Results of Aberdeen Donside by-election unsurprising, yet historic

The results of the by-election in the Aberden Donside ward following the unfortunate death of the MSP Brian Adam are not unexpected, with an SNP member being replaced by another fellow member of the SNP. This in itself is not surprising, with Aberdeen Donside (previously Aberdeen North) being an SNP stronghold since the Scottish Parliament elections in 2003, when the SNP made a gain from Labour. However, this in itself is not so historic. It is that for the first time, the election in this ward was contested by a member of the Scottish Greens, with the result of polling over 400 votes.

Although this is not nearly enough to ensure election victory, it is a laudable number, and shows how the face of modern Scottish politics is changing. Aberdeen, as part of North East Scotland, has different political interests in certain respects to the rest of Scotland, particularly with regard to the issue of North Sea trade and it's modern development under the auspices of the oil industry. As is widely known, it has been oil that has been the secret of Aberdeen's regeneration and success in recent years, so for Greens to gain even a little ground is a positive change and a sign of the times, with perhaps more and more Scots realising that there is more to political life than a never-ending stream of oil revenues - something need to be done about this in the future to ensure that Aberdeen and the wider region can adapt to life without oil when the time comes.

This is not the point of this article however, yet rather stating the case that perhaps Aberdeen also needs more of a say in it's local political development and policies, as recently expressed by the Scottish Islands. Again this is highly relevant given the upcoming independence referendum, and the changing political composition of the times is a sign that Scotland (and in particular individual regions) needs to change with it. The growth of a Green presence in Aberdeen and the wider region is evidence of widening democracy and a wider variety of political views - something which, in general, is to be encouraged, and is something to build upon. There are Green candidates working in several areas around Aberdeen - particularly in Stonehaven and in the East Garioch ward. Scotland already has Green MSP's for it's two major cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow - should, or rather shouldn't, Aberdeen be next?