The Negative-o-meter: 11 November

David Kerr

During this by-election I have run a 10k race, dug an allotment, called the bingo, spent an evening with an ambulance crew, taken part in a joinery class, and persuaded two former Labour party officials to vote for the SNP.

That's just a light hearted sample of the amazing time I've had over the last 5 months and the experiences I hope will continue if voters in Glasgow North East give me the honour of representing them at Westminster.

More importantly I've met hundreds of people who are actively working to improve lives in this constituency, to bring jobs to this constituency and to create opportunities in this constituency and I've met thousands of people who are ready to vote for a fresh start for Glasgow North East. I hope to be their MP on Thursday night.

With 24 hours to go before polls open I've set myself one last challenge, to speak to another 1000 voters on the doorsteps, in the streets, at the stations and on their way to and from work. If elected that's the kind of challenge I will always live by - to be open, accessible and available to the people of this constituency.

Ruth Davidson

I’ve been out today on the campaign trail with Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families visiting the campus at North Glasgow College, in Springburn.

I feel that I know the College very well by now, it has played host to several events during the campaign, and it was great to be able to be able to show Michael around.

Earlier this week I wrote about Conservative plans to get Glasgow, and Britain, working again. However, there is no point in creating new jobs if we don’t give people the skills to do the jobs well.

What is really sad is that many schools force kids who are not academic, to study subjects they don’t enjoy and which they don't do very well in. They then leave school without the skills that they need to get a job and to succeed. Because of that they end up unable to get a job, and get trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Labour have done nothing about this. During the last 12 years they have created a benefits system which punishes people who want to work – with marginal tax rates of above 90%.

Labour’s failed system therefore discourages kids at school from learning the skills that they need, and then once they are adults they are discouraged from coming off benefits. And Labour claim that the Tories are the party who don’t care about poverty.

It can’t be said enough times, the best route out of poverty for people is through work. By getting a job people obviously get extra money. But working also builds up self-respect, a sense of community, and an involvement in the wider world which just doesn’t happen if you are unemployed.

That's why the Scottish Conservatives have talked about introducing more vocational training into schools in Scotland. And it is why places like North Glasgow College play such an important role in giving people the vocational skills they need to get jobs.

Michael said afterwards what a pleasure it was to visit the College. Both of us were very impressed with the staff and students who are working hard to acquire the skills needed for the world of work. We need to encourage more people to come here and learn these skills. That means dealing with Labour’s pernicious benefits system, and it means creating jobs. Only the Conservatives have the policies and ideas that can make that happen.

Willie Bain

It is not every day that a famous comedian drops into my campaign centre to lend support to the by-election battle, and so it was a great pleasure to welcome Eddie Izzard to Springburn this morning.

We are all familiar I am sure with Eddie Izzard on stage, but it is great to meet the man behind the jokes. As tempting as it was to share the odd joke, we thought we'd give him a break before his show tonight.

Funnily enough, it is not the first time I have met Eddie Izzard. We met by chance when he, quite literally, ran past me on Springburn Road back in September while he was taking part in his charity marathons.

When I heard he was in Glasgow today I asked him to pop by to speak to the campaign team and was delighted he said yes. Staff and volunteers showed him around the campaign centre and chatted to him about what we have been doing over the past few months. He was also genuinely interested to hear what my campaign is all about.

I have had great support throughout the campaign and I will fight to the last minute to convince people to choose me tomorrow. I've been out knocking on doors with Iain Gray, Douglas Alexander - and later I'll be with Jim Murphy.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate

Eileen Baxendale

Another day in the by-election campaign and more doom and gloom statistics for the good people of Glasgow North East to contend with.

We should be helping people not drowning them in statistics about unemployment and benefits.

I want to put my 20+ years experience as a social worker and manager to good use.

Tavish Scott and I have met people from all across the constituency, employed, unemployed, at school, college and university, pensioners who have done their bit and many more besides.

They are looking for answers, not headlines and because I'm not a career politician like some of the others I want to be given that chance tomorrow and put my experience from the real world to good use here in Glasgow North East and help them get the answers.

I want to ask the Governments and the Council how the spending in Glasgow is allocated, down to the last penny and is it fair? Is it going to the right people?

I am certain that the Liberal Democrats and I can make a difference and provide the change in Glasgow North East that is so badly needed.

Labour have had 74 years and have failed. The Conservatives are to busy propping up the SNP in Holyrood and not making the right calls in Westminster.

They voted with Labour on the Iraq war when Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell led the Liberal Democrats opposition to the unjust and illegal war.

The Conservatives got it massively wrong on Europe and the recession when Vince Cable led the way, a long time before the experts.

We can't trust the SNP, just look at the promises they made in 2007, knowing full well they could never keep them all, just to get elected!

It is this legacy of broken promises and bad decisions from both Holyrood and Westminster as well as the issue of MP expenses that are losing politicians respect.

Well I'm a different kind of politician, I'm a real person and I believe working together we can change Glasgow North East, and its time for that change tomorrow.

By voting for the Liberal Democrats let's bring a halt to the nonsense and change Glasgow North East's future for ever.

The polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm and you don't need your polling card to vote.

Eileen Baxendale
Liberal Democrat candidate

There is the outside chance of the one or two extra posts, but that's pretty much it now. Willie Bain has said very little substantive and even his campaign insights are basically name-dropping. That doesn't help Labour defend themselves against George Galloway's accusation that Bain is a 'nobody' - though I have to admit, I quite liked the Labour response: "Willie Bain has never dressed up in a red Lycra suit and pretended to be a cat on national television"! Incidentally, I'm not sure that Galloway basically calling the people of Glasgow North East idiots is the best way forward for him or for Tommy Sheridan, but that's another matter.

We've had a mixed bag of posts from David Kerr, and the last one was a quick campaign diary, which I think said more about him than it did about his endorsers. That's a good thing. I'd have liked a little more sweet policy meat but that was a broadly positive note to end on.

Ruth Davidson continued her attack on Labour, deriding the state Glasgow North East has got in during the last 74 years of Labour representation (overlooking who was actually calling the shots for 45 of those 74 years), and so potentially helping Labour to win by standing on an anti-Labour platform despite not being their primary challengers. Paradoxically, if a Tory objective is to keep Labour out, it might have been more prudent to go on an anti-SNP line and so split that vote (and keep the SNP vote steady) rather than join the crowded anti-Labour marketplace.

Eileen Baxendale went and attacked everyone, an unfortunate position to which she had been steadily building. I'm also slightly exasperated at the 'I'm a real person' line. Say what you like about the other candidates, but I'm quite sure they are also real people: I'll have to double-check the Representation of the People Act but I'm reasonably sure that existence is a pre-requisite to being nominated for election.

David Doherty only contributed one post in the last week, and it painted a grim picture of the present and near future. And he had nothing to say beyond that quasi-apocalyptic agenda. Yes, the problems he raises are serious, but if he can't go beyond that to the next stage of putting forward positive ideas to tackle those problems, then the Greens have to hope that their efforts beyond cyberspace have been far better than those on The Steamie. "Where's the beef?" doesn't seem like an appropriate question to ask the Greens, though, and "Where's the Quorn?" doesn't have the same impact.

So that's that: the Battle of the Steamie is essentially over. It was a great idea, but for the next By-Election, whenever and wherever it will be, candidates will have to work harder at this - the online efforts this week would, I suspect, struggle to get into a Roundup. All we've really learned this time is that the candidates want to knock seven bells out of each other, that no one likes poverty (duh) and that the blogosphere is still not being used effectively by the candidates themselves.

The Negative-o-meter: 9-10 November

Willie Bain

I was delighted to learn that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to endorse my campaign for Glasgow North East.

As a Glasgow man himself, Sir Alex knows how the people of Glasgow think and feel. Despite his success, Sir Alex has always stayed true to his roots.

He knows that people need help now to get through these difficult times.

I think Sir Alex’s endorsement is a real boost my campaign. He is well respected by people here – and he knows a thing or two about running a good campaign.

You can head over to my website to see what he has to say. This is me at Petershill FC last week - in the rain.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate.

Ruth Davidson

Perhaps the biggest theme of the campaign has been how many people have come to me worried about Labour’s jobs crisis. There are 4,212 people in the constituency who have to claim unemployment benefit. That’s up nearly a thousand (989) in just a year and gives Glasgow North East the highest claimant rate in Scotland. That’s Labour’s legacy to Glasgow, unemployment and a jobs crisis.

Labour’s record in Glasgow shows a worrying complacency. Labour closed one Job Centre in Glasgow North East and replaced much of the face-to-face contact in the other with a mere telephone helpline. That isn’t going to help people get jobs. Labour have claimed in this by-election that they care about getting people back into work – but their actions in government don’t back that up. Broken promises and a broken economy, that’s all we get from Labour.

The Conservatives are different. We want to help people get into work because we realise how important jobs are for people. The Conservatives have the policies to bring new jobs, help the unemployed retrain, and tackle Labour’s debt mountain that threatens to hamper investment.

So we will provide tax breaks for new companies who provide new jobs. We will free up credit to help businesses. And we have a radical welfare plan that will help people who are out of work to get back into employment by providing the individual support they need, as well as providing incentives for providers who can help those in the most difficult circumstances get back into work.

This sounds like a tough message – as if we are forcing people to work. But in reality there is nothing compassionate about the current situation where people are left isolated outside society. We need to integrate people into work, support them, and help them. Most people don’t want to be on benefits, but the current system forces them there and then abandons them. That’s not progressive, and it’s not what the people of Glasgow North East need.

These are the Conservative plans to get Glasgow working again. But the only way that can happen is if you vote for the Conservatives at this by-election, and at the upcoming General Election. Only Labour or the Conservatives can become the next Government, and therefore the choice is between this failing Labour Government, or a fresh government, with real ideas to tackle the jobs crisis and recession, led by David Cameron.

David Kerr

Five months ago when Michael Martin resigned there was a more local issue dominating the news in this constituency. School closures.

Today schools are back on the agenda. The SNP has dug up papers, produced last week by the council showing how many teaching posts Labour have cut over the summer months.

The figures, tucked away in a staffing report show that since June Glasgow's Labour council has let an astonishing 150 teaching posts go.

Even more astonishing, when I looked back at the figures for last September they show that Labour have let over 300 teaching posts go in the last 12 months.

In the summer Glasgow's Labour council shut five local primaries in this constituency over the wishes of the community. Holding off on the by-election, even voting against it in Westminster, might have helped Labour get the issue out of the papers but as I have met parents from those five schools through this campaign it is clear they have not forgotten Labour's betrayal. The loss of 300 teaching posts, that could have been used to cut class sizes - starting in Glasgow North East - is a further sign that Labour's commitment to education in this city is not what it should be.

Labour have no excuses here - Glasgow's Labour council receives more money from the SNP for every resident than any other mainland council, but it spends less of it's money on education than any of Scotland's other 31 councils. Labour cannot escape that fact.

This morning I will join Nicola Sturgeon at the site of one of those schools with local parents. Their concerns have not gone away and nor has their fighting spirit. Their children now have a difficult and dangerous walk to school and this morning those parents will be highlighting those concerns.

My commitment to the parents, children and teachers of this constituency is that if elected on Thursday I will not keep quiet while Labour shut schools, cut teachers and increase class sizes. Labour may not be spending the money Glasgow receives on Glasgow North East's priorities, but the priorities of constituents will be my priorities if I am given the honour of representing this constituency. I will take the fight to the City Chambers and I will stand up for parents when Labour rips them off.

Eileen Baxendale

Yesterday I was joined by Nick Clegg and Tavish Scott on the campaign trail.

We were campaigning at the ASDA in Robroyston where we heard how local people are suffering as a result of Labour’s recession.

It is this issue that has dominated this by-election and it is the concern that people have raised with me most often on the doorsteps.

People in Glasgow North East are looking for something different in this by-election. They are fed-up being overlooked by a tired old Labour party.

People in this area want their new politician to hit the ground running with fresh ideas, working hard to create jobs and put more money back into hard working people's pockets.

Liberal Democrats are the only party that are offering new ideas and new hope for Glasgow North East. We are Scotland's second largest party at Westminster and we are the real alternative for local people.

One of the most worrying aspects of Labour’s recession is that it risks leaving the poisonous legacy of a jobless generation.

Instead of pouring money into the ineffective VAT cut, Liberal Democrats have called for a paid internship scheme for our young people.

We want our young people to not go more than three months without a right of access to a place in work, training or education.

Rather than allowing someone to sit at home on benefits, young people would gain invaluable skills and experience in an actual workplace.

This is a win-win situation for both employers and those looking for work. It means that when we do finally come out of this recession our young people will have gained essential work experience.

Liberal Democrats are the only party with the practical ideas offering hope to people in Glasgow North East who are struggling through Labour’s recession.

Willie Bain

Polling day is just two days away, and my campaign is gearing up for a final push to persuade local people that I will work hard for everyone here if they choose me to represent them.

I will continue to disregard the speculation and bookmakers' predictions about how this by-election will end - it will be a close battle and I am fighting for every vote. The vast majority of people have not yet cast their vote and I want to talk to as many of them as possible.

My focus over the next few days will be to encourage my neighbours and others who live in the constituency to make that trip to the polling station, because I want to see a good turn-out.

What drives me is the chance to make the area where I grew up and still live today a better and fairer place to be. I will fight for jobs and more opportunities for young people, and that is the message I took to John Wheatley College today as I met with staff and students at the fantastic new campus on Haghill Road.

Tackling crime, and in particular knife crime, is also one of my priorities. I welcomed Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Baker to the constituency today and I am pleased that he backs my 'carry a knife, go to jail' campaign. We need a stronger deterrent to stop people carrying a blade and using weapons to attack people.

As polling day gets closer, I hope I have worked hard enough to convince people in my area to put their trust in me - but we are still 48 hours away from polling and there are thousands of people still to speak to.

Willie Bain
Labour's by-election candidate

Polls close, of course, in less than fifty hours. Labour are posting frequently, but saying very little: most of their posts have been anodyne. The SNP has gone in heavily and hit hard at the plan to axe the East Coast services to Glasgow, and the school closures. The other parties, when they criticise anyone, appear to be criticising Labour, and in particular, 'Labour's recession'.

So what we need in the next day is, to my mind, two-fold: we need a Labour post defending itself against the attacks they've been hit with - the SNP responded to criticisms regarding GARL and defended itself against them, remember, so it is fundamentally in Labour's interest to justify its own position (a point left undealt with is a point still standing); by contrast, we need a positive SNP post: we've heard enough reasons not to vote Labour, but the other parties are supplying them as well. Consequently, it is self-defeating to stay on the attack line as there is more than one anti-Labour option, and the vote could be split amongst them, allowing Labour in again.

With the attacks focused on Labour, and no sign as yet of Labour responding to them, the floor is open to David Kerr to supply positive reasons to vote for him: the others aren't attacking him at this time and a positive approach would present something distinctive. It's not enough to simply not be Labour: David Kerr is one of twelve candidates who are not Labour so he needs to move to the stage which completes the argument.

The Negative-o-meter: 7-8 November

David Kerr

As the by-election enters its final lap the SNP campaign is really closing the gap on Labour and today's revelations that the Labour Government is to axe rail services between Glasgow and Kings Cross have exposed the hypocrisy of Labour's campaign over the airport rail link.

Reports here, show that the London Labour government is planning to axe services on the east coast between Glasgow Central and London.

After weeks of campaigning over 1 mile of track, Labour are now cutting off a 500 mile service - one of the main routes bringing business, tourists and jobs from London into the city.

This decision shows where their priorities really lie and is yet another example of Labour neglecting Glasgow North East. After 74 years it's time to end this neglect. Only a vote for the SNP can stop London Labour in their tracks and deliver the best services for Glaswegians.

This revelation also shows that it is the SNP that is really investing in rail services for Glasgow with a £1 billion investment package to cut journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh to 35 minutes, as well as the Glasgow-Paisley improvements, and improvements to Dalmarnock station – while all the time Labour are cutting services.

Labour are treating the people of Glasgow shamefully. They have presided over 74 years of decline in this constituency and I won't, the SNP won't, and certainly the people of Glasgow North-East won't put up with it anymore.

On a lighter note, I was joined by SNP activists, local residents and athletes from Glasgow's international community for a fun run this morning in aid of the Ruchazie Family Centre. It's a great local project that I was pleased to support.

Off to campaign with Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon for the rest of the day. More updates later...

David Kerr

Today is Remembrance Sunday and the SNP campaign will join people across the country as we take time to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in our name and to stand in solidarity with our veterans and those who currently serve in our armed forces.

I have spoken to many people in this campaign who have served themselves or whose children are serving at the present time in Afghanistan.

It will be a particularly poignant day for our service men and women on the frontline and the members of the Black Watch who yesterday returned to Scotland and to their families. I will be attending the service at Colston Milton Parish Church to pay my respects and my thoughts today will be with our brave forces and with those who went before them.

Willie Bain

Today is a sobering and important day as we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The service, dedication and professionalism of our armed forces should stop us in our tracks every day, not just once a year.

My thoughts and prayers are with all our brave soldiers serving around the world, their families at home, and all those who remember their loved ones.

As a mark of respect to those who have fallen, we suspended our campaigning for this morning, and will do so again at on Wednesday, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day.

Willie Bain
Labour's candidate in Glasgow North East

So, three posts, two of which are Remembrance Sunday based and handled in a neutral, dignified way by both candidates. The David Kerr post on transport, however, goes on the attack - possibly a chance to go on the offensive after being having to respond to the GARL issue for so long. There is some analysis of positive SNP proposals, but the aim of the post is to attack. On the one hand, Labour had this coming given their campaign strategy and the timing of this news, but on the other hand, it's still negative and as such, it's still rather exasperating: it may be difficult to put the contents of this post in a positive tone but I don't think it's altogether impossible.

One wider point: on GARL, SNP supporters and representatives weren't slow to defend and justify the decision to put the Glasgow Airport Rail Link on hold. But on the plan to cut the East Coast Main Line services to Glasgow, the only comments have been from the press, Passenger Focus and from the SNP. Needless to say, it's all been negative. I'm not seeking to slag Labour off here, I merely think that it would be in their interest for Willie Bain to put his head above the parapet on this issue and tell us what he thinks about the proposal. Let's see if he does, and what he says. I look forward to colouring that post!

The Negative-o-meter: 5-6 November

In the week running up to the Glasgow By-Election, and to analyse in greater detail accusations of negativity, I thought I'd look at the candidates' pieces for The Steamie, and flag up the positive and negative comments. The positive shall be marked in green, and the negative in red. Relatively neutral comments (or ambiguous points which could be positive or negative depending on how you look at it), agenda points and party-based fluff will be left alone. I like to think my readers are a pretty sharp bunch: you can interpret the situation as you wish.

Willie Bain

I'm pleased to be taking part in this great idea by The Steamie to get people engaged with this by-election online.

Although I know not everyone uses the internet to access their news - I know lots of Glaswegians who are increasingly using it to find out what's going on and keep in touch with friends and family. I hope that by writing on here that I can help some of them understand more about me and my plans.

Despite a late night in the Newsnight studio I'm keen to hit the ground running this morning - talking to voters and hearing their concerns. I've lived in this area all my life - I think I'm the only candidate that can (honestly!) say that. I'm not a politician and I've never stood for election before but I'm proud of this area and I want to do my best for it.

The issue that people constantly raise with me on the door is their anger at the way the SNP is ripping off our city. Despite the SNP's budget going up by £600m this year they are giving extra money to some projects - but shortchanging Glasgow. It's amazing how many times people raise this when you speak to them. So I'm going out and about in the constituency today - knocking of people's doors and letting them know who I am and what I believe in.

I'm also meeeting with Andrew Adonis to tell him about the importance of good transport links to the Glasgow economy and the shockingly short-sighted decision of the SNP to cancel the airport rail link at a cost of 1000 jobs.

The other issue that people keep raising with me is about the SNP candidate fibbing about where he was born. Look, at the end of the day the real issue in this story is about trust. People's trust in politics is at an all time low. We have to start trying to restore that trust and that starts with people being able to believe the people that seek to represent them.

I've been clear with people what my top priorities are:

* stopping the SNP ripping off Galsgow [sic] and dishing out the money elsewhere
* cracking down on crime and anti-social behaviour - I've been running a carry a knife go to jail petition to get automatic jail sentences for knife criminals
* helping glasgow pensioners through tough times and fighting to protect jobs
* campaigning for better shops, better homes, and better buses

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me in this campaign. If you want to get in touch with me then you can email me at willie@williebain.com.

Best wishes

Willie Bain
Labour's candidate for Glasgow North East

Ruth Davidson

Well done the Steamie for coming up with this idea. I’ve been blogging on this campaign for sometime and I’m glad now the other candidates won’t be able to run away when I ask them a question!

During the five months that this campaign has been running it has become clear that the issues in Glasgow North East are not that different from those across Britain. People are worried about their jobs, worried about Labour's recession, worried about public services, and worried about crime.

MP's from all parties have betrayed the trust that the public had placed in them. That is why David Cameron apologised as soon as the details of MP's expenses claims came out, because it was wrong and the people of Britain deserved an apology. It was then that he said he wanted a new type of politics - which was when I decided I should put myself forward as a candidate. I am not a career politician, but I do believe that politics needs new people to get involved, get stuck in, and try and change things for the better. As candidates we all need to work to restore the public’s trust in politics.

That is why the very first thing I did following selection was to promise to run a clean campaign - which I invited all the other candidates to join. I have kept to that - the Conservatives won’t use personal attacks in order to get votes. That is why I have pledged to be open about my expenses if elected. Simple things, not exploiting expenses, discussing the issues not the personalities, but I think that they help people to believe I will keep my word if elected.

David Cameron and the Conservative Party believe the same thing. That is why we have been honest about the problems with the public finances. Instead of pretending nothing needed done, the Conservatives have told the truth that there will have to be savings in Government spending. We don't want to reduce spending, but we have to be realistic and tell people the harsh truth that Labour have spent all the money – and it is up to the next Government to repair the damage.

That’s why in the Scottish Parliament we have identified ¼ billion pounds worth of savings. Take Scottish Water out of public ownership, stop this nonsense of free prescriptions and free school meals for people who can afford to pay. Some things in life are not free – we have to accept that, especially in this current climate.

This election is about which party can bring the change that is needed to Glasgow North East, and to Britain. The Conservatives have the policies that will create jobs, repair the public finances, and help to fix our broken society. Most of all, we are the party that will be open and honest with the public – that’s what is needed to help rebuild trust in politics.

David Kerr

Welcome to the Steamie's by-election coverage. It's great to be taking part in this new way of covering a by-election, putting my campaign direct to you the voters.

In the next few days I’ll use this blog to tell you about some of the amazing people and inspiring projects I have met and seen in the constituency and the kind of MP I will be if the people in Glasgow North East vote for me.

Five months after Michael Martin resigned we are now into the last seven days of the campaign and it's turning out to be closer than many people thought. Despite the lengthy delay voters haven’t forgotten the expenses scandal that caused the by-election or the five school closures in the constituency that left Labour so scared the vote was delayed for five months.

Those issues have many people, who had always voted Labour, questioning the party they have supported and looking toward the SNP.

I'll be out campaigning today with John Mason MP, in Carntyne where Glasgow East meets Glasgow North East.

John's political earthquake demonstrates the difference an SNP MP can make. When it came to school closures – Labour didn’t dare put forward any closures in John’s constituency but they took people in Glasgow North East for granted.

Residents of Glasgow East had been let down by their MP - with no constituency office and no one to vote for their interests. John has set a new standard for Glasgow MPs - accessible, available and putting his constituents first.

In Glasgow North East constituents have been in the same position - with no office for the local MP in the constituency and decades of being taken for granted by Labour in Westminster and in the City Chambers.

People in Glasgow North East deserve the same level of representation their fellow East Enders have in the neighbouring constituency. This constituency deserves an MP whose priorities will be constituents priorities and that’s what I will deliver if elected next week.

Eileen Baxendale

I think this is a great idea from the Steamie. I would love to see more newspapers and media outlets adopt innovative approaches to help get more people engaged in politics.

I want to say right from the start that I think it was simply outrageous that the Labour party have allowed the people in Glasgow North East to go without an MP for so long, well over 125 days now. This just shows that the Labour Government has lost touch with the people it serves.

Since this campaign kicked off all those weeks ago, I have been working hard, knocking on doors and listening to people right across the constituency.

The message that I am getting again and again is that people are fed up being overlooked and ignored and that they want change. They want their politician’s focus to be on sorting the economy, creating more local jobs and tackling local crime.

I believe that it is Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats that have the policies and ideas to make a real difference on these issues.

To really tackle these problems we need more than just sensationalist, headline grabbing soundbites. We need a new approach.

On the economy and banking, it is Vince Cable that has been the voice of reasoned authority over recent months. It was he who first warned about the impending economic collapse. Labour were too slow to act and the Tories were simply nowhere on sorting out the economy.

On tackling crime and creating jobs, Liberal Democrats believe that this is best done at a local level. We are committed to putting the heart back into our communities and giving local people a greater say over their own affairs.

Locking everyone up and sending our young people to prison is not the best way to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We need more community based initiatives that tackle the root causes of why young people in our society get involved in crime in the fist place.

Labour’s recession has led to tough times for all of us. The Liberal Democrats want to sort out the tax system to give a boost to those on low and middle incomes. We want to raise the income tax threshold so those on less than £10,000 a year don’t pay tax. This would put around £700 a year back into the pockets of those on low and middle incomes.

It is the Liberal Democrats who are the only party offering real progressive change to our society. Unlike the SNP it is the Liberal Democrats who can make a real difference at Westminster and stand up for the people of Glasgow North East.

Willie Bain

Just back from the STV studios where the four main candidates cross–examined ourselves in heated spirits.

In a slightly peculiar manoeuvre, the SNP man decided to throw a two-pound coin at me. I was thinking a question might be more likely, but there you go.

Amazingly, he vigorously defended the decision to scrap the airport rail link and the loss of up to 1,300 jobs. I thought he’d want to stand up for Glasgow, but he seems he wants to be Salmond’s man in Springburn.

Earlier, I met with Andrew Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss the importance of good transport links to and from Glasgow. He got the train from the centre of town up to Springburn.

Like me, he was angered by the SNP’s decision to cancel the rail link. If elected I will do all I can to fight the SNP’s decision and stop them ripping of Glasgow in the future. I oppose the cuts in housing and regeneration in the SNP’s draft budget for next year and I believe that Glasgow should get a metropolitan supplement, as Edinburgh does and is proposed for Aberdeen. The SNP cannot continue to rip off Glasgow. It isn’t a by-election slogan as the SNP try to brush it off: it is a tragedy for our city.

Harriet Harman also joined the campaign this evening and was out knocking on doors with me – first with the cameras, and then just the two of us later on. We stopped for a quick coffee in Dennistoun.

It really was all hands on deck today. Tomorrow I’ll be out and about again from first thing to late.

David Kerr

Less than a week to go and the SNP campaign is in full swing.

SNP activists are out across the constituency - with more coming to join the campaign this weekend - including a visit from the Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

Today I'll be joined on the campaign trail by Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop to meet some of the young people that are benefiting from the SNP's investment in education in this constituency.

A few weeks ago we visited Glasgow North College and today we'll be heading to John Wheatley's campus. These colleges have received record levels of investment from the SNP and with help from the Scottish Government are providing extra places to support people during the recession.

That's the kind of investment we need to bring opportunities to this constituency, to ensure a bright future for our young people.

There's another sign of the SNP's commitment to Glasgow today. In the face of serious budget cuts from Labour in London the SNP has had to take some tough decisions over how we allocate Scotland's budget. I'm proud of the fact that the SNP's priorities are health, education and making our communities safer.

Today Nicola Sturgeon will announce the next step toward a new £840 million Southern General - built entirely with public funds - as the contracts are signed. Alongside it will be a new children's hospital for Glasgow.

That's the kind of investment I want to see across the city - and that's the kind of investment the SNP will continue to put into Glasgow.

David Doherty

Over the last few years, Glasgow has become one of the Greenest parts of Scotland, and Glasgow North East is no exception.

Glaswegians are represented at Holyrood by Patrick Harvie MSP, and the city has returned five Green Councillors, one of whom, my colleague Kieran Wild, represents Canal Ward here in Glasgow North East.

In the Euro-elections Greens came third in Glasgow North East, ahead of the Conservatives and the Lib Dems, although it'd be dishonest to put out a leaflet saying "only Greens can win here".

It's not hard to see why Glasgow's increasingly backing the Greens. Our major campaign at Holyrood over the last year has been to try and insulate all of Scotland's homes, cutting bills, boosting jobs, tackling fuel poverty and beating climate change all in one go. As a volunteer I'm on the board of a building renovation charity, and I'm only too aware of the problems in this area across the city. The parties who've governed Glasgow, locally and nationally, should be ashamed of themselves for letting people continue to suffer in damp, unhealthy and expensive homes.

What's more, Labour and the SNP may be bickering about GARL, but only the Greens have consistently opposed the M74 currently being bulldozed through the South East of the City. We could have had Crossrail built by now for a fraction of the cost of this motorway, but sadly only Greens continue to make that case.

Finally, Glasgow's economy has taken a serious blow from the credit crunch and the recession, and people are understandably reluctant to back any of the parties who celebrated the risk-takers, backed the deregulators and handed over vast amounts of our money to the bankers. Pretending it all never happened isn't a long-term response to this crisis, nor is it a sustainable one.

So, let me be the first candidate to admit this election isn't in the bag for us, but we are part of the world's fastest-growing political movement, and we have confounded the naysayers who said we couldn't get MSPs, MEPs or Councillors elected. Sometime soon I'm confident we'll make that Westminster breakthrough, and people in Glasgow North East can be the first to deliver that radical change.

Willie Bain

I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister to the constituency this afternoon.

Gordon and I visited North Glasgow College – a shining example of what Labour has achieved in the area. I’m proud that Gordon was so impressed with the building, and the opportunities that the college provides for people in my area.

It’s sad that some people want to talk down our community, but I think the college is a great example of the changes I have seen in my life here.

I’ve put some more information up on my website. The man in the photo with the Prime Minister is my dad (also Willie). He was really proud to meet the Prime Minister.

It was taken inside our campaign centre, which is in the old college building over the road from the new one. The building was opened by a former in 1909 by Earl Rosebery who was Prime Minister in the 1890s. The foyer contains a moving and sobering war memorial to the college students who died in the First World War.

So, after Days 1 and 2 of this endeavour, that's where we are:

Three posts by Willie Bain, one of which laden with ambiguous comments and innuendo which I can't properly brand as either positive or negative, one of which was basically a hatchet job, and the third fairly anodyne;

Two posts by David Kerr, one of which offering a point/counterpoint format - a negative point balanced by a contrasting positive one - followed by one that was mostly good news;

One post by Ruth Davidson, which was generally positive with the occasional dig;

One post by Eileen Baxendale, which was broadly positive with slightly more frequent digs;

And one rather bleak post by David Doherty, which seemed to identify a number of key problems but, to me, looked light on actual solutions.

Let's now see what the weekend brings...