"The question is will Devine resign now, like Ian Gibson, and cause another by-election? If he did, that would be a major headache for Labour in Scotland as they also have to defend Speaker Martin's Glasgow seat. While having the first Livingston by election on the same day as the Scottish Parliament Cathcart by-election split the Nationalist effort, the climate was very different then."
She does have a point. During Glasgow East and Glenrothes by elections I've seen the SNP by election nest of ants (like this anagram) in motion. It is a reminder of full blooded Lib Dem campaigns like Dunfermline and West Fife and elsewhere that I have been to. Ok apart from having a marquee where activists appear to hang around the HQ. Or is it just me that gets sent out again once I have restocked on snacks and been to the toilet?
However, I'm sure Labour have to. They have in their hands the writ for any Labour held seat by election (that included the speaker's Glasgow North East). So may there be a prompting to get Devine to stand aside now so that they can run two campaigns in the hope that two clean untarnished Labour candidates (if they can be found) can contest the two seats in the hope of defending at least one if not both of them, in the hope of retaining at least one of the new breed of post expenses MP.
Yeah the political landscape may have changed since 2005 and the SNP juggernaut may well think they have a chance even with split resources of taking on all comers (though I'd love to throw a Lib Dem spanner in the works). But is it a risk, a spin of the dice, an electioneering coup that a Labour party strategist may be looking at pulling off the shelf....sorry couldn't resist that pun.
We live in interesting times.
Another shelf joke! I've been avoiding them, but I'll add that to my collection:-)
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