Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Those who make the Orphic effort to haul life up the slope against all the odds know full well the last people they have to thank are Tories, inclined as ever to kick the ball back down the slope.' Margaret Vaughan, wife of Alistair Darling, in the Herald.

Dunfermline & West Fife

Candidates

	Labour	Rachel Squire MP
	Scottish National Party	Douglas Chapman
	Conservative & Unionist	Roger Smillie
	Liberal Democrat	David Herbert
	Scottish Socialist Party	Susan Archibald
	UK Independence Party	Ian Borland

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Rachael Squire, who has represented Dunfermline West since 1992. Squire was born in Carshalton in 1954 and educated at Godolphin & Latymer Girls School in London, and Durham and Birmingham Universities. She worked as a social worker and a NUPE union official and was selected as Labour candidate for Dunfermline West in 1992 following the previous Labour MP, Dick Douglas's resignation of the Labour whip in protest against Labour's lack of activity concerning the poll tax. Douglas joined the SNP, but in 1992 decided to contest Glasgow Garscadden against Donald Dewar rather than Dunfermline West. Squire is considered to be a Blairite loyalist, voting for the Iraq war and supporting foundation hospitals.

Douglas Chapman fights the SNP's corner in Dunfermline and West Fife and hopes to be returned as the first ever MP for this new constituency. Previously he was the SNP candidate for Dunfermline West for the Scottish Parliament elections in 1999, winning the SNP's highest share of the vote in this constituency since the 1960s. Douglas won the Fife Council ward of Rosyth West and Dockyard in 1997, the first by-election loss to be suffered in Scotland by Tony Blair's New Labour since the general election in the same year. He has been a member of Dunfermline West SNP since moving there in 1990 and has held several internal posts including Convener and Press Officer. Douglas lives in Dunfermline with his wife, son and daughter and for much of his working life has worked in business with TSB Scotland, Fife Enterprise and Gleneagles Hotel. He has also worked with two small businesses locally. He is currently Parliamentary Assistant to Bruce Crawford MSP who represents Mid-Scotland and Fife. Douglas has been active throughout the recent Queen Margaret Hospital campaign to ensure the City of Dunfermline retains its general hospital and will be the only candidate at this election to campaign for the return of consultant-led maternity services at the Queen Margaret for new mums in the Dunfermline and West Fife area.

The Conservative candidate is Roger Smillie who was originally brought up in Fife and has been an active member of the Scottish Conservative party for over 12 years. He graduated from Heriot Watt University and currently works within the investment management industry. He has previously stood as a council candidate for Edinburgh Council.

The Lib Dem candidate is David Herbert who was born in 1940 and educated at Robert Gordons College in Aberdeen and Aberdeen University. He worked as a quality manager in the electronics industry and as a lecturer at Stirling university. He is engaged, with one son and a grandson, and lives in Dunfermline. His interests include Aberdeen FC, studying quality of public services, and travel. From 1994 until 1999 he was the Lib Dem Councillor for Dalgety Bay West.

The SSP candidate is Susan Archibald who has worked as supervisor at Kelty Community Centre for four years. She is also a volunteer for Fife WomenÕs Technology Centre and is a voluntary youth worker. She has been Disabled Officer for Unison since January 2005, and an active member of Kelty Community Council since September 2004. A recent lengthy disability discrimination dispute with Fife Council was eventually resolved in the House of Lords, who found in Susan's favour. She will be campaigning on youth, the NHS, drugs laws, Iraq, disability laws and the minimum wage.

The UK Independence Party candidate is Ian Borland who was born in 1947 at Elderslie, Renfrewshire and educated Newtonhead Primary, Ayr and Broughton Secondary High School, in Edinburgh. He was introduced to the insurance broking industry in 1965 continuing until 1992 having achieved Managing Directorship of Scottish division of national company. Moving forward, he formed own insurance Brokerage. He is a founder member and past president of the Rotary Club of West Fife and has been involved in local service duties and chairty events for 25 years. A keen curler and Secretary of Dunfermline Curling Club, dog (two Golden Retrievers) walking, sailing and gardening help to keep the body fit.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Labour	22,070	54.47 %		21,470	54.25 %
	Scottish National Party	7,225	17.83 %		7,149	18.07 %
	Liberal Democrat	5,773	14.25 %		5,608	14.17 %
	Conservative & Unionist	3,919	9.67 %		3,860	9.75 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	971	2.40 %		937	2.38 %
	Others	559	1.38 %		549	1.38 %
Notional Labour win	Notional Labour majority	14,845	36.64 %		14,321	36.19 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This constituency consists of the whole of the old Dunfermline West seat including two wards that were shared with the old Dunfermline East seat, with the addition of four wards from the old Dunfermline East seat.