 | 'The SNP has complained that Chancellor Gordon Brown is breaking additionality rules by trimming the Scottish block - just as Labour claimed the Tories were doing when they were in power. Scottish Finance Minister Jack McConnell has denied the claim, but some of his own party's senior MSPs harbour suspicions.' Murray Ritchie in the Herald, 18 th January 2000. |  |
The candidate will be decided by members of the Ayr Constituency at a selection meeting on 27 January.
SNP Deputy Leader Mr John Swinney MSP said:"SNP members in Ayr have a choice between three excellent candidates, each of whom is eminently qualified to fight a first-class campaign.
"Ayr is a three-horse race between the SNP, Labour and the Tories, with this week's System Three poll showing the SNP advancing throughout Scotland.
"Jim Mather, Karen Neary and Maire Whitehead offer to be a standard bearer for Ayr and for Scotland in the Scots Parliament Ð as a strong and positive alternative to parties which take their orders from London."
Note 1: Jim Mather is a Chartered Accountant, and a businessman who is currently Executive Director of Business for Scotland.
Karen Neary is a Housing Association Director, and is also Director of the Scottish Self-Government College.
Maire Whitehead is a Head Teacher, and a Vice President of the Association of Head Teachers in Scotland.
Note 2: The regional list vote in Ayr for the Scottish Parliament sets the context for the by-election, since it removes the "candidates factor" at that stage, and gives a straightforward indication of the parties' support as it stood last May.
Lab: 32.1%; Con: 30.9%; SNP: 22.6%; Lib Dem: 6.2%; Oth: 8.1%. As can be seen, the SNP, Labour and Tories were all within 10 points of each other.
18 th January 2000
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