Glenrothes

Don't hold your breath for the writ to be moved on the Glenrothes by-election today. That's what Labour sources are telling me this morning. We had expected the writ to be moved on the first day that parliament returned, with an election on Thursday November 6th.

That November date, which would be overshadowed by the result of the US presidential election, could still hold. If Labour do move the writ today the latest they could hold the by-election is November 6th. If they move it tomorrow they have the opition of going for Thursday 13th.

Part of the reason Labour felt pressured to move the writ is that the SNP was cooking a plan to do just that. However, the Tory whips would not support the move so that plan has been shelved.

Plenty for the SNP to be happy about today though. John Mason, their victorious candidate in the Glasgow East by-election, takes his seat in the Commons this afternoon. He won't be making his maiden speech just yet but here's a taste of what he said beforehand.

“The swing that elected me, in what was Labour’s third safest seat, shows Labour’s days of taking Scotland for granted are over. It is clear that people have had enough of Labour’s broken promises, and want a change for the better."

Scottish red eye dawn

Just out of the Iain Gray speech which took place at a bleary eyed 9.35am. Mr Gray had a train to catch so I had to bolt my Loch Fyne kipper breakfast and get over to the conference centre pronto. If you think that was early I see my old West Highland Free Press comrade, Brian Wilson, was due for an 8am appearance on the fringe to talk about food air miles. As the skipper Para Handy would say, "That's devotion for you".

It was a bit early for a rallying call to the Glenrothes ramparts but Iain Gray had a go anyway and he had one or two lines that will resonate beyond the party faithful. Here's the distilled soundbite version of what he said:

"In 1979 nationalist MPs opened the door and ushered Margaret Thatcher in to power. Thirty years later, and Nationalist MSPs are dusting off their doorman's cap, hoping to do David Cameron the same favour."

"Scotland's greatest resource is not its finite oil reserves. It is the limitless reserve of our people's potential.

"The people of Scotland don't want independence. They want the best chance to take the opportunities being part of Britain presents. They want a strong Scottish Parliament, standing up for Scotland's interests within the UK."

11.09 update - Rust never sleeps. The SNP have press released a comment on the "poorly attended" attended Iain Gray speech. What are they talking about, I saw at least one Labour MSP there and two Scottish MPs there?

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Labour Conference - Day One

Lie of the land

Two conversations on the train south to the Labour party conference in Manchester on Saturday. The first with a blunt engineer on his way back to Newcastle with his dog, Maximilian. He thought Gordon Brown might as well give up now. I can’t do the Geordie accent in print but he said: “You’ve got to feel sorry for him, but if ye can’t do the job ye might as well get out of the way for someone who can.”

On the Trans-Pennine express I spoke to two elderly widows who’d become experts at swapping electricity suppliers. “You have to do more maths than a university professor but it’s worth it,” said one. Get Age Concern to do the sums for you was the advice from her friend. They felt sorry for Gordon too.

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Diverting journey

My journey south from Edinburgh might have been a long but not as diverting as one of my fellow islanders who was also at the launch of the new Gaelic channel, BBC ALBA, on Friday night.

Waking late in his Edinburgh hotel Calum Iain MacLeod dashed to Haymarket station to catch the first train to Glasgow that would connect with his flight to Stornoway. A robust figure, he jumped the barrier to get the next departing train. It was only when he was buying a ticket aboard that he was told the next stop was Carlisle.

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Star struck

Spotted early on Sunday morning Sol Campbell, England internationalist and Portsmouth captain, in my hotel foyer. Wow - he has presence that strikes you down from 45 yards out and obviously drew the attention of Kate Hoey, the tricky former Sports Minister, who sidled up next to him.

Next I see Gordon Brown, with eight security guards outflanking him and Sue Nye, on the way to the GMex conference centre. Somehow, even in the sunshine, he didn’t exude just quite the same level of star quality.

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Maybe Gordon had just seen the Glenrothes opinion poll that puts Labour and the SNP neck and neck for the by-election - both on 43% with a 14 per cent swing to the SNP. Very soon, someone is going to have to give Gordon Brown a road map and directions to the seat.

It’s bright but there’s a distinct Autumn chill running through the cloisters of Westminster palace this morning. The place is busier too, the sniffer dogs are back, some politicians are back - there goes Oliver Letwin with his wheelie case in tow - and you get the feel that the place is shaking off its summer torpor. Time then to start blogging.

Decca Aitkenhead is the toast of the Westminster lobby this morning, having caught the chancellor off guard at his Hebridean croft admitting that we are facing an economic crisis comparable to 1948. Lots of cheeky questions to the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on who really is in charge of economic policy - answer, the chancellor - and continued speculation about Mr Darling’s job prospects.

Being Hebridean I was too busy feeling homesick over Murdo MacLeod’s pictures to notice what the plain speaking chancellor was saying at first in his Guardian interview. The consensus in Westminster now is that he gaffed by simply being too honest about the state of the global economy and the government’s troubles.

Mr Brown is off to Brussels today to sort out Russia at an emergency EU summit, and possibly sort out David Miliband too. It is the first time the pair will have met since July when the Foreign Secretary urged the Labour party, a la Darling, to renew itself. All this jostling will make for an interesting reshuffle.

Expect some news from Brussels about 5pm. Later in the evening Labour announce their candidate for the Glenrothes by-election which will come after the party conferences, that expected cabinet reshuffle, and the autumn relaunch which starts tomorrow with a package of measures to revive the housing market. Here’s the candidates shortlist just in:

Colin Davidson, 49, is a teacher in Bell Baxter High School and is chair of North East Fife CLP. He is an active member of the EIS, and works with a local organisation that allows young people from Fife to travel to America.

Kezia Dugdale, 27, is a parliamentary researcher and former welfare rights advisor. Born in Aberdeen she has run several voter registration campaigns and campaigned on housing standards. She has a degree in Law and a degree in Social and Public Policy.

Lindsay Roy, 59, is the Rector (head teacher) of Kirkcaldy High School. From 1990 – 2008, he was the Rector of Inverkeithing High School, and previously Depute Rector of Glenwood High School in Glenrothes. He is a past president of the Headteachers’ Association of Scotland. He lives in Glenrothes and is a Church Elder at St Columba’s.

The result will be known tonight but if you want a clue - Gordon Brown went to Kirkcaldy High School.