 | 'We're the most modern council in Scotland. It doesn't suit me to use all the New Labour bullshit, because it doesn't go down well in this town, so what we're doing is pragmatism.' Cllr Charles Gordon, curently MSP for Glasgow Cathcart. |  |
| 'We're the most modern council in Scotland. It doesn't suit me to use all the New Labour bullshit, because it doesn't go down well in this town, so what we're doing is pragmatism.' Cllr Charles Gordon, curently MSP for Glasgow Cathcart. | |
There was a by-election for the Irvine Townhead ward of North Ayrshire Council on the 17 th October 2002 following the death of Cllr Elliot Gray.
Kirkshaws is in the new Central Ayrshire Westminster parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Brian Donohoe MP) and in the Cunninghame South Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Irene Oldfather MSP).
| 17 th October 2002 By-election Turnout 28.2 % (- 31.9 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Reid |  |
Labour | 372 | 34.1% | - 14.1 % |
 |
Conservative | 328 | 30.1 % | + 8.6 % | |
 |
Scottish National Party | 202 | 18.5 % | - 7.0 % | |
| Jim Byrne |  |
Scotish Socialist Party | 104 | 9.5 % | + 4.7 % |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 44 | 4.0 % | - 22.7 % |
| 6 th May 1999 Turnout 60.1 % (+ 10.0 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Elliot Gray | |
Labour | 1,096 | 48.2 % | - 10.2 % |
| Samuel Gaw | |
Scottish National Party | 580 | 25.5 % | (+ 25.5 %) |
| Ian Reid | |
Conservative | 489 | 21.5 % | + 17.5 % |
| James Byrne | |
Scotish Socialist Party | 110 | 4.8 % | (+ 4.8 %) |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 516 | 22.7 % | + 2.0 % |
| 6 th April 1995 Turnout 50.1 % | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Gray | |
Labour | 920 | 58.4 % | |
| Alexander Rubie |  |
Independent | 593 | 37.6 % | |
| Eric Gibson | |
Conservative | 63 | 4.0 % | |
| Labour win | |
Labour majority | 327 | 20.7 % | |
The SSP won a brilliant result last week in the Irvine Council Townhead by-election with just under 10 per cent of vote.
Our candidate, Jim Byrne, and local activists emphasised SSP policies like scrap the Council Tax and domestic water rates, and our anti-privatisation and anti-war stance. We also campaigned in defence of local jobs and services, housing, environmental improvement and the party's policy on drugs. In the village of Drybridge we captured almost one in three votes.
The SNP had expected to run Labour close for the seat. Instead they came third, well behind the Tories with New Labour winning.
This gives us an idea of how tough a ward it was for the SSP.
The by-election has been an excellent beginning to our campaign for May 2003.
The results were: Labour 372; Conservative 328; SNP 202; SSP 104 and Liberal Democrats 85.
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