Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'I'm delighted that we have turned the tide against the corrupt power of nationalism.' Scottish Tory MP, Peter Duncan, 8 th June 2001.

Dumfries & Galloway

Candidates

	Russell Brown MP JP
	Labour
	The Labour candidate is Russell Brown MP. He was born in 1951 and brought up in Annan where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Before his election, he worked for ICI where he was also a TGWU official. He is also a JP and served as a Labour Councillor on Dumfries & Galloway council from 1986 until 1997 and was leader of the Labour group. Russell Brown won Dumfries from the Tories in 1997 when he increased the Labour vote by a record 17.9 % following the retiral of Sir Hector Munro who had represented the constituency since 1964. In 2001 Mr Brown's majority fell from 9,643 to 8,834 due to a reduced turnout, but he increased his vote by a further 1.4 % in this once Tory stronghold. In 2001, he made a surprise move to stand against Shadow Scottish Secretary Peter Duncan in Dumfries & Galloway, a notional Tory/Labour knife-edge marginal rather than the, on paper, safer Labour seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale. In the event, Mr Brown won Dumfries & Galloway for Labour while Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale was won by Tory MSP David Mundell. Ministerial Posts: Recent electoral experience 2005 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries &, Galloway, 20,924 votes (41.12 %) (elected) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries, 20,830 votes (48.91 %) (elected) 1997 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries, 23,528 votes (47.51%) (elected) 1995 Dumfries & Galloway council election, elected unopposed 1994 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected) 1990 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected) 1986 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected)
	Cllr Peter Duncan
	Conservative & Unionist
	Peter Duncan was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and was brought up in the area. He now lives in Dalbeattie, is married to Lorna, and has two children. He used to have lots of outside interests, but now find that running 'DadŐs taxi' takes most of his limited free time. He is trying hard to hold on to his sporting loves, being Scottish rugby and cricket. Prior to entering Parliament in 2001, he was a business consultant and ran my long established small family textiles business. Between 2001 and 2005, he was the Member of Parliament for Galloway & Upper Nithsdale constituency, after beating new SNP candidate Malcolm Fleming by 74 votes. During his time there, he had the opportunity to take the concerns of constituents to the floor of Parliament on issues as diverse as the closure of rural post offices to the old age pension; from leading the campaign to save the local regiment to fighting red tape burdens on business. Between 2003 and 2005, he was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and in 2004 he was appointed Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. When parliamentary boundaries changed in 2005, he unsuccessfully contested the new seat of Dumfries & Galloway, but in May 2007 was elected to Dumfries & Galloway Council as councillor for Castle Douglas & Glenkens ward. He was appointed by the council as Chairman of its Resources Committee. Ę Party positions 2003 - 2005 Shadow Secretry of State for Scotland 2004 - July 2007 - Chariman of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party Recent electoral experience 2007 Dumfries & Galloway Council election, Castle Douglas & Glenkens, 1560 First preference votes (32.35 %) (elected first of three councillors) 2005 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries &, Galloway, 18,002 votes (35.37 %) (defeated) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale, 12,222 votes (34.03 %) (elected)
	Who?
	Liberal Democrat
	Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Scottish National Party
	Recent electoral experience

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Labour	16,327	32.36 %		15,851	32.31 %
	Conservative & Unionist	16,186	32.08 %		14,811	30.19 %
	Scottish National Party	12,660	25.09 %		12,846	26.18 %
	Liberal Democrat	4,465	8.85 %		4,677	9.53 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	819	1.62 %		879	1.79 %
Notional Labour win	Notional Labour majority	141	0.28 %		1,040	2.13 %