Current MSP: Bill Kidd (SNP) [MSP website]
Party Candidate Votes +/– % +/–
SNP Bill Kidd ^ 10329 +3361 43.2 +15.4
Labour Bill Butler * 10322 -1691 43.2 -4.8
Conservative Mathew Taylor Smith 2011 -1036 8.4 -3.8
Liberal Democrat Paul McGarry # 1000 -1207 4.2 -4.6
Communist PofGB Marc Livingstone # 256 +256 1.1 +1.1
Majority 7 Turnout 23918 Swing +10.1% SNP gain
This constituency is proof positive that every vote counts. The SNP benefited from decreases in voteshare for each of the other parties to win by 7 votes. The winner, Bill Kidd, left the SNP in the 80s to form a Scottish Socialist Party which he represented in the 1989 Glasgow Central by-election. Bill soon returned to the SNP fold. Bill Butler won the seat in 2000 following the death of the seat’s original incumbent, Holyrood’s first First Minister.

Notes: Given boundary changes since 2007, variations in votes and share between seats with different boundaries would be misleading. We use the Denver figures, essentially a calculation of the 2007 votes cast within 2011 boundaries. More information on this here.

Symbols used:

* – Incumbent
^ – Challenger holding a list seat in previous Parliament
# – Lost deposit
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Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Provan Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Southside Rutherglen