 With Skelton 's support Dunglass secured the Unionist candidacy at Coatbridge for the 1929 general election . It was not a seat that the Unionists expected to win , and he lost to his Labour opponent with 9 @,@ 210 votes to Labour 's 16 @,@ 879 . It was , however , valuable experience for Dunglass , who was of a gentle and <unk> disposition and not a natural orator ; he began to learn how to deal with hostile audiences and get his message across . When a coalition " National Government " was formed in 1931 to deal with a financial crisis Dunglass was adopted as the pro @-@ coalition Unionist candidate for Lanark . The electorate of the area was mixed , and the constituency was not seen as a safe seat for any party ; at the 1929 election Labour had captured it from the Unionists . With the backing of the pro @-@ coalition Liberal party , which supported him rather than fielding its own candidate , Dunglass easily beat the Labour candidate . 
