VOTERS will go to the polls on Thursday seething with anger over the MPs' expenses scandal which has seen politicians pocket thousands of pounds in dodgy claims.
The European Parliament elections are the first opportunity the public has had to vent its feelings at the ballot box about the moats and chandeliers, the "flipping" of second homes and the claims for mortgages already paid off.
European elections
are hardly ever about the issues which politicians decide in Brussels and Strasbourg. But this time, the remit and responsibilities of MEPs will be further from voters' minds than ever.
Until a few weeks ago, the election was set to provide a verdict on Gordon Brown and Labour's handling of the economic crisis. Now that will be mixed with public revulsion at the way some MPs have milked the system for personal profit.
At the last European elections in 2004, the turn-out in Scotland was 30.8 per cent, up on the 24.7 per cent poll in 1999 but the lowest of any of the UK regions.
Turn-out is expected to be down again, this time as a result of the disillusionment created by the expenses saga. South of the border, there are fears the British National Party could win its first seat, while other fringe parties could benefit too.
But the BNP is not expected to make any inroads in Scotland.
For the European elections, Scotland is treated as one giant constituency and the MEPs are elected according to how many votes each party gets. The number of Scottish seats in the European Parliament is being cut from seven to six.
Labour and the SNP are likely to keep their two MEPs each – David Martin and Catherine Stihler for Labour, Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith for the SNP.
The Tories currently have two MEPs – Struan Stevenson and John Purvis. Mr Stevenson can expect to be re-elected, but Mr Purvis is standing down.
And the real question is whether Scotland's sixth seat goes to new Tory candidate Belinda Don, the Liberal Democrats' George Lyon – hoping to take over from the current Lib Dem MEP Elspeth Attwooll – or, at the outside, the SNP's third candidate Aileen McLeod.
A total of 12 parties will be on the ballot paper in Scotland along with one independent. As well as the SNP, Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens, there are candidates from the Scottish Socialist Party; Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party; No2EU, which includes Tommy Sheridan; the Christian Party-Christian People's Alliance; the anti-sleaze umbrella group the Jury Team; the BNP; and UKIP.
The SNP is banking on a good showing in Thursday's election, partly because the party has been less implicated in the expenses scandal than Labour and the Tories, and partly because it believes the Scottish Government is still popular.
Five years ago, a poor performance by the SNP in the European elections proved the final straw for John Swinney's struggling leadership. The party polled less than 20 per cent of the vote. He quit eight days later, paving the way for the return of Alex Salmond.
The Nationalists' aim this time is to win the biggest share of the vote.
And the party claims an analysis of a clutch of opinion polls suggests it could end up with as much as 37 per cent to Labour's 25 per cent, with the Tories on 17 per cent and the Lib Dems 12 per cent.
Labour was said to be facing a drubbing in these elections long before the expenses scandal broke, probably more from its supporters staying at home than anything else. But one insider argued Labour was unpopular at the time of the last European elections because of the war in Iraq and is therefore starting from a low point.
The Tories say they can count on their voters to turn out despite the general lack of interest in Europe. So a low overall turn-out could boost their chances.
The Lib Dems insist their vote is holding up, but opponents predict the party will lose support in Scotland because after eight years in government it has now been on the sidelines for the past two years.
Despite the apparent lack of interest in European issues, there are genuinely different visions on offer.
David Martin says Labour's policies for a new social Europe shows clear red water between it and the Tories.
"Whereas the Conservative Party would pull us out of the European Social Chapter, Scottish citizens want progress towards a fairer society. We need to achieve improved employment and better social protection for all."
Struan Stevenson says the Tories are the only ones who believe in co-operation in Europe rather than centralising more power there. And he adds: "We will be arguing to bring some powers back to the UK where they belong."
Ian Hudghton says the elections highlight how Scotland would be better off independent. While Scotland returns six MEPs, similar-sized countries like Denmark and Finland will have 13. Independence, he adds, would guarantee Scotland a place in inter-government decision-making. "My expectation would be that an independent Scotland and England would have more weight than the UK as a whole at the moment."
Voting is on Thursday, but counting can only start once polling stations across all 27 member states have closed – which means Sunday evening. And the Western Isles won't be counting on the Sabbath, so the final results will be known a week today.
