MP MacDougall dies after illness

MP MacDougall dies after illness
Scottish Labour MP John MacDougall has died after a long illness. The MP for Glenrothes, in Fife, had been suffering from Mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lining of the lungs. His death will trigger a by-election in the seat, which neighbours UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency. Mr MacDougall, a former leader of Fife Council and a strong pro-European, was first elected to the Commons in 2001. The married father-of-two, born in Dunfmerline in 1947, was a former boilermaker who went on to work for the Institute of Directors. Mr MacDougall was known for his extensive connections in the EU, having sat on the body which investigated financial irregularity in the European Community. He also served as vice-president of the Assembly of the European Regions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/scotland_politics/7557933.stm RIP him and condolences to his family. This will be an interesting byelection.

Another by-election nightmare looms for Brown The death of John MacDougall, Labour MP for Glenrothes since 2001, will trigger yet another nightmare for Gordon Brown. No other word will do. Glenrothes in Fife is on the PM’s very doorstep and – after Glasgow East – looks distinctly vulnerable. In the 2005 general election, Mr MacDougall polled 19,395 votes, well ahead of the SNP’s John Beare on 8,731. But Labour’s majority of 10,664 accounted for only 28.5 per cent of the vote. In Glasgow East, Labour’s 2005 majority was larger in absolute terms – 13,507 – but accounted for more than 43 per cent of the turnout. In other words, Glenrothes looks like an even juicier target for the SNP: if Alex Salmond’s party could win in Glasgow East, this should be, frankly, a doddle. Expect a bonanza of by-election bribes from the Treasury in the weeks before the by-election. Will they make any difference? I doubt it. As Irwin Stelzer argues in tomorrow’s magazine, the voters are getting wise to Mr Brown’s efforts to woo them with their own money - or, rather the growing public debt which they, as taxpayers will service. The (as yet unannounced) date of the Glenrothes by-election is now one of the most important in the months ahead – up there with Gordon’s conference speech in Manchester next month. The respective supporters of David Miliband, Alan Johnson, Jack Straw, Harriet Harman and others will be making their dispositions for the morning after the vote. Do not be deceived by the dozy politics of the summer holidays. There is much bloodshed ahead. http://tinyurl.com/6nnmdf

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