What's in a Name

I have now  lodged my nomination papers for May's Council elections. I have contested every council election since 1990 having first been elected to the old Lothian Region in 1994.

A steady trickle of other candidates drifted in to the Mandela Room where the officers scrutinised the forms. Among them was my Vice Convener Norman Work.

Norman is the SNP councillor for Almond, the Ward he has represented since 2007. The Nationalist riding high in the polls had considered putting up two candidates in the three member seat.

Norman having a surname beginning with W would be further down the ballot paper than any likely running mate. Why should that matter? Well with out multi member system when the public votes at the council election they usually rank their candidates by party and then which ever of those candidates are higher up the ballot paper usually gets the vital first preference. This can make the difference between being elected and losing. Indeed in 2007 only two Edinburgh Councillors bucked the trend and one of those was behind his running mate until the last round of counting. 

What was poor Norm to do? Well I helpfully suggested he change his name to Aardvark- Work.  Norm complained that he would have to change his slogan from "Make your councillor Work" and graciously declined.  Much to Norms relief the nationalists are now only putting up one candidate in that ward.

However life imitates art and a few days ago  Labour's Norma Hart announced she was hyphenating her surname to Austin-Hart thus leapfrogging  poor Bill Cook her running mate. Bill looked distinctly cheesed off when I ran into him outside the chambers.

Also in the lodging his papers was Alistair Shields who is our candidate to replace  retiring councillor and Lord provost George Grubb also an Almond ward councillor. Alistair has big shoes to fill but has shown that he has the right stuff to make an excellent councillor. Oh and as we are only running one candidate he doesn't feel the need to change his name!