Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Jack Cunningham, the Cabinet 'enforcer', is facing a Whitehall investigation into claims that he has indulged in extravagant living at the taxpayer's expense. The Prime Minister, who has urged ministers not to get hung up on 'the trappings of power', is likely to be disappointed at the newspaper claims that Mr Cunningham clocked up big expenses using luxury hotels, restaurants and flights on ministerial business.'
Joy Copley, Political Editor in the Scotsman, 18 th January 1999.

Edinburgh West

Candidates

	Labour	Navraj Ghaleigh
	Scottish National Party	Sheena Cleland
	Conservative & Unionist	David Brogan
	Liberal Democrat	John Barrett MP
	Scottish Socialist Party	Gary Clark
	Scottish Green Party	Ailsa Spindler

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Navraj Ghaleigh. Edinburgh West was his home constituency prior to the recent boundary changes. Navraj is the Lecturer in Public Law at Edinburgh University, where he specialises in Scottish and British constitutional law, as well as environmental law. He was educated at King's College London, Cambridge University and was a Fulbright Scholar at Berkeley in the USA. He lives in Edinburgh and is involved in numerous community organisations in the city and the Lothians, as well as having a long standing committment to human rights and relieving global poverty. His interests include running, cinema and reading.

Scottish National Party candidate Sheena Cleland is standing in her home constituency. Born in Edinburgh, Sheena graduated from Edinburgh University with an MA Hons in French and Italian. She now runs her own communications business. From 1999-2004 she worked with Professor Sir Neil MacCormick MEP in his constituency office in Edinburgh. During the 2001 General Election, Sheena acted as International Media Press Officer for the SNP, as well as being Campaign Manager locally. Sheena is married and lives in Edinburgh. She is Convener of West Edinburgh Branch SNP where she has stood three times for council wards. In the 2003 Scottish parliamentary elections, Sheena was 10 th on the Scottish National Party's regional list for the Lothians. She also stood for the Gyle ward of Edinburgh City Council in 1999, coming fourth with 551 votes (12.1 %). In 2003, she contested the Dalmeny/Kirkliston ward coming second with 496 votes (17.9 %).
Press release

Tory candidate, David Brogan, is an Officer in The Parachute Regiment Battalion of the Territorial Army in addition to working as a Business Consultant. He has played an active role in many political campaigns both at local and general election level. David also works as a fundraiser for wildlife and cancer charities.

John Barrett has been Lib Dem MP for the old Edinburgh West constituency since Donal Gorrie retired from Westminster to concentrate on the Scottish Parliament in 2001. He was born in 1954 and educated at Forrester High School, Telford College and Napier Polytechnic in Edinburgh. Before being elected to the Westminster parliament, he was an Edinburgh City Councillor from 1995 until 2001. A member of Greenpeace and Amnesty International, Mr Barrett's interests include cinema, music, travel and meeting people. He is married with one daughter.

The SSP candidate is Gary Clark aged 37, lives in South Queensferry having grown up in the West Edinburgh area. He first got involved in politics 20 years ago and was active in the anti-Poll Tax campaign as secretary of the campaign in Drylaw. He was the founding secretary of the Scottish Socialist Alliance in the Lothian area - the forerunner to the SSP. Gary is a postal worker and a branch official for the postal workersÕ union, CWU.

The Scottish Green Party candidate is Ailsa Spindler who is is a Projects Manager from Ratho. She has been active in environmental and human rights campaigns, and is Treasurer of Edinburgh Green Party. She is particularly interested in local transport issues and energy policies. She has taken part in demonstrations against the unjustified war in Iraq.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver		Baxter
Logo	Party	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Liberal Democrat	17,187	38.31 %	17,032	38.63 %
	Labour	11,867	26.45 %	11,668	26.46 %
	Conservative & Unionist	9,726	21.68 %	9,450	21.43 %
	Scottish National Party	4,789	10.68 %	4,815	10.92 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	934	2.08 %	761	1.73 %
	Others	355	0.79 %	366	0.83 %
Notional Liberal Democrat win	Notional Liberal Democrat majority	5,320	11.86 %	5,364	12.17 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This new constituency consists of the old Edinburgh West seat with the exception of Craigleith (shared with the old Edinburgh Central) and Pilton (shared with the old Edinburgh North & Leith) both of which go to the new Edinburgh North & Leith seat. The constituency also includes Stenhouse from the old Edinburgh Central seat.

Council	Ward number	Ward name	Electorate (June 2001)	Constituency in 2001
City of Edinburgh	3	Dalmeny/Kirkliston	5,959	Edinburgh West
	4	Queensferry	6,867
	5	Cramond	6,210
	6	Davidson's Mains	6,132
	7	Muirhouse/Drylaw	6,437
	13	East Craigs	6,366
	14	N.E.Corstorphine	6,451
	15	Murrayfield	6,599
	23	Gyle	6,866
	24	S.E.Corstorphine	6,319
	27	Stenhouse	6,397	Edinburgh Central
Total electorate			70,603

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