Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'I'm afraid that Rory Bremner's depiction of Mr Hague as a right-wing bovver-boy reflects too closely the reality of Mr Hague's politics. I want what is best for my children's future and for Scotland's future and I'm convinced that independence offers the best hope for that future.' From Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh's resignation note to Tory leaders David McLetchie and Willie Hague.

Ross, Skye & Lochaber

Candidates

	Labour	Christine Conniff
	Scottish National Party	Mhairi Will
	Conservative & Unionist	John Hodgson
	Liberal Democrat	Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP
	Scottish Socialist Party	Anne McLeod
	Scottish Green Party	David Jardine
	UK Independence Party	Phillip Anderson
	Independent	Morris Grant

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Christine Conniff.

The SNP candidate is Mhairi Will. Mhairi has been a member of the Scottish National Party since 1991. She joined because of a belief in Scottish Independence and a wish to become more active in politics to make this a reality. Mhairi, (48) was born and brought up in Stenhousemuir in Stirlingshire. She moved to Inverness in 1976 to commence Nurse training at the Highland College of Nursing and Midwifery. After completing training firstly as a general nurse and then undertaking a further qualification in Mental Health, Mhairi has worked in the field of Mental health since 1980. Currently she is the Lead Nurse for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in NHS Highland. Mhairi has been married for 25 years to Norman. This is the first time that Mhairi has stood as a candidate having been actively involved in numerous capacities in many campaigns at Local Government, Westminster, Scottish and European elections and by-elections throughout Scotland.

The Tory candidate is John Hodgson who manages his own farm on the Isle of Skye, and is also as being a financial adviser. He has been involved in politics since his youth and is currently Chairman of the Skye Association.

Charles Kennedy has represented the constituency since 1983 when he ousted Margaret Thatcher's Energy Minister Hamish Gray from the new Ross, Cromarty & Skye constituency. Born in 1959, he was educated at Lochaber High School, and has an MA in Politics, Philosophy and English from Glasgow University and has studied Speech Communication, Political Rhetoric and British Politics at Indiana University. He is married and lives in Inverness. Before his election as an SDP MP, Charles Kennedy worked as a journalist and broadcaster with BBC Highland and as a tutor at Indiana University. He was President of the Lib Dems from 1990 until 1994 and succeeded Paddy Ashdown as leader of the UK Lib Dems in August 1999.

The SSP candidate is Anne McLeod is has been a political activist and socialist for many years and was a founder member of the SSP in the Highlands and Islands. She is a passionate environmental campaigner, with a particular interest in the planned development of a wide range of renewables with the profits being ploughed back into our communities. Anne also helped found the Coalition for Justice not War in the Highlands.

The Scottish Green Party candidate is David Jardine who is from Lewis and now lives on the Black Isle. He is a freelance journalist and library worker and a construction student. David has been a Green candidate in local, Scottish and UK elections and is a leading campaigner in the Highlands against the illegal war on Iraq and its aftermath.

Morris Grant from Dingwall is standing as an Independent.

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Liberal Democrat	13,674	44.27 %		14,489	46.28 %
	Labour	7,107	23.01 %		6,709	21.43 %
	Scottish National Party	5,449	17.64 %		5,219	16.67 %
	Conservative & Unionist	3,168	10.26 %		3,282	10.48 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	619	2.00 %		713	2.28 %
	Others	872	2.82 %		896	2.86 %
Notional Liberal Democrat win	Notional Liberal Democrat majority	6,567	21.26 %		7,780	24.85 %

Local Government wards in the constituency

This contains 18 of the 28 wards from the Ross & Skye areas of the old Ross, Skye & Inverness West seat, plus eight wards from the Lochaber area of the old Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber seat.