THE FALL-OUT FROM GLASGOW EAST: By First Minister Alex Salmond

ALL changed, changed utterly - that is what has happened to Scottish politics after the SNP's stunning Glasgow East by-election success. We promised a political earthquake - and delivered something off the Richter scale, officially defined as an "epic". It is thought that an earthquake of this magnitude was caused by a meteor which struck the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs! The political earthquake in Glasgow East may well signal the demise of Labour's dinosaurs in Scotland.

On the basis of the 23% by-election swing to the SNP, Tom Clarke in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill would be the last Scottish Labour MP standing - forming a pair of political bookends with the solo Scots Tory MP.

Of course, there have been big by-election swings before. However, Glasgow East is unique in Scottish and indeed UK politics in that it was a contest between two governments - Gordon Brown's unpopular Labour administration in London, and the successful SNP government in Edinburgh.

Thus this was no protest vote only - for the SNP to prevail there had to be a positive endorsement of a Scottish government in tune with the times, the needs and the priorities of Scotland, as well as a rejection of Labour's London rule.

And after more than a year in office - longer indeed than Gordon Brown has been prime minister - the SNP administration passed the test of two governments with flying colours.

In the final days of the campaign, we consciously introduced the concept of a vote of confidence between the SNP and Labour governments, because we knew it was a winning card for us. And we were as surprised as we were delighted when Labour stumbled onto our chosen agenda, lost the argument, and thus the by-election.

John Mason was an outstanding SNP candidate - he took his council seat in a by-election 10 years ago, and won more votes than any other candidate in last year's elections because of his record of service as a local councillor. John provided the street credibility of someone who knows Glasgow East like the back of his hand, and is held by his local community in the highest regard.

But John and I would be the first to acknowledge that we were greatly assisted by a Labour campaign that focused on areas of SNP strength - the record of delivery of the Scottish government, and the broad appeal of Scottish independence in Glasgow East. In failing to understand that, Labour underlined the extent to which they are out of touch with modern Glasgow and modern Scotland.

Labour are still committed, at least in theory, to supporting a referendum on independence, and no doubt their leadership candidates will attempt to bring some clarity to the constitutional chaos created by Wendy Alexander. One consequence of the SNP's victory in Glasgow East is that it will be politically impossible for Labour to stand in the way of a free and fair vote on Scotland's future in 2010.

John Mason successfully illustrated how achieving independence and building economic prosperity and social justice in Scotland go hand in hand.

PEOPLE in Glasgow East, and throughout Scotland, are suffering from soaring household bills - fuel, food and energy. The SNP government has taken decisive action to help - freezing the council tax, the phased abolition of prescription charges, cutting small business rates and restoring free education in Scotland.

The UK government, by contrast, has stood aside and done nothing to help. The policy seems to be not to have a policy. For the prime minister and the chancellor to stand paralysed by indecision while the economy lurches towards recession is no longer tenable.

The message to Gordon Brown from the people of Glasgow East is loud and clear: change the policy - or change your job. What is needed and what must now be introduced is an economic recovery plan.

Glasgow East will not force a general election. It may not even force a change of prime minister. However, it will force the much-needed change in fiscal policy which will provide relief for hard-pressed families and help steer the economy from the rocks of recession.

As part of a new "Magnificent Seven" group of SNP MPs, John Mason will fight day in, day out for a fair deal for the folk of Glasgow East and Scotland - a fuel price regulator to drive transport costs and prices down, mandatory social tariffs for people in fuel poverty, and a fair share of our oil revenues for the Scottish parliament. On issues such as these, it's time for the Labour government at Westminster to start saying Yes to Scotland instead of a knee-jerk No.

The mood of political optimism continues to sweep the nation - in the belief that with the right policies, the right powers and the right people, we can overcome the undoubted problems of social and economic disadvantage that still affect too much of 21st-century Scotland.

A beauty was born in Glasgow East last Thursday. Not a terrible one, but confident and hopeful - a Scotland nurturing opportunity for all and the welfare of all.