Glasgow North East will be the latest political battleground that will help mould the shape of Scottish politics ahead on next year's General Election.

Last time around Speaker Michael Martin won comfortably. He was a one time Labour MP. At the European Elections earler in the year Labour had a good but hardly impregnable lead over the SNP. The Tories and Lib Dems were nowhere.
 
Labour's Willie Bain starts as favourite. Defeat would propel Scottish Labour into despair. They are quietly confident that will not happen.

Hoping to inflict the damage is the SNP's David Kerr, he will take comfort that in neighbouring Glasgow East last year, the SNP gave Labour a bloody nose.

Tory Ruth Davidson will hope for a Cameron bounce - but will not hold her breath for it. Ever optimistic Eileen Baxendale of the Liberal Democrats will do well to hold her deposit.

Knife Crime and the attitude of the SNP Government to Glasgow have dominated the early exchanges. In the first TV debate both front runners distanced themselves from the expense claims of Michael Martin and Alex Salmond.

By-elections bring personality and colour. Other candidates are likely,  including John Smeaton, Tommy Sheridan, Pensioner John Swinburne with candidates from the SSP, Greens and the BNP.

This has never been fertile ground for the SNP. Then again neither was Glasgow East.

The spectre of that result means Labour will take nothing for granted. The stakes are high. The verdict will be know in the early hours of the November 13.