Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'We have no split loyalties. We stand for Scotland.' SNP leader John Swinney MSP MP, 2 nd March 2001.

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey

Candidates

	Labour	David Stewart MP
	Scottish National Party	David Thompson
	Conservative & Unionist	Robbie Rowantree
	Liberal Democrat	Daniel Alexander
	Scottish Socialist Party	George MacDonald
	Scottish Green Party	Donnie MacLeod
	Publican Party	Donald Lawson

Candidates

The Labour candidate is David Stewart, who is currently MP for Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber. He was born in Glasgow in 1956 and educated at Hyndland Secondary, Paisley College, Stirling University and the Open University. He worked as a social worker in Dumfries & Galloway and then in the Highlands. From 1984 until 1986 he was a member of Nithsdale District Council, and from 1988 until 1995 he was a member of Inverness District Council. In 1987, he contested Inverness, Nairn & Lochaber, coming second with 25.4 %. In 1992, he again came second, with 0.2 % less share of the vote. Despite this, he slashed Sir Russell Johnston's majority from 5,431, to 458. IN fact, this was the most marginal seat in the UK, with Johnston polling 26.0 %, Stewart polling 25.2 %, the SNP's Fergus Ewing polling 24.7 %, and Tory John Scott polling 22.6 % - only 1,741 votes separated the four parties. In 1997, Johnston retired and Stewart won the new seat of Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber with 33.9 % of the vote and a 2,339 majority over the SNP's Fergus Ewing. Ewing went on to win the new Scottish parliamentary seat of the same name in 1999. Back at Westminster, Stewart was re-elected in 2001 with 36.8 % of the vote and a 4,716 majority over the SNP's Angus B. MacNeil. Stewart resigned from the Scottish Affairs Committee after leaking a report to Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar. He is an opponent of proportional representation.

The Scottish National Party have selected David Thompson. He is married to Veronica and they have four children and one grand-daughter. Dave joined the SNP in 1966 as a founder member of his native Lossiemouth Branch. From 1973 to 1983, in the Lewis Branch, he worked closely with Donald Stewart MP and held a number of posts within the SNP. He then held a number of politically restricted Council posts retiring as Highland Council Director of Protective Services in December 2001. He was Chairman of the Scottish Society of Directors of Trading Standards, Chairman of the Highlands and Islands Branch of the Chartered Management Institute, Chairman of GMB/MPO Highland and an Advisor to COSLA. He is a member of Scottish CND and completed the first year of a Degree in Gaelic in 2004. He is a member of Kinmylies Baptist Church and a long time supporter of Caley Thistle. He stood in Ross, Skye and Inverness West in 2003, polling 19.5 % and pushing Labour MSP Maureen MacMillan into 3rd place.

Tory candidate, Robbie Rowantree is currently the Chairman for the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Conservative Association. He is also an active participant in rural affairs holding the post of Vice Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Countryside Forum. Robbie is the Managing Director of Clyne Transport Ltd. and is married with five children.

Lib Dem candidate Danny Alexander was born in 1972 and educated at Lochaber High School in Fort William and Oxford University. A previous Press Officer for the Scottish Lib Dems, he has also worked in Communications for the Euopean Movement, Britain in Europe and Cairgngorm National Park. Currently living in Aviemore with his partner, his interests include hill walking, fishing, travel and sports.

The SSP candidate is George MacDonald who moved to Inverness in 1975 and for the last 30 years has lived and worked in the constituency, currently as a postal worker. GeorgeÕs involvement in numerous campaigns - against the illegal war in Iraq, scrap the Council Tax, and for anglers' and walkersÕ rights - saw him elected as Regional Chairperson for the Scottish Socialist Party in the Highlands and Islands in 2004.

The Scottish Green Party candidate is Donnie MacLeod who is originally from Raasay. He farms organically at Ardersier where he aims to combine a Green lifestyle with deeply held views about social and environmental justice. He is also a longstanding campaigner, especially against GM crop trials in the Black Isle, for which he was fined and briefly imprisoned, only to successfully overturn the verdict in the appeal court.

Donald Lawson is standing for the Publican Party - Free to Smoke (Pubs).

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Labour	13,772	32.18 %		14,422	33.69 %
	Liberal Democrat	12,638	29.53 %		12,264	28.65 %
	Scottish National Party	9,836	22.98 %		9,705	22.67 %
	Conservative & Unionist	5,262	12.30 %		5,227	12.21 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	885	2.07 %		784	1.83 %
	Others	402	0.94 %		401	0.94 %
Notional Labour win	Notional Labour majority	1,134	2.65 %		2,158	5.04 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This consists of all but eight of the wards from the old Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber seat along with eight wards from the old Ross, Skye & Inverness West seat, including two wards that were split between the two old Inverness constituencies.