THOUGHT I would find a Valentine’s picture this week, and they don’t come much more contrived than this one.

Mind you, we sent a photographer along, so perhaps contrived works.

This is Margaret Bain, later Margaret Ewing, a Stirlingshire teacher, who was standing for the SNP in East Dunbartonshire when Prime Minister Ted Heath called a snap election in February 1974. Her election agent, seen here giving her a peck on the cheek, is Bill Valentine, so what better than to lodge her election papers at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on St Valentine’s Day and have Bill Valentine present her with a giant Valentine’s card stating that they were sending her “To London with love”. Did I mention contrived?

But to be fair, there are so many candidates lodging their papers that you have to think of something a little different to attract the attention of world-weary picture editors.

Alas, the voters didn’t immediately fall in love with her as they elected Tory Barry Henderson, but had second thoughts and elected Margaret at the next election.

She later represented Moray at both Westminster and the Scottish Parliament.