SNP select Hamilton man to fight Rutherglen Holyrood seat

Sep 2 2010 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

THE SNP have chosen a South Lanarkshire councillor to fight the Rutherglen constituency in next year’s Holyrood elections.

Hamilton man Jim McGuigan, who currently represents the Bothwell and Uddingston ward, was recently selected by 60 per cent of the party’s Rutherglen branch members.

The 53-year-old has previously stood for the party at both Holyrood and Westminster level.

Mr McGuigan, who is married and works in debt counselling, said this week the main issue during the 2011 election would be protecting front-line services from cutbacks.

The SNP’s social work spokesman on South Lanarkshire Council, also pointed to his party’s policy which has seen council tax frozen since 2007 as a vote winner.

He said this week: “The party members in Rutherglen approached me and asked me to be their candidate in the forthcoming Scottish elections and I was glad to accept.

“I will put to the people the Scottish Government’s good performance and message that there is only one party to protect Scottish interests in difficult times, which have been brought upon us by Labour’s mismanagement of the economy.”

Mr McGuigan recognised that Labour’s 4378 majority in Rutherglen was a healthy one, but added that it was not insurmountable.

“All that is required is a nine per cent swing to take the constituency. We have done that before and more,” he said.

“I have always considered Rutherglen to be a winnable seat, mainly because there is also a large Conservative and Lib Dem vote.

“The SNP were second last time round and I would hope that Conservative and Lib Dem supporters would vote tactically.

“I will also be looking for the support of disaffected Labour voters.”

Mr McGuigan stood against Labour’s Jack McConnell in the Holyrood Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in 1999.

He also stood for the SNP in the Motherwell and Wishaw Westminster constituency in the general elections of 1997 and 2001.