Yet Another Bloody By-Election!
One by-election was just a month ago. Another held its vote yesterday. And the candidate list for one more has just closed.
They think it’s all over - but it isn’t yet:
A Labour MP is set to resign forcing another potentially embarrassing by-election for Gordon Brown in the wake of his fifth place humiliation in Henley.
The Telegraph can reveal that David Marshall, the East Glasgow MP, will stand down because of ill-health on Monday.
The seat, with a 13,507 Labour majority, would normally be considered safe.
However, the Scottish National Party will target the seat and Labour sources told the Telegraph that they believed the seat was “vulnerable.” (The Telegraph)
Another by-election test for Gordon Brown. After avoiding a vote every possible opportunity, it seems that fate is conspiring the ensure that the people get as many chances to vote on Gordo as possible.
Unlike Henley - or even Crewe and Nantwich - Glasgow East is not a constituency that can, under any circumstance, be claimed to be a likely Conservative target. In 2005, Labour got nearly 61% of the vote with the Conservatives on just 7% and the SNP in second place on 17%, so to lose the seat would be a very clear signal indeed that Brown has to go.
Labour will have to fight tooth-and-nail for Glasgow East. They have no other choice. If they lose this seat, the end is more than nigh - but right here, right now.
UPDATE: More Scottish bad news for Brown as Wendy Alexander is to stand down as Scottish Labour leader.
What this really means is that yet another headache will be added to Brown’s already-huge pile of problems, exascerbated by the fact that Wendy Alexander is very much a Brownite.
The most important thing to come out of this, however, is that Mr Eugenides will be sad.
[Ed to Mr E with a hint of schadenfreude: The biggest personal story of your blogging career ... and you are holiday ... sheesh. Or perhaps you knew.]
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