Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Then, thank heaven, Ted Heath got up. Yesterday seemed to indicate that nobody is much fun to listen to until he has held major office and been ejected from it. Labour had been nagging at Mr Evans for a clear commitment on the hereditary principle. Ted got up and in ten seconds flat told us he was against it. He also offered some figures on prime ministerial patronage as it affected peer-creation. The score reads: Harold Wilson, 226; Margaret Thatcher, 216; John Major, 171; Tony Blair (in 20 months), 105! But, as Ted smilingly pointed out, he created only 48. 'Ah, the people's prime minister!' said a derisive voice.'' Edward Pearce in the Scotsman, 3 rd February 1999.

Edinburgh East

Candidates

	Labour	Rt Hon Dr Gavin Strang MP
	Scottish National Party	Stefan Tymkewycz
	Conservative & Unionist	Melville Brown
	Liberal Democrat	Cllr Gordon Mackenzie
	Scottish Socialist Party	Catriona Grant
	Scottish Green Party	Cara Gillespie
	The Death Dungeons & Taxes Party	Brett Harris
	Independent	Peter Clifford

Candidates

The Labour candidate is the Rt Hon Dr Gavin Strang MP, who has represented the various manifestations of Edinburgh East since 1970. With the retiral of Sir Tam Dalyell at the newt election, Strang, if elected, will become the longest serving Scottish MP. He was born in 1943 in Dundee and educated at Morrison Academy in Crieff and Edinburgh University where he graduated with a BSc and PhD in agriculture. Strang worked as an economist and then a researcher before his election in 1970. After the February 1974 election, Harold Wilson appointed him as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Energy, and transferred him to the post of PUSS at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food after the October 1974 election. Labour were out of governement for the next 18 years and in 1997, Strang was appointed as Secretary of State for Transport, rather than given responsibility for agriculture, as expected. He was sacked in July 1998 after disaccord with the Deputy Prime Minister John 'Basher' Prescott, and has spent the rest of his time on the back benches. He voted against the war in Iraq.

SNP candidate Stefan Tymkewycz is a former policeman who is now self-employed in the property services industry. Stef has travelled extensively and worked abroad in France, Greece and Germany. He was born in 1959 in Abbeyhill in the constituency and is now back living in Abbeyhill. Stef gained the highest vote of any SNP council candidate in Edinburgh in 2003 and came within 205 votes of defeating the Deputy Leader of the city council. The most recent result in Edinburgh East (Euro 2004) was the closest ever between Labour & the SNP in Edinburgh East. The gap was a record low of 8.7 %.

The Tory candidate is Mev Brown. Mev moved from St Andrews to Edinburgh in 1980 and joined Ferranti Defence Systems (now BAe Systems) after graduating from Napier University with a Diploma in Computer Science. He then worked for many years as a recruitment consultant (specialising in international recruitment) for a number of local agencies. Currently he is a project worker working at the Cowgate Centre, a drop-in day centre and crisis night shelter for the homeless. In his spare time he is a Paratrooper with the Territorial Army's Parachute Medical Squadron. Mev is new to politics, having joined the Party in 2004.

The Lib Dem candidate is Cllr Gordon Mackenzie who was born in 1963 and educated at Aberdeen and Stirling universites. He has workedwith Social Work, Health and Housing management and as a Contract Management for Homeless Services. He is married and lives in dinburgh. His interests include reading travel and sport. He has represented Prestonfield on Edinburgh City Council since 2003, having been a local by-election candidate in 2001. At the 1999 Scottish parliamentray elections he was ninth on the Lib Dem's Highlands & Island list, while at the 2001 Westminster election, he contested Livingston, coming third with 11.01 %.

The SSP candidate is Catriona Grant, aged 35, lives locally in the Old Town of Edinburgh. She is a social worker for the local authority, working with women and children experiencing domestic abuse. Catriona helped establish the SSP in Edinburgh and has stood for Edinburgh Central, now merged into Edinburgh East, on two occasions. She is an active UNISON shop steward and as a council tenant is active in the campaign to stop council housing stock transfer in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Green Party candidate is Cara Gillespie who is a senior member of staff with the Green MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. She has been active in Edinburgh womenÕs community groups tackling violence and sexual abuse for over ten years. As coordinator of the Green Food Revolution campaign, she is currently fighting for equal access for all to safe, healthy food and an end to food poverty.

Brett Harris is standing for the The Death Dungeons & Taxes Party.

Peter Clifford is standing as an independent.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Labour	19,567	49.74 %		18,966	49.33 %
	Liberal Democrat	6,759	17.18 %		6,437	16.74 %
	Scottish National Party	6,462	16.43 %		5,979	15.55 %
	Conservative & Unionist	4,371	11.11 %		4,724	12.29 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,589	4.04 %		1,751	4.55 %
	Others	593	1.51 %		591	1.53 %
Notional Labour win	Notional Labour majority	12,808	32.56 %		12,529	32.59 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This is the old Edinburgh East & Musselburgh constituency minus the five Musselburgh wards which go to East Lothian. The seat also includes three wards from Edinburgh Central and one ward from Edinburgh South.