Rumour has it Justin Timberlake declined an invitation from one broadcaster to stay behind after his show to watch the count.

While it is unlikely that the star, who was still on stage at Glasgow's SECC by the time the count began, has ever heard of Jack McConnell or Alex Salmond, had he taken up the offer even he could have sensed the drama.

There was the fracas, with a Labour MP being led away by the police following an allegation of assault, the SNP's first win in a General Election in Glasgow at the expense of one of Scotland's leading lawyers, the heckles, boos, rabble-rousing and the empty-handed fall-out from an internal feud.

Even Timberlake could have recognised the theatre in the sun-tanned socialist whose wife clung to him, while 40 crest- fallen followers stood behind.

Labour, with some justification, can argue that with one notable exception it has held on to all its constituency seats. Bar the yellow chunk on the southern banks of the Clyde, the political map of Glasgow is still solidly red.

With 10,024 votes, Springburn MSP Paul Martin secured almost 57% of the poll, Frank McAveety just over 51% in Shettleston and Margaret Curran was re-elected to Baillieston with just under 53%.

Johann Lamont, Patricia Ferguson, Bill Butler and Charlie Gordon were all returned with convincing majorities.

Of the seats won by Labour only in Kelvin, the one constituency seat in Scotland being contested by the Greens, did it come close, however even then Pauline McNeil beat the SNP by 1207 votes.

But, like so many other parts of Scotland, the night belonged to the SNP.

From two seats, both regional list, in 2003, it now has five in Scotland's largest city.

On her third attempt Nicola Sturgeon won Govan, a feat both Margo MacDonald and Jim Sillars have achieved in the past, but only in by-elections.

It was also the first time the SNP had won a constituency seat in Glasgow and leaves Labour's Gordon Jackson to concentrate on his legal career.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Govan has a special place in the hearts of the SNP. This result and the results we expect from the city council will see Labour's stranglehold on Glasgow end. I'm not here to criticise Gordon Jackson but people wanted change."

Bashir Ahmad became the first non-white face in the Scottish Parliament, having topped the regional list, Sandra White was re-elected, while Bill Kidd and Bob Doris make up the five.

With the Scottish Socialists' Rosie Kane and Tommy Sheridan failing to get re-elected, it would appear that the far left's loss was the nationalists' gain.

Sheridan's departure from the political scene, for the foreseeable future, was another defining event. For almost two decades one of the most colourful and outspoken politicians, his new Solidarity party failed to make it on to the regional list by more than 2200 votes.

The rejected ballots, he claimed, would have made all the difference, although he acknowledged last year's split with the SSP did not do his chances any favours.

While he was disappointed, he insisted he was happy his eight-month-old party had emerged as Scotland's largest socialist group. But more pressing is filling the gap left through having no employment.

He said: "I'll need to find any source of income for my wife and baby daughter.

"Gail's going back to work but not full-time so I'll need to find gainful employment."

So severe has the SSP's collapse been that its sworn enemies, on top of Solidarity, the British National Party, pulled in more than 1000 more votes than it in the regional list.

Any outcome was bound to prompt a review of what Scottish Labour is and the result could lead to an overhaul of the party's hierarchy. In such a scenario the result in Glasgow's Cathcart could be significant.

Charlie Gordon, the former city council leader who secured the seat in a by-election after the jailing of Mike Watson for the flaming curtains incident, has been criticised for his somewhat muted presence.

Having beaten his nearest rival, the SNP's James Doran, by more than 2000 votes, his apprenticeship is served and Mr Gordon intends to influence matters at a national level. That could mean a stab at the leadership.

He said: "I wouldn't rule out throwing my hat in the ring. You have to have power to be able to change things. Whether I would be interested in leading a party through four years in opposition is a different matter.

"But it doesn't matter, because right now there are no vacancies."

Back in, thanks to the regional vote, come Glasgow's lone Tory for the past eight years, Bill Aitken, and the more inconspicuous Robert Brown, of the LibDems.

The small parties may have taken a drubbing but the Green's Patrick Harvie secured a second term.

He said: "It's not been a terrific night for the Greens or any small party. However, some of the small parties have gone but we're still there."

However, the event was tinged with sadness. The Senior Citizens' Unity Party had hoped the recruitment of former Lord Provost Pat Lally would give it a foothold in Glasgow.

But on Wednesday his wife, Peggy, lost her battle to cancer.

12:01am Saturday 5th May 2007

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