Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Each year Scots taxpayers have to pay £1,200 more in tax than is paid south of the Border.' Scottish National Party Treasury Spokesperson Mr John Swinney, 1st August 1996.

North Tayside

	Pete Wishart		Thomas Docherty
	Murdo Fraser		Julia Robertson
		Ind	Tina Macdonald

Tayside North was created in 1983 with 44% of its voters from Perth & East Perthshire, 39% from Angus South and 16% from Kinross and West Perthshire. In the boundary changes for the 1997 election, the name was changed to North Tayside and the seat gained the Brechin area from Angus East.

his massive, mostly rural seat takes in the towns of Forfar, Brechin, Coupar Angus, Blairgowrie, Kirriemuir, Rattray, Alyth, Aberfeldy, and Pitlochry.

The Tayside seats of Perth & East Perthshire, Angus South and Kinross & West Perthshire saw a major advance by the Scottish National Party in October 1974. In February 1974 Conservative Ian MacArthur had a majority of almost 9,000 in Perth & East Perthshire. This was overturned in October when the SNP's Douglas Crawford was elected with a majority of 793. In Angus South, Andrew Welsh won the seat for the SNP with a majority of 1,824 over the Conservative Jock Bruce-Gardyne, while in Kinross and West Perthshire, Nicholas Fairbairn, replacing Alec Douglas-Home who had retired, hung on with a majority of only 53 over the SNP.

Peter Fraser won back Angus South for the Conservatives in 1979, as did Bill Walker in Perth & East Perthshire, with majorities of 963 and 3,103 respectively. In Kinross & West Perthshire, Nicholas Fairbairn was elected with an increased majority of 6,478.

After the major boundary changes for the 1983 election, Peter Fraser (later Lord Fraser of Carmylie) was selected for the new Angus East seat, and Nicholas Fairbairn for Perth & Kinross, leaving Tayside North for Bill Walker.

In 1982 Regional elections, the Conservatives took 54 % of the vote in the Tayside North area and in the 1983 General election, Mr Walker took 51% of the vote giving him a 10,099 majority over the Scottish National Party's Alasdair Morgan, alter MP and MSP for Galloway & Upper Nithsdale, who took 24%. The increase in the Alliance's vote helped split the anti Tory vote, and Liberal Danus Skene came a good third with almost 20%.

In 1987, the Alliance vote slipped and the SNP's Ken Guild took 33% to 45 % for Bill Walker. The swing of 7.1% from the Conservatives to the SNP halved Bill Walker's majority to 5,016.

In 1992, the Tories made a slight recovery in Scotland, following their dumping of the Iron Lady in favour of the Tin Man. The SNP's John Swinney increased his vote by 4.6% to 16,288, but Bill Walker's vote also increased, by 1.3% to 20,283, giving him a majority of 3,995 over Mr Swinney.

Bill Walker was a dyed-in-the-wool Unionist and was one of only two Scottish Conservatives to have been passed over for ministerial office. Mr Walker was one of the numerous Conservative MPs who sabotaged John Major's 'Back to Basics' attempt to portray the Conservatives as the party of upholders of morals and law and order. Bill Walker's involvement in a Cash for Questions scandal merely resulted him being told off by a parliamentary committee, but the electorate of Tayside North proved to be be less forgiving.

In 1997, John Swinney stood as the Scottish National Party's candidate for the second time. He was then the SNP's Treasury spokesman and Vice-Convenor for Publicity.

The addition of the Brechin area from Angus East did not help Bill Walker's chances of holding these seat. North Tayside had polled strongly for the SNP in the 1994 European elections when Dr Allan Macartney won the North East Scotland seat. In 1995 local elections in North Tayside the Tories were routed by the Scottish National Party who won 15 of the 19 seats. The SNP took 51.4% of the vote to 25.6 % for the Tories.

With the Conservatives well down in the opinion polls since 1992, the writing was on the wall for Bill Walker. For John Swinney it was be second time lucky and he was elected as SNP MP for Tayside North with a majority of 4,160 over Bill Walker.

In the 1999 Scottish election, John Swinney won North Tayside with 44.1 % of the vote, giving him a 4,192 (11.0 %) majority over Conservative Murdo Fraser, up 1.9 % on 1997.

John Swinney was born in Edinburgh, and lives in Glasgow. Educated at Forrester High School, Edinburgh, and Edinburgh University, he graduated with honours in Politics. He joined the SNP at the age of 15 and has held several offices including Vice- Convenor for Publicity and National Secretary. He was the Treasury Spokesperson in the SNP's Scottish Cabinet. John Swinney has been an impressive performer at Westminster and became the SNP's deputy leader (Senior Vice Convenor) following the death of Dr Allan Macartney, SNP MEP for North East Scotland in 1998. Following the retiral of Alex Salmond after 10 years as National Convenor in September 2000, John Swinney became the leader of the SNP.

John Swinney is standing down to concentrate on the Scottish parliament. He is replaced by the SNP's Vice Convenor for fundraising, Pete Wishart. Wishart is perhaps better know as a member of the group Runrig. The group's leader singer Donnie Munro left the group to contest Ross, Skye & Inverness West in 1997 and in 1999, failing to be elected in each case. Pete Wishart is hoping to succeed where Donnie Munro failed.

The Tories have once more selected Murdo Fraser. The Labour candidate is Thomas Docherty and the Lib Dems are fielding Julia Robertson. The SSP candidate is Rosie Adams, a UNISON shop steward. Tina Macdonald is standing as an Independent.

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Scottish National Party	John Swinney	20,447	44.85%
	Conservative	William Walker	16,287	35.72%
	Labour	Ian McFatridge	5,141	11.28%
	Liberal Democrat	Peter Regent	3,716	8.15%
	SNP gain from Con	SNP majority	4,160	9.13%

Links

• Peter Wishart (Scottish National Party)

• John Swinney, SNP MP for Tayside North

• Tayside North Constituency (Conservative)

• Tayside North Conservative & Unionist Association

• Tayside North Constituency (Liberal Democrat)

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