An unlikely cross-party alliance of leading No campaigners in Gordon are hoping to derail the former First Minister’s bandwagon. The temperature has barely risen above freezing level for days now; the usual roads have been blocked by drifting snow and, in a singular tragedy, a 37-year-old father-to-be was killed when a car skidded into him in an icy side street. Winter generally hits the North East of Scotland pretty hard. This year, however, spring is anticipated with extra relish, at least in the political sense. May’s general election will see the result of the Gordon constituency in Aberdeenshire become easily the most scrutinised in the whole of Scotland and one of the most significant in the whole of Britain. The reason is simple: it is here that Alex Salmond, until recently First Minister of Scotland and leader of the hitherto rampantScottish National Party, has decided to rebuild a political career that was shattered by defeat in last September’s independence referendum. If he’s successful in this prosperous part of Scotland, where house prices and average wages wouldn’t disgrace the Home Counties, he plans to hold Westminster to ransom until he gets the consolation prize he believes he deserves after the referendum rebuff. This would be no less than a massive array of new powers for Scotland that would make the break-up of Britain all but inevitable in a few short years. With the latest opinion poll showing that he might capture all but a few of the 41 seats Labour won in 2010, he might well have the footsoldiers to do it — while cheekily claiming that Nationalist votes will help to save England’s NHS. But first he must win Gordon. And trying to stop him is a strange alliance that’s being forged amongst people who played leading parts in the campaign that defeated the separatists last year and which aims to deny Salmond again, this time by using tactical voting techniques and supporting his best-placed opponent —whatever his or her political allegiance — so long as they’re anti-Nat. Made up of successful businessmen and prominent landowners, as well as those ordinary citizens who were energised by the bid to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom, they now have a simple aim: Stop Salmond. Helping the local Unionists are expected to be workers from Better Together, the Unionist alliance which opposed the SNP-dominated Yes campaign last year, who are promising to travel to Gordon from other parts of Scotland to help the bid to deny Salmond his seat on the green Commons benches. Four months before the general election the new threat to the Salmond masterplan is evolving fast. Organised by local businessmen, farmers and lairds, many of whom played leading parts in the local No campaign last autumn, the object is to persuade the voters to vote against the former SNP leader by putting their crosses against the candidate best able to beat him. And they don’t care which party, either, so long as Salmond is defeated. Thus far none of the declared candidates is at all interested in standing aside so that one of their opponents could tackle Salmond alone. The 23-year-old Labour candidate has no chance of winning, so, if there is to be tactical voting, who should be the beneficiary? Is it to be Christine Jardine, the former journalist and ex-Coalition special adviser, who is the Lib Dem candidate? She claims she has privately secured the support – both financial and moral - of this so-far-below-the-radar group of influential locals and believes they will “go public” by election time. And a poll, to be published shortly, is, according to both Scottish Lib Dem and Tory leadership sources, expected to show that she is lying second in the race – but well behind Mr Salmond, with only half his support. This has prompted Colin Clark, the well-heeled local farmer and Tory candidate, to say that Jardine has no chance of winning and claim that he is a more deserving recipient of those tactical votes. He is unhappy at being portrayed as the man who’s stopping a united Unionist attack and says he would stand down – but only if Sir Malcolm Bruce, the current Lib Dem MP, changed his mind and decided to fight the seat. But as of now there appears to be no chance of that happening, which is good news for Salmond. Superficially, the former Nat leader has everything going for him. Although not from the North East, he has become its adopted son. He lives just outside the Gordon constituency and has represented seats in the area ever since he was first elected to the Commons in 1987. But, more than that, he is easily Scotland’s best-known politician – a formidable political beast and rumbustious debater who can joust with the best that any of the major parties put up. And, other than a short period when he refreshed his batteries by briefly standing down, he has led his party from number four in Scotland to its current dominance – seven years in power, the last four with an outright majority in a parliament where such a thing was deemed to be impossible to achieve. He has selected his target well. Sir Malcolm, who is retiring after representing the seat for 32 years, achieved a 6,700 majority at the 2010 general election. There was a large personal element in that vote and Mr Salmond clearly believes that his own political stature and reputation can overcome that majority, especially against the relatively inexperienced Liberal Democrat candidate who’s now defending the seat. Supporting his bid will be the impressive, and in some instances intimidating, SNP machine. Well organised and extremely well-funded it will move into top gear to get him elected. His supporters are confident that the enthusiasm retained by many in the Yes camp, in spite of their referendum defeat, will greatly assist their efforts. And as if he didn’t have enough advantages, he’s also been given a regular weekly column in the local newspaper – a facility not granted to any of his opponents in Gordon. But it will not be all plain sailing; far from it. Last time they were asked, only 22 per cent of Gordon’s voters backed the SNP and whilst the SNP election-fighting machine is a fearsome entity, the Lib Dems are no slouches, either, when it comes to defending seats. And if there’s one of their 11 seats that they have to hold in Scotland then Gordon is assuredly it. In addition, in the referendum last year the North East of Scotland voted massively against separation — in Gordon the No vote was around 65 per cent. And whilst the Nats still ride high in the Scottish political firmament, and Mr Salmond remains hot favourite to win Gordon, there is definitely a mood there for a determined anti-Salmond onslaught. One of the Unionist plotters, who would only speak providing I didn’t reveal names, explained: “We are trying to work out who would have the best chance of beating Salmond, to show him that he’s not the biggest fish in the sea,” adding: “A split vote between the Conservative and Liberal Democrats is a complete no-brainer.” That comment is the crux of the matter. Will there be a united anti-Salmond effort? If there isn’t Wee Eck will be well on his way to Westminster.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:58:15 +0000
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