 | 'Greater Glasgow Health Board has not listened to local people despite the petition and postcards to the health minister and the fact we have held five public meetings. I want the electors to turn away from their usual political support and vote this time for me.' Dr Jean Turner, 5 th June 2001. |  |
Banff and Buchan and Strathkelvin and Bearsden voters will choose who speaks for them in the London and Edinburgh parliaments.
The by-elections were sparked when two of the county's high-profile politicians, Sam Galbraith and Alex Salmond, decided to stand down as MSPs.
Mr Galbraith, Labour's former education minister, has retired from both London and Edinburgh, while former Scottish National Party leader Mr Salmond has said farewell to Holyrood to stand again for Westminster.
But those hoping to follow in their footsteps at Holyrood have been battling to make their voices heard above a four-week-long general election campaign.
The Banff and Buchan seat was held by the SNP in 1997 when Mr Salmond was returned with a 12,845 majority.
He went on to win at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election by a margin of 11,292 votes.
The Scottish Socialist Party candidate for the Holyrood seat, Peter Anderson, said taking second place to a UK-wide political fight had its advantages and disadvantages.
"The issues in this constituency are clearly about fishing and agriculture," he said.
"Our party feels Alex Salmond has let the fishing industry down and the foot-and-mouth crisis has hit this area badly, in terms of both agriculture and tourism.
"I think people generally know there is an election for Holyrood, if they have read the literature and listened to what has been said they will be aware."
Constitutional Convention
Liberal Democrat candidate Canon Kenyon Wright signed up to party politics last summer.
He had been better known as a leading member of the Constitutional Convention, which was central to the devolution process.
The retired churchman has used his campaign to promote what he says are the achievements of the Lib Dems at Holyrood.
He said: "Tuition fees have gone in Scotland, but are still in England. Free personal care for the elderly will soon be in Scotland, not in England, and a fair deal for teachers in Scotland is now being demanded in England.
"The facts prove that the Lib Dems speak up for Scotland and have made solid achievements."
The SNP is confident of retaining the Banff and Buchan seat and seeing Stewart Stevenson join other nationalist MSPs at Holyrood.
Mr Stevenson believes he has a face and a name which constituents recognise.
He said: "I have been campaigning in the seat since August, I am already known and the only candidate who actually lives in the constituency. I have been very active and I am confident people know who I am."
And the 54-year-old reckons the state of school buses in Aberdeenshire is as important an issue as that of fishing, foot-and-mouth and tourism.
Labour's candidate is London-based councillor Megan Harris.
Local issues
She said: "Labour has delivered for Scotland and Banff and Buchan from both parliaments - a better education for our children, a national minimum wage, increased child benefit and the winter fuel allowances.
"All of this with a stable economy which has meant lower mortgages."
Ted Brocklebank, Conservative candidate in Mr Salmond's former Scottish Parliament seat, says "an awful lot" of people have pledged to switch from the SNP to his party.
He believes the state of the fishing industry is a key issue for many constituents.
"The white fish industry is vital to this area, but is now in real trouble. If I were elected I would put the issue of the compensation of fishermen back on the agenda," said Mr Brocklebank.
The relatively affluent constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden was held with a comfortable 16,292 majority by Mr Galbraith at the 1997 general election.
He went on to win the same seat for the Scottish Parliament by 12,121 votes at the May 1999 election.
Health is a hot topic in the area, with retired GP Dr Jean Turner standing as an independent fighting to retain services at Stobhill Hospital.
Health issue
She is involved in a campaign to ensure that acute services are not taken away from the hospital, which is not within the constituency but is used by constituents.
Feelings are running high on the issue - 43,000 people signed a petition objecting to the radical plans by Greater Glasgow Health Board and 8,500 postcards of protest were sent to Scottish Health Minister Susan Deacon.
Dr Turner said: "Greater Glasgow Health Board has not listened to local people despite the petition and postcards to the health minister and the fact we have held five public meetings.
"I want the electors to turn away from their usual political support and vote this time for me."
Conservative candidate Charles Ferguson believes Dr Turner might help him to get through as the constituency's new MSP.
The solicitor said: "The future of Stobhill is so important in this area that it has attracted an independent candidate.
"If people's high feelings are turned into votes then support could be taken from Labour and my party could win the seat."
But he said he believed the very important Scottish Parliament election was being masked by the general election campaign.
"The fact Labour has very cleverly held this by-election during a general election means that people don't really know they will be voting for a new MSP," said Mr Ferguson.
Labour's candidate Brian Fitzpatrick knows the importance of the Stobhill Hospital issue.
He also recognises that the by-election has been overshadowed by the national campaign.
'Media pack'
"Although we might be the forgotten by-election, it has helped to free us up to get around the constituency without a media pack following.
"That has given us more time to sit down and talk to people in the area, and that can't be a bad thing," said Mr Fitzpatrick.
The Liberal Democrat candidate, councillor John Morrison, believes the constituency is crying out for an MSP who is prepared to fight for the interest of local people at the "highest level".
He added: "I have represented one of the wards in the constituency for the past six years, I know what the problems are.
"I would be able to hit the ground running from day one."
Perthshire-based Janet Law is fighting the seat for the Scottish National Party.
She said: "One of the key issues is the future of the NHS and in particular the future of Stobhill Hospital.
"That has proved to be a major issue in the campaign for all parties. I believe the SNP stands for Scotland and stands for Stobhill Hospital."
6 th June 2001
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