[5] Jenkins was so unfamiliar with Glasgow as a parachute candidate, he later wrote, that on arrival its skyline was "as mysterious to me as the minarets of Constantinople" to Russian troops during the Russo-Turkish War.

[4] Although the Hillhead SDP declared on 5 January that they wanted Jenkins as their candidate, he was reported to be nervous about contesting a seat "a long way from his usual stomping grounds".

[7] It was reported on 6 January that the 35 members of the north area executive of the SDP in Glasgow had unanimously backed Jenkins to stand as the Alliance candidate in the by-election and had informed the Liberals of their view.

[8] While David Steel was reported to be prepared to back Jenkins if he wanted to stand for the SDP, he also believed that if Brodie stood, he had a good chance of winning.

Mooted candidates for the party included the early favourite, Len Turpie, a lawyer and leader of the Conservative Group on Strathclyde Regional Council.

[12] The Ecology Party, then little-known, stood Nicolette Carlaw, who focused her campaign on nuclear disarmament and stated that, if she was not standing, she would call on her supporters to vote for Leslie, as he looked after her cats.

"[17] Labour sent big name politicians, including Tony Benn and party leader Michael Foot, to address large public meetings in the constituency.

Jenkins brought the other members of the Gang of Four to campaign, Williams describing the by-election as "the last chance for Britain to find a democratic, moderate but radical alternative to revolution.

[11] Malone argued that the trade union movement was to blame for "the country's economic decline" as it had evolved away from its human origins into "a political monster".

He linked Jenkins to this development via his role in the Wilson Government's failure to implement the trade union reform plans advanced in the In Place of Strife white paper in 1969.

[21] Malone was supported by John Nott, Geoffrey Howe and Ted Heath,[11] and the Conservative government announced a major investment into Glasgow's Queen's Dock.

[citation needed] The SDP took "Roy Harold Jenkins" to court, claiming that his attempt to confuse voters constituted a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act.

[22] Among these was placing volunteers near polling stations on the day of the election, wearing sandwich boards reading "The real Roy Jenkins is number 5".

However it was noted in The Glasgow Herald that the poll was based on research at the end of February and early March, and crucially before the budget which was thought to have increased support for the Conservative Government.

[27] However, the day before the election the Evening Times reported that a Gallup poll showed Wiseman in a winning position on a predicted vote share of 33.5%, ahead of Malone on 27% and Jenkins on 26%.

An editorial in The Glasgow Herald the morning after the election praised the conduct of both voters and candidates in the contest, noting that personal insults had been "largely avoided" and "public meetings well attended" with "thoughtful" questions being asked.

The Glasgow Herald argued that the Conservatives, despite losing the seat, would be able to claim that they had done well to finish second, while stating that the result "humiliates" Labour leader Michael Foot.

The Herald also stated that while the SNP had hoped the result would "put them back on the political map", its candidate had lost his deposit while the SDP had potentially become Scotland's third party.

Cecil Parkinson, the Chairman of the Conservative Party, admitted the result was "a blow", but argued it also showed that voters were beginning to switch their support back to the Government.

[36] Jenkins received "a hero's reception" when he joined David Steel at the Scottish Liberal Party's conference at St Andrews the day after his victory, with delegates standing on chairs to acclaim him.

Jenkins indicated that he thought the Alliance could form a government after the next election, but appealed to the Liberal delegates to show unity in the issue of deciding which party should fight which constituency.

[41] Despite the success of the Alliance in Hillhead, the next Scottish by-election, that at Coatbridge and Airdrie in June, saw their candidate, a Liberal, finish in last place and lose their deposit.

The Glasgow Herald described that result as "a disastrous blow" for the Alliance and predicted it showed that the Liberals and SDP faced "an uphill struggle" in Scotland.