Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'I can't think of anything worse for an aspiring politician than not getting elected.... ...except maybe, getting elected but with the burden of a set of policies that he/she doesn't believe in.' Jim Jackson, 22 nd April 1999.

Edinburgh East & Musselburgh

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
Turnout: 34,454 (58.16 %)
	Labour	Dr Gavin Strang	18,124	52.60 %	- 0.97 %
	Scottish National Party	Cllr Rob Munn	5,956	17.29 %	- 1.78 %
	Liberal Democrat	Gary Peacock	4,981	14.46 %	+ 3.75 %
	Conservative	Peter Finnie	3,906	11.34 %	- 4.05 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Derek Durkin	1,487	4.32 %	(+ 4.32 %)
	Lab hold	Lab majority	12,168	35.31 %	+ 0.81 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Turnout: 42,118 (70.61 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Dr Gavin Strang	22,564	53.57 %	+ 8.88 %
	Scottish National Party	Derick White	8,034	19.07 %	+ 1.14 %
	Conservative	Kenneth Ward	6,483	15.39 %	- 8.62 %
	Liberal Democrat	Callum MacKellar	4,511	10.71 %	- 0.82 %
	Referendum	James Sibbet	526	1.25 %	(+ 1.25 %)
	Lab hold	Lab majority	14,530	34.50 %	+ 13.82 %

Notional 1992 result

	Labour	19,669	44.69 %
	Conservative	10,568	24.01 %
	Scottish National Party	7,890	17.93 %
	Liberal Democrat	5,075	11.53 %
	Others	801	1.82 %
Lab win	Lab majority	9,101	20.68 %