Glenrothes by-election (UK)

[afleitch]

This seems to be stirring in local news news

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/2613957/John-MacDougall-was-suing-Government-over-disease-that-killed-him.html

John MacDougall, the former MP for Glenrothes, launched a court action against the Ministry of Defence last December after his request for a £300,000 payout was refused. He believed that his lung cancer was contracted as a result of working at the Royal Naval dockyards in Rosyth in the 1960s and 1970s when he was exposed to asbestos.

The revelation is embarrassing for the Prime Minister, who led tributes at Mr MacDougall's funeral last week, describing the illness as the "cruel legacy" of his exposure to asbestos.The MP, 60, was a close friend of Mr Brown, whose Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency neighbours Glenrothes.

Among the other senior figures attending the ceremony was Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, who was ultimately responsible for rejecting the claim.

[afleitch]

Has the writ been moved yet?

No.

The election will be after the conference season. Possibly as late as early November - the same Thursday as the US election so that Labour's expected defeat is 'buried'

But of course the people of Glasgow East needed an MP right away.....

[afleitch]

Has the writ been moved yet?

No.

The election will be after the conference season. Possibly as late as early November - the same Thursday as the US election so that Labour's expected defeat is 'buried'

But of course the people of Glasgow East needed an MP right away.....

Talk is that they'll bundle it with Motherwell and Wishaw to both split the SNP's resources and blunt the bad news.

Only if Jack wants to go now (though he has to at some point for his post in Malawi)

I don't see why it would blunt the bad news in that respect - they may loose Motherwell too.

[afleitch]

I love that sound (Silence from the Tories and Nats on this thread).

Was there likely to be an influx of Tories and Nationalists had the seat fallen?

Only an influx of me And I think I do a good job of being a 'one man band' on here.

I placed my first ever political bet on this seat with good odds. I had a handsome return and it's went straight to charity.