 | 'Scotland is a poorer place without him.' Mike Aitken on Cllr Brian Meek, 7 th August 2004. |  |
| 'Scotland is a poorer place without him.' Mike Aitken on Cllr Brian Meek, 7 th August 2004. | |
There was an all postal by-election for the Colinton ward of City of Edinburgh Council on the 28 th of October 2004 following the death of Cllr Brian Meek on 2 nd August 2004.
Colinton is in the Edinburgh South West Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Alistair Darling MP) and in the Edinburgh Pentlands Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Tory David McLetchie MSP).
| 28 th October 2004 By-election Turnout 61.1 % (- 4.5 %) on an all postal ballot | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason G. Rust |  |
Conservative | 1,830 | 45.9 % | - 16.8 % |
| Stuart M. Bridges |  |
Liberal Democrat | 1,680 | 42.2 % | + 30.4 % |
| John G. Clifford |  |
Labour | 289 | 7.3 % | - 8.3 % |
| Andrew Harlick |  |
Scottish National Party | 145 | 3.6 % | - 6.3 % |
| Morag Robertson |  |
Scotish Socialist Party | 38 | 1.0 % | (+ 1.0 %) |
| Conservative hold | |
Conservative majority | 468 | 3.7 % | - 43.4 % |
| 1 st May 2003 Turnout 65.6 % (- 7.0 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Brian Meek | |
Conservative | 2,733 | 62.7 % | + 7.0 % |
| James Ashe | |
Labour | 680 | 15.6 % | - 4.3 % |
| Martin Oliver | |
Liberal Democrat | 516 | 11.8 % | - 0.6 % |
| Bruce Wishart | |
Scottish National Party | 432 | 10.0 % | - 2.0 % |
| Conservative hold | |
Conservative majority | 2,053 | 47.1 % | + 11.3 % |
| 6 th May 1999 Turnout 64.3 % (+ 12.4 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Brian Meek | |
Conservative | 2,641 | 55.7 % | + 3.8 % |
| Thomas Doherty | |
Labour | 942 | 19.9 % | - 4.0 % |
| Angela Tunstall | |
Liberal Democrat | 587 | 12.4 % | + 1.3 % |
| Kenneth Grierson | |
Scottish National Party | 569 | 12.0 % | - 1.1 % |
| Conservative hold | |
Conservative majority | 1,699 | 35.8 % | + 7.8 % |
| 6 th April 1995 Turnout 51.9 % | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Brian Meek | |
Conservative | 1,512 | 51.9 % | |
| Pilmar Smith | |
Labour | 696 | 23.9 % | |
| Graham Walker | |
Scottish National Party | 383 | 13.1 % | |
| John White | |
Liberal Democrat | 323 | 11.1 % | |
| Conservative win | |
Conservative majority | 816 | 28.0 % | |
Edinburgh's longest serving Councillor, Brian Meek, passed away yesterday following a short illness.
The City of Edinburgh Council has paid tribute to Councillor Meek who served as an Edinburgh Councillor for 35 years.
At the time of his death Brian Meek was Conservative Group Chairman of the City of Edinburgh Council and Convener of Pentlands Local Development Committee. He was in the past Political Adviser to two Secretaries of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Malcolm Rifkind and the Rt Hon Michael Forsyth. He served as a Member of the European Committee of the Regions during the period 1994/98. Brian was one of the longest-serving Councillors in Scotland.
Brian was first elected as a Councillor in 1969 to the then Edinburgh Corporation. In 1974 he was elected to Lothian Regional Council and was Convener of that Council during the period 1982-86. He was a former member of the Scottish Executive of the Conservative Party.
Brian Meek commenced his journalistic career as a Copy Boy with The Scotsman in 1956. Throughout his career he has worked in all editorial departments of newspapers and covered events, both political and sporting, in all parts of the world. He worked for The Herald as a Political Columnist and Sports Writer. He was awarded "Columnist of the Year" four times in the prestigious Bank of Scotland Press Awards and twice won the award for "Sports Journalist of the Year".
Tom Aitchison, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council said:
'Councillor Meek gave long and dedicated service to not only the people of Edinburgh but of Colinton. His full and distinguished career brought great credit to local government and made an impact nationally. For this great commitment, and his great wit and humour, he will be very sorely missed.'
Councillor Lesley Hinds, Lord Provost of Edinburgh said:
'Councillor Meek was a hard-working local Councillor who would always do his best for his constituents and the people of Edinburgh. He was admired and respected by all, irrespective of political party. He was great company with a wicked sense of humour - I always used to dread it was me he was going to have a go at! I was so pleased that I recently had lunch with him, his family and his colleagues to thank him for all his work over the last 35 years. He fought his disease with great bravery and my thoughts go out at this time to his family who he absolutely adored.'
FORMER Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie today led the tributes to long-serving city councillor Brian Meek.
The veteran journalist and former Lothian Regional Council convener died yesterday after a six-month battle with leukaemia.
Cllr Meek, 65, had spent the last 35 years in local government and also served as an adviser to Cabinet ministers including Sir Malcolm and Michael Forsyth.
Mr Meek is survived by his second wife of 21 years, Frances, daughter Michelle, son Michael and four grandchildren.
Mr McLetchie remembered him as an "original and imaginative thinker".
He said: "Brian's continuous service to the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians is unsurpassed. We all owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude, for selfless service, wise counsel and unerring good humour. Scotland is the poorer for his passing."
A former pupil of the old Royal High School, Mr Meek was elected to the council aged only 29 and within a year was appointed as chairman of the Tory group. In 1982, he began a four-year stint as convener of Lothian Regional Council.
The representative of the Colinton ward was recently presented with a glass decanter by Lord Provost Lesley Hinds in recognition of the fact he was the longest continuously serving councillor in the Capital's history.
Sir Malcolm said: "Brian was a dear friend, a fine journalist and a magnificent councillor with 35 years' continuous service. He combined the finest traditions of public service with wisdom, humour and kindness. He was a good man and a great man. He served Edinburgh and Scotland well."
Cllr Meek worked as a reporter with The Scotsman, the Herald and the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch, which merged with the Evening News in 1963.
A funeral service is to be held at Mortonhall Crematorium at 3pm on Friday.
THEY say that the meek inherit the Earth, but Brian wasn't always so sure.
In his political life, Brian Alexander Meek was often mistaken on the doorstep by members of the electorate for the gas man, a vet, a doctor and a double-glazing salesman. He also recalled being met at the door of a house in Oxgangs by a small child who thrust 20p into his hand and told him his mummy said to "go away".
But as a forthright columnist, perceptive sports journalist and elegant feature writer with a number of leading newspapers over the past 40 years or so, he was well known by his readers.
When we spent a couple of hours together at his home in Morningside last week, I asked Brian what he thought was the distinguishing feature of his work. "Leave 'em laughing," he replied. Whether it was those wonderfully down-to-earth and human political columns which earned him the accolade of Columnist of the Year no fewer than four times in the Bank of Scotland Press awards, or the keenly observed sports reports which brought him two gongs as Sports Journalist of the Year, what set Brian apart from so many of his peers was the wish to lace information with entertainment.
Although it is true he enjoyed a refreshment, the only addiction in Brian Meek's life was to laughter. As a pupil at the Royal High School in the 1950s, Brian discovered he had a gift for making others laugh when he attended a Scottish schoolboys' camp and made his first appearance in front of an audience at a concert. Brian's act went down a treat and he knew he wanted to pursue a career in what we now call the media.
On leaving school, Brian made the short trip from Calton Hill to North Bridge where The Scotsman gave him his first job as a copyboy. It didn't take long before he moved on to the sportsdesk. Brian was then tempted to work for the Evening Dispatch as horse racing correspondent. Up until the final days of his life, Brian enjoyed a small wager and I know the last bet he ever placed was on a horse called Refuse To Bend. The horse didn't win, but anyone who knew Brian and spent time with him over the past five months as he fought leukaemia understood that selection could hardly have been more appropriate.
Brian joined the Scottish Daily Express near the end of its heyday when the paper was the most successful in Scotland and sold nearly 600,000 copies a day. He wrote features - often in cahoots with his great chum, the late Neville Garden - as well as items on rugby, golf and athletics for the sports pages.
When it is also remembered how Brian went on to become one of Scotland's most accomplished after-dinner speakers - Jimmy Logan once told him: "I'm glad I don't have to go on after you every night" - as well as a fine broadcaster and a director of a PR company, it should be clear that the lad o' pairts evolved into a Renaissance man.
It was probably just as well there was no end to Brian's versatility when a long and productive period with the Express came to an end during a bitter round of redundancies in 1974. He turned to freelance journalism when he wasn't either running Lothian Region as convener in the early Eighties or dishing out justice as a magistrate. Brian didn't return to newspapers until Ian Wood asked him to cover the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh for The Scotsman. That was the only occasion Brian and I worked together for the same paper, though for the best part of the 20 years which followed we covered countless international sporting events around the world together as the friendliest of rivals.
After the Commonwealth Games, The Scotsman dithered and missed the chance to recruit him full-time. The late Arnold Kemp, once deputy editor of The Scotsman, but by then a notable editor of the Herald, swooped for what was the journalistic equivalent of signing Henrik Larsson.
The notion that an Edinburgh Tory might become much-loved in Glasgow would have been dismissed by most editors as fanciful. However, Brian's decency, his willingness to fight a corner and unerring sense of humour won him a new constituency.
Until recently on trips abroad it was usual for sportswriters to share rooms, and Brian and I soon developed a reputation as the Odd Couple. If you knew how neat Brian was and how untidy I am, you wouldn't need to ask which one was Felix.
When it came to reporting pearls of wisdom from sporting heroes, Brian made even syntax manglers sparkle. I remember reading his version of a manager's post-match quotes. "The players gave everything and delivered exceptional performances. I was proud of them all. When it mattered most, they dug deep," he wrote. There was a more literal rendition in one of the tabloids: "The boys done really good."
Brian was also regarded with particular fondness by the Scottish Rugby Union, for whom he worked as a press officer at the 1995 World Cup finals in South Africa. And he was a popular figure on golf's European Tour. During the recent Open at Royal Troon, Colin Montgomerie took time out from a hectic schedule to hand me a card conveying his best wishes for Brian.
One of Brian's favourite stories was about being picked up by a taxi driver after an international at Murrayfield. The driver asked if he was Brian Meek, the sports writer. Brian replied "yes". The man told him how much he enjoyed his writing. "I'm glad it's you," he went on. "No' yon other Brian Meek who's a Tory councillor. I cannae stand him."
Brian was a journalist with political interests rather than a politician who dabbled in the media. His writing reflected his life - fearless, stylish and rewarding. He was, I suppose, a natural, and Scotland is a poorer place without him.
EDINBURGH looks likely to have its first local by-election without polling booths.
The by-election follows the death of Brian Meek, its longest-serving councillor.
The council is to apply to the Scottish Executive for permission to hold a postal pilot project in the former Herald columnist's Colinton ward. The date of the poll would be October 28.
Tom Aitchison, the local authority's returning officer, said the application was made after feedback from other postal voting pilots in Scotland.
However, he said in a report to councillors that it was anticipated the cost would be substantially more than a traditional election.
After the ballot, an evaluation on the project would be carried out by the council and the electoral commission.
Earlier this year, returning officers scuppered the chance of making Scotland a pilot area for postal voting in the European elections. Finance and staffing were among the principal concerns.
EDINBURGH is set to stage its first council election without polling stations.
Councillors will tomorrow be asked to approve plans to hold a postal-only by-election in Colinton ward following the death of veteran Tory councillor Brian Meek.
Scottish councils have been encouraged to adopt all-postal voting at by-elections in a bid to increase turn-out, which is traditionally low at local authority elections and even lower at by-elections.
Council chief executive and returning officer Tom Aitchison recommends in a report to the full council meeting that the Colinton by-election would be suitable for a postal ballot under legislation allowing councils to try out "innovative" voting arrangements on a pilot basis.
But he warned the cost of a postal election would be "substantially more" than a normal poll.
Returning officers led by Mr Aitchison blocked plans for Scotland to have all-postal voting in the European elections earlier this year. They said the system was not geared up to cope with the experiment.
Councillor Meek, the longest-serving councillor in the Capital's history, died on August 2.
The by-election must be held by October 28.
PLANS for Edinburgh's first all-postal election may be shelved after an official report delivered a damning verdict on pilot schemes in England.
City councillors had agreed to scrap polling stations and stage a postal-only ballot for the by-election in Colinton to choose a replacement for veteran Tory councillor Brian Meek, who died earlier this month.
But after major problems, including claims of bribery and fraud, during postal pilots in four English regions at the European and local elections in June, the UK Electoral Commission has recommended there should be no further all-postal ballots.
Edinburgh City Council leader Donald Anderson today said that the local authority would have to look again at the Colinton plans.
"We have never had an all-postal election in Edinburgh and we were keen to get experience of it ahead of the referendum on congestion charging."
Councillor Anderson said the council would have to study the Electoral Commission report in detail before deciding what to do.
But plans for all-postal ballots require Scottish Executive approval before they can go ahead, so even if the council wants to press ahead, the move could be vetoed by ministers. An Executive spokesman said they were still studying the commission's report.
Cllr Anderson said that he expected the referendum on the introduction of road tolls would still be conducted by postal ballot.
He added: "It is not a statutory election, it is a test of public opinion - but we will still look at the report and see if there is anything we can learn."
However, Liberal Democrat group leader Jenny Dawe said running an all-postal by-election in one ward with a few thousand voters would bear no comparison to the road tolls referendum, which would involve all voters across the city.
And she called for the postal experiment in Colinton to be scrapped.
"We have no fears about postal ballots - after all, the Lib Dems won control of Newcastle in a postal ballot.
"But we feel in all fairness to the voters of Colinton, especially with all the defects which have shown up, we would much prefer it to be a traditional ballot."
Tory group leader Iain Whyte also called for the all-postal plan to be abandoned.
He said: "We strongly support the idea that people should be able to have the choice of going to the polling station or applying for a postal vote if they want one.
"The traditional method has worked fine for many years. I hope the Labour administration will take heed of the Electoral Commission report and decide to hold the by-election under the traditional system.
"If they want they can send out information to electors about postal votes so people have a choice."
Cllr Whyte acknowledged other all-postal ballots appeared to have increased the number of people voting.
But he added: "The difficulty is we don't know what the normal turn-out would be in a council election in Colinton because they are lumped in with the Scottish Parliament elections."
However, he said turn-out was traditionally high in the ward anyway.
And he added: "I have never understood why Labour are so keen on an all-postal vote because the evidence is the Conservatives have been winning by-elections and all-postal makes no difference."
The Electoral Commission said the all-postal pilots in four English regions during June's European and local elections were marred by complexity, logistics, abuse claims and a tight timetable.
And it called for an immediate moratorium on further pilots, saying that the problems had undermined public confidence.
A NEWLY qualified solicitor is bidding to become the Capital's youngest city councillor.
Tory front-runner Jason Rust, 26, is among five candidates in the running to replace local politics legend Brian Meek, who died in August.
They will battle it out in the Colinton ward by-election as part of the Capital's first all-postal ballot on October 28.
Mr Meek represented the Tory stronghold for 35 years and, although he took about 63 per cent of the vote last year, rivals today insisted that this contest would be much closer.
Mr Rust will face competition from an even younger opponent in 24-year-old SNP candidate Andrew Harlick. If either wins, he will become the youngest current serving councillor on the city council
Well-known local campaigner Stuart Bridges, the only candidate to live within the ward, has been selected by the Liberal Democrats. Former Labour regional councillor John Clifford is also hoping to make a return to political life.
And for the first time, the Scottish Socialist Party will be targeting the ward - one of the Capital's most affluent areas - with candidate Morag Robertson convinced they will poll well.
The impact road tolls would have on the area is considered to be one of the election's main issues, as many parents would be forced to cross the proposed outer cordon to take their children to school at nearby Juniper Green Primary.
Senior Tories have privately drawn parallels between Mr Rust and Mr Meek, who was first elected at the age of 29, and Mr Rust admitted some residents have been "surprised" to see such a young face on the campaign trail.
The property lawyer said: "I've called on hundreds of houses and I've been getting a very good response. People have been pleased to see that there is political interest amongst younger people."
Mr Bridges, 40, is an elder at Colinton Church and, since 1999, has been at the forefront of the fight against controversial plans to cover the Dreghorn Polo Fields with housing. The Lib Dem candidate said: "I believe my knowledge of local problems and my record of action on local issues means I can be that strong local voice in the council chamber."
Labour's John Clifford, meanwhile, is Austria's consul in Scotland and has represented the area as a regional councillor. If elected, he has vowed to "think independently on issues" at the City Chambers.
At 27, South Morningside councillor Mark McInnes is currently the city's youngest councillor. But council leader Donald Anderson became one of the most youthful elected members in Edinburgh history when he was voted in at just 23 in 1986.
A PROPERTY solicitor has been elected the Capital's youngest city councillor in a tighter than expected by-election in a long-time Tory stronghold.
Conservative Jason Rust, 26, won the all-postal ballot in the city's Colinton ward - but the Liberal Democrats gave the Tories a massive scare by coming within 150 votes of snatching the so-called "safe seat".
Lib Dem candidate Stuart Bridges more than tripled his party's support in the ballot to replace local politics legend Brian Meek - who died in August after representing the area for 35 years.
Mr Bridges said last night's result left the Conservatives "extremely rattled" and the result was so close that the Lib Dems immediately demanded a recount in the City Chambers.
But there was even worse news for Labour. Their support plummeted by more than half - leaving them in third place with just seven per cent of the vote. Opponents blamed the city's ruling Labour administration's plan to introduce road tolls for the poor showing.
Turnout for yesterday's ballot was 61.1 per cent, which officials said was one of the highest-ever figures in a Scottish by-election and candidates from all parties agreed the controversial all-postal ballot was a success.
A "delighted" Councillor Rust took about 46 per cent support - compared to the party colleague Mr Meek's 63 per cent last year.
He garnered 1830 votes with Mr Bridges, a well-known local campaigner and the only candidate to live in the area, winning 1680.
Cllr Rust said: "I'm very honoured to represent the people of Colinton.
"Brian Meek represented this ward for 35 years and I certainly hope to be as hard-working and well-respected as he was.
"I think a lot of people were pleased to see a young face knocking on their door.
"I don't know if this is the start of a long career in politics - I am just happy to work for the people of Colinton."
Mr Bridges, 40, said the personal disappointment of losing was softened by the "fantastic result" for the party. He said: "I am honoured that so many people in Colinton voted for me. People of all political persuasions were voting Lib Dem in this election and this is a good bridge for us to build on. There were Tory, Labour and SNP voters all coming to me saying they would be switching to the Lib Dems."
Labour candidate and former regional councillor John Clifford tried to play down his party's poor showing and claimed tactical voting was behind the drop from 680 votes in 2003 to just 289.
He said: "There was a big squeeze and we knew votes were shifting. There was certainly a degree of tactical voting - people had the Tories in their sights and a number of traditional Labour voters were desperate to get rid of them."
City council leader Donald Anderson admitted Labour "did not expect to win". Councillor Anderson said he thought the turnout was the highest in a council by-election for "many, many years" and said his decision to hold an all-postal ballot was proved right.
Cllr Rust took 46 per cent of the vote in yesterday's ballot, a negative swing of 16.7 per cent, while the Lib Dem's Mr Bridges was just behind with 42.2 per cent - a positive swing of 30.4 per cent. Labour's share of the vote fell from 15.6 per cent to 7.3 per cent, while the Scottish National Party's Andrew Harlick won just 145 votes. Schoolteacher Morag Robertson, who was standing for the Scottish Socialist Party, managed only 38 votes.
The Conservatives have retained the Colinton ward of Edinburgh City Council in a by-election created by the sad death of Brian Meek. Commenting after the result, new Conservative Councillor Jason Rust said:
'I'm delighted that the people of Colinton have voted for me to represent them. The fact that they did so is a testament to the magnificent work, dedication and unwavering commitment of Brian Meek. His top priority was always the people of Colinton, and he will be sorely missed by them, and by everyone in the Conservative Party.
'I intend to take the same approach as Brian did by working tirelessly for Colinton. I believe that Colinton has made the right choice, and I will deliver for them.'
Scottish Conservative Chairman Peter Duncan MP said:
'All over the country, people are voting Conservative. We have an unparalleled by-election record. Since 1997, we have won 14 wards from all other parties, retained 12, and lost absolutely none. This has happened all over the country, from Colinton to Ardrossan, from Queens Cross to Bothwell. The Conservatives are on the way up in Scotland. With a discredited Government and an ineffective left-wing consensus running the country down, people are increasingly turning to the Tories.'
Edinburgh Pentlands MSP David McLetchie said:
'Since the Scottish Parliament and local elections in 2003, we have gained a further 3 wards and held 5 all over Scotland, substantially increasing our share of the vote along the way. I am particularly delighted with the win in Colinton, which is part of my own constituency. I look forward to working with Jason as part of a winning Tory team in Pentlands.'
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