Glasgow North East deserves a by-election

DM

Step down? By election? It didn't sound like that to me, rather that he just intended to stand down as Speaker.
In any case, he'll have to move out of the Speaker's residence in the House so that the new one can move in. Has he a second home in London to go to?!!

Sir Graphus

Postal voting, anyone?

Jeremy

"Martin could become an independent, and stay doing as bad a job for the people who elected him as he always has."

I suppose there's always the possibility that he was offered a peerage as an inducement - or even as part of a negotiated package - to secure his resignation. Not that, in all honesty, I think he would be an ornament to the Lords. On the contrary, I am tempted to say: "Let us have done with him" and hope that he fades away into obscurity. I can see no advantage to our national life in having him linger about the houses of power (either Upper or Lower) any longer than is absolutely necessary. But perhaps the Labour government and Prime Minister (whose creature he has been, and whom he has served so faithfully and for so long) see things differently. The worst case scenario is that he does, indeed, get bumped up to the Lords and therebye contribute to the degredation of that other great national institution.

Verity

Speaking of rotten boroughs, Lord Gould's porky newly graduated 22-year old daughter Georgina lost in the Labourite rotten borough she was parachuted into.

Just to cheer y'all up on a Tuesday.

George Laird

Dear Fraser

I believe that a person should stand or fall on their merits.

Although calling for a by-election would certainly prove interesting I don't see it being particularly helpful.

Michael Martin needed to step down as Speaker but is he much different from a whole raft of other MPs?

I would hazard a guess and say no.

At present the European Elections are in full swing, to hit the people of Glasgow North East with more paper through the door wouldn’t go down well.

Is it necessary for Martin to stand down as an MP, no, it is not.

What needed to happen has happened!

If a by-election is called then the only real challenge in this Labour heartland would be the Scottish National Party. It would be a very tough fight for the SNP as there is a 10,000 majority for Labour.

I wonder if Margaret Curran MSP would contest the seat for Labour, her seat is going in the boundary changes and she is desperate to get to Westminister. Margaret Curran is currently the Labour candidate for Glasgow East.

Finally, if there is a contest then do a fair piece on the SNP.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

TGF UKIP

All the reasons you provide, Fraser, are all the reasons for Gordon to prevent it.

Martin is a sleazy, venal, neptotistic sod which gives Gordon sufficient ammo to obtain a delay till the General Election at which time we should expect, in best Scottish Labour tradition, Martin Jnr to be the candidate.

Private Schultz

Pundit earlier said that since the Speaker is elected unopposed, there usually is a by-election if he/she relinquishes that role.

I'll also be interested to see if Mr Martin gets the usual peerage. Given his rather dodgy track record on expenses, FOI, Damian Green etc, I suspect it might seem like a reward for bad behaviour.

Steve

There WILL be a by-election Fraser, he's stepped down.

Death or Tory

Hope they police the Postal Votes well...

Tony

Obscure. Let's have a general election first.

Sir Graphus

George L (chairman etc); why would an SNP MSP be desperate to get to Westminster? Pray, explain to this ignorant Sassenach.

David Ossitt

At last.

Now some serious cleaning up is what is needed.

Everything will still look very dirty unless there are a substantial number of successful prosecutions.

Chingford Man

Yes, I would have thought there would be a by-election. So it looks like you'll be off to Glasgow, Fraser, for the second year running, to uncover the dark corners of another Labour dump. Hope the weather's better this July than the last one.

I'd bet on a sizeable SNP win given that the Nats haven't been touched by the corruption.

John Lea

George: I would guess the greatest threat to Martin in Springburn comes from Sheridan's Scottish Socialist Party, not the SNP.

One can only hope that Tony Parsons is right when he says that the one good thing that may yet emerge from this expenses scandal is that it might just mark the end of political tribalism in this country (i.e. it may lead to people voting - finally! - for someone based on their character, not on the colour of their rosette). If Labour (under Martin) were to be voted out of Springburn, that would be great.

Private Schultz

I heard that as a sitting Speaker, Mr Martin was unopposed in his constituency, so there would normally be a by-election when a Speaker relinquishes their office between elections.

It will also be interesting to see what happens about the peerage traditional for a departing Speaker - might smack of more perks for the boys in the current climate.

George Laird

Dear Sir Graphus

“George L (chairman etc)”.

Thank you for assuming that I am naturally meant for leadership; I am just a humble Glaswegian pottering about the place.

“why would an SNP MSP be desperate to get to Westminster?”

They wouldn’t but if the Curran situation occurred to one of the SNP MSP’s then I would imagine that they would do so to fight Scotland’s corner in every aspect of the political sphere.

And there are some wonderful museums etc too.

Do you know outside the Eastman Post Grad Dental School there are still stone horse troughs?

“Pray, explain to this ignorant Sassenach”.

I am sure that you know many things since you are regular on the Spectator and even John Redwood’s site.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Oor Wullie

Sir Graphus

Political momentum old boy...

Every victory for the SNP(Council, MSP,MP,MEP) is a nail in the coffin of the Labour Party in Scotland and shows the people of Scotland that there IS an alternative to Labour domination.
Have just listened to a Radio Scotland report from "Glasgow North East" (Springburn really) which is Martin's heartland, even tho' he's now too grand to live there. Only one person interviewed gave him any support--the rest were scathing.
Not a scientific poll, but very interesting.

George Laird

Dear John Lea

“George: I would guess the greatest threat to Martin in Springburn comes from Sheridan's Scottish Socialist Party, not the SNP”.

That is an opinion John worth picking over but I would say not realistic. I think the SNP would field Grant Thoms as their first pick Candidate. He is certainly the person I would chose to fight the seat. Mr. Thoms has a lot going for him and a reasonable personality which goes over well with voters. He stays in the local community and is a Glasgow City Councillor which I feel gives him a decent enough profile.

As to the Scottish Socialist Party; they poll about 1,500 so I don’t think they pose a serious threat, the Tories polled slightly better at 1,800.

As you may possibly know Tommy Sheridan is supposed to be standing in the European Elections and has said he will not take up his seat. That is a huge miscalculation on his part. You have to be in it to win it. People would look at that attitude and wonder if their Candidate was serious about representation of their needs.

As to his party; I have met some of his people and they seem very pleasant; that was my experience of them. At polling stations I generally found that all the political parties chat among themselves except the Glasgow Labour Mafia. They dress in black and look like Cosa Nostra guarding the entrances to the polling stations. I always make a point of talking to them apparently it upsets them when I do it.

I agree with your sentiments that voters should elect someone they believe will represent their interests. I also hope that voters in Glasgow North East would give Grant Thoms the opportunity to be put to the test at Westminister.

I think Grant Thoms of the SNP would make a decent MP given the chance.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Sir Graphus

Thanks George & Wullie.
I see. The political momentum is indeed with you, and will increase when the Tories get back in at Westminster. Probably about 10 years of the Union left.

I thank you for assuring me that I "know many things since you are regular on the Spectator"; however, 1 does not necessarily follow from the other.

I shall look out for the horse troughs next time I stroll up the Grays Inn Rd

Fraser Nelson

Private, the SNP stood against him in 05 and got 15% odd. Steve, he's resigned as Speaker but as Brown just said in the press conference we dont know if he'll resign his seat - he could continue as an independent, in theory. Trying to catch the Speaker's eye at PMQs...

Aless Bieri

Surely as he was unopposed by the main parties he must leave his seat!

He was allowed to be almost appointed unelected so that he could be the speaker, and if he is no longer to be so then there must be an election to put a normal MP in to represent the constituents.

neil craig

Because it is only a year till the next election there is a reasonable argument for not having a by-election. Certainly Brown will not relish one & Labour will probably hold it in a general election but much more dodgy in a by-election since people feel able to throw over ancient loyalties. I even think most of the voters won't want one - they are after all the lumpen-Labour vote so they can't really be bothered with politics.

JohnAnt

aving just spun a venomously party-political tribal line about Parliament not being a 'Gentlemen's Club' or 'Old Boy's Club' (tho' it reminds us just as much of the North-East during the Poulson/Stonehouse Labour-mafia era) I don't see how Brown could now get away with tucking Martin away on the Labour backbenches as cannon-fodder for his ailing government. The main parties stood aside for Martin's election, so he has no moral claim to a seat as backbencher in this parliament. Nevertheless, I suspect Martin knows this, and would feel like a spare whatsit at a wedding, and would like prefer to go the H o L right now, but Brown, party-political to the last, will try to stop him resigning his seat, if necessary, by having him kidnapped by Al Quaeda.
Morally, there should be a by-election. I really don't see that the 'wishes' of the local electorate should be taken for granted. Wasn't that, er, the problem in Bonny Glasgow, before the Nats came along? And as for the money an election costs - they've stolen and wasted so much, a few bob more will scarcely be missed.

hadrian

Maybe I've missed something but all the TV News bulletins were saying there is to be a by-election.
Where Labour's concerned in Glasgow I shouldn't put any bets on their being ditched, even with the Shettleston debacle. The SNP got far too cocky in the following Glenrothes byelection and as MPs are beginning to find out folk have had their fill of political arrogance so a meeker approach than Salmond gave last time is essential. Who'll stand for Labour? Surely not Mick's son, now, or that'd really 'scunner' the good burghers of Springburn in the face of such typical Scottish Labour nepotism.

AJM

I think Glasgow NE would benefit from a break from the rotten big party "dirty" politics it has had forced upon it since time began.
Yes, i am sure most people will say it is a Labour heartland and everyone will vote according to the way their families have for generations but I am convinced that even dyed-in-the-wool Labour supporters will be sick and tired of these amateurs who havent held another job in their lives outside politics of some description, be it union, local council or party.
Someone needs to try to get the message across to these thoroughly-sickened constituents that these salt-of-the earth politicians who have the people at heart have, in fact, onlytheir own careers at heart.
The only people who benefited from Michael Martin's public service career have been himself and his family. His constituency was in decline when he took it on and it is still in decline. He cant pass the buck for that although he will no doubt try.
When will these tribal politicos realise that the people of this country - and this includes voters in so called heartland constituencies - are sick of them.
Get an independent into Glasgow NE and show that change can begin in the most unlikely of places.