Glasgow Cathcart by-election, 2005
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Cathcart
by-election
to the Scottish Parliament
was held on 29 September 2005. It was caused by the resignation from the Scottish Parliament
of Mike Watson
, who won the seat at both the 1999 and 2003 elections.
On 15 November 2004, Watson had been charged with two counts of fire-raising while attending a private reception at Edinburgh
's Prestonfield House
Hotel three days previously. After initially registering not guilty pleas to both charges on 23 August 2005, on 1 September he changed his plea on the first count to guilty, and had a not guilty plea accepted on the second charge. Sentencing has been deferred till 22 September. On the same day Watson admitted his guilt, he resigned from the Scottish Parliament necessitating the by-election.
The short time span between Watson's resignation and the by-election has been the cause of some controversy. George Reid
, the Parliament's Presiding Officer
set the date citing that it was in the best interests of the public to have it on this date, the date already set for the Livingston by-election
caused by the death of Robin Cook
as having alternative dates would have led to months of electioneering, which he felt was against the public interest. The Scottish National Party
(SNP) leader, Alex Salmond
felt that the Labour Party
had brought undue pressure to bear on the Presiding Officer though and angrily charged that the date was set merely to suit Labour's purposes as they were worried about a strong SNP challenge (the SNP had come second in the constituency in recent elections).
Charan Gill, a well known Glasgow
entrepreneur had a high profile attempt at becoming Labour's candidate for the by-election, and was reputedly supported by First Minister
, Jack McConnell
. However he only joined the Labour Party days before the deadline for application and Labour's Scottish Executive
Committee ruled that he was ineligible under the term's of the party constitution. Former City of Glasgow Council Leader, Charlie Gordon
was chosen as their candidate on 9 September. Others in the frame for Labour were former teacher and current Councillor Irene Graham; voluntary sector worker Archie Graham, who is also the husband of Glasgow Pollok
MSP
Johann Lamont; and Manjinder Singh Shergill, a business analyst with ScottishPower.
Maire Whitehead, a previous candidate in Cathcart and a former Primary School Headteacher was chosen by the SNP as their candidate on the same day as Gordon was selected by Labour. She defeated Bill Kidd, twice a candidate elsewhere in Glasgow and the SNP Trade Union Group
organiser and Tommy Tonner, a Glasgow based consultant.
The Scottish Socialist Party
chose Ronnie Stevenson; the Liberal Democrats, Arthur Sanderson; and former Lord Provost of Glasgow Pat Lally, who stood as an independent in the seat in 2003, fought it once again. Richard Cook, who also stood in the seat in 2003, was the Conservative
candidate whilst the Greens
picked Chloe Stewart, a 31 year old NHS
employee in Glasgow, and the UKIP chose Bryan McCormack. Chris Creighton put his name forward as an independent candidate.
Glasgow Cathcart (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Cathcart is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
was held on 29 September 2005. It was caused by the resignation from the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
of Mike Watson
Mike Watson
Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie, known as Mike Watson, is a former British Labour Party politician...
, who won the seat at both the 1999 and 2003 elections.
On 15 November 2004, Watson had been charged with two counts of fire-raising while attending a private reception at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
's Prestonfield House
Prestonfield House
Prestonfield House is a five-star boutique hotel located in Prestonfield, Edinburgh. It was originally built in 1687 by architect Sir William Bruce, and was once a wealthy rural estate, but in recent decades has come to serve as a hotel...
Hotel three days previously. After initially registering not guilty pleas to both charges on 23 August 2005, on 1 September he changed his plea on the first count to guilty, and had a not guilty plea accepted on the second charge. Sentencing has been deferred till 22 September. On the same day Watson admitted his guilt, he resigned from the Scottish Parliament necessitating the by-election.
The short time span between Watson's resignation and the by-election has been the cause of some controversy. George Reid
George Reid (Scottish politician)
George Newlands Reid, PC , is a Scottish politician. From February 1974 to 1979 he served as a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire. He was elected in 1999 as a Member of the newly established Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Mid Scotland and...
, the Parliament's Presiding Officer
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire...
set the date citing that it was in the best interests of the public to have it on this date, the date already set for the Livingston by-election
Livingston by-election, 2005
The Livingston by-election, 2005 was triggered when Robin Cook, the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Livingston, in Scotland, died on 6 August 2005....
caused by the death of Robin Cook
Robin Cook
Robert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
as having alternative dates would have led to months of electioneering, which he felt was against the public interest. The Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP) leader, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
felt that the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
had brought undue pressure to bear on the Presiding Officer though and angrily charged that the date was set merely to suit Labour's purposes as they were worried about a strong SNP challenge (the SNP had come second in the constituency in recent elections).
Charan Gill, a well known Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
entrepreneur had a high profile attempt at becoming Labour's candidate for the by-election, and was reputedly supported by First Minister
First Minister
A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...
, Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
. However he only joined the Labour Party days before the deadline for application and Labour's Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
Committee ruled that he was ineligible under the term's of the party constitution. Former City of Glasgow Council Leader, Charlie Gordon
Charlie Gordon
Charles Gordon is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Cathcart....
was chosen as their candidate on 9 September. Others in the frame for Labour were former teacher and current Councillor Irene Graham; voluntary sector worker Archie Graham, who is also the husband of Glasgow Pollok
Glasgow Pollok (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Pollok is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
Johann Lamont; and Manjinder Singh Shergill, a business analyst with ScottishPower.
Maire Whitehead, a previous candidate in Cathcart and a former Primary School Headteacher was chosen by the SNP as their candidate on the same day as Gordon was selected by Labour. She defeated Bill Kidd, twice a candidate elsewhere in Glasgow and the SNP Trade Union Group
SNP Trade Union Group
The SNP Trade Union Group is an affiliated organisation of the Scottish National Party . They were formed in the 1960s as the Association of Scottish Nationalist Trade Unionists to persuade Scottish trade unionists of the virtues of Scottish independence and to ensure the SNP has an organised...
organiser and Tommy Tonner, a Glasgow based consultant.
The Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
chose Ronnie Stevenson; the Liberal Democrats, Arthur Sanderson; and former Lord Provost of Glasgow Pat Lally, who stood as an independent in the seat in 2003, fought it once again. Richard Cook, who also stood in the seat in 2003, was the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate whilst the Greens
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
picked Chloe Stewart, a 31 year old NHS
NHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
employee in Glasgow, and the UKIP chose Bryan McCormack. Chris Creighton put his name forward as an independent candidate.