Local By-elections

'West Dumbarton is not often identified as the centre of political life north of the Border. But last week the area was the focus of Nationalist claims that it represented further evidence of an impending SNP takeover of Scotland. Such hyperbole was due to the West Dunbartonshire Council by-election result, in which the SNP candidate Iain Robertson recorded a 26% swing to snatch the seat from Labour. If such a performance is matched at next year's Holyrood election, Alex Salmond will be sworn in as First Minister and plans for a referendum on independence will be drawn up.' Scottish Political Editor Paul Hutcheon in the Sunday Herald, 18 th June 2006.

Dumbarton West (West Dunbartonshire) 15 th June 2006

Dumbarton West - ward 16

Scottish National Party gain from Labour

SNP Cllr Iain Robertson

There was a by-election for the Dumbarton West ward of West Dunbartonshire Council on the 15 th of June 2006 following the resignation of Cllr Joseph Pilkington on the 13 th April 2006. Cllr Pilkington was elected at a by-election on the 17 th March 2005.

Dumbarton West is in the West Dunbartonshire Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's John McFall MP) and in the Dumbarton Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Jackie Baillie MSP).

NB When the council was created in 1995, it was called Dumbarton & Clydebank.

Scottish National Party gain from Labour.

Swing: 13.4 % Labour to Scottish National Party since March 2005 by-election

Swing: 20.5 % Labour to Scottish National Party since 2003 election.

15 th June 2006 By-election Turnout % ( %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Iain Robertson		Scottish National Party	592	45.1 %	+ 21.4 %
David J. McBride		Labour	588	44.8 %	- 5.3 %
Alexander Cunningham		Scottish Socialist Party	75	5.7 %	- 5.0 %
Martyn A. McIntyre		Conservative	58	4.4 %	+ 1.9 %
Scottish National Party gain from Labour		Scottish National Party majority	4	0.3 %

17 th March 2005 By-election Turnout 41.7 % (- 4.7 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Joseph Pilkington		Labour	607	50.1 %	- 11.1 %
Iain Robertson		Scottish National Party	287	23.7 %	+ 3.1 %
Elizabeth Ruine		Independent (Save Dalreoch Primary)	141	11.6 %	(+ 11.6 %)
Les Robertson		Scottish Socialist Party	130	10.7 %	- 7.5 %
John McDonald		Conservative	30	2.5 %	(+ 2.5 %)
Carola Boehm		Scottish Green Party	16	1.3 %	(+ 1.3 %)
Labour hold		Labour majority	320	26.4 %	- 14.2 %

1 st May 2003 Turnout 46.4 % (- 11.7 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
John Duffy		Labour	875	61.2 %	+ 8.5 %
Anne Robertson		Scottish National Party	294	20.6 %	- 22.7 %
David Logan		Scottish Socialist Party	260	18.2 %	(+ 18.2 %)
Labour hold		Labour majority	581	40.6 %	+ 31.2 %

6 th May 1999 Turnout 58.1 % (+ 16.9 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
John Trainer		Labour	1,034	52.7 %	+ 9.7 %
Cllr David Logan		Scottish National Party	850	43.3 %	- 1.4 %
Catherine Jardine		Conservative	77	3.9 %	+ 1.5 %
Labour gain from Scottish National Party		Labour majority	184	9.4 %

Dumbarton West - ward 12, Dumbarton & Clydebank Council

13 th August 1998 By-election Turnout 41.2 % (+ 0.6 %)
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
David Logan		Scottish National Party	611	44.7 %	+ 11.0 %
Alistair Tuach		Labour	588	43.0 %	- 23.3 %
Kenneth Shepherd		Liberal Democrat	90	6.6 %	(+ 6.6 %)
Martin Hollern		Independent	46	3.4 %	(+ 3.4 %)
Brian Voster		Conservative	33	2.4 %	(+ 2.4 %)
Scottish National Party gain from Labour		Scottish National Party majority	23	1.7 %

6 th April 1995 Turnout 40.6 %
Candidate	Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
Patrick O'Neill		Labour	901	66.3 %
Robert Dorris		Scottish National Party	458	33.7 %
Labour win		Labour majority	443	32.6 %

I will still do my job, says absent councillor

By Marc McLean in the Lennox, 30 th March 2006

A DUMBARTON councillor insists he has not 'deserted' his constituents - despite taking up a new job in SURREY.

While Joe Pilkington, pictured, is supposed to be standing for people in the deprived areas of Brucehill, Castlehill and Westcliff, he will be 440 miles away in the upmarket English county.

Some Castlehill residents are furious that the 26-year-old is still pocketing almost £18,000 a year as a Labour councillor while not being available as their representative.

Pilkington also failed to show at his monthly surgery in St Michael's Primary School last Saturday.

Donald McDougall, of Castlehill and Westcliff Action Group, said: 'I'm angry because he is picking up nearly £20,000 a year for doing nothing.'

Councillor Pilkington, who works at Faslane Naval Base, has been tying up a new job in Surrey and has only been returning north at weekends.

Despite not being available for his Dumbarton constituents, Councillor Pilkington has still been receiving his £6102 general councillors' allowance - topped up with £11,871 received for his role as council personnel convener.

Pilkington replaced Jack Duffy as the Dumbarton West councillor last year following his death.

His Labour colleague, Balloch Councillor Martin Rooney, stood in at his surgery last weekend.

Donald McDougall, of Castlehill and Westcliff Action Group, said: 'I asked Martin Rooney when the by-election is going to take place because Councillor Pilkington is in Surrey. He replied, 'You will have to speak to him about that.'

'I'm angry because he is picking up nearly £20,000 a year for doing nothing.

'I know of people that have been trying to contact him. He told one person he was down in London when they couldn't reach him.'

Mr McDougall, who is a member of the SNP, added: 'We were on friendly terms. I wouldn't say anything against Joe Pilkington if he was doing his job.

'It's not that I've got a vendetta against the Labour Party. The previous councillor, Jack Duffy, was absolutely brilliant. He was a gentleman and would do anything he could to help in any matter.

'According to Councillor Pilkington's election leaflet, he was going to be a strong voice for the west. He has set himself up as something he is not.'

Councillor Pilkington said: 'I've not attended two surgeries in my year as a councillor. Rather than cancel them, I asked Councillor Rooney to cover one last Saturday and Councillor McColl previously covered another.

'I did cancel one during the recess last year and one at Christmas time - which I believe each of the 22 councillors did.'

Councillor Pilkington says he is taking up a trade union regional officer post in Surrey and will be living with his cousin.

He hinted that he will not stand at the next elections but vowed to see his current term through.

'I've been offered a full-time position down south which I start at the beginning of May,' he said. 'I'll be down Monday to Friday, with time off.

'I'm not going to run away and desert my constituents. I've taken this on and I plan to see it through.

'I will be returning at weekends, so my surgeries will remain if people want face-to-face meetings with me.

'If people can't get me on the phone during the week, I'm more than happy to see them at weekends.

'Around 90 per cent of all my constituency enquiries are taken over the phone. I also keep in touch with some people through email.

'I'm still the councillor for Dumbarton West and I won't simply leave my constituents in the lurch.'

He added: 'This is only the second time Donald McDougall tried to contact me. The first time we spoke for an hour.

'It's not unusual for councillors to cover each other's surgeries and I've covered some for my colleagues.

'Councillor Bollan, who is currently involved in the Leven Cottage protest, has Les Robertson covering his surgeries.

'The important thing is that my constituents have someone to speak to, and I will still deal with their enquiries.'

Two Jobs Joe sends wife packing

By Amanda McKendrick in the Lennox, 6 th April 2006

THE estranged wife of a Dumbarton councillor has told how she and their two-year-old daughter have been forced on to the homeless list.

While Leanne Pilkington struggles on £96 a week, Joe Pilkington has taken on a lucrative job in upmarket Surrey - on top of his earnings as Labour councillor for Dumbarton West.

The 26-year-old is flogging the Levenvale home that Leanne and daughter Abbi are living in to buy somewhere to stay as he begins a new life down south.

Leanne, who split up with Councillor Pilkington six months ago, told The Lennox: 'He said then that I could stay in the house until I was offered somewhere else by the council.

'Now he has a new job as a regional union manager in Surrey and has told me he's moving down to Surrey permanently at Easter and needs the money from the sale of this house. 'I got a letter from his lawyer in March stating he would be putting the house on the market and arranging for an estate agent to visit.

'I then received a text message from Joe telling me he had contacted Allen and Harris.

'I have had no choice but to put my name on the homeless list.

'As soon as this house sells, we will be out - and that could be in weeks.'

Councillor Pilkington said he knew his wife and daughter were looking for a council house but claims he was 'not aware' they were on the homeless list.

He added: 'I said I would have to sell the house if I was buying one down there.

'I have a letter from Leanne's lawyer from March 21 saying she is now in a position hopefully to gain accommodation in two to three months' time.

'I said fine if that's what it takes.

'I pay the mortgage, council tax and phone bill for her. Actually it's almost been a year of her staying in my house getting all the bills paid for her. I think that's a very reasonable position for me.'

Councillor Pilkington added that he had been contacted by the Child Support Agency in respect of his daughter and would be liable for payments to her.

The Lennox told last week how Pilkington - who has served the Dumbarton West area for just over a year - had accepted the new job in Surrey but intended remaining as councillor for the area.

He was pocketing almost £18,000 a year through his general councillors' allowance and special responsibility allowance as the council's personnel convener. It is understood he intends to resign his convenership, which means he will then earn £6102 as a councillor.

Leanne said: 'He's telling his constituents he'll be coming up every weekend to deal with their enquiries but he's told me he'll provisionally see his daughter once a month because it's expensive to fly up from Surrey.

'He's been getting £18,000 from his council work, plus expenses and a salary from his other job and I am getting £96 a week income support for me and his daughter.'

The couple were engaged in February 2003 and a month later, Leanne fell pregnant with Abbi, now two.

The house in Levenvale was purchased in July of that year and the couple married in March 2004.

Leanne said: 'I always thought the house was in joint names. Joe dealt with all that because I was pregnant and, stupidly, I trusted him.

'I didn't know, until we split up in October, that only Joe's name was on the house. I have been told I will get nothing when he sells.'

Resignation of Councillor Joe Pilkington

From West Dunbartonshire Council, 13 th April 2006

By-election in Ward 16 - West Dumbarton

Councillor Joe Pilkington has resigned as the member for Ward 16 - West Dumbarton with effect from 13 April 2006.

A by-election will be held in the ward on Thursday 15 June 2006.

Nomination packs are now available from the election office at Garshake Road (Monday - Friday 10am to 4pm) and nominations close at 4pm on Tuesday 23 May.

For information on how to obtain a nomination pack, contact the election office on 01389 737514.

Simmering school row reaches boiling point

From the Lennox, 27 th April 2006

COUNCIL leader Andy White will feel the heat if the simmering row over school spending boils over at this weekend's constituency Labour Party meeting.

Increasing opposition to White's leadership could result in a challenge at the meeting in the Labour Hall, Dumbarton, on Friday.

Another possible outcome is the overhaul of the £100 million school building programme, which some senior Labour people claim has been skewed to favour Clydebank and Vale of Leven over Dumbarton.

There is outrage, too, according to Labour insiders, about an additional £7.75 million for school improvements being allocated entirely to Clydebank and the Vale.

And they want to know why a further £1 million, which has also become available from another pocket of cash, has been given to Councillor Duncan McDonald to allocate to school sports facilities in Clydebank.

Clydebank is already getting a six-lane athletics track, plus a dance studio, and other sports and recreational facilities from the School Fund and other sources.

Labour's Dumbarton branch members want answers to why decisions and discussions in relation to many of these proposals were never recorded in the minutes of the Labour group, where there have been allegations of bullying and harassment.

Councillor White and his colleague, Councillor Denis Agnew, the new convener of the Education and cultural services committee, are due to be carpeted at a meeting in London next month to answer charges of vote-rigging.

They will also be asked to explain the poisonous atmosphere which now pervades the West Dunbartonshire party, and to give their take on the bullying and harassment allegations.

An insider said: 'Andy White's problems are growing by the day. Auditors have been drafted in to ensure the council's finances are being spent fairly, and his group leadership is on the line. He will be opposed when the group meet to elect new office bearers.'.

The ongoing turmoil is taking place against the background of a forthcoming by-election in Dumbarton's West End in June, caused by the controversial resignation of Councillor Joe Pilkington, who was elected to the council less than a year ago.

It comes at a time too when there is discontent about a number of recent council decisions, like the proposed closure of the facility to pay rent at Dumbarton housing office and the closures of the library and CE Centre in Renton.

'The original School Fund programme included a new library and community facilities at the new Vale Academy, which would have justified these closures, but that plan has been changed, and now Renton is being left with nothing. The whole thing's a disgrace,' said one Labour party member.

He added: 'We are out to expose the fact that recent council decisions have been made on the basis of geography, and not of need.

'This is not a turf war or a question of Dumbarton taking the nip because it's not getting as much as Clydebank.

'This is about fairness, and about Dumbarton and other areas getting a fair crack of the whip. 'There is resentment that all this is a ploy to spend money in the seats of certain Labour councillors to ensure their election under the new proportional representation system, which comes into operation next year.

'Some astonishing decisions have been made, like the one to build a new school in Dalmuir when one in Faifley desperately needs to be replaced, and the one to build a new school in Bonhill when there's already adequate accommodation at other schools nearby.'.

Full-time Labour party national official Fiona Stanton will be an observer at Friday's meeting in the Labour Hall in an effort to keep a lid on the proceedings.

'People who have been very loud and outspoken in the past are going to have to cool it in Fiona's presence,' said a Labour insider.

'They are unlikely to want to be seen to be shouting and threatening when the national hearing, which will discuss claims of bullying and harassment, is still to take place.'

SNP by-election candidate chosen

By Tina Kemp in the Lennox, 27 th April 2006

THE battle for Dumbarton's west end began in earnest this week with the SNP the first to announce its candidate for the forthcoming council by-election.

Second-time contender Iain Robertson will contest the seat for the nationalists on June 15 - and on this occasion he aims to finish first.

He said the time is right for the SNP to take advantage of a steady decline in Labour support in its previous stronghold.

With the Labour Party at the centre of what he called a 'turf war', Mr Robertson believes an alternative voice is badly needed.

And he vowed: 'The SNP can, and will, increase its votes to topple Labour.'

The West Dumbarton seat is up for grabs following the sudden resignation of Labour's Joe Pilkington after just one year.

He had come under fire after accepting a job in Surrey and continuing to hold down his council position.

Now the man he pushed into second place in last year's contest says voters deserve better - and the SNP is the party to deliver it.

Mr Robertson, who served as a councillor for the Barloan/Overtoun Ward for four years from 1999, was unanimously chosen as the candidate at a special meeting of the SNP's Dumbarton branch last week.

He said: 'The SNP is the only alternative to Labour in the west end. Coming second consistently, we have been knocking on the door for many years, including a famous by-election victory in 1998.

'And we can win again.

'Labour's vote has steadily tumbled with their core vote nearly halved since 1999. In Labour's strongest ward they only polled half the votes last year.'

Mr Robertson, who manages a local printing company, accused Labour of letting down the people of Dumbarton West and promised to act on a range of issues from housing to regeneration as well as battling to retain threatened Dalreoch Primary.

He said: 'While Haldane and Renton have seen their regeneration materialise and develop, the people of the west end have yet to see action. The time for talking was over years ago, action is needed now.

'Decades of housing neglect at the hands of Labour councils has left the area with poor quality neglected homes and an unacceptable level of vacant/void properties. The future of housing is uncertain with stock transfer or more of the same from the council ahead. More than ever the people of the west end need a strong voice.

'The Labour-controlled council's education plans lie in ruins. At the last by-election the Labour candidate promised a 'strong local voice' yet he voted for the closure of Dalreoch Primary. The fight to save Dalreoch Primary School must go on.

'With the prospects of an internal Labour turf war between Clydebank, Alexandria and Dumbarton factions, the need for an alternative voice has never been greater.

'It is time for a real committed local voice. I can be the voice for the west end.'

Mr Robertson, who polled 287 votes behind Labour's 607 at last year's by-election, is currently chairman of Silverton and Overtoun Community Council, treasurer of West Dunbartonshire Community Councils Forum and treasurer of the Crosslet Community Centre.

He has held various positions including chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Young Enterprise Dunbartonshire, and his hobbies include golf, snooker and computers.

SNP CHOICE: Iain Robertson is contesting the Dumbarton West by-election for the SNP.

'No cuts' campaign group will fight for local facilities if successful in by-election

From the Lennox, 27 th April 2006

A 'NO CUTS' candidate is set to give the Labour party a run for its money in the Dumbarton West by-election.

A campaign group set up to fight closures in Renton has announced that it is putting forward a candidate to stand in ward 16, traditionally a Labour safe seat.

Archie Thomson, of the action group, said: 'We are presently looking to identify a candidate who knows the community of West Dumbarton and the issues which that particular area faces, hopefully someone who is resident in that area.

'Our candidate will fight against council cuts and will contest the sale of Levenford House, the threat to Dalreoch Primary School and transfer of its pupils to a super school and also the closure of Dumbarton rent office.

'These are vital to the community and we don't think they should be cut.

'The council is predicting heavy waters ahead in terms of next year's budget so further closures could be ahead.

'Our candidate will fight to protect any facilities or services which are deemed to be necessary to stabilise a community.'

Archie said he did consider contesting the seat himself, but intends to stand for the council in next year's elections.

The by-election follows the resignation of Labour councillor Joe Pilkington, who quit two weeks ago citing personal reasons.

The 26-year-old had represented the areas of Brucehill, Castlehill and Westcliff for the last year.

The by-election is set to take place on Thursday, June 15.

Labour's party faithful turn on their leader

From the Lennox, 4 th May 2006

THE screw continues to turn on council leader Andy White who was effectively told at the weekend that he is not wanted in the top job.

In a vote of no confidence in White, who has been leader of the council for nine years, delegates to the Constituency Labour Party voted 21-18 on Friday night to replace him with Dumbarton councillor Geoff Calvert.

Vale of Leven Councillor Martin Rooney, the Labour Group secretary, nominated HIMSELF for White's job but was balloted out after receiving just five votes at the meeting in Dumbarton.

Clydebank-based White could have been on the receiving end of a heavier and more embarrassing defeat if not for the holiday weekend which prevented many delegates from attending.

White, 37, will now have to work up support in time for the Labour Group AGM on Monday when councillors vote among themselves to decide who will be leader for the next 12 months.

The crucial vote comes the day before he comes before a Labour disciplinary panel in London.

A delegate said after Friday night's meeting: 'Labour's name has been dragged through the mud under White's leadership of the council. There is a power hungry group within a group looking after themselves first.

'It is disgraceful that we now have to have a full-time party official at every meeting of the council Labour Group to ensure that their business is being conducted openly and above board.'

He added: 'There are auditors examining the 60/40 split in favour of Clydebank in the allocation of the £100 million school building fund.

'The recent council decisions to allocate a further £9 million to Clydebank and Bonhill, leaving Dumbarton out in the cold, have added flames to the fire that refuse to go out under White.

'All this will lead eventually to him having to quit, and that could be sooner rather than later.'

If the Labour Group ignore the CLP recommendation on Monday and put White back in office then they will be doing so in the knowledge that they are going against the express wishes of the party.

An insider said this will colour Labour's selection process at the council elections next year. White himself could be de-selected at the outset.

The insider added: 'White is in trouble on three fronts now. The local party and Labour's Scottish Executive are on his case and he is being hauled before a national committee inquiring into allegations of vote rigging and harassment. White's political career now looks dead in the water.'

Meanwhile, White's sister, Councillor Marie McNair, is likely to find herself out of favour by the Dumbarton Burgh party after she voted against their motion to ask the council to review their decision to close the library and CE Centre in Renton.

Another Dumbarton party member, Councillor Linda McColl, the deputy provost, is in trouble on the same charge after she too voted against the motion to save the Renton community facilities. It was defeated by a single vote.

Feelings ran high at Friday's meeting when the distribution of funding for local schools projects was discussed yet again, but that was continued until a future meeting of the CLP to give delegates time to study a number of reports on the matter.

A spokesperson for Andy White said: 'The council leader does not comment on so-called leaks from party meetings.'

Ward 16 By-election - 15 June 2006

From West Dunbartonshire Council, 9 th May 2006

Notice of Election Ward 16 Dumbarton West - 15 June 2006

WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL

NOTICE OF ELECTION

One Councillor is to be elected for the Dumbarton West ward of West Dunbartonshire Council.

Nomination Forms can be obtained from the Election Office, West Dunbartonshire Council Offices, Garshake Road, Dumbarton G82 3PU. This Office is open for the issue and delivery of nomination papers on weekdays from 10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m.

Completed nomination papers MUST be delivered to the Election Office at the above address by 4.00p.m. on Tuesday 23 May 2006.

If the ward is contested, an election will be held and voting will take place between 8.00a.m. and 9.00p.m. on Thursday 15 June 2006.

Any elector may apply for a postal or proxy vote at this election.

Postal or Proxy Voting

Applications to vote by post or by proxy MUST reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute Valuation Joint Board, 235 Dumbarton Road, Clydebank G81 4XJ by 5.00p.m. on Wednesday 7 June 2006.

Applications to cancel or alter postal and proxy votes, or to change from postal to proxy voting MUST reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the above address by 5.00p.m. on Wednesday 31 May 2006.

For advice on postal or proxy voting, contact the Electoral Registration Office on freephone 0800 980 0471.

Mr Tim Huntingford
Returning Officer
West Dunbartonshire Council
Garshake Road
Dumbarton
G82 3PU
Tel (freephone) 0800 587 3905
Fax 01389 737870
E-Mail:elections@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

Council chiefs face vote claims inquiry

By Douglas Fraser in the Herald, 11 th May 2006

Two of the most senior members of a Scottish local council face a disciplinary hearing at the top level of the Labour party's disciplinary court, after allegations of vote-rigging in membership recruitment.

Andy White, leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, and Denis Agnew, education convener, will be called to defend themselves before the party's national constitutional committee (NCC) against a dossier of charges compiled by staff at Scottish Labour headquarters.

Their case has been heard by the Scottish party executive, which passed it to the disputes panel of the national executive council in London.

The panel has ruled that the issue should go before the NCC.

No date has been set, but Mr White has engaged a lawyer to fight his case.

He said the case will not involve allegations of bullying, after Lesley Quinn, the Scottish party's general secretary, wrote to the West Dunbartonshire party secretary in March saying the party's ruling executive had "expressed wide concern about perceptions of bullying and harassment".

Mr White says the accusations aimed at him relate to membership and recruitment.

The charges centre on a sudden, large influx of members in the middle of last year.

Having had fewer than 300 members, more than 120 more were recruited to West Dunbartonshire in a few months, and an internal investigation was launched in September.

The recruitment was before the deadline for being allowed to vote for candidates to stand at next year's council elections. Due to a new voting system, Labour can expect to lose around five of the 17 seats the party holds on the council. That leaves councillors fighting over the best candidacies.

Last night, Mr White issued a statement: "Although I am confident that the allegations will be without foundation, I fully understand that the Labour party have to investigate allegations that are made."

Mr Agnew could not be contacted.

Four candidates will contest the ward

From West Dunbartonshire Council, 9 th May 2006

Nominations for the by-election in Ward 16, Dumbarton West, closed at 4pm on Tuesday 23 May. Four candidates will contest the ward. They are:-

Voters will go to the polls on 15 June to choose their new councillor.

Voting will take place at St Michael's Church Hall and West Dumbarton Activity Centre from 8a.m. until 9p.m.

New SSP candidate pledges to be a working-class hero

From the Lennox, 1 st June 2006

A VOICE for the working class is what Alex Cunningham is offering voters in Dumbarton West. Mr Cunningham has been announced as the Scottish Socialist Party's candidate for West Dunbartonshire Council by-election in the ward on June 15.

The 55-year-old, who was born in Brucehill, is pledging to fight the closure of Dalreoch Primary School and has plans to regenerate the west end of the town.

He said: 'Jim Bollan and the people of Renton have shown what can be achieved in making their community a better place.

'I want to work closely with the people of Brucehill, Westcliff and Castlehill to provide better housing and facilities for the community, as good as, if not better than, Renton.'

He first became involved in politics while serving his time as a fitter, fighting for the reduction of the five-year apprenticeship.

Alex explained: 'This action was resolved within a fortnight and taught me one very important lesson. That is, what can be achieved when people support one another and act collectively in the face of adversity.'

He became a shop steward with Yarrow Shipbuilders and a member of the Glasgow District Committee of the AEU (now AMICUS). Alex, a committed socialist, is now a member and shop steward for UNISON, as well as a member of Dumbarton Trades Council.

He was chairperson of Dumbarton CND and as Scottish CND Events Organiser helped to organise the Scotland's biggest CND demonstration. Many may also remember Alex from his time as a volunteer with Dumbarton Credit Union.

Alex continued: 'I now work full-time for the Clydebank Asbestos Group, where we have been fighting a rearguard action against the insurance companies who don't want to pay out compensation to victims. Asbestos is a big problem in Dumbarton District where many people were contaminated in the shipyards.

'As you can see all of my activity has been in support of working-class people.'

Alex says he would welcome the opportunity of working the people in West Dumbarton, who have been 'sold short' by New Labour.

He added: 'This by-election is not about me, it is about the people of West Dumbarton and whether they are prepared to put up with the second-rate treatment given by dreadfully poor politicians.

'The local New Labour party has acted against the wishes of local people on several crucial issues, which will have a devastating and long-term effect on the constituency.

'It failed to defend services at the Vale of Leven Hospital. It has conducted a programme throughout the constituency of closing schools, which has had a devastating effect on the education of our young people.

'The Scottish Socialist Party will continue to fight to reinstate the services we have lost. Schools are vital parts of the community; we understand what it means to communities to retain their identities and, more importantly, we are against PFI and PPP.'

Candidates snubbed

From the Lennox, 8 th June 2006

SNP by-election candidate Iain Robertson has hit out after not being invited to a meeting to discuss regeneration issues in Castlehill. Neither Iain nor any of the other by-election candidates were included in Saturday's gathering with communities minister Malcolm Chisholm - with the exception of David McBride, the Labour candidate.

The minister spoke with Castlehill and Westcliff Action Group before going on a walkabout tour of the scheme, accompanied by Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie.

SNP candidate Iain Robertson said: 'This is just a blatant electioneering stunt by Labour. They are playing around with the very real and important issue of regeneration of Castlehill to create a story for the local press the week before the by-election.'

Labour's David McBride said: 'I am grateful to the team of volunteers at Castlehill and Westcliff Action Group for the time taken to meet with the minister and show him the challenges faced in parts of Castlehill. He now knows first hand what needs to be done to regenerate the housing stock and indeed to regenerate the whole community.'

SNP Storm To Victory in Dumbarton By-election

From the Scottish National Party, 15 th June 2006

Cllr Iain Robertson became the SNP's latest elected representative following his victory in the West Dumbarton By-Election this evening (Thursday).

The SNP came from second place in the ward at the previous by-election in 2005 to increase its vote by 21.4 percent to 45.1 percent, a staggering swing of 26.7 percent from Labour to the SNP in only a year.

A swing of only 8.1 percent in next year's Scottish Parliament would see the SNP meet its target of 20 additional first past the post seats.

Following the announcement of the result, SNP Business Convener Bruce Crawford MSP said:

"This enormous victory for the SNP simply underlines the huge progress we have made as a party over the last year. This is a huge swing to the SNP from Labour since the last by-election here only a year ago. It underlines the gains the SNP are making across the country, while at the same the Labour Party are haemorrhaging votes and seats. Ê

"Since the General Election the SNP has won half the local by-elections in Scotland, taking seats from the Labour Party in what used to be some of their strongest areas. The message to Labour from voters across the country is clear; they are sick of Labour's complacency and they want the SNP to deliver much needed change to their communities and across Scotland.

"Iain and his local team have worked hard to win, and will work just as hard to represent local people on West Dunbartonshire Council. He's a great addition to the SNP's team as we build to win the 2007 election."

Cllr Iain Robertson added:

"I'd like to thank everyone in West Dumbarton who placed their trust in me today at the ballot box, and the members of my campaign team who have worked so hard here on my behalf.

"I promise them that I will continue to campaign for the changes needed this area, and to ensure that their voices are heard in the local council."

FULL RESULT

PARTY            VOTE       PERCENT
SNP                 592        45.1
Labour             588        44.8
SSP                  75           5.7
Tory                 58          4.4
MAJORITY    4

2005 Result (By-Election)
Labour             687         50.1
SNP                 287         23.7     
Independent    141        11.6
SSP                 130        10.7
Tory                 30        2.5     
Green               16        1.30
MAJORITY        320

By-election result

From West Dunbartonshire Council, 16 th June 2006

Ward 16 - Dumbarton West - 15 June 2006

The results of the by-election in Ward 16 - Dumbarton West are as follows:-

Candidate	Description	Votes
Alexander Cunningham	Scottish Socialist Party	75
David J. McBride	Scottish Labour Party Candidate	588
Martyn A. McIntyre	Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party	58
Iain Robertson	Scottish National Party (SNP)	592
	Total	1313

Iain Robertson was declared elected with a majority of 4 votes.

The following votes were rejected:

Reason for rejection	Number
Want of official mark	1
Voting for more than one candidate	0
Writing or mark by which voter could be identified	0
Unmarked or void for uncertainty	1
Total number of rejected votes	2

The total eligible electorate was 2846 and turnout (1315) was 46.2%.

Mr Tim Huntingford
Returning Officer
15 June 2006

SNP wins victory in by-election

From BBC Scotland News, 16 th June 2006

The Scottish National Party has claimed a council seat in a four-vote victory in the West Dumbarton by-election.

Iain Robertson took the seat with 592 votes, while Labour came second with 588 votes. The Socialists received 75 votes and the Conservatives 58 votes.

The SNP said Thursday's victory represented a swing of 26.7% from Labour to the SNP in one year.

In 2005, Labour won the seat with 687 votes while the SNP took just 287 votes.

SNP hail by-election win

From iC Dunbartonshire, 16 th June 2006

The SNP said a swing from Labour that saw the Nationalists clinch a local government by-election was a sign they were on course for major gains at next year's Holyrood polls.

Councillor Iain Robertson became the SNP's latest elected representative following his victory by just four votes in the West Dumbarton by-election on Thursday.

The SNP came first with 592 votes, followed by Labour with 588 votes, then the Scottish Socialist Party with 75 and the Tories last with 58.

Labour loses Scottish council stronghold

From the Guardian, 16 th June 2006

Labour crashed to defeat by four votes in a Scottish stronghold in the latest council byelections, which also saw mixed fortunes for the Tories south of the border.

The Scottish National Party's Iain Robertson triumphed at Dumbarton West, West Dunbartonshire. The party was a long way behind Labour when a byelection was staged in the ward shortly before last year's general election.

It was the latest setback in Scotland for Labour, which last won a byelection there more than six months ago. A jubilant SNP claimed today to have won half the Scottish council byelections since the general election.

But the overall picture for Labour was improved by a display of loyalty from another stronghold in north east England. A big swing to the party at Pelton, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, kept the Tories' projected nationwide lead - based on four comparable contests - to just 3.8%.

The Conservatives lost one of their few remaining outposts in Watford, Hertfordshire, when Liberal Democrat Mark Watkin won Nascot ward in a contest delayed from last month by a candidate's death. However their man Tony Palmer gained from the Lib Dems in Diss in south Norfolk.

Results: Chester-le-Street District - Pelton: Lab 530, C 139, Lib Dem 113, Ind 46. (May 2003 - Three seats Ind 949, Lab 925, 879, 853, C 428). Lab hold. Swing 13.4% C to Lab.

Gwynedd County - Tywyn: Plaid Cymru 434, Ind 294, Lab 109. (May 2003 - Two seats Ind 891, Plaid Cymru 836, Lab 357). Plaid Cymru hold. Swing 7.9% Lab to Plaid Cymru. Purbeck District - Swanage South: C 642, Lib Dem 409, Lab 363. (May 2005 - C 894, Lib Dem 532, Lab 516). C hold. Swing 1% C to Lib Dem.

St Edmundsbury Borough - Kedington: C 350, Lib Dem 250, Lab 51. (May 2003 - C 423, Lab 250). C hold. Swing 10.1% Lab to C.

South Norfolk District - Diss: C 845, Lib Dem 714, Green 102. (May 2003 - Three seats Lib Dem 1026, 736, C 649, Ind 579, C 551, 546, Lab 305). C gain from Lib Dem. Swing 10.7% Lib Dem to C.

Watford Borough - Nascot: Lib Dem 887, C 828, Green 145, Lab 92. (June 2004 - C 1285, Lib Dem 660, Lab 273, Green 143). Lib Dem gain from C. Swing 14.7% C to Lib Dem.

West Dunbartonshire Council - Dumbarton West: SNP 592, Lab 588, Scottish Socialist Party 75, C 58. (May 2003 - Lab 875, SNP 294, Scottish Socialist Party 260; March 17 2005 by-election - Lab 607, SNP 287, Ind 141, Scottish Socialist Party 130, C 30, Green 16). SNP gain from Lab. Swing 20.4% Lab to SNP.

Could this man be our next First Minister?

As Labour start to get the jitters, has Alex Salmond's time finally come?

By Scottish Political Editor Paul Hutcheon in the Sunday Herald, 18 th June 2006

WEST Dumbarton is not often identified as the centre of political life north of the Border. But last week the area was the focus of Nationalist claims that it represented further evidence of an impending SNP takeover of Scotland.

Such hyperbole was due to the West Dunbartonshire Council by-election result, in which the SNP candidate Iain Robertson recorded a 26% swing to snatch the seat from Labour. If such a performance is matched at next year's Holyrood election, Alex Salmond will be sworn in as First Minister and plans for a referendum on independence will be drawn up.

The threat posed by the Nationalists has now reached Downing Street. At a pre-election briefing earlier this month, Jack McConnell warned the Prime Minister that the SNP could win the 2007 poll.

'It was a frank meeting,' said one Labour source. 'We're not going to lie about the state of the parties. The SNP are on course to do well.'

McConnell's message was based on other by- election results that confirm a Nationalist resurgence. In the 22 local polls since 2005, SNP research reveals a 9.27% swing from Labour to Alex Salmond's party. A similar turnaround in 2007 would eject McConnell from office.

Private polling also confirms the First Minister's analysis of a strong SNP performance. Labour's own data predicted a loss of up to 12 seats next year, while the Nationalists' forecast was for them to become the largest group in the parliament.

So why did the First Minister make such a bleak pitch 12 months before the election? Partly to wake up his Westminster colleagues to the fact that they have responsibilities next year. Another reason was to frighten his activists and scare core Labour voters.

But the primary motivation was to admit that the SNP are set to capitalise on anti-government feeling. In so doing, McConnell was flagging up his concern that the third Holyrood election was on the verge of becoming a referendum on Tony Blair and his government.

His comments last week about election 'issues' confirm this anxiety. According to the First Minister, fighting the 2007 poll on reserved matters would be a 'real abuse of devolution'. The subtext is clear: McConnell fears he could become the most high-profile Labour casualty of the Blair regime.

The Salmond factor also worries the First Minister. Facing John Swinney in 2003, McConnell barely got out of second gear to record a comfortable victory. But head-to-head against the Banff and Buchan MP, who polls say would make a more popular leader of the Scottish Executive than the incumbent, is an entirely different prospect.

'I can't stand Salmond,' said one Labour MP. 'He's smug, arrogant and intolerable. But he is a very dangerous politician and the one who gets under our skin.'

The SNP leader's decision earlier this year to open coalition talks with the Greens is a case in point. By wooing the minority party, whose MSPs are set to hold the balance of power next year, Salmond stole a march on McConnell and gave the impression he was serious about power. McConnell's response has been to sound increasingly like a Scottish nationalist. In recent weeks, the First Minister has refused to back England at the World Cup, complained about the BBC's football coverage, and declined to fund events to mark the anniversary of the Treaty of Union.

HIS Scottishness contrasts with Gordon Brown's take on national identity. Brown's political needs, fuelled by paranoia, require the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP to reinvent himself as a Great Briton who can appeal to the southern parts of the UK. But McConnell's electoral demands, stoked by the fear of failure, see him trying to outflank Salmond by draping himself in the Saltire.

McConnell's strategy, while seemingly contrived, stems in large part from conviction. From his days at Stirling University, where he was a member of the SNP, to his 1980s role in the Scottish Labour Action pressure group, the Motherwell and Wishaw MSP has always felt at ease with nationalism and its symbols.

But his Scotland-first approach is also tactical. McConnell, who privately concedes that Blair will still be Prime Minister next May, is sensitive to the charge that he is London Labour's Scottish poodle. By stressing his autonomy from an increasingly unpopular Prime Minister (by opposing a new generation of nuclear power stations, for example) McConnell could benefit from anti-Blair feeling, rather than fall victim to it.

This approach won't please everyone. Former MPs such as Brian Wilson believe that, far from appeasing nationalism, Labour's Holyrood campaign should stress the benefits of the UK, such as the Treasury's funding for public services. Douglas Alexander, the new Scotland Secretary and not a friend of the First Minister's, is known to share this view.

An equally legitimate interpretation of McConnell's SNP scare tactics is that he is talking up an enemy he knows is not ready to govern. Despite the impressive by-election results for the SNP, national polls suggest the party is not on the verge of a historic breakthrough. By-elections in Cathcart and Dunfermline saw the Nationalists fail to dislodge Labour in either seat, despite being tipped to do so. Only in the recent Moray by-election did the SNP get a positive result Ð but this was a seat the party already held.

Other factors make McConnell's doomsday scenario seem implausible. For instance, the SNP are less popular among the public than their leader, a fact confirmed by the party's refusal to release the polling it commissioned on attitudes towards its MSPs. Even SNP insiders admit privately that Salmond is their strongest, perhaps only, weapon.

Nationalist modernisers also believe a lack of policy development within the SNP is reason enough to expect another disappointment next year. The current referendum policy on independence, drawn up by ex-leader John Swinney, has not been altered since Salmond regained the top job, while the reliance on Sir Sean Connery for photocalls and automated messages is perceived as another sign of staleness.

'Alex has never been keen on policy, modernisation or discipline. He doesn't want to learn from New Labour at all. There has been no attempt to redefine what independence means in the 21st century,' one SNP insider complained.

This analysis suggests the SNP has narrowed the gap on Labour by soaking up anti-Blair feeling, rather than carving out a distinctive agenda of their own. According to this logic, the Nationalists will run their old rival close next year simply by holding on to their existing chunk of the vote. The prospect of an SNP win next year is also complicated by the Scottish parliament's electoral system. Under Westminster rules, winner takes all; at Holyrood, 'victory' is hard to define in a multi-party system that requires bargaining and deal-making.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, says it is far from certain the SNP will replace Labour next year as the largest party in Edinburgh.

'It is still some way off. What you have to appreciate is that the SNP have to do more than get more votes than Labour in order to achieve that objective. The electoral system is biased against them.'

Under the additional member system, Curtice says the SNP would end up with fewer seats than Labour, even if both parties polled the same number of votes. 'Assume both parties are even-stevens on the percentage of the vote. The Labour Party would still end up with six or eight more seats than the SNP. Labour benefits from a more effective distribution of the vote in parliamentary constituencies,' he said.

Another obstacle facing the SNP next year is the psychology of victory. Labour has won every national election in Scotland since the late 1950s, a 50-year winning streak that will be difficult for any party to break. Salmond, for all his strengths, has vast experience of losing elections to Labour.

Even so, a backdrop of Westminster sleaze, unpopular leadership and the stench of a government in power for too long represents the SNP's best chance of victory since the 1970s. If Salmond can't dislodge Labour this time, he might start to wonder if his party is doomed to perpetual failure.

Links

• West Dunbartonshire Council
  
  
• Dunbartonshire West by-election, 17 th March 2005