 | 'The SNP won a stunning victory in Glasgow East last night to join the likes of Govan and Hamilton in reshaping modern Scottish history. The result hugely surpassed the expectations of even the most optimistic of nationalists, as local councillor John Mason overturned a Labour majority of more than 13,500 to claim the seat for his party by a comfortable majority.' Robbie Dinwoodie, Torciul Crichton and Chris Watt in the Herald, 25 th July 2008. |  |
The SNP won a stunning victory in Glasgow East last night to join the likes of Govan and Hamilton in reshaping modern Scottish history.
The result hugely surpassed the expectations of even the most optimistic of nationalists, as local councillor John Mason overturned a Labour majority of more than 13,500 to claim the seat for his party by a comfortable majority.
The Nationalists took the seat with a majority of 365 - a swing of around 24% - polling 11,277 votes to Labour's 10,912. The Tories, with 1639 votes, beat the LibDems, with 915, into third place.
For the duration of the short campaign, following the resignation of Labour MP David Marshall, all sides had envisaged a close contest between the front runners.
And following a recount called by Labour with the margin so tight, the result was declared to triumphant Nationalist supporters at just after 2.20am.
Even going into yesterday's poll, Labour and SNP organisers put the contest on a knife edge, and until mid-evening last night, that was how the received wisdom remained. But at close of polling, as all activists converged on Tollcross Leisure Centre, in the heart of the constituency, it became clear that the earthquake predicted by Alex Salmond had begun to rumble.
Local Labour MPs and councillors began to admit that the result was going against them. While returns were still coming in, one east end politician told The Herald "It's just not working for us."
At around 12.40am, the Labour candidate Margaret Curran was welcomed into the hall by fellow politicians and her campaign team, and away from the media in a corner of the main hall, she appeared to make a tearful concession of defeat.
Shortly afterwards, SNP candidate John Mason entered the hall to the rapturous applause of his party activists, who were by then aware that history was in the making.
In the area of the hall reserved for the count's party observers, there was little sympathy for Labour. Tory Party officials claimed that Gordon Brown had received the bloody nose he had coming, while representatives of minor parties, such as the Socialists and Greens, were also pleased that Labour had lost its stranglehold on the east end of Glasgow.
Senior Labour politicians at the count had begun to admit earlier in the evening that their party now needed a whole new approach to its relationship with its former heartlands.
"We now know things have got badly out of touch," said one. "The SNP won in the aspirational areas, and we have to learn that lesson."
There was also the whole question about what the impact of such a cutting defeat would be on Gordon Brown's leadership.
Speaking of his win last night, SNP victor John Mason said: "This is a victory of epic proportions, and off the Richter Scale," adding that this was the first by-election in British history that represented a contest between two governments.
The SNP pointed out that the 24% swing came close to the shift required to take every Labour seat in Scotland.
Deputy SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, speaking on BBC TV, said: "We're seeing a movement to the SNP of truly epic proportions"
Steven Purcell, the Labour leader of Glasgow Council, said: "The biggest issue was about the economy, but there are wider issues that we in the Labour Party have to think about. When we won in 1997, we had a powerful way of delivering that message, but more important is what the message is, and we have to look at a much more radical approach to our policy agenda.
"In the early years of this government we were radical, and we need a debate about what the next decade is going to be about."
Jim Murphy, Labour MP for Eastwood and Europe minister, told STV: "It's a bad seat to lose, but I'm confident that we can win this back at the next general election."
"Governnment is always about the future. We're talking about a fourth term. There isn't a sense of gratitude from people. It's about what you're going to do next."
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