Ravenscraig, Ferguslie Park, Shettleston... how the Tories buried ghosts of the past
FROM Ravenscraig to Shettleston and even Paisley’s Ferguslie Park – Conservative councillors will now represent some of Scotland’s most deprived communities.
The areas were once Labour strongholds, where some voters had subsequently turned to the SNP.
However, yesterday’s strong Conservative support across the country – including some surprising areas – showed voters appear to be rejecting the SNP’s bid for a second independence referendum.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson revealed her delight at winning seats in ‘some places for the first time ever’, including Cowdenbeath in Fife.
Among the winners was new councillor John McIntyre, who will represent Scotland’s most deprived area – Ferguslie Park in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
A report last year claimed the scheme was the country’s most disadvantaged, with experts warning many residents are living below the breadline and will have a shorter life expectancy and less chance of finding a well-paid job than those living elsewhere.
Mr McIntyre said his win showed the appeal of the Tories was widening north of the Border.
He added: ‘We found that people on the doorstep were prepared to listen to what we had to say and they clearly liked it.’
Another winner was 20-year-old Thomas Kerr, who is now a councillor for Shettleston, in Glasgow. He is the first Tory elected for the area since 1918.
Mr Kerr, who lives with his grandparents in Springboig, is currently studying for a HNC at the City of Glasgow College.
His surprise at winning was evident on his face at the Emirates Arena. Mr Kerr said: ‘When you stand as a Conservative in a society such as Shettleston you don’t expect to be elected, so I’m buzzing.
‘The Conservatives are the only party that says, “anyone can do anything, whoever you are”.
‘I was brought up by my mum and my grandparents after the death of my dad, so that message means a lot to someone like me.
‘And the reason the Conservatives have done so well in this deprived area is that people are fed up of the SNP and want something new. They don’t want another independence referendum, they just want someone who will focus on doing the day job and that’s what I intend to do from Monday.’
Mr Kerr’s mother, Deborah, 38, said she was ‘very proud’ of his hard work and achievement.
Mr Kerr will be joined on Glasgow City Council by 19-year-old Euan Blockley, who took a seat in the Linn ward. He is now the youngest councillor in Scotland and the first Tory to represent the disadvantaged area of Castlemilk since Teddy Taylor in 1979.
The teenager, who lives with his parents, said it was a ‘huge honour’ to be elected and claimed the Tories ‘will no longer be ignored’ in Scotland.
Mr Blockley added: ‘To be so young and to be given so much responsibility is a huge honour and I’m going to get straight to work on Monday. No longer can the SNP and Labour say the Tories don’t exist in Scotland. We will no longer be ignored.’
They were joined by Nigeriaborn Ade Aibinu, 28, who was elected in the Victoria Park ward and is the first black councillor in Glasgow.
The PhD student at Glasgow Caledonian University moved from Lagos to England in 2007, and to Victoria Park in Glasgow’s West End a year later.
He said: ‘In Scotland a person is judged by their abilities and their skills and I’m grateful for the opportunity to show them I’m the right man for the job.’
He added: ‘Obviously, I’m a fan of immigration but I agree that there has to be a balance and it has to be controlled.’
Tory Darren Watt secured a seat on Fife Council, winning a place in the Cowdenbeath ward – not far from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s constituency.
He said: ‘When many people told me that their parents would be turning in their grave if they voted Tory, I thought I’d show them that I’d do them and their parents proud.’
Another unlikely Tory success was Nathan Wilson, who won a seat in the Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig ward.
Meanwhile, some of the country’s most controversial candidates saw success at the polls.
They include Perth and Kinross SNP councillor Dave Doogan, whose ‘anti-English’ rant was condemned by Nicola Sturgeon, and Frank Ross, the SNP’s group leader in Edinburgh, who claimed pro-Union parties only call themselves ‘Scottish’ in a bid to win votes north of the Border.