Hamilton South by-election, 1999
Encyclopedia
On August 4, 1999 NATO announced that the Member of Parliament
for the constituency
of Hamilton South
, in Scotland
, the Rt. Hon. George Robertson
, had been chosen as its new Secretary-General. This meant that Robertson was required to resign his seat which he had won as a Labour
candidate in the 1997 general election
. The seat had fallen vacant in a Parliamentary recess, and the law does not permit a byelection to be called during a recess if the sitting member resigns by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
. The Labour Party did not wish to wait until the end of the recess to call the election as it would give opposition parties longer to campaign.
The problem was solved when Robertson was elevated to the House of Lords
as Baron Robertson of Port Ellen on August 24, 1999, instantly vacating his seat. this remains the last elevation of a sitting MP. The writ for the byelection was moved immediately. Labour selected Bill Tynan
, a locally-based Trade Union
official, to defend the seat. The Scottish National Party
, which was likely to provide the main challenge, chose Annabelle Ewing
. Despite not living locally this was a useful choice as Ewing was the daughter of Winnie Ewing
who had defeated Labour to win the Hamilton byelection
of 1967. The Scottish Socialist Party
fought a strong campaign for the seat, and Stephen Mungall was nominated by a local group protesting against the ownership of the local football team Hamilton Academical F.C.
.
Twelve candidates stood, at the time the most in any Scottish by-election. Thirteen candidates stood at the 2009 by-election in Glasgow North East
.
Polling day in the by-election was on September 23. The Labour Party narrowly held on to the seat, after a recount; the Liberal Democrats polled embarrassingly poorly, which many interpreted as voter dissatisfaction with their decision to join the Labour Party in a coalition in the Scottish Executive
. Their sixth place was the worst placing in a by-election by any major party since the Conservative candidate in the Upper Bann by-election, 1990
also came sixth; in by-elections in seats in Great Britain it was the lowest since the Liberal candidate in the Glasgow Camlachie by-election, 1948
also came sixth. The Scottish Socialist Party beat the Conservatives, and even Stephen Mungall saved his deposit.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Hamilton South
Hamilton South (UK Parliament constituency)
Hamilton South was burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Formed in 1997 from the Hamilton constituency, it was abolished in 2005 and parts of the constituency went to make the constituencies of Lanark and Hamilton East and Rutherglen and...
, in Scotland
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...
, the Rt. Hon. George Robertson
George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen
George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, is a British Labour Party politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and early January 2004; he succeeded Javier Solana in that position...
, had been chosen as its new Secretary-General. This meant that Robertson was required to resign his seat which he had won as a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. The seat had fallen vacant in a Parliamentary recess, and the law does not permit a byelection to be called during a recess if the sitting member resigns by taking the Chiltern Hundreds
Chiltern Hundreds
Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament to resign his or her seat...
. The Labour Party did not wish to wait until the end of the recess to call the election as it would give opposition parties longer to campaign.
The problem was solved when Robertson was elevated to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as Baron Robertson of Port Ellen on August 24, 1999, instantly vacating his seat. this remains the last elevation of a sitting MP. The writ for the byelection was moved immediately. Labour selected Bill Tynan
Bill Tynan
William "Bill" Tynan is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Party member of Parliament for Hamilton South from 1999 to 2005, when he won the Hamilton South by-election to replace the ennobled George Robertson....
, a locally-based Trade Union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official, to defend the seat. The 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....
, which was likely to provide the main challenge, chose Annabelle Ewing
Annabelle Ewing
Annabelle Janet Ewing is a Scottish politician, lawyer and currently a SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife...
. Despite not living locally this was a useful choice as Ewing was the daughter of Winnie Ewing
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret 'Winnie' Ewing is a Scottish nationalist, lawyer and prominent SNP politician who was formerly a Member of Parliament , Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Scottish Parliament...
who had defeated Labour to win the Hamilton byelection
Hamilton by-election, 1967
The Hamilton by-election, in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which took place on the 2nd of November 1967, was a milestone in the politics of Scotland...
of 1967. The 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....
fought a strong campaign for the seat, and Stephen Mungall was nominated by a local group protesting against the ownership of the local football team Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
.
Twelve candidates stood, at the time the most in any Scottish by-election. Thirteen candidates stood at the 2009 by-election in Glasgow North East
Glasgow North East by-election, 2009
The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the British House of Commons...
.
Polling day in the by-election was on September 23. The Labour Party narrowly held on to the seat, after a recount; the Liberal Democrats polled embarrassingly poorly, which many interpreted as voter dissatisfaction with their decision to join the Labour Party in a coalition in the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
. Their sixth place was the worst placing in a by-election by any major party since the Conservative candidate in the Upper Bann by-election, 1990
Upper Bann by-election, 1990
The 1990 by-election in Upper Bann was caused by the death of the sitting Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament Harold McCusker on February 2, 1990....
also came sixth; in by-elections in seats in Great Britain it was the lowest since the Liberal candidate in the Glasgow Camlachie by-election, 1948
Glasgow Camlachie by-election, 1948
The Glasgow Camlachie by-election was held on 28 January 1948, following the death of Member of Parliament for Glasgow Camlachie Campbell Stephen....
also came sixth. The Scottish Socialist Party beat the Conservatives, and even Stephen Mungall saved his deposit.
Results
Mungall used the description "Hamilton Accies Home, Watson Away", referring to demands by some fans that Hamilton Academical should play their home matches locally and that Watson, a prominent shareholder, should go.See also
- Hamilton South (UK Parliament constituency)Hamilton South (UK Parliament constituency)Hamilton South was burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Formed in 1997 from the Hamilton constituency, it was abolished in 2005 and parts of the constituency went to make the constituencies of Lanark and Hamilton East and Rutherglen and...
- 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 United Kingdom by-elections