SNP supporters are generally more committed and the same must be true of most Tory and Liberal Democrat voters in Paisley. The under 7,000 “Buddies” who shared their votes between the two parties last May surely did so out of belief rather than any expectation of winning.Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, is understood to have begun asking searching questions of his team as to why the campaign did not ignite. Dampweather, voter fatigue at a third visit to the polls in seven months, and disillusion with Renfrewshire council, could bring the turnout to as low as 50 per cent, according to one campaigner.Most of the stay-at-homes will be Labour voters. The figure is not unprecedented, but the SNP has struggled to create any of the buzz which presages a by-election upset A very low turnout offers the SNP its best chance. Voters seem to have separated the pristine young candidate from the grubby machinations of Old Labour in Paisley and surrounding Renfrewshire and it is too early to blame the Government for the town’s high unemployment.The Scottish National Party needs a swing from Labour of 17 per cent to take the seat left vacant by the suicide of Gordon McMaster in July. Voters in Paisley South go to the polls today in the first real test for the Government since its general election victory Stephen Goodwin watched the final day of campaigning. The “wee boy”, as Paisley women of maturer years call Labour’s Douglas Alexander, looked in confident mood yesterday as he glad-handed shoppers in the centre of Scotland’s largest town.
And well he might.

Following the resignations of two pro-Europeans from his frontbench team last week, another pro-European member of the shadow cabinet, Sir Alastair Goodlad, the spokesman for international development, said he was fully behind Mr Hague’s policy on the single currency.. It’s all been nonsense.”What is important is that we are part of the debate in Europe and that this country – because this is in the interests of business – stands up for British interests best when it represents a positive, constructive, forward-looking government.”He then added, to Labour cheers: “If the Conservative Party don’t learn that soon, they will spend a long time in opposition learning it.”But there was one good piece of news for the Tories yesterday. It’s just absolute nonsense.”We were told before the election that, if Britain signed the Social Chapter, 500,000 jobs were going to flood out of the country. He told Mr Blair: “The assurances you offered businesses about European regulation before the election are like the assurances you gave students and people with pension funds – absolutely worthless.”After the issue had been repeatedly raised by a series ofTory backbenchers, the Prime Minister told Nicholas Winterton MP: “There are no measures in the Social Chapter that are going to cause problems for British business. “And they will continue to be divided, which in itself can make them unelectable,” Mr Blair said.With those divisions remaining on open display over the new leader’s line against the single currency, the Shadow Cabinet last night agreed to oppose next Tuesday’s Commons second reading of the Amsterdam Treaty legislation – which could also incite pro-European Tories to defy their party whip.In an evident attempt to unite his party yesterday, Mr Hague used Commons questions to round on the Government for signing up to the Social Chapter at Amsterdam.The Conservative leader repeatedly attacked Mr Blair for signing away British rights to block extensions of the Social Chapter to small firms. Anthony Bevins, Political Editor, reports on the continuing Euro-wars. The Prime Minister and William Hague clashed over Europe, the Social Chapter and the Amsterdam Treaty during Commons questions yesterday, after Mr Blair had told the Parliamentary Labour Party that in time the Tories would get their act together – “But we must make it very difficult for them to recover.”
He said that for so long as Michael Howard and Lord Parkinson and others remained in such senior positions, it would be very hard for Mr Hague to portray the Tories as a party offering a fresh start.

Tony Blair yesterday warned Labour MPs to keep their eye on the Tories, but that they would remain unelectable for so long as they were split on Europe. It’s the kind of distinctive and innovative programming Michael Jackson says he wants.”. “There are a thousand independent producers in the UK, many of them run by former editors of Newsnight or Panorama, and they could all feed stories to one central production crew. But Channel 4 feels his presence can help to maintain continuity in what is likely to be a revolutionary shake-up of its news output.Beyond concerns about the presentation of news, the channel’s chief executive, Michael Jackson, is also interested in new views on the philosophy the news programme should have, and the kind of agenda it should follow.He is asking producers to suggest a new template for the show, to dispense with the structured “package” of filmed report followed by interview and he also wants to see how far “off the beaten track” Channel 4 should go with its own stories.However, sources at Channel 4 dismissed out of hand speculation that the planned changes are related to Channel 5 moving its news to 7pm.Mr Jackson is being encouraged to look at more than just the form of the programme, but also its structure and organisation.”The idea of one news provider for the channel is questionable,” said Bernard Clark, head of Clark Productions, which makes Dispatches.

He was sent down from Liverpool University for his anti-apartheid activities and has set up and run a day centre for homeless people. In the Eighties he was carpeted by ITN bosses for signing a petition in support of the striking miners. “He is part of the future of Channel 4 News and anyone who comes forward with new ideas will have to include him.”Channel 4 has internal focus group research which shows that Snow, the cousin of Tomorrow’s World presenter Peter Snow, is one of channel’s best-loved names. Viewers believe Snow combines “gravitas and authority” while carrying a “whiff of the anti- establishment” about him, according to viewers.”Viewers also believe that Snow is a reporter himself, getting his own stories, he’s not just a pretty face,” says the Channel 4 insider.