320 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
320 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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uknews
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scotland
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scottish-politics
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8426662
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-----
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# Scottish Election 2011: profile of Glasgow Southside
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## The famous old constituency of Glasgow Govan, the scene of many a dramatic
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election night, has been consigned to Scottish electoral history. In its place
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is an entirely new seat named Glasgow Southside.
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![Nicola Sturgeon is the SNP candidate for Glasgow Southside and faces a tough
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contest with Stephen Curran, of Labour][1]
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Nicola Sturgeon is the SNP candidate for Glasgow Southside and faces a tough
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contest with Stephen Curran, of Labour Photo: PA
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[![Peter Hutchison][2]][3]
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By [Peter Hutchison][4] 2:10PM BST 04 Apr 2011
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[Follow Peter Hutchison on Twitter][5]
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While keen election observers may lament the passing of Govan, a traditional
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Labour seat but where, in 1973, Margo MacDonald enjoyed a sensational by-
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election victory for the Nats - a feat that was then repeated by her husband,
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Jim Sillars, in 1988, the new constituency is primed to follow its illustrious
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predecessor into election folklore.
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That is because the race to win the new seat is as tight as they come, and the
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key constituency is crucial to both the SNP and Labour's hopes of being in
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power after 5 May.
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When Nicola Sturgeon joined the triumvirate of famous SNP triumphs in Govan by
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taking the seat at the last Scottish Parliament election in 2007 it propelled
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the party towards forming its first administration.
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Miss Sturgeon secured just 744 votes more than her opponent, overturning a
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majority of 1,200 votes against the sitting Labour MSP, Gordon Jackson.
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The huge boundary changes, at least 40 per cent of the constituency is new,
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has made the new Glasgow Southside seat a notional Labour seat, but only by
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the tightest of margins at 27 votes.
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## Related Articles
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* [Scottish Election 2011: profile of Edinburgh Eastern][6]
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11 Apr 2011
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* [Scottish Election 2011: profile of Midlothian South, Tweeddale and
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Lauderdale][7]
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18 Apr 2011
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* [Scottish Election 2011: profile of Cunninghame North][8]
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03 May 2011
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* [Scottish Election 2011: universities should cut pay, says SNP][9]
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30 Mar 2011
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Out has gone much of Govan, including the shipyards, and parts of the
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Shawlands while in comes the Gorbals, Toryglen, Crosshill and Govanhill.
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The constituency, which has an electorate of 52,000, is one of the most
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ethnically diverse and economically disparate in Scotland. Around one in five
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belong to ethnic minorities while Albert Drive continues to split the
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Pollokshields area between rich and poor.
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Miss Sturgeon has been an admired Health Minister and able Deputy First
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Minister which will work in her favour. The formidable politician won Glasgow
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Govan at the third time of asking and will be determined to win Glasgow
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Southside too.
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"I'm not concerned about the boundary changes," she told The Daily Telegraph
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at her campaign headquarters last week. "On paper there's no doubt it makes
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the seat closer but it comes down to the candidates, the party's national
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stance, the record you have as an incumbent MSP. All these things place me in
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good stead."
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Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University says the boundary changes
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"don't do Nicola Sturgeon any favours". However, he argues, "the national
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polls have been more encouraging for the SNP more recently and if to this
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recovery Sturgeon can add any personal vote she may have accumulated in the
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last four years, then she might just sneak it, but Labour start out
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favourites".
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Miss Sturgeon, 40, says she is "proud" of her record and believes she has made
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a tangible difference over the past four years. "The visible signs of
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regeneration are everywhere from housing developments to the regeneration of
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town centres," she says.
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Her opponent, Stephen Curran, who has represented Glasgow as a Labour
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councillor since 2003, believes more needs to be done to build affordable
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housing and create opportunities for young people.
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The 38-year-old father of two, who lives in the constituency, is a popular
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figure and well known within community based projects, such as the Nan McKay
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Memorial Hall in Pollokshields where he worked the room last week, speaking to
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every elderly person attending that day's activities.
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Mr Curran, a trained lawyer, was appointed city treasurer in 2007 and in April
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last year was elected to his current role as convener of Strathclyde Police
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Authority, responsible for the budget and scrutiny of policing in Scotland's
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largest police force.
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He says people here are particularly concerned about anti-social behaviour,
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and he has made tackling the issue a key election pledge. While out
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campaigning in the Gorbals he told The Daily Telegraph: "The area is
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struggling to cope with the way that some people behave. The SNP has been soft
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on crime. They have talked about more police numbers but haven't actually done
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much. They don't seem to equate anti-social behaviour with criminal activity
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and there's also a feeling that the police often don't take people's concerns
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seriously enough."
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Representing the Conservatives is David Meikle, who recently withdrew from his
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party's Glasgow list after claiming that allegations of vote-rigging had been
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inadequately investigated, while standing for the Liberal Democrats is Kenneth
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Elder, a chartered accountant and councillor since 2007.
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If Labour can make a dent in the 2,000 or so Lib Dem votes then it's likely
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that Southside will go red, but if the SNP take the seat then Southside will
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gain iconic status for the party, just as Govan did.
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**_Glasgow Southside _**
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_Stephen Curran (Lab) _
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_Kenneth Elder (LD) _
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_David Meikle (Con) _
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_Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) _
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_Electorate: 52,000 _
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_Majority: Labour 27 (notional) _
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_Voter share (notional): _
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_Lab: 8,543 (39.81%), SNP: 8,516 (39.68%, LD: 2,071 (9.65%), Con: 2,396
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(8.63%, Others: 1,225 (4.41%) _
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_David Denver, of Lancaster University, has estimated in the notional
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statistics how constituencies would have voted had the boundary changes been
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in place at the last election in 2007._
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][11]
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* Share: [Share][10] [ ][12] [ ][13]
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[Tweet][14]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/scottish-politics/8426662
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/Scottish-Election-2011-profile-of-Glasgow-Southside.html
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Telegraph
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## [Scottish Politics][15]
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* ### [News »][16]
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* ### [Scotland »][17]
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* ### [Peter Hutchison »][3]
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In news
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[![][18] ][19]
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### [Scottish Election 2011: results map][19]
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[![Scotland will vote on leaving the United Kingdom after Alex Salmond?s
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nationalists swept to victory in elections to the Scottish Parliament. ][20]
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][21]
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### [Salmond vows to make Scotland 'proud'][21]
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[![Ballot box. General Election 2010: is first-past-the-post on its last legs?
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][22] ][23]
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### [AV Referendum results map][23]
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[![Scottish election results: This day was bound to arrive; Salmond creates
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Scotland's first majority government; Getty][24] ][25]
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### [Scottish results: This day was bound to arrive][25]
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[![AV referendum and local elections in pictures][26] ][27]
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### [AV referendum and local elections][27]
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][11]
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Share:
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* [ ][10]
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* [ ][12]
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* [ ][13]
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* [Tweet][14]
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* Advertisement
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![][28]
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## [AV Referendum »][29]
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[AV Referendum results map][30]
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[Local Elections 2011][31]
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[Scottish Election 2011][15]
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[Welsh Assembly results][32]
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Advertisement
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[Follow The Telegraph on Social Media »][33]
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