-capitalismo to becoming a by-election junkie....well I am not moving from anti-capitalism but by-elections are certainly very interesting at present.
1 comment:
Hi Derek,
I have to say I couldn't disagree more over the "90% same policies" comment. The SSP and Solidarity do indeed have the same policies, one lot combine that with loving Tommy Sheridan and one with hating him.
But those policies aren't green. They have nothing as radical on poverty as Citizens' Income, they have only a salary tax where we have Land Value Tax, they believe all our transport problems could be solved with free fares for everyone etc etc.
Both parties (but especially the SSP) may, for now, have decided that class struggle is somehow best served by pretending to care about climate change, but the reality is that both primarily care about selling newspapers and engaging in the process known as "splitting all the hairs on Trotsky's ass".
Politically, they are a disaster area, and the less we Greens talk to them the better!
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