The Paisley South by-election takes place on Thursday November 6. It follows the suicide of Labour MP Gordon McMaster. BBC Scotland's Political Editor, Brian Taylor, looks at a low-key campaign taking place amid allegations of smear-campaigns, sleaze and corruption.

McMaster and Adams campaigning in 1990

Parliamentary by-elections are prompted by a range of developments: mortality, resignation and the law courts. But seldom has a by-election been engineered by such tragic circumstances as the one in Paisley South. This contest is to fill a vacancy created by the suicide of the former Labour MP Gordon McMaster. To add to the sense of drama, Mr McMaster left a suicide note which reportedly accused senior colleagues in the party of running a smear campaign against him. Gordon McMaster had himself entered Parliament via a by-election: the dual contest in Paisley North and South in 1990 when he was victorious alongside Irene Adams. But, in the years since, Paisley has - fairly or unfairly - become associated with sleaze and Machiavellian politics.

The Background

Tommy Graham - suspended

Following Gordon McMaster's suicide, Labour announced an inquiry into the party in the wider Renfrewshire area. Tommy Graham, the MP for the neighbouring constituency, was suspended. He has vigorously contested claims that he was responsible for spreading rumours about Mr McMaster. The current position is that a task force has been established by the party to supervise Renfrewshire with the aim of reinvigorating Labour activity in the area. A membership audit has been successfully completed in Paisley South - the by-election constituency. Paisley North constituency party is still technically in suspension following complaints over membership. West Renfrewshire - Tommy Graham's seat - is under the direct supervision of a Scottish headquarters official. Much of the conflict can be traced to past expectations - which proved unfounded - that reselection would cut the number of seats in the area, leaving Labour MPs fighting each other for their jobs.

Separately, Irene Adams - the MP for Paisley North - had earlier prompted considerable controversy by querying the activities of a security company in the town with connections to party members. She had alleged a possible involvement with drugs. The party members concerned have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

In addition, there has been a history of tension within Renfrewshire Council which can partly be traced back to previous candidate selection battles. The authority is Labour controlled - with a highly vocal SNP opposition. An SNP councillor is presently suspended by his party following accusations of involvement in alleged attempts to smear Mr McMaster.

The Battleground

Central Paisley

The constituency covers the southern part of the town of Paisley plus the neighbouring burghs of Johnstone and Elderslie. Paisley itself is a former textile town close to Glasgow which has suffered from industrial decline. Elderslie is renowned as the birthplace of William Wallace, the Scottish patriot. Labour had a majority of 12,750 in the 1997 General Election over the SNP - with the Liberal Democrats third and the Tories fourth. Labour is reckoned to be particularly strong in Johnstone and Elderslie, counteracting any relative weakness in Paisley itself.

The Candidates

Labour's candidate is Douglas Alexander. Like his political mentor Gordon Brown, he is a son of the manse. Mr Alexander's father is a Church of Scotland Minister in Bishopton, Renfrewshire. A thirty-year-old solicitor, he previously worked as a Parliamentary researcher for Gordon Brown - and is still closely associated with the Chancellor. Mr Alexander fought Perth and Kinross in the 1995 by-election and again at the general election this year.

Ian Blackford is contesting the seat for the SNP. Born in 1961, he heads the Edinburgh office of a UK investment bank. He first joined the party in 1978 - then rejoined in 1990 after a spell in the Labour Party. He contested Ayr at the General Election.

The Liberal Democrat candidate is Eileen McCartin. Born in 1952, she is a Renfrewshire councillor. She is an executive member with the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The Tories are represented by Sheila Laidlaw. A 58-year-old former police officer, she now runs a florist business in Paisley. She contested the seat at the General Election. The other candidates are: Kenneth Blair, Natural Law Party; Frances Curran, Socialist Alliance Fighting Corruption; John Deighan, Pro-Life Alliance; Chris Herriot, Socialist Labour Party; and Charles McLauchlan, Scottish Independent Labour, Justified and Ancient.

The Contest

By contrast with the circumstances leading up to the by-election, the contest itself has been relatively tame. Observers have even claimed that Labour intends to "bore its way to victory". Perhaps however the prevailing sense of tedium can be traced rather to the fact that the voters - and the media - have already absorbed a general election and a devolution referendum this year.

Labour itself insists it is positively evangelising Government policies - while continuing to confront any areas where it is alleged the party has fallen short of the highest standards. Party officials deny that the Renfrewshire inquiry has been stalled by the by-election - while stressing that natural justice must be observed.

The Nationalists would appear best placed to absorb any anti-Labour feeling - although it may well be too close to the General Election for such a mood to have gained substantial ground. More generally, the SNP have been using the by-election to advance policy programmes which may form part of the party's platform for elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

The Liberal Democrats have sought to play upon the bitter contest between Labour and the SNP in the local authority, depicting their candidate as the alternative voice. The Tories, without a single seat in Scotland, have openly conceded that they need to re-engage with the Scottish electorate - and have described the by-election as an opportunity to begin that task

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