The latest
edition of Sandra White MSP's newsletter
contains details of her recent work in the Parliament, including her
campaign against the proposed sell off of the Kelvin Hall. 28/6/01
SNP
Holds Steady in Kelvin
The political
shape of Kelvin has changed, with minority parties receiving almost
12% of the vote between them. This has taken votes away from both the
SNP and New Labour's George Galloway, although Galloway suffered to
a greater extent than our Frank Rankin, the first time his level of
support has been reduced on being re-elected.
The gap
between ourselves and New Labour has, however, remained steady. We have
achieved a modest swing of 0.8% from New Labour in Kelvin compared with
the previous Westminster Election in 1997. This is consistent with the
national situation, where the seperation between the two leading parties
remained unchanged. This is in contrast to predictions that the SNP
would lose out in Westminster elections in post-devolution Scotland,
indicating that the electorate still see the importance of sending strong
SNP representitives to stand for Scotland in London.
Kelvin
has consolidated its position as the second most winnable seat for the
SNP in Glasgow. 8/6/01
Further
Term for Tory Government
Tony
Blair's resounding victory in the Westminster elections means a further
term of his tory agenda of a privatised health service, increased taxation
and weapons of mass destruction. 9/6/01
Banockburn
Rally
This
year's annual Bannockburn Rally will take place on Saturday 23rd June.
The procession will set off from Lower Bridge Street, Stirling at 1.30pm,
and proceed through the town centre to the Bruce Monument at Bannockburn.
9/6/01
TODAY
IS POLLING DAY
Polls
are open until 10pm
If you need help getting to the polls phone 337 6568
Second
Saltire Stolen
The
second saltire within a week has been removed from outside our
campaign rooms in Merkland Street. It is unfortunate that petty
crime such as this must go on in the west end of Glasgow. It is
also difficult to comprehend how people could show such a level
of disrespect for their national flag. Could you imagine this
type of thing happening in the USA, for example?
5/6/01
By-Election
on Glasgow City Council
Tollcross
Park, in Shettleston, will elect a new councillor on June 7th, to replace
New Labour's Bill Butler who has resigned his seat. The seat is being
contested by Graeme Hendry for the SNP.
The last
by-election in Glasgow was in Possil in August 1998, where SNP candidate
Gavin Roberts came within 34 votes of winning what had been New Labour's
safest ward in Glasgow.
31/5/01
1½
Weeks
A
System Three poll in this week's Sunday Herald shows a majority
of Scots are in favour of full fiscal autonomy for Scotland.
Only 35% of those surveyed do not want the Scottish Parliament
to have control over taxation. London Labour however intend to
retain the unfair Barnett Formula which has resulted in
Scotland receiveing less money than it raises in taxation. Only
with a strong SNP presence in Westminster will Scotland
have any chance of gaining control of its own finances.
27/5/01
Kelvin
IS winnable
Glasgow Kelvin has in recent years seen a steady swing from New
Labour to the SNP, making it one of the most winnable seats in
Glasgow.
The
Scottish Parliament elections of 1999 saw a 7.03% swing - a swing
of the same proportions on June 7th would see George Galloway
clearing his desk at Westminster.
The
European Parliamentary Elections of June 1999, although not directly
comparable, saw the SNP neck and neck with New Labour in Kelvin.
28/5/01
Email
Frank Rankin
If
you would like to bring up any issues with our candidate, you
can email him at
24/5/01
SNP
Manifesto
The
SNP's manifesto sets out our agenda for the government of an Independent
Scotland.
The
first section provides first hand accounts of real life situations
in today's Scotland, while the second section goes into detail
with our policy priorities.
Support
is continuing to rise for the SNP in Kelvin. This election is
a straight fight between Frank Rankin and New Labour's George
Galloway.
The
SNP is ready and waiting in Kelvin, and believes that our radical
message will prove popular with the electorate.
13/5/01
Campaign
Rooms Open
Kelvin
SNP's headquarters for the duration of the campaign are at 6 Merkland
Street, Partick (beside Partick Underground). The rooms will generally
be open from 11am Monday - Saturday, 1pm Sunday. Please call in
if you would like any information on our campaigns and policies,
or if you would like to offer your support. You can also phone
the rooms on 337 6568.
The rooms were officially opened on Wednesday 16th May by SNP
leader John Swinney. 14/5/01
Exploding
New Labour Myths
The
New Labour spin machine has been at work, producing a series of half
truths and misleading information on the successes and achievements
of New Labour in Glasgow Kelvin. We have taken the liberty of rebuting
their myths and furnishing you with the truth
as provided by official statistics.
15/5/01
Love
the Planet: Trash Trident
A
Peace Carnival organised by Scottish CND is being held on Saturday 2nd
June in George Square (12-6pm). Counter the weapons of death with a
carnival of peace.
Four submarines
based on the Clyde, carrying 144 atom bombs. Equivalent to 1000 Hiroshimas,
they threaten mass murdrer. Yet there is no enemy. Illegal. Immoral.
Insane.
17/5/01
Four
Weeks
The
Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair MP has received
permission from the queen to dissolve the London parliament and
subsequently has called a Westminster General Election for Thursday
June 7th.
The
SNP is ready and waiting in Kelvin, and believes that our radical
message will prove popular with the electorate.
8/5/01
Kelvin
Independent 5
The
final four weeks of our campaign kick off with the publication
of Issue 5 of our newspaper, the Kelvin Independent. The online
edition is available here
in .PDF format, while a paper copy will shortly be coming through
your letterbox.
The
paper contains all the latest news on our efforts in Glasgow Kelvin,
together with a summary of the SNP's policy commitments to you.
8/5/01
We
Stand for Students
Glasgow
Kelvin has the highest concentration of students of any constituency
in Scotland. The three Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde and Caledonian,
together with several Further Education colleges means that issues affecting
students are high on the local agenda. Frank Rankin, as a graduate and
current part time student is in touch with the situation. Read his open
letter to the students of Kelvin and see for yourself what the SNP's
priorities are on student funding.
3/5//01
Postal
Votes Now Available to All
The
Government has changed the rules on eligibility for postal voting. Now
anyone can choose to have a postal vote - no questions asked!
So whether you're going to be away from home on polling day, are unwell
or housebound, or just can't be bothered walking all the way to the
polling station, it's now just a simple matter of filling out an application
form and sending it to the electoral registration officer at Glasgow
City Council.
Download
an application form here
to ensure your democratic right to vote.
15/3/01
Strong
New Policies
The
SNP will shortly publish it's General Election manifesto, encapsulating
our vision of a socially just Independent Scotland. Our preliminary
policy documents on Education, Jobs, Crime and Health can be found
on the SNP
national website.
In all
likelyhood the General Election will be called for June 7th, the date
local government elections in England have been resheduled for. The
earlier favourite with the bookmakers, May 3rd, is not now a possibility.
Whenever Tony Blair decides to call the election, the SNP are ready
and waiting, and look forward to significantly increasing our representation
at Westminster.
1/4/01
681st
Anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath
The
Declaration of Arbroath was the world's first written document
declaring the sovereignty of a nation's people in 1320, effectively
the predecessor of a constitution. The anniversary, while going by unnoticed
in Scotland, is celebrated in the USA as Tartan Day, an appreciation
of the Scots' contributions to the shaping of the United States. Indeed
almost half of those who signed the American Declaration of Independence
were of Scottish descent.
This website
is also celebrating, with the addition of its fiftieth page. And what
could be more fitting than the full text of the Declaration
of Arbroath! 6/4/01
Anti-Trident
Campaign Will Go On Despite Court Ruling
Friday's
High Court ruling that weapons of mass destruction such as Trident are
NOT illegal under International Law flies in the face of Scottish public
opinion. A recent poll showed clearly that the majority of Scots supported
protests against nuclear weapons. 51% of those questioned supported
the sit down demonstration at Faslane on 12 February, and only 24% opposed
it. The Scottish court has thumbed its nose at the International Court
of Justice and presented a very biased interpretation of the Advisory
Opinion on the threat of use of nuclear weapons which the ICJ made in
1996.
In response,
there will be a rally and nonviolent direct action taking place at the
North Gate, Faslane, at 11am on Saturday 7th April. Buses leave from
George Square at 9.30am. The rally is being organised by Scottish CND.
1/4/01
We
stand for Scotland. That's what the SNP do best,
and why more and more of us are choosing to vote SNP. New Labour
promised us the earth, but failed to deliver. The SNP has always
delivered for Scotland. We will deliver for Kelvin too. Frank
Rankin will put Scotland first and make your voice heard.
Election
Warchest Opened
(click
for larger image)
This year's budget may not have been the total pre-election giveaway
that the more cynical among us may have expected,
but it did see the offloading of a substantial proportion of Gordon
Brown's £16bn warchest.
Much of the budget
statement was of course irrelevent to Scotland, as spending on devolved
issues is decided at the Scottish Parliament. As such, Holyrood has
been given an additional £200m.
After five budgets
delivered by Chancellor Flush Gordon, taxes are up and spending
on public services as a share of the nation’s wealth is down. Yet over
the next two years Scotland will contribute nearly £8 billion more in
tax to London than we get back in spending. That’s £1,500 for every
man, woman and child in Scotland.
The SNP wants the
Scottish Parliament, not the Chancellor in London, to have control over
Scottish tax and spending decisions. That would mean people in Scotland
would determine how the resources of this country were spent, not distant
policy-makers in London. And that would mean we could make real improvements
to our hospitals, our children’s education and the fight against crime.
7/3/01
Postal
Votes Now Available to All
The
Government has changed the rules on eligibility for postal voting. Now
anyone can choose to have a postal vote - no questions asked!
So whether you're going to be away from home on polling day, are unwell
or housebound, or just can't be bothered walking all the way to the
polling station, it's now just a simple matter of filling out an application
form and sending it to the electoral registration officer at Glasgow
City Council.
Download an application
form here to ensure your
democratic right to vote.15/3/01
Another
Successful Cèilidh
Kelvin firmly
established itself as Glasgow's premier cèilidh Constituency
Association, after another highly successful event on Saturday 10th
March. A good time was enjoyed by all who participated, probably our
last major social event before we go to the polls to elect Frank Rankin
as Kelvin's next MP.
If you were unfortunate
enough to have missed the event, be sure to come along to our Victory
Ceilidh. (Date and venue still to be confirmed). It promises to be even
bigger!12/3/01
New
Executive Committee Elected
At Kelvin Constituency
Association's annual general meeting, held on 28th February, a new committee
was elected to oversee the running of constituency affairs for the coming
year.
Convenor
Kenny
McLean
Vice-Convenor
Bill
Kidd
Secretary
Craig
Mackay
Treasurer
Tom
Brownrigg
Organiser
Graeme
Douglas
Political
Education Officer
Bill
Kidd
28/2/01
"Coo"
Mounted at Strathclyde Union
Congratulations
are due to local SNP activists Patrick Grady and Ally Hamilton, who
have been elected as President and Deputy President of the University
of Strathclyde Students Association. Patrick gained 55% of the vote
against a strong New Labour candidate, while Ally achieved a massive
84%, with the highest turnout for years. Such success is unprecedented
in a Union that has traditionally been dominated by a Labour / New Labour
executive.
Both students have
previously lived in Kelvin and campaigned for Sandra White at the Scottish
Parliament elections in 1999. 23/2/01
Glasgow
Uni Rectorial Election 28 Feb
After a hard fought campaign, GUSNA supported Alasdair Gray was pipped
at the post by a mere 101 votes, by New Labour's Greg Hemphill.
This is the best result achieved in recent times, against a high profile
celebrity candidate.
28/2/01
The
BIG Blockade Faslane on the
Clyde, near Helensburgh, is where England's four Trident nuclear missile
submarines are based. Trident is an indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction,
poised to kill millions of civilians, polluting the environment with radiation
and outlawed by international humanitarian law.
Monday 12th February
saw this year's BIG Blockade of Faslane. Around 1000 people sat
outside the gates from 7am, closing the base for several hours. 340
arrests were made. Several SNP MSPs attended the blockade, including
Sandra White. Students were also present from all three universities
in Kelvin constituency.
A massive 27% swing from New Labour to the SNP saw the SNP's
John Young poll an incredible 73% of the vote at the Stonehouse
by-election last Thursday. This can only be seen as a massive blow for
New Labour, as the area has traditionally been one of their strongholds.
19/2/01
Commons
Speaker Unhappy with Electoral Challenge
Springburn MP and House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin has spoken
out against parties intending to stand against him in the general election.
He argued that as Speaker he is independent and as such should not be
contested by other parties. He referred to an antiquated tradition whereby
the Speaker's seat had not normally been contested in the past in England.
The SNP is however
comitted to standing throughout Scotland and giving the electorate the
opportunity to vote for Scottish Independence. We do not have such a
precedent in Scottish politics, and such actions could be seen as undemocratic.
Sandy Bain, the
SNP's prospective candidate for Springburn and a Kelvin man, will stand
up for the people of Springburn.
16/2/01
Glasgow
Uni Rectorial Election
After Ross Kemp's resignation as Rector, aided by a resolution to Glasgow
Uni's SRC by GUSNA's Kirsty McDonald, and a motion to the Scottish Parliament
by Sandra White MSP, an election is taking place for his successor on
28th February. Candidates are:
NORMAN
BLAKE, singer, 'Teenage Fanclub'
KAREN DUNBAR, comedian ALASDAIR GRAY, author and artist
GREG HEMPHILL, comedian
STUART MURDOCH, singer 'Belle and Sebastian'
While the election
is not a strictly party political affair, Glasgow University Scottish
Nationalist Association (GUSNA)
are backing Alasdair Gray in his bid. Alasdair was one of 340 arrested
at the BIG BLOCKADE on 12th February. He has called on MSPs to
take action against the Trident programme, saying "Scotland now
has her own parliament and hopefully this may lead to something being
done about nuclear weapons."
New Labour Kemp
had betrayed the students by failing to attend the Freshers' Address
for a second time, and for his poor attendance at Court meetings since
he came to office. 12/2/01
Welcome
to our Election Website
As you can see,
our website has been given a revamp for the run-up to the Westminster
General Election, which is expected to be called as soon as May 3rd.
We hope you can find all the information you need here. If you have
any specific queries, do not hesitate to contact us at
Enjoy your visit
and come back soon!10/2/01
Frank
Rankin is the Parliamentary Candidate for Glasgow Kelvin for the
Westminster General Election on June 7th.
"If
elected as MP for Kelvin, I will always be available to my constituents.
My loyalties will be with them - not with London"
Glasgow
Uni Rectorial Election
After Ross Kemp's resignation as Rector, aided by a resolution to Glasgow
Uni's SRC by GUSNA's Kirsty McDonald, and a motion to the Scottish Parliament
by Sandra White MSP, an election is taking place for his successor on
28th February. Candidates are:
NORMAN
BLAKE, singer, 'Teenage Fanclub'
KAREN DUNBAR, comedian ALASDAIR GRAY, author and artist
GREG HEMPHILL, comedian
STUART MURDOCH, singer 'Belle and Sebastian'
While the election
is not a strictly party political affair, Glasgow University Scottish
Nationalist Association (GUSNA)
are backing Alasdair Gray in his bid
New Labour Kemp
had betrayed the students by failing to attend the Freshers' Address
for a second time, and for his poor attendance at Court meetings since
he came to office. 5/2/01
Quotes
of the Week
Please note that our Quotes of the Week feature no longer appears on
the homepage, but quotes will however still be added to the Quotes
page in the Archive. 10/2/01
Boost
for Nationalist Cause
With
Mandy's demise and his replacement as Northern Ireland secretary
by John Reid, we have had a new Secretary of State for Scotland
imposed upon us - none other than Helen Liddell!
With her at
the helm, Independence will be just around the corner... 24/1/01
14/1/01
We
Stand for Scotland - We Stand for Kelvin
"The Scottish people have always been able to trust the SNP to
put Scottish interests first. We have no split loyalties. We stand for
Scotland."
The race is well and truly on for Westminster, and the SNP's new slogan
aptly demonstrates our commitment to Scotland's best interests. This
is equally the case in Kelvin, where Frank Rankin has pledged to stand
up for Kelvin's constituents in the face of the London parties who have
failed our country for so long. 23/1/01
One
Hundred Days
Tuesday 23rd January sees only 100 days left until the projected date
of the Westminster General Election. May 3rd is only fourteen weeks
away. Fourteen weeks of a hard fought campaign both here in Glasgow
Kelvin and across the whole of Scotland. 23/1/01
The
BIG Blockade
Faslane
on the Clyde, near Helensburgh, is where England's four Trident nuclear
missile submarines are based. Trident is an indiscriminate weapon of
mass destruction, poised to kill millions of civilians, polluting the
environment with radiation and outlawed by international humanitarian
law.
Monday 12th February will see this year's BIG Blockade
of Faslane. Last year some 400 people sat outside the gates of Faslane,
closing the base for several hours.
The peaceful protest starts at 7am. If you would like to take part
please contact Scottish
CND.
Our current campaigns are focused on the Scotstoun ward. You can find
a copy of our Scotstoun
Independent newsletter here in .PDF format. 13/1/01
Maryhill
to get new MP
Neighbouring constituency Maryhill is to get a new MP, after New Labour's
Maria Fyfe announced she is to stand down at the general election.
She has represented Maryhill for fourteen years. This will give SNP
candidate Alex Dingwall a welcome opportunity to succeed her.
Happy
Burns Night
Thursday 25th January,
birthday of our National Bard
London
Dome Figures Published
On the eve of the
"real" millennium, the London Dome called it a day after failing
to inspire the public. The total visitor numbers of 6,517,000 included
more than one million non-paying visitors.
Just for comparison...
Glasgow Garden Festival
London Millennium Dome
Duration
May - September 1988
(5 months)
January - December 2000
(12 months)
Visitors
3 million
6.5 million
Av. visitors / week
145,000
125,000
Set-up cost
£35m
£628m
Admission charge
£8
£20
Per capita subsidy to break even
(based solely on admission charges)
£4
£80
Need we say any more?
Union
Day
January 1st saw the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Union Jack,
after the 1801 Act of Union between the Scottish / Welsh / English union
and Ireland. The people of Glasgow were dancing in the streets in celebration.
Although for some
unexplained reason there was a distinct absence of the flag as thousands
of revelers packed George Square and the Merchant City in the early
hours of the morning.
9/6/01
(click
for larger image)
28/2/01
Boost
for Nationalist Cause 
14/1/01 
Faslane
on the Clyde, near Helensburgh, is where England's four Trident nuclear
missile submarines are based. Trident is an indiscriminate weapon of
mass destruction, poised to kill millions of civilians, polluting the
environment with radiation and outlawed by international humanitarian
law.
