Labour’s defeat by the Scottish National Party in the Glasgow East by-election is a devastating blow to the party and leaves Prime Minister Gordon Brown one of the walking dead, writes Niall Green.

Brown’s shocking defeat in the traditional Labour stronghold of Glasgow East has effectively killed him off. Our energies must now turn, argues Richard Seymour, to building a serious grassroots Left alternative to the sinking Labour ship.

As the residents of Glasgow East go to the polls today, Niall Green examines the dire poverty and despair that forms the backdrop to the election.

Published in Soundings and exclusively available online at ukwatch.net, Gerry Hassan discusses the contemporary city, both in fact and discourse, and argues that we need a different model of a city than what is currently on offer. Some elements of an alternative that renews an idealistic, optimistic and forwardlooking idea of humanity and the future, can be found in the innovative Glasgow 2020 project.