Paisley South
Labour hold

Following the by-election caused by Gordon McMaster's tragic death early in this Parliament, a future- and rapidly becoming a present- leader of the Scottish Labour party started his career in the Commons, and little is visible on the horizon to blow Douglas Alexander off course. Paisley's main industries have been thread mills, cars and engineering, but all have been blown off course in recent decades. There is nothing in the voting figures to remind us of another aspect of Paisley's past, the fact that this was once the seat of the Liberal leader and Prime Minister (1908-16), H.H.Asquith.

Douglas Alexander, a protégé of Gordon Brown, was elected here at a by-election following the suicide of Dr Gordon McMaster MP in 1997. Accused by Diane Abbott MP of "reciting the line of the day from Millbank", his Commons profile has been a good deal lower than his sister Wendy's in the Scottish Parliament where she serves as a Labour Minister. Born a son of the Manse, in 1967, and educated at Park Mains High School, Erskine, at Lester B. Pearson College, Vancouver and Edinburgh and Pennsylvania Universities, he was a solicitor for five years. Quiet for an allegedly rising star, he may also be slowed down by an English backlash against a surfeit of Caledonians in Whitehall post-devolution.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 3.71% 14.99% 24.74 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.20% 2.49% 7.87 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 3.79% 4.43% 85.58 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 8.74% 7.27% 120.19 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 7.36% 2.56% 287.00 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.40% 2.04% 19.68 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 5.36% 3.94% 135.80 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 3.43% 13.04% 26.34 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 5.44% 12.70% 42.79 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 4.17% 8.14% 51.15 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.50% 4.02% 12.49 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 6.79% 3.19% 213.28 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 23.16% 11.31% 204.76 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 14.74% 3.06% 481.41 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 12.22% 2.52% 485.01 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 11.26% 9.41% 119.62 £5-10K 18.74% 16.63% 112.69 £10-15K 17.67% 16.58% 106.57 £15-20K 13.87% 13.58% 102.13 £20-25K 10.24% 10.39% 98.57 £25-30K 7.42% 7.77% 95.38 £30-35K 5.35% 5.79% 92.33 £35-40K 3.87% 4.33% 89.34 £40-45K 2.82% 3.27% 86.39 £45-50K 2.07% 2.48% 83.50 £50-55K 1.54% 1.90% 80.68 £55-60K 1.15% 1.47% 77.96 £60-65K 0.87% 1.15% 75.35 £65-70K 0.66% 0.91% 72.85 £70-75K 0.51% 0.72% 70.47 £75-80K 0.39% 0.57% 68.20 £80-85K 0.31% 0.46% 66.06 £85-90K 0.24% 0.37% 64.02 £90-95K 0.19% 0.31% 62.09 £95-100K 0.15% 0.25% 60.25 £100K + 0.68% 1.34% 50.53