Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'The local council (Perth & Kinross) is an even bigger problem for the two challengers to the SNP. Boundary changes pushed up the number of wards two years ago. The SNP took 16 seats but the rest - Tories (11), Labour (six), Liberals (six), and independents (two) - formed an anti-nationalist coalition. The administration increased council tax increases, cut services and slid down the Accounts Commission's annual efficiency league table from third to 10th place.' Robbie Dinwoodie in the Herald, 4 th June 2001.

Perth & North Perthshire

Candidates

	Labour	Doug Maughan
	Scottish National Party	Pete Wishart MP
	Conservative & Unionist	Douglas Taylor
	Liberal Democrat	Gordon Campbell
	Scottish Socialist Party	Philip Stott

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Doug Maughan.

The SNP's Pete Wishart was, for 15 years, a member of the internationally successful Scottish group Runrig. Pete is a trained Community Worker and has been a Director of the Fast Forward charity that promotes healthy lifestyles for young people. He was a member of the Scotland Against Drugs Campaign Committee and has contributed to many national forums looking at the problem of drugs within Scottish society. Pete was elected as the MP for North Tayside in June 2001 and succeeded SNP Leader John Swinney who continues as MSP. Pete secured a majority of 3,283 over the Conservatives. Pete is the SNP's Chief Whip at Westminster and has responsibilities in Parliament for Transport Local Government and the Regions, Culture Media and Sport and the Highlands and Islands. Pete lives in Dunkeld and has one son.

Tory candidate, Douglas Taylor, lives in Perth. At present he works as a Director of a Finance and Accounting Consultancy. In 2001 he contested the Western isles, coming third with 9.5 %, while in 1997, he contested Kilmarnock & Loudoun, coming third with 10.8 %. In 2003 he was seventh on the Tory list for the European Parliamentary elections.

The Lib Dem candidate is Gordon Campbell who was born in 1963 and was educated at Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline. He works as a building society manager and is married with one son and one daughter. His interests include football and the Church of Scotland. He stood at a council by-lection in Fife in 2002 and at the 2003 Scottish parliamentary elections, he consteted Perth, coming fourth with 11.17 %.

The SSP candidate is Phillip Stott who was a founding member of the SSP and has been an active campaigning socialist for 20 years. He was the Tayside co-ordinator of the anti-poll tax federation which helped to establish a big non-payment campaign including in Perth and across the region. Philip is a committed campaigner to bring the troops back from Iraq and in defence of public sector worker' pensions. At the 2003 Scottish parliamentary elections, he contested Perth, coming fifh with 3.11 %.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Scottish National Party	16,416	35.99 %		15,746	36.17 %
	Conservative & Unionist	11,396	24.99 %		11,840	27.20 %
	Labour	11,149	24.44 %		9,720	22.33 %
	Liberal Democrat	5,507	12.07 %		5,259	12.08 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,031	2.26 %		867	1.99 %
	Others	110	0.24 %		105	0.24 %
Notional Scottish National Party win	Notional Scottish National Party majority	5,020	11.00 %		3,906	8.97 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This seat comprises 15 of the 24 wards from the old Perth seat, 12 of the 22 wards from the old North Tayside seat, and East Carse from the old Angus seat.