John Mason wins Glasgow East by-election

Jul 30 2008 by Douglas Dickie, Rutherglen Reformer

A RUTHERGLEN man has masterminded one of the most remarkable wins in Scottish political history.

John Mason was swept into Westminster in last week’s Glasgow East by-election with a swing of over 22 per cent to snatch the seat from Labour.

The win has piled pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown and strengthened the SNP position within Scotland.

John, who was the SNP’s longest serving Glasgow councillor before his victory, will take up his Westminster seat in October, and he was still on a high after his remarkable victory this week.

Brought up in Burnside, John stayed in the area for 30 years and credits another Burnside man, Robert Brown MSP, for sparking his interest in politics.

And the avid Clyde fan admits the job will come with perks: “I knew I had arrived when I got a phone call from the Clyde chairman inviting me to a game.”

John put his victory over Labour candidate Margaret Curran down to a number of factors including the popularity of First Minister Alex Salmond and disillusion at the Labour government in London.

He said: “I think it was a mixture of things.

“Alex Salmond and the SNP are going down very well at the moment and he received a tremendously warm reception in places where we wouldn’t normally expect support.

“Clearly the government down south is unpopular and people feel they are out of touch and not listening to their concerns on issues such as fuel prices.

“There were other bits and pieces, like the fact I had been a councillor for 10 years and I think the stem-cell argument may have swayed some voters.

“I have been involved in a number of by-election campaigns but everything seemed to come together in this one.

“Labour struggled even to get a candidate but in the end it was very, very close.”

After a re-count, John was declared the winner by a mere 365 votes, but it remains to be seen what damage that could do to the Labour Party, and not just in Scotland.

In the meantime John has wasted no time in settling into the job even though his Westminster debut is over two months away.

And one of his first concerns could have a direct impact on the local area: “I have spoken to the fire service about the prospect of Parkhead and Cambuslang stations merging and will arrange a meeting with them.

“The impression I am getting is that no decision has been made but I will be looking into it.

“Westminster has just finished for summer recess and they still haven’t decided if they can pay me or not!

“I’m heading down this week to see how things are done and I’ve already started looking at rooms down there.”

John’s next challenge will be to hold the seat at the next General Election. Of the SNP’s five by-election gains, only one has managed to retain the seat at the next election.