YOU don’t expect local elections to be dramatic, but this year was a whirlwind that saw a number of historic firsts in Glasgow.
The count started off at 9am. We were spared the toll of overnight proceedings, and after a slow start, results started to trickle in.
There was a buzz in the Labour camp by mid-morning – word had started to go round that they were becoming confident. They thought they could take control of the council. I overheard one party activist – after a seat was gained in Shettleston at the expense of SNP councillor David Turner – saying it was “the best day they had in Glasgow since 2015”.
But it became clear that the surprise winner at the count was going to be the Greens after a shock victory in first-preference votes for Holly Bruce over the SNP’s Glasgow group leader Susan Aitken (below) in Langside.
Bruce was obviously stunned, and I saw many of her fellow Greens in tears. There were only 274 votes in it, but it was a sign of things to come.
There are a lot of wards in Glasgow and at a count of that size in the Emirates Arena in the east end of the city, journalists spend most of their time running from the balcony seats in the heavens of the hall – the designated media balcony – down numerous sets of steps and through the count floor to the declaration area at the other side. You had to wait to see who came out cheering. The tannoy was hard to make out at times, and the council website was slow at uploading the full results – it was a guessing game.
But there was a trend, a consistent stream of cheering from candidates wearing yellow, green and red rosettes. Those in blue looked sullen, and in the end only two Tories made it on to the council. Partygate had hit hard.
There was a lull for a while but by the afternoon the SNP and Labour were neck and neck, and the Greens were still going strong. An emotional moment came when Roza Salih (below), 32, was elected in Greater Pollok for the SNP, the first refugee to serve as a councillor. A Glasgow Girl who campaigned against dawn immigration raids, in a city that almost a year ago stood against the Home Office in Kenmure Street, it felt like a full-circle moment. Glasgow was saying, once again, that refugees are welcome here.
I asked her if she hoped her win would send a message to other asylum seekers that they could run too. She said she hoped she would inspire them and young people, as tears brimmed in her eyes. It was clear how much this meant to her, and Salih’s parents too, who were beaming by her side.
Her father Saleem heaped praise on her mother Tania for raising a strong young woman and both told me they were incredibly proud of her and all she had achieved.
There were also historic wins for the Greens. Elaine Gallagher, the first trans councillor in Glasgow, was another shock win over Nicola Sturgeon ally and campaign chief Mhairi Hunter in Southside Central, the First Minister’s patch. Sturgeon would later say that she was “gutted” Hunter had lost her spot, but congratulated Gallagher on her win.
Anthony Carroll, 25, keeping the Greens’ spot in Dennistoun and replacing Kim Long – who did not stand – was also noteworthy, and the pair were spotted embracing each other after the win.
The rest of the day saw the SNP and Labour dominating the results and the Greens making gains. By 4pm, the Greens had 10 councillors, marking a record result.
I joined the print huddle for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, mostly out of curiosity. After waiting around for at least 20 minutes while he spoke to broadcasters first, we finally got 10 minutes with him. He was asked about a deal with the Greens, appeared to rule it out, and hit out at the Tories. I was last in the queue so I thought I would be a bit cheeky, and asked if he thought Douglas Ross did him a favour by U-turning and backing Boris Johnson.
Sarwar replied: “If he did, I’m sure he didn’t do it intentionally.”
He then repeated his soundbite of the day: Project Ruth is dead, the nasty Tories are back, Labour are back on the pitch.
The final ward, Maryhill, declared just before 5pm. The city’s count was standing at 35 SNP councillors to 35 Labour councillors, with three seats still up for grabs. It was down to the wire, and both camps were quiet as the candidates disappeared behind the almost sheer curtain at the end of the hall to be told the results.
I managed to get to the front, alongside our photographer, and the SNP activists to my left were confidently telling me they thought they had it. I overheard Labour activists to my right saying the same.
It became clear it was an SNP win when candidate Franny Scally appeared from behind the curtain, pumping his fists in the air and dancing. At one point he was down on his knees.
Abdul Bostani, the second asylum seeker elected in Glasgow, had taken the second seat for the SNP. He later told me it was the “greatest moment” of his life but did admit he felt under intense pressure – it was the last ward of the day, it was his seat they needed to win, and he didn’t want to let anyone down.
It finished with 37 council seats going to the SNP and 36 to Labour. The Greens were now in a position to negotiate, and Aitken later told me that she would hold them to the fact that they said they would give first consideration to the largest party. It won’t happen overnight – possibly not even over the weekend – but it looks as if Glasgow could be an SNP-Green administration for the next five years.
After the bustle of 23 declarations in a day, most of the count staff had gone and the equipment was packed away. The Greens had left too – they didn’t have a candidate in Maryhill so had no horse in the race. I wouldn’t blame them if they had gone to the pub.
The results were in around the country and it was time for the First Minister to arrive. SNP candidates and activists started to gather at the door. That’s how it’s easy to tell when she’s about to arrive – that and the increased security in the reception. Sturgeon walked in holding Aitken’s hand in the air to a round of applause, providing a clear show of faith, and later said the Glasgow group leader had her full support.
I hadn’t seen Aitken on the count floor since Langside was called in the morning, and she was relatively quiet while the First Minister dealt with questions from the BBC. Salih was alongside them.
In 2021, I covered the Holyrood vote count in Aberdeen, and wasn’t allowed on to the count floor to speak to candidates. This year I was wedged between multiple people with a hand hopefully extended far enough to catch what Sturgeon was saying, and at my feet was a woman on her knees holding a boom mic making a much more concerted effort. By the end, most of the pack was sweating, I saw James Cook having to wipe sweat dripping off his forehead as he interviewed Sturgeon. All of us were relieved when the huddle broke.
I spoke to the First Minister again after she had finished the broadcast rounds, and she was clearly in a good mood, saying it would be hard to wipe the smile off her face. She was clearly relishing the Tory losses, and claiming Labour “threw the kitchen sink” at Glasgow and still failed. She was a bit taken aback by the Greens’ gains, but congratulated them nonetheless.
I took the opportunity to ask her about Alba, with the party unsuccessful in gaining a single seat in Scotland. She smiled when she said she “didn’t shed a tear” at the results, adding she wasn’t surprised either, and claiming that she had seen voters physically react to Alba leaflets at polling stations on Thursday.
It was now somehow after 6pm, and I had three stories to file. By the time I left the Emirates Arena it was after 9pm, and I’d become so fed up with the bright-blue floor in my eyeline and uncomfortable seats that I finished my last story off outside connected to my phone hotspot just to get some fresh air. It was certainly a memorable election.
