Glasgow Anniesland by-elections, 2000
Encyclopedia
There was a double by-election
in Glasgow Anniesland in 2000.
Donald Dewar
, a leading figure in Scottish
Labour
politics, had in 1999 been elected to the Scottish Parliament
where he had become First Minister
of the Scottish Parliament
, but he retained his seat in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
intending to stand down at the next general election. However, Dewar died on October 11, 2000 from a massive brain haemorrhage, possibly brought on by a fall he suffered outside his official residence the previous day. The fall might not have been fatal had he not been on warfarin
after suffering a heart attack
earlier that year. This created a by-election
for his seat of Glasgow Anniesland
in the UK Parliament and Glasgow Anniesland
in the Scottish Parliament.
Both elections were held on the same day, and polling day was set for November 23. John Robertson had already been chosen to fight the seat for Labour at the general election and therefore stood at the byelection. The Labour vote declined, but with the main benfiicary being the small Scottish Socialist Party
rather than the challenging Scottish National Party
, the seat was comfortably held.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Glasgow Anniesland in 2000.
Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
, a leading figure in Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politics, had in 1999 been elected to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
where he had become First Minister
First Minister
A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, but he retained his seat in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
intending to stand down at the next general election. However, Dewar died on October 11, 2000 from a massive brain haemorrhage, possibly brought on by a fall he suffered outside his official residence the previous day. The fall might not have been fatal had he not been on warfarin
Warfarin
Warfarin is an anticoagulant. It is most likely to be the drug popularly referred to as a "blood thinner," yet this is a misnomer, since it does not affect the thickness or viscosity of blood...
after suffering a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
earlier that year. This created a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for his seat of Glasgow Anniesland
Glasgow Anniesland (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Anniesland was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 until 2005, when it was replaced by the larger Glasgow North West, with the exception of Kelvindale which joined Glasgow North....
in the UK Parliament and Glasgow Anniesland
Glasgow Anniesland (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Anniesland is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
in the Scottish Parliament.
Both elections were held on the same day, and polling day was set for November 23. John Robertson had already been chosen to fight the seat for Labour at the general election and therefore stood at the byelection. The Labour vote declined, but with the main benfiicary being the small Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
rather than the challenging Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, the seat was comfortably held.
Westminster result
The turnout was 38.1%.General Election result, 1997
Scottish Parliament result
See also
- Glasgow Anniesland (UK Parliament constituency)Glasgow Anniesland (UK Parliament constituency)Glasgow Anniesland was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 until 2005, when it was replaced by the larger Glasgow North West, with the exception of Kelvindale which joined Glasgow North....
- Glasgow Anniesland (Scottish Parliament constituency)Glasgow Anniesland (Scottish Parliament constituency)Glasgow Anniesland is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
- Elections in ScotlandElections in ScotlandScotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, the European Parliament, local councils and community councils.-Scottish Parliament:...
- List of Scottish Parliamentary by-elections
- List of United Kingdom by-elections