 | 'The campaign closed with the SNP and Labour still swapping insults. David Kerr, SNP candidate, appealed to voters to back him instead of 'more New Labour lobby fodder.' Mr Joyce responded with promise to be his own man in Westminster,
while Dr Reid condemned the SNP campaign as 'negative, carping and sneering.'.' Murray Richie and Robbie Dinwoodie in the Herald, 21 st December 2000 |  |
Polls opened at 0700 GMT on Thursday, with voting taking place until 2200.
The five-way contest was prompted by Mr Canavan's decision to give up his Westminster seat.
The independent MP and MSP had represented Falkirk West for Labour from June 1983 until last year.
But the 48-year-old broke ranks with Labour after he was not selected as its candidate for the seat at the Scottish Parliament elections.
He embarrassed the party he had been a member of for 33 years when he stood as an independent last May and won by a majority of 12,000 - the largest in the parliament.
However, he was automatically expelled from the Labour Party as a result.
He announced his intention to give up his Westminster seat in October, prompting the parties to start gearing up for the by-election.
But in November it looked as if those efforts could be in vain after Mr Canavan said he had applied to rejoin the Labour Party.
He told a news conference in his constituency that he believed reconciliation was "a distinct possibility" and withdrew his threat to resign from Westminster.
But there was a further twist only two weeks later when Mr Canavan announced another U-turn.
He withdrew his application to rejoin Labour, saying that fresh evidence about his exclusion had come to light.
He also said he would be giving up his Westminster seat after all, sparking the by-election he had previously threatened.
The candidates fighting for the seat are: Iain Hunter, Scottish Socialist Party; Eric Joyce, Scottish Labour Party; David Kerr, Scottish National Party; Hugh O'Donnell, Scottish Liberal Democrat Party; and Craig Stevenson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
BBC News Online users will be able to watch the Falkirk West by-election special, which is being transmitted on BBC1 Scotland, starting at 2350GMT on Thursday.
- Dec 21
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