 | 'Cross-border splits appear to be emerging in the Labour Party about the timing of a by-election in Glasgow North East following the resignation of Michael Martin as Speaker of the House of Commons and local MP. Sources in London say Gordon Brown would like an election as early as July, while party bosses in Glasgow believe it should be in September or October.'
It's going to be some fight.' Brian Currie, in the Herald, 22 nd May 2009. |  |
Cross-border splits appear to be emerging in the Labour Party about the timing of a by-election in Glasgow North East following the resignation of Michael Martin as Speaker of the House of Commons and local MP.
Sources in London say Gordon Brown would like an election as early as July, while party bosses in Glasgow believe it should be in September or October.
Councillor Gerry Leonard, the Constituency Labour Party chairman, said he believed there was "no chance" of an election in July, particularly because of the Glasgow Fair. "I just can't see it," he said A senior party insider said lessons had been learned after the Glasgow East by-election in July last year, when the SNP's John Mason overturned a Labour majority of over 13,500 to win the seat.
The insider admitted that holding the election during the holiday period had led to Labour being "badly burned".
Glasgow City Council is also believed to be preparing for an election in September.
The by-election will see the re-emergence of the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party, whose leader, John Swinburne, confirmed yesterday he would stand under the party's banner.
Mr Swinburne, 78, who was an MSP for four years up to 2007, said he was confident of forming a pact with Jury Team, a coalition of independents formed by a former director-general of the Tory Party, Sir Paul Judge, to help fight the seat.
Mr Swinburne said he expected to attract support from "everyone who is unhappy with the current trends in politics".
"Westminster badly needs cleaning up. Pensioners get means-tested and jump through all the hoops civil servants can put them through, parade their poverty and finally get a full settlement of pension credits which gives them the massive sum of just over £6000 a year.
"An MP gets over 10 times that and yet they're clawing at each other to get their snouts deeper into the trough.
"When pensioners go into a care home, they have to sell their property. There's no flipping' of homes for them."
Mr Swinburne said that despite his age he did not believe the job would be too onerous, and that if he did not win he would fight the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency at the general election.
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