Representative Government

'If Labour wins their victory will be hailed as evidence that Mr Brown has turned a political corner. If the SNP wins Mr Salmond will declare that he's proved wrong those who hailed the death of nationalism. It is a duel whose outcome will affect politics way beyond this part of Scotland'.

Who exactly will hail the victory as evidence that Brown has turned the political corner?

You see you can't have it both ways. Brown is not President, he is Prime Minister. Now the last time I looked nobody had actually voted for Brown to be Prime Minister, nobody will be voting for Brown in Glenrothes. I do not remember seeing his name on the ballot list, so it not a vote for Brown.

If the politicians or the political commentators hail it as victory for Brown then they will be wrong. In fact they will be very much off topic. You see Nick your comment is actually off topic, because the Glenrothes bye-election is not about the labour party or Gordon Brown it is about the people voting for an individual who will represent all the constituents in Westminster.

You and others might like to think that it is about Gordon only it isn't. It is about the democratic process, this is what is called representative government.