Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'The behaviour of others who may hold senior roles connected to the selection process reminded me only too clearly of the problems, particularly the lack of discipline in relationships with the media, which undermine Labour's political efforts in Scotland.' Labour MP for Falkirk East, Michael Connarty 14 th May 1998 after it was leaked that he had been failed in his interview as a Holyrood candidate by Rosemary McKenna's Network cabal.

Falkirk East

7 th June 2001 Westminster Election

Turnout: 33,702 (58.48 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Michael Connarty	18,536	55.00 %	- 1.12 %
	Scottish National Party	Isabel Hutton	7,824	23.22%	- 0.72 %
	Conservative	William Stevenson	3,252	9.65 %	- 4.33 %
	Liberal Democrat	Karen Utting	2,992	8.88 %	+ 3.70 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Tony Weir	725	2.15 %	(+ 2.15 %)
	Socialist Labour Party	Raymond Stead	373	1.11 %	(+ 1.11 %)
	Lab hold	Lab majority	10,712	31.78 %	- 0.40 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Turnout: 41,595 (73.24 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Michael Connarty	23,344	56.12 %	+ 11.97 %
	Scottish National Party	Cllr Keith Brown	9,959	23.94 %	-4.43 %
	Conservative	Malcolm Nicol	5,813	13.98 %	-6.21 %
	Liberal Democrat	Roger Spillane	2,153	5.18 %	-2.09 %
	Referendum	Sebastian Mowbray	326	0.78 %	(+ 0.78 %)
	Lab hold	Lab majority	13,385	32.18 %	+16.40 %

Notional 1992 result

	Labour	19,183	44.15%
	Scottish National Party	12,327	28.37%
	Conservative	8,771	20.19%
	Liberal Democrat	3,159	7.27%
Lab win	Lab majority	6,856	15.78%