Cable backs Gordon but McKechin’s not for budging‏

VINCE Cable, The Liberal Democrats shadow chancellor, has backed his party’s Glasgow North candidate Katy Gordon to triumph at this year’s general election.

Cable is a respected politician who was one of the first to call for the nationalisation of Northern Rock at the start of the banking crisis.

He also has strong Glasgow links, as he studied at Glasgow University and was a Labour Councillor in Maryhill in the 1970s.

Speaking exclusively to Local News Glasgow today, he said: “I have seen first-hand how tirelessly Katy works on behalf of local people.

“She has been an effective and inspirational campaigner and would be an excellent parliamentary voice for the people of the constituency.”

44-year-old Katy Gordon, who was born in Cheshire but has lived in Glasgow for nearly 20 years, gets almost starry-eyed talking about her party’s economic spokesman.

Cable joined fight against school closures in Wyndford which inspired Katy, and she believes the local people in the neighbourhoods.

She said: “Following our campaign against the school closures the people in the Wyndford have gone on and set up a community council.

“Getting the public involved in politics through something that affects them is the way forward – my party has always been good at building from the bottom up.”

She is aware that it’s been 23 years since there was a Liberal MP from any Glasgow seat and even then it was the old SDLP, yet remains unhindered.

She said: “Roy Jenkins was the last Liberal MP in Glasgow. He was well liked and is well remembered round these parts.

“There is still a liberal tradition here, a flickering flame that has never gone out.

“The party has had solid campaigns here, developed strong roots and has repaid its faith in me by supporting me as much as it can.”

But Gordon has a massive task ahead of her; the seat is occupied by sitting Labour MP Ann McKechin.

McKechin worked under George Galloway in the old Kelvin seat in the early 1990s before she was elected herself to serve as MP for the old Maryhill seat in 2001.

She expects real challenge from the Liberal Democrats, but says most voters nationally will be making a ‘key decision’ between Tory and Labour.

She said: “This is always a seat that will be tighter than others in Glasgow.

“There are voters in the middle-class areas of the west end as well as the working class areas of Maryhill and Summerston.

“But the overwhelming number of people that I talk to on a regular basis don’t think David Cameron has anything to offer them in this constituency, or in Glasgow.

“We have the strongest policies on jobs such as the young person’s guarantee.

“This is where any young person who has been out of work for more than six months we will guarantee them six months paid work or training experience.”