Voting for Change - Peter Grant and Barack Obama

Two significant elections will shortly be held, in Scotland (Glenrothes) and America (USA) and the significance of both cannot be underestimated. Both elections, in their own way, could result in great changes in Britain and America which may hold the seed of world transformation. The importance of Glenrothes to the Labour government is highlighted by the fact that Gordon Brown is actively campaigning in the constituency in a vain attempt to prevent a devastating win for the SNP.
An SNP win will set the seal for unionist Labour's demise in Scottish politics, and will point towards the government's ultimate defeat at the next General Election.

As usual Independence Cymru predicts the outcome:
a victory for change and progressive politics - a win for Peter Grant and the SNP, further bolstering the Scottish Party's bid for independence, and a win for Barack Obama and his positive and dynamic realism towards the economic problems and international crises which embroil America, Europe and the world.

Background

Fife is traditionally a stronghold for the Labour Party. McDougall had held Glenrothes and its forerunner, Central Fife, since 2001, when he succeeded Henry McLeish. Willie Hamilton had previously represented the area, which has elected Labour MPs since Hamilton won West Fife from the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1950.

The poll follows a run of poor by-election results for the Labour Party, which have included a loss to the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Glasgow East, formerly the party's twenty-fifth safest seat in Britain. Glenrothes has a considerably smaller Labour majority than Glasgow East had.

According to the Financial Times, Labour have privately admitted that they expect to lose Glenrothes to the SNP. The Guardian describes the constituency's main town, Glenrothes, as a "core area" for the SNP. The SNP were in second place in the seat in the 2005 General Election and won the nearest equivalent seat in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election.

The SNP also run Fife Council, which covers the constituency, in coalition with the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The Scottish Liberal Democrats won the last by-election to be held in Fife from Labour on a swing of 16%.

The Labour Party have claimed that the SNP have been campaigning in Glenrothes ahead of MacDougall's death, but the SNP claim that their local Member of the Scottish Parliament, Tricia Marwick, has simply been working in the area in her elected role.

The seat adjoins that of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and it is possible that as a result he will be under pressure to actively campaign in the by-election, something Prime Ministers generally avoid.

(Wikipaedia)