Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'New Labour created a culture of media spin and manipulation directed against their opponents - both inside and outside the Labour Party. So their attempts to bully the Scottish media now that they are on the receiving end are hypocritical in the extreme, and a sign of total desperation.' Shadow Minister for Culture, Michael Russell MSP, 14 th March 2000.

Moray

Candidates

	Labour	Kevin Hutchens
	Scottish National Party	Angus Robertson MP
	Conservative & Unionist	Jamie Halcro-Johnston
	Liberal Democrat	Cllr Linda Gorn
	Scottish Socialist Party	Norma Anderson

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Kevin Hutchens.

The SNP candidate is Angus Robertson, who represents the current Moray Constituency as a Scottish National Party MP in the Westminster Parliament. He is the Scottish Shadow Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs. Before his election in June 2001 he was the European and International Affairs Adviser to the SNP group in the Scottish Parliament. Prior to that, he worked as a foreign and diplomatic correspondent in central Europe for the BBC, Austrian Radio and other leading broadcasters. Angus was born in London and brought up in Edinburgh where he received both his Primary and High School education. After leaving Broughton High School Angus completed a MA Honours in Politics and International Relations at Aberdeen University before embarking on his journalistic career. Angus' main political interests are Scottish independence, International and European Affairs, defence, whisky, oil, fishing, sustainable development and youth issues. He is a member of the European Scrutiny Committee, Vice-Chairman of the All Party Whisky Group, Vice-Chairman of the All Party Offshore Oil and Gas Group, member of the All Party Fisheries Group and participant in the Parliamentary Armed Forces Scheme.

The Tory candidate, Jamie Halcro-Johnston, is currently Parliamentary Press Officer to Jamie McGrigor, Ted Brocklebank and Brian Monteith MSPs. He was Deputy Election Agent for Orkney in the 2003 Scottish Parliament Elections. amie has a strong interest in Rural Affairs and his family own a dairy and a sheep farm in Orkney. He is a keen sportsman, receiving his colours at Exeter University, and he continues to play rugby, football, squash and other sports. He has a strong interest in Scottish and local history, and also enjoys reading and walking.

The Lib Dem candidate, Cllr Lina Gorn, was born in 1948 and educated at Stronsay Junior Secondary School in Orkney before training as a nurse. She has been a Moray councillor since 1999 and stood for Moray at the 2001 Westminster election, coming fourth with 15.7 %. At the Scottish parliamentary election of 2003, she was third on the Lib Dems Highlands & Islands list and came fourth in Moray with 12.2 % of the vote. Married with two sons, her interests include Art, needlework, glass engraving, pyrography, knitting and crafts.

The SSP candidate is Norma Anderson who lives in Elgin and is a prominent campaigner against the unfair Council Tax. Moray has the lowest average wage in Scotland, yet last year had the highest Council Tax rise. Norma has also been active in campaigns on local housing, nursery provision, and for solutions to the misery caused by local flooding.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Scottish National Party	10,756	29.40 %		10,979	30.10 %
	Labour	8,904	24.33 %		8,898	24.40 %
	Conservative & Unionist	8,382	22.91 %		8,153	22.35 %
	Liberal Democrat	6,570	17.96 %		6,468	17.73 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	885	2.42 %		883	2.42 %
	Others	1,093	2.99 %		1,093	3.00 %
Notional Scottish National Party win	Notional Scottish National Party majority	1,852	5.06 %		2,081	5.71 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This new constituency consists of the whole of the old Moray seat, including two wards split with the old Gordon seat, plus two wards from the old Gordon seat. The constituency now covers the whole of the Moray council area.