 | 'Mrs Walker Shaw is politically inexperienced, by turns naive and nervous, not always well served by her party. Labour are happy to pour in the heavy artillery and top brass, perhaps because their battleplan is directed to next May rather than next Thursday, but on the ground they have alternated between gagging their candidate and letting her make gaffes.' Robbie Dinwoodie in the Herald, 23 rd November 1998. |  |
In what amounts to a humiliating result for Labour in the run-up to next May's elections for the Scottish Parliament, it was beaten by the Tories by more than 1,500 votes.
The SNP's Ian Hudghton held the seat for his party with 57,445 votes, massively ahead of his rivals in a contest which was billed as a straight fight between the nationalists and Labour.
Veteran Tory campaigner Struan Stevenson polled 23,744 votes, in a seat which was Tory held in the 1980's.
Scottish Labour's Kathleen Walker Shaw polled 22,086, more than 1,500 votes behind him.
Scottish Liberal Democrats Keith Raffan polled 11,753, Scottish Green Party candidate Robin Harper polled 2,067 and Scottish Socialist Party candidate Harvey Duke polled 2,510.
Turnout in the huge seat which covers the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee as well as a vast swathe of rural Scotland was low at 20.5%, slightly above the average for European by-elections.
The SNP's margin of victory was bigger than expected.
An ICM poll in The Scotsman newspaper taken during the campaign showed the nationalists ahead of Labour by 41% to 37%.
Mr Stevenson, 50, told jubilant supporters: "The pundits said it was a two horse race. It was - between the nationalists and the Conservative party in Scotland.
"Scottish Tories are on the way back. Labour has been humiliated in North East Scotland. You will be hearing a lot more from us in the days ahead."
Mrs Walker Shaw put a brave face on her result, saying to jeers from some of her opponents: "Today's result is one that none of us can come out with any benefit from because it was a disappointing turnout.
"Four out of five people in North East Scotland have not turned out today.
"I am disappointed about that because Europe is important to this constituency.
"We all have to move on. I am sure next May the issues which have not been raised in this campaign despite my efforts will be raised and people can have a proper debate about the future of Scotland.
"Next May people in Scotland can show that we are better off together."
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