Glasgow Govan by-election, 1973
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Govan by-election was held on 8 November 1973, following the death of John Rankin
, Labour Party
Member of Parliament
for the Glasgow Govan constituency
. Rankin had died one month earlier, on 8 October 1973. Rankin had held the seat since 1955. With the exception of a narrow Conservative
victory in 1950, the seat had been solidly Labour-held since 1918. For the by-election the Labour Party nominated Harry Selby
, a veteran activist in Glasgow and a former Trotskyist.
The Conservative Party, long the main opposition in the constituency, nominated John Mair, but as they were in mid-term government, they expected little from the election. Party support had also suffered after refusing the important local employer Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
a government loan to continue operations.
The Scottish National Party
(SNP) had barely won 10% of the vote in the constituency at the 1970 UK general election. Nonetheless, nationalist sentiment had increased following the discovery of North Sea Oil
, and the party had performed very well in the Stirling and Falkirk by-election, 1971
, and the Dundee East by-election, 1973
. The SNP nominated the young teacher Margo MacDonald
.
The Liberal Party
, despite having held the constituency for considerable periods prior to 1918, had little base in Glasgow and had not even contested it in 1970. They stood Peter McMillan. The withdrawal of the Liberal Party allowed the Communist Party of Great Britain
to poll fourth in 1970, with only 326 votes. With such a low count, they chose not to contest the 1973 by-election.
, the Hamilton by-election, 1967
, and the Western Isles seat in 1970. The party gained an additional 31.2% of the vote, and MacDonald sat alongside Donald Stewart, SNP MP for the Western Isles
, in the British House of Commons
.
The Labour vote fell sharply, in an ominous defeat for the party, given that a general election was expected soon. The Conservative vote halved, and the party lost its deposit, placing only just ahead of the Liberals.
MacDonald lost the seat at the February 1974 UK general election to Selby, who himself stood down after only five years. However, the SNP were able to win seven other seats at the 1974 election, and established themselves as a permanent grouping in the British Parliament.
John Rankin (politician)
John Rankin was a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician.Rankin was educated at Allan Glen's School, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. He became a school teacher, propagandist and lecturer....
, 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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Glasgow Govan constituency
Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Govan was a parliamentary constituency in the Govan district of Glasgow. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 2005, returning one Member of Parliament elected by the first-past-the-post system.The area which the constituency...
. Rankin had died one month earlier, on 8 October 1973. Rankin had held the seat since 1955. With the exception of a narrow 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...
victory in 1950, the seat had been solidly Labour-held since 1918. For the by-election the Labour Party nominated Harry Selby
Harry Selby
Harry Selby was a Scottish politician.A barber by trade, based in Glasgow, he became an active Trotskyist, joining the Revolutionary Socialist League. When this disintegrated, he became a leading figure in the Left Fraction...
, a veteran activist in Glasgow and a former Trotskyist.
The Conservative Party, long the main opposition in the constituency, nominated John Mair, but as they were in mid-term government, they expected little from the election. Party support had also suffered after refusing the important local employer Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders was a British shipbuilding consortium created in 1968 as a result of the amalgamation of five major shipbuilders of the River Clyde in Scotland...
a government loan to continue operations.
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) had barely won 10% of the vote in the constituency at the 1970 UK general election. Nonetheless, nationalist sentiment had increased following the discovery of North Sea Oil
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
, and the party had performed very well in the Stirling and Falkirk by-election, 1971
Stirling and Falkirk by-election, 1971
The Stirling and Falkirk by-election of 16 September 1971 was held following the death of Labour Member of Parliament Malcolm MacPherson. The seat was retained by Labour.-Results:-References:...
, and the Dundee East by-election, 1973
Dundee East by-election, 1973
There was a by-election for Dundee East, in Scotland, on March 1st, 1973. It was one of three UK parliamentary by-elections held on that day.It was caused by the appointment of George Thomson as a European commissioner....
. The SNP nominated the young teacher Margo MacDonald
Margo MacDonald
Margo MacDonald MSP is a Scottish politician and former Scottish National Party MP and Deputy Leader...
.
The Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, despite having held the constituency for considerable periods prior to 1918, had little base in Glasgow and had not even contested it in 1970. They stood Peter McMillan. The withdrawal of the Liberal Party allowed the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
to poll fourth in 1970, with only 326 votes. With such a low count, they chose not to contest the 1973 by-election.
Results
MacDonald won a shock victory for the SNP; this was only the party's fourth Parliamentary election victory, after the Motherwell by-election, 1945Motherwell by-election, 1945
The Motherwell by-election was held on 12 April 1945, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament for Motherwell James Walker.The by-election took place during the Second World War during unusual political conditions...
, the Hamilton by-election, 1967
Hamilton by-election, 1967
The Hamilton by-election, in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which took place on the 2nd of November 1967, was a milestone in the politics of Scotland...
, and the Western Isles seat in 1970. The party gained an additional 31.2% of the vote, and MacDonald sat alongside Donald Stewart, SNP MP for the Western Isles
Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)
Na h-Eileanan an Iar is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created in 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
, in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
The Labour vote fell sharply, in an ominous defeat for the party, given that a general election was expected soon. The Conservative vote halved, and the party lost its deposit, placing only just ahead of the Liberals.
MacDonald lost the seat at the February 1974 UK general election to Selby, who himself stood down after only five years. However, the SNP were able to win seven other seats at the 1974 election, and established themselves as a permanent grouping in the British Parliament.