Ochil

From Clackmannanshire through parts of Stirlingshire and into Kinross-shire, from leafy commuter belt and university campus to mining villages with politics rooted in red-blooded Communism, Ochil has become one of the most intriguing seats in Scotland.

Under different boundaries, it went Nationalist in the 1970s, under the young TV journalist George Reid. It reverted to Labour type and was safe in Martin O'Neill's hands until a hard-fought battle to replace him at Westminster in 2005 saw off an SNP challenge. The victorious Labour MP, Gordon Banks is Labour's hope to retain this, as the spin has it that he has been working it hard.

George Reid only just squeaked it with a 296 majority in 2003, defeating former justice minister Richard Simpson, who had blundered with some unwise comments on the firefighters' dispute just ahead of that vote.

He returns this year, but far down Labour's regional list.

Having left the SNP to focus on being Presiding Officer, Mr Reid had suggested the parties should stand aside and let him through as an independent candidate, the way Speakers do at Westminster. But neither SNP nor Labour were willing to cede a seat when their race for Holyrood is so tight.

The SNP's candidate, Keith Brown, is well-known as a former leader of Clackmannanshire Council.

His Labour opponent is Brian Fearon, who comes from Belfast, has been Clackmannanshire Council education convener, and was East Dunbartonshire director of social work.

Reports from Ochil are that it is not looking good for Labour, with even some mining villages considering a shift in their loyalties.

This is where the SNP has to win if it is serious about power and, equally, it is the kind of seat where Labour has to put up a fight.