The first thing I've noticed is that, after being roundly humiliated in a selection meeting in Pollok, receiving a solitary vote, the people of Glasgow have not got the opportunity to vote for mentally-fragile racist Jorg Herr on May 3rd, as he has not had the courage (or, more-likely, the terminally-unemployed nutter hasn't managed to find the money for a deposit) to stand as an Independent.
The second thing is the appearance of Glasgow First. I don't hold out hope for any of them to be elected: they weren't, on the whole, elected for themselves, but because they bore a red and yellow rosette last time round. It's nice to see that Cllrs Millar and Rabbani have the courage and decency not to stand under the GF banner: Cllr Millar stands as an independent, and does so with the knowledge that her bravery will be known by the people of Glasgow. Cllr Rabbani has joined the SNP but is not standing in this election. He will be a loss to the City Chambers, and it is to be hoped that he will be back in an early by-election.
The British Government is putting up a reasonably weak field of candidates. David Meikle has been an excellent Councillor in Pollokshields, and he will hope his personal charm and record of hard work will outweigh the dismay the people of Glasgow feel for his Conservative Party's destruction of the social contract in Westminster. He is the sole SCUPper in the City Chambers, and it is inconceivable that they will gain more support this time round. I would guess Glasgow will be a Tory-free zone after the election.
Their bedfellows, the Liberals, have no chance whatever, and will lose all of their seats.
SLAB, which has run a criminal organisation of gangsterism and violence in Glasgow for three decades before losing its majority last week, is led by the disgraced Gordon Matheson, presumably on the grounds nobody else wanted to do it. The destruction of their base last time out, as well as their annihilation in the National election in May, ought to lead to the end of their rule in Glasgow.
The Greens are out in force, and should increase their tally - they are viewed as the good guys of politics, and I hope this will be their breakthrough in Glasgow.
The SNP has an excellent team, led by the redoubtable and experienced Allison Hunter. Despite some missteps, she is by a distance the best leader of the main parties - I expect Cllr Hunter to be Council Leader after the smoke clears. There are some top-class candidates in the SNP, experienced and successful in Council, business and public service. They will be the largest party.
The Left may be one to watch. Having dispensed, surprisingly, with the traditional tactic of trying to destroy each other instead of the bourgeoisie, there isn't a single ward in which two hard-left candidates are up against each other:
In Linn, Newlands/Auldburn, Pollokshields, Langside, Canal, North-East Springburn, Drumchapel/Anniesland and Garscadden/Scotstounhill, the Anti-Cuts coalition stands alone
Craigton and Govan, Anderston/City, (although in Govan they stand against a Pirate Party which will be popular with the few young voters), sees Tommy Sheridan's Solidarity (his good lady wife, Gail, stands against SNP stalwart Iris Gibson, as well as disgraced Labour thief Alistair Watson in Craigton) unopposed by another Left group.
In Southside Central, Calton, East Centre, Shettleston, Baillieston, Hillhead, Partick West, Maryhill/Kelvin, the SSP - still the only left-wing party to have gained representation in Parliament since Scotland adopted democracy at the tail end of last century - put up candidates.
The campaign will ebb and flow. People will be disgraced. Some Labour Councillors may be unable to play an active part in the campaign from their prison cells.
I see the SNP as the largest party emerging from the election, and they will govern, I believe, in a traffic light coalition with the Greens (plural!) and the Left councillors who will emerge.
SLAB, as usual, will be reduced to screaming in impotent rage from the sidelines, contrained only by the taxpayer-funded duvet under which they will be tucked with their Tory allies and their Liberal minions.
If I was living in every ward, here's how I'd vote, for the best left-wing outcome, and to keep the British Government parties and their sympathisers out.
Linn:
1. Elder (SNP)
2. Young (ACC)
3. McDonald (SNP)
4. Jones (GP)
Newlands/Auldburn:
1. Docherty (SNP)
2. Thomson (GP)
3. Harvey (ACC)
Pollok:
1. McDonald (SNP)
2. Beattie (SSP)
3. Butler (UK Labour)
4. Jaffri (SNP)
5. Neal (GP)
Craigton:
1. Gibson (SNP)
2. Sheridan (Solidarity)
3. Torrance (SNP)
4. Ruffell (GP)
5. Nelson (Liberal)
Govan:
1. Mackie (SNP)
2. Hunter (SNP)
3. Archibald (PPS)
4. Bach (GP)
5. Mohammed (SNP)
6. Drummond (Solidarity)
Pollokshields:
1. McLeod (SNP)
2. Malik (SNP)
3. Khan (ACC)
4. McAleer (GP)
Langside:
1. Hainey (GP)
2. Stevenson (ACC)
3. Aitken (SNP)
South Central:
1. Hunter (SNP)
2. Hanif (SNP)
3. Millar (I)
4. Bonnar (SSP)
5. Crawford (GP)
Calton:
1. Belic (SNP)
2. Thewliss (SNP)
3. Ritchie (SSP)
4. Reid (GP)
5. Miller (GF)
Anderston/City:
1. Campbell (Solidarity)
2. Baker (GP)
3. Harris (PPS)
4. Mackay (SNP)
5. Docherty (SNP)
Hillheid:
1. Curran (SSP)
2. Smith (SNP)
3. Wardrop (GP)
4. Andrew (SNP)
Partick West:
1. McLean (SNP)
2. Bartos (GP)
3. Gray (SSP)
Garscadden/Scotstounhill:
1. Schmierer (GP)
2. Stuart (ACC)
3. Henry (SNP)
4. Wilson (SNP)
Drumchapel/Anniesland:
1. Balfour (SNP)
2. Stevenson (ACC)
3. Whitelaw (GP)
4. Docherty (SNP)
Maryhill/Kelvin:
1. Turbett (SSP)
2. Scally (SNP)
3. Parish (GP)
4. Letford (SNP)
Canal:
1. McAllister (SNP)
2. McCormick (ACC)
3. Wild (GP)
4. Clark Roberts (SNP)
Springburn:
1. Ivory (ACC)
2. Oakes (SNP)
3. Greene (SNP)
East Centre:
1. O'Donnell (SSP)
2. Dunn (SNP)
3. Ballantyne (GP)
4. Rullkotter (SNP)
Shettleston:
1. Miller (SNP)
2. McLaughlin (SNP)
3. Rutherford (SSP)
4. Leckie (GP)
Baillieston:
1. Bean (SSP)
2. Turner (SNP)
3. Sheridan (SNP)
4. Weir (GP)
North East:
1. Cocozza (ACC)
2. Boyle (SNP)
3. Clay (GP)
4. Kenny (SNP)
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