Candidates and Constituency Assessments

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East Renfrewshire

Candidates

	Richard Cook
	Conservative & Unionist
	Richard Cook is the current Vice Chairman of the Scottish Tories. Aged 36, he joined the Eastwood Young Conservatives in 1985 and was Chairman of Cathcart Conservative Association. He is Commercial Manager for the UK's largest waste and recycling company, where he has responsibility for the development of recycling initiatives for blue chip and local authority customers. He contested Glasgow Cathcart in 2001 and 2003, coming third, while in 2005 he was selected for the ex-Tory seat of East Renfrewshire (previously named Eastwood), and also contested Glasgow Cathcart in the 2005 by-election caused by the resignation of Labour Peer and MSP Lord Watson of Invergowrie. Recent electoral experience. 2005 Scottish Parliament by-election, Glasgow Cathcart, 2,306 votes (14.96 %) 2005 Westminster Parliament election, East Renfrewshire, 14,158 votes (29.9 %) 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Glasgow Cathcart, 2,888 votes (13.0 %) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Glasgow Cathcart, 3,662 votes (13.4 %)
	Who?
	Labour
	Ministerial Posts: Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Liberal Democrat
	Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Scottish National Party
	Recent electoral experience

Candidates

The Labour candidate is Jim Murphy was born in Glasgow in 1967 and educated at Bellarmine Secondary, Milnerton High School and Cape Town and Strathclyde Universities. Murphy was president of the NUS and then worked briefly for the Labour party before his election. He won Eastwood from the Tories in 1997, after the sitting MP Allan Stewart resigned during the election campaign after revelations of his friendship with a local woman. Murphy won the seat with a majority of 3,236 over Paul Cullen, the Tory Solicitor General for Scotland. In 2001, Murphy increased his majority to 9,141 over ex Tory MP for Aberdeen South, Raymond Robertson. The seat is the only one on the mainland which has not had any boundary changes, the only modification being a change of name to East Renfrewshire, and should prove an interesting indicator of the actual change in voting patterns since 2001. Murphy has worked as PPS to Helen Liddell and then as a Lord Commissioner (junior whip).

The SNP candidate is Osama Saeed Bhutta who is the director of his own public relations business. Having become convinced of Scotland's need to make its mark in the world as an independent nation, he joined the SNP in 2003 and has been an active member since then. Osama is well known as the spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, who have been at the forefront of articulating a vision for Scottish Muslims and trying to bridge the gap between Islam and the West, as well as campaigning on issues such as the Iraq war. Osama graduated in politics from Glasgow University and formerly worked for SNP leader Alex Salmond. He is married with one baby boy.

Tory candidate, Richard Cook, joined the Eastwood Young Conservatives in 1985. He is currently the Chairman of Cathcart Conservative Association. Richard is Commercial Manager for the UKÕs largest waste and recycling company, where he has responsibility for the development of recycling initiatives for blue chip and local authority customers. Richard Cook stood for Glasgow Cathcart at the 2001 Westminster election, coming third with 13.4 %, and at the 2003 Scottish election, coming third with 13.0 %.

Lib Dem candidate Gordon MacDonald has been councillor for the Lenzie ward of East Dunbartonshire council since 2003. He was born in 1968 and has a MA in political science from Strathclyde University and a MPhil in Economic Development from Glasgow University. His interests include travelling and overseas development. Gordon MacDonald contested Coventry South at the 1997 Westminster electon, and Strathkelvin & Bearsden in 2001 where he came second with 18.2 %. At the 1999 Scottish election he contested Falkirk East, coming fourth with 7.1 %.

The SSP candidate is Ian Henderson who is 35 and lives in Renfrewshire. He is a social worker who works with young people, and is horrified that rather than being given the opportunity of real employment at home, many of these young people are being sent to fight and die in a war for oil by Blair and Bush. Ian calls for the killing to stop and the troops to come home now. He also wants to see a living minimum wage of £8 an hour for all workers, regardless of age or gender.

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Eastwood

Turnout: 48,368 (70.74 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Jim Murphy	23,036	47.63 %	+ 7.88 %
	Conservative	Raymond Robertson	13,895	28.73 %	- 4.83 %
	Liberal Democrat	Allan Steele	6,239	12.90 %	+ 1.20 %
	Scottish National Party	Stewart Maxwell	4,137	8.55 %	- 4.52 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Peter Murray	814	1.68 %	(+ 1.68 %)
	Independent	Manar Tayan	247	0.51 %	(+ 0.51 %)
	Labour hold	Labour majority	9,141	18.90 %	+ 12.71 %