There will be a four-way fight for Argyll and Bute in next month’s elections for the UK Parliament.
The SNP, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are fielding the same candidates as in 2017, while Labour’s candidate was announced this week.
Brendan O’Hara will be looking to retain the seat he first won for the SNP in 2015, with opposition from local councillors Alan Reid – Mr O’Hara’s Liberal Democrat predecessor as MP – and Gary Mulvaney (Conservative), as well Labour’s Rhea Louise Barnes, whose address is given as Windsor Crescent in Paisley.
Mr O’Hara retained his seat in 2017, but with a majority reduced to 1,328 – his share of the vote fell by 8.3% compared to 2015 while Mr Mulvaney’s increased by 18.3%.
Mr Reid was third in 2015, 7,200 votes behind Mr Mulvaney, while Michael Kelly, the Labour candidate in 2015, was fourth with just over 6,000 votes.
A full list of polling stations for the December 12 election is available here.
Looking at the results over the past couple of elections, although there are 4 candidates, Argyll & Bute will be a two horse race between Brendan O’Hara for the SNP and Gary Mulvaney for the Conservatives. Looking at the Lib Dem vote in 2017, it is clear that they have no chance as the Lib Dem vote across Argyll & Bute has collapsed over recent years and Labour have not been at the races for many years now.
The only votes that will count in Argyll & Bute are those for the SNP and those for the Conservatives. No doubt those who support independence and Scotland breaking away from the UK will vote for the SNP (O’Hara) and those who prefer Scotland remaining part of the UK will vote for the Conservative (Mulvaney). The only question is, where the votes from those who normally vote Lib Dem or Labour at the Westminster elections will go this time. If the Lib Dem and Labour votes as Unionist parties, go to keeping the SNP out, then the SNP could clearly lose out in Argyll & Bute. This will be a very interesting content.
Councillor George Freeman – Independent.
When we cast our vote we must look at the likely composition of the victorious party. George clearly believes that the Tories are the one to vote for. I wonder whether that is wise.
They are currently led by Boris but from the comments, statements and actions of others I am led to believe that he is something of a puppet. President Trump of USA intervened recently to suggest that Boris and Nigel Farage get together. No sooner said than Brexit stood down all of it’s candidate from Tory held constituencies. I hear today that there have been conversations between Brexit and Tories; offers of seats in House of Lords hinted at.
Both parties are bankrolled by multi-millionaire Aaron Banks and seem to dance to his tune. Do we really want the rich men in the background running our country for their own ends? In truth that has been the situation in the last parliament with many of the Tories, particularly among the European Research Group led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, trying to achieve the aims of making UK another state of the USA with their terms, conditions and health care. Many of the more sensible Tories have been driven out and will be replaced by more of the stripe of the ERG.
George is quite right that nobody knows what we would get from Labour and the LibDems blew their credibility when the accepted and voted for the Tory education cash grab. Yes it is between SNP and Tories but I’d far rather vote for a party where we know what their aims are and have made a pretty good job of Running Scotland when their finances have been cut drastically since 2008. Our NHS is stretched, but in the rest of the UK, it is at the point of collapse, as reported today in the most recently produced figures.
Dougie, no one knows how I vote. I certainly do not vote consistently for any particular party. I take a number of factors into consideration at every election before deciding who gets / deserves my vote.
I am not suggesting that people should vote for any particular party. All I was stating is the obvious. Whereas you are a member of the SNP and have a vested interest in maximising their vote, I am not a member of any political party.
I base my vote on what I believe will be best for me, my family, my constituents, the constituency I live in and what will be best for the country depending on whether it is a Scottish Parliament or Westminster election.
It just sickens me to watch ALL the party leaders and how they behave to try and impress the public by holding babies and doing all sorts of stupid things for the gathered media. Are they really that daft that they believe that those stupid antics impresses the non-gullible public?
Regards, George Freeman
The Tory will win. Well known local person, highly respected. SNP’s O,Hara is anti democratic and hs no belief in Press Freedom. It may be devolved but on Health, the Snp are hopeless. Half shut hospitals, infections, dirty water, lying to bereaved families. Need I go on?