Glasgow East by-election: Labour risks a Glasgow kiss

It is one of the worst-off parts of the country – and, until next Thursday, the most important. Neil Tweedie visits the Scottish stronghold Gordon Brown must not lose. They have two entrances at the Portland Arms in Glasgow's East End, one for supporters of Celtic and one for those who follow Rangers. The halfway point, where Catholic green meets Protestant blue, is marked by the brass pump discharging Tennent's Velvet – the pub's Checkpoint Charlie, if you will. Peace was declared many years ago in the Portland, but in some pubs, Glasgow's ancient sectarian divide is no laughing matter. Wear the wrong shirt in the wrong boozer and you could get stabbed. The East End is like that: funny, friendly, old-fashioned, bigoted and occasionally lethal. In some parts, time has stood still. Stroll down the Shettleston Road, one of its... [read full story]