 | 'The Labour Party is using Scotland as a political football and making a complete hash of its devolution policy. I do not like the way the party is treating this country and I do not approve of its policy on nuclear weapons. I do not see why Scotland should be used as a dustbin for all the weaponry of Great Britain.' Ex Labour Renfew District Councillor Ken McGinley. |  |
There will be by-election is the Erskine Central ward of Renfrewshire Council following the election of Cllr Jim Sheridan, a T&G union official, as MP for Renfrew West & Inverclyde, in succession to the expelled Tommy Graham, on the 7 th June 2001.
Renfrewshire has been a battleground in recent years, and not just in electoral terms. Renfrewshire is the political home of the Alexander Sisters. Douglas Alexander is the MP for Paisley South and Wendy Alexander is the MSP for Paisley North. Douglas Alexander (also known as 'The Invisible Man') became MP in a by-election in 1997 following the suicide of Gordon McMaster. After a long enquiry with evidence being given by Dr Norman Godman, the then MP for Greenock & Inverclyde and Irene Adams, the MP for Paisley North, Tommy Graham, the MP for Renfrewshire West was expelled from the Labour Party. He did not stand again in June 2001 and Cllr Jim Sheridan succeeded him as MP.
The dispute was not restricted to Westminster circles and Paisley was described by Cllr Paul Mack, as 'a town called Malice.' Paul Mack was a former Labour councillor who sat as an Independent after being expelled by the party for standing unofficially as a candidate in the 1995 unitary elections. Another senior Labour councillor, Ferguslie councillor Henry Reevie, a Council Convenor was suspended from the Labour party. A third Labour Cllr, Ms Betty McIntosh, quit the Labour party saying she could no longer work with her colleagues and became and Independent before joining the SNP. The bitterness of the disputes are demonstrated by the fact that police had to be called on several occasions to meetings of Renfrewshire Council.
At the 1999 elections, Labour regained control of Renfrewshire Council which it lost due to an expulsion and a defection during the course of the last council. It now has an overall majority of two which would disappear if they lost this by-election.
Two wards changed hands since the 1995 elections - the Scottish National Party gained Blythwood (Ward 26) from Labour and Bridge of Weir South & Brookfield (Ward 32) from the Conservatives. Labour also regained the two wards which it lost during the course of the last council - Saucel & Hunterhill (Ward 14) where Paul Mack had been expelled from the Labour party and Deanside (Ward 27) where Elizabeth McIntosh had first resigned from the Labour party and then joined the SNP.
In addition to Paul Mack and Elizabeth McIntosh, a number of well known faces were absent from the new council. The Labour Provost Nancy Allison retired as did the Ferguslie councillor Henry Reevie, a Council Convenor who was suspended from the Labour party. Three ex-Renfrewshire councillors are now members of the Scottish Parliament - the Labour Council leader Hugh Henry is MSP for Paisley South while the SNP's Colin Campbell and Sandra White are both MSPs for the West of Scotland. Three other Renfrewshire Councillors, the SNP's Ian MacKay and Bill Martin and the Lib Dem Eileen McCartin also stood unsuccessfully for the Scottish parliament. Bill Martin and Eileen McCartin remain in the council.
Under PR (D'Hondt system), Renfrewshire Council would be under no overall control with 17 Labour, 16 Scottish National Party, 4 Conservative and 3 Liberal Democrat councillors.
Jim Sheridan, was elected asÊCllr for Erskine Central for the 1999 where he took 1,124 votes (50.4 %) and obtained a 249 majority over the SNP's Sheena Henderson with 875 votes (39.3 %). Cllr Sheridan was also the Chair of West Renfrewshire CLP, and was selected as the replacement for expelled Renfrewshire West MP Tommy Sheridan. The by-election is the result of his election to the Westminster parliament.
The Scottish National Party would need a swing of 5.6 % to win this ward and if they did, Labour would lose overall control of the council. Labour will be heartened by the fact that the last election was held at the same time as the Scottish parliamentary elections when the SNP polled well and will point to the SNP's poor showings in the last four local government by-elections held on the same day as the general election. The SNP can point out that Labour tend to do badly in local council by-elections, with their vote having fallen by an average of 8.1 % in the 30 or so by-elections since 1999. Labour will also be without the popular Jim Sheridan as their local candidate. Whatever happens, it promises to be an interesting contest in Erskine Central.
Pending the by-election, the political composition of Renfrewshire Council is 20 Labour, 15 Scottish National Party, three Liberal Democrats and one Conservative.
| 2001 | 6 th May 1999 | ||||||
| James Sheridan |  |
1,124 | 50.4 % | ||||
| Sheena Henderson |  |
875 | 39.7 % | ||||
| Oonagh Harper |  |
230 | 10.3 % | ||||
| Lab win | Lab majority | 249 | 11.2 % | ||||
Return to home page