By-elections - August 25th

[maxque]

The Lochs – Fife – Willie Clark (“Independent”) resigned for health reasons. A communist (was styled Communist on ballot until party registration, Independent (and pro-Independence) since then), he was a long-serving councillor since 1973, representing the formerly mining ward of Ballingry & Lochore during the FPTP-unitary council era (1995-2007), with landslide results (81% in 1999, despite Labour opposition, 95% in 2003). He also served in the two-tiered councils era (1975-1995), at the Fife County level (Ballingry & Lochore 1975-1994, Benarty and Lumphinans 1994-1995) and before on Lochgelly District Council (1973-1975). He was the Chairman of the Cowdenbeath area committee.

May 14 by: Lab 2042, SNP 753, UKIP 162, Con 141
2012: Lab 1380/349, Ind 1025/165, SNP 708, Con 99 (elected: Lab, Ind, SNP on 5th count; final count SNP 868, Lab 734)
2007: Lab 961/818, Ind 1291/72, SNP 957, LD 259, Con 170, Solidarity 81 (elected: Ind, SNP, Lab on 6th count; final count SNP 1117, Lab 1072, Lab 950 for 2 seats)

Thomas Kirby (Communist Party of Britain)
Mary Lockhart (Scottish Labour Party)
Malcolm McDonald (Scottish Conservative and Unionist)
Lea McLelland (Scottish National Party (SNP))
Bradford Oliver (Scottish Green Party)

Last election for that ward, Fife loses 3 councillors and this is the ward which lost out. Bowershall is going into West Fife & Coastal Villages, Kingseat into Dunfermline North, Kelty into Cowdenbeath, Ballingry and Lochore into Lochgelly & Cardenden (which will become Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty).

[David Ashforth]

Ward map
FIFE - The Lochs

[Pete Whitehead]

Those Fifeshire mining villages have a charm all their own don't they?

[The Bishop]

"Lochgelly District Council"??

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Aug 20, 2016 12:33:22 GMT The Bishop said:

"Lochgelly District Council"??

Should be Burgh Council.

[The Bishop]

I thought as much, so that isn't the "two-tiered council era" but actually precedes it.

[Davıd Boothroyd]

That being said, there were districts in Scotland pre-1975 reform, and one of them was Lochgelly. The district council consisted of the local county councillor and some separately elected district councillors. So I'm not so sure about the correction, given that Lochgelly District (population 27,202 in 1961) was much larger than the Burgh (population 8,021).

[maxque]

Sources were quite conflicting on which council he was elected on in 1973 (I read Fife County, Lochgelly District and Lochgelly and Dunfermline District.)

The third one doesn't exist and as it was mentionned he got elected with 12 other Communists, I doubt Fife County elected 12 of them, given only the mining area must have returned them.

It's definitively not Lochgelly Burgh, as his Ballingry was in the District, not the Burgh (which was pretty tightly drawn around Lochgelly). Would welcome any enlightment.

[Davıd Boothroyd]

The pattern in Scotland at the time was that the burgh elections were on the first Tuesday in May, and the county elections were a week after. There were elections in 1973 on 1 May (burghs) and 8 May (counties) despite the imminence of local government reform, but many seats on the county councils were uncontested. Sadly Fife results were not in the Glasgow Herald (which is online in its entirety on Google News).

[Deleted]

Labour candidate Mary Lockhart is the former chair of the Scottish Co-operative Party. For what it's worth, she campaigned for Yes in the referendum and remains pro-independence.

[Deleted]

Another thing to note: Willie Clarke was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and later the Communist Party of Scotland, which became a platform within the Scottish Socialist Party. He has no connection to the Communist Party of Britain, who have a candidate in the by-election.

[edinburghtory]

Aug 20, 2016 12:26:36 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

Those Fifeshire mining villages have a charm all their own don't they?

That's one way of putting it.

My connection to Lochgelly is that whilst canvassing there during the Independence Referendum I found a staunch self-described Thatcherite who was voting 'Yes'. Odd chap.

[Deleted]

The Fife Conservatives apparently had a 'succesful' Saturday in the ward. I'm guessing that means they found a supporter.

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2016 14:42:50 GMT @benjamin said:

The Fife Conservatives apparently had a 'succesful' Saturday in the ward. I'm guessing that means they found a supporter.

Was Gordon Brown home then?

[Deleted]

Gordon Brown stays in North Queensferry.

[peterl]

A tough choice for unionist voters, especially for anyone keen to list multiple preferences.

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2016 15:08:36 GMT @benjamin said:

Gordon Brown stays in North Queensferry.

Oh. So he was out and about in the Kingdom.

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2016 15:14:55 GMT peterl said:

A tough choice for unionist voters, especially for anyone keen to list multiple preferences.

Well, the Communist Party of Britain are against independence...

[finsobruce]

Aug 23, 2016 15:23:48 GMT @benjamin said:

Aug 23, 2016 15:14:55 GMT peterl said:

A tough choice for unionist voters, especially for anyone keen to list multiple preferences.

Well, the Communist Party of Britain are against independence...

for Scotland or just Eastern Europe?

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2016 15:27:54 GMT finsobruce said:

Aug 23, 2016 15:23:48 GMT @benjamin said:

Well, the Communist Party of Britain are against independence...

for Scotland or just Eastern Europe?

Yes.