The Paisley South By-election 1997

'It is a disgrace that someone like Peter Mandelson has so much authority in what is, otherwise, a good Government. He has nothing to offer politics or public life in this country, except a superficial marketing- man's veneer which masquerades as ability. He believes in nothing, except power and trying to have others share his own inflated view of his worth. ' Alan Cochran in the Scotsman, 5 th August 1997 following Mandelson's attempts to smear Chris Patten.

Paisley South by-election 6 th November 1997

The result

• By-election result

Obituary

• The late Gordon McMaster MP

The Constituency

• Candidates and constituency Analysis

• Previous electoral statistics for Paisley South

Special By-election Sites

• The SNP Paisley South By-election site

News

• Paisley - a town called malice 27 th March 1997

• Blair orders enquiry into suicide note 4 th August 1997

• Labour widens its smear inquiry into MP's suicide 5 th August 1997

• McMaster spoke of smear campaign in 1989 7 th August 1997

• Graham named in MP vendetta 11 th August 1997

• Labour turns on Graham 13 th August 1997

• Paisley struggles to cope with its murky political past 14 th August 1997

• MP was suspected of smears 14 th August 1997

• Labour 'may well be rotten to the core' 15 th August 1997

• £320,000 is missing from the accounts of a publicly-funded security company 16 th August 1997

• Job threat to Labour chief over scandal 16 th August 1997

• London blamed for inaction 18 th August 1997

• Annus horribilis for star of the people's party 19 th August 1997

• History of Paisley's darkest moments 19 th August 1997

• Mack puts boot into Labour in Paisley 19 th August 1997

• Labour inquiry 19 th August 1997

• Labour finally acts 19 th August 1997

• Accusations cloud day of tributes to McMaster 21 st August 1997

• Crown Office tries to speed up FCB investigation 21 st August 1997

• Mack: Dewar has handed control to the tabloid press 21 st August 1997

• Labour inquiry 'inadequate' 22 nd August 1997

• Evidence mounts against Tommy Graham 17 th September 1997

• Graham speaks out 18 th September 1997

• Labour to check every member in sleaze hunt 19 th September 1997

• Paisley South selection battle 2 nd October 1997

• Blair aide abandons Paisley poll bid 3 rd October 1997

• Battle of Paisley starts in earnest 20 th October 1997

• Gloves off in Paisley 22 nd October 1997

• Sleaze row intensifies in hustings 28 th October 1997

• Labour's sleaze pledge backfires 29 th October 1997

• Labour's NEC told of conspiracy 30 th October 1997

• Intimidation, vote rigging, fraud - Labour investigates itself 31 st October 1997

• Sleaze claim outrage 31 st October 1997

• Paisley pattern remains fixed 4 th November 1997

• Search for lost man 4 th November 1997

• Phantom candidate 4 th November 1997

• Invisible candidate Alexander 5 th November 1997

• Fringes strike back 5 th November 1997