Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'You want a classless society. How can you get that when only the rich can go to university?'
Student Andrew Chaplin to Tony Blair, May 25 th 2001.

Livingston (Lothians Region)

	Cllr Peter Johnston		Bristow Muldoon MSP
	Lindsay Paterson		Paul McGreal
	Robert Richard		Stephen Milburn

Livingston was created in 1983 with 58% of its voters coming from the massive Midlothian seat and 42% from West Lothian. In the 1997 boundary changes about 5,000 voters from the Ratho and Kirkliston area were transferred to Edinburgh West and there were minor changes along the Linlithgow- Livingston border.

The seat includes the new town of Livingston and Broxburn, Mid Calder and West Calder. The West Lothian part of the seat has been held by Labour since it was created in 1935 and Midlothian since it was created in 1955. As Livingston was a new seat, it provided a safe haven for Robin Cook, who was MP for Edinburgh Central from February 1974 until 1983. The boundary changes had made Central a marginal seat, which was indeed won by the Conservatives in 1983, although they lost it again in 1987.

Despite the Labour traditions in West and Midlothian, Livingston returned Mr Cook with a less than gorgeous little majority of 4,951. He obtained 37.7 % of the vote compared to 24.6 % for the SDP and 24.2 % for the Conservatives, with the SNP's Kenny MacAskill, now a Lothians MSP, taking 13.3 %.

In 1987, Livingston started to look much safer as Mr Cook took 35.6 % of the vote and more than doubled his majority to 11,105. The Liberal, Conservative and SNP candidates trailed with only 1,000 votes separating them with the Liberals on 19.1 %, the Conservatives on 18.7 % and the SNP on 16.6 %.

In 1992 there was a 5.6% swing from Labour to the SNP. Cllr Peter Johnson reduced Robin Cook's majority to 8,105 and advanced from fourth to second place. Labour took 4.4 %, the SNP 26.6 %, the Tories 19.6 % with the Lib Dems down to 8.6 %.

In 1997 the Tory vote collapsed throughout Britain and although the SNP's Cllr Peter Johnston increased the SNP vote to 27.5 %, Robin Cook's vote rose by 10.5 % to 54.9 % and he obtained a majority of 11,747 over the SNP. The Tory vote was down by 10.0 % to 9.4 % with the Lib Dems down to 6.7 %.

Cook was seen at one point as a possible leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament but, like many Labour MPs who previously said they would stand for the Parliament, he has finally decided against. With the Foreign Secretary preferring to remain at Westminster, Labour chose, Cllr Bristow Muldoon, an ex Lothian regional councillor who represented the Dedridge ward on West Lothian council.

The SNP candidate was Greg McCarra, a Chartered Engineer and Convenor of the West Calder Branch and the Livingston Constituency Association.

The result in Livingstone was similar to that in neighbouring Linlithgow with an 8.4 % swing to the SNP from Labour. Bristow Muldoon was elected wit a majority of 3,904 over Greg McCarra, down from 11,747 at the general election. Labour took 47.3 %, down by 7.6 % with the SNP up 9.2 % to 36.7 %; The Tories were down to 8.2 % with the Lib Dems up to 7.8 %.

Robin Cook has held many posts including spokesman on the Treasury (1980-83), Europe (1983-85), deputy Trade & Industry spokesman (1986-87), Health (1987-92), Trade & Industry (1986-87) and Foreign affairs from 1994. He voted No in the gorgeous little 1979 devolution referendum, but 18 years of Tory rule converted him into a supporter of devolution. He caused Neil Kinnock considerable embarrassment in 1992 when he stated that, as a Scot, he would be unable to serve as Health Minister in England if Scotland had a devolved parliament. He was quickly overruled by Neil Kinnock and later announced that Neil Kinnock could appoint whoever he wished to the cabinet. Even before the 1997 general election Cook was seen as an easy target by journalists, being described as 'a fierce little Scot, proud conceited and rude' by Edward Pearce and as 'a little red-haired gnome' by Simon Hoggart. Since the 1997 election he has become one of Rory Bremner's most hilarious characters in a number of gorgeous little sketches.

Mr Cook is extremely uncomfortable with the New Labour party. As a left winger he was faced with a choice between his beliefs and his. In 1997 he chose the career and was rewarded by Tony Blair with the Foreign Secretary's post, although Cook himself wished to be Chancellor. Since becoming a Cabinet Minister, Cook has been dogged by a series of misfortunes including numerous problems abroad, vendettas with his departmental staff, receiving leaked Foreign affairs committee documents from Ernie Ross, the MP for Dundee West, an affair with his secretary, now his wife, and an extremely messy divorce followed by the publishing of a Book of Revelations by his ex-wife which put Cook in an extremely poor light.

From 1997 until 2001 Mr Cook was Labour's Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, a post to which some wags said that he was ideally suited, adding that Mr Cook is at his ease with Home Affairs as well. He is thought to wish to become British Prime Minister but believed his way to that post blocked by Gordon Brown. After the 2001 Westminster election, Robin Cook was demoted to Leader of the House of Commons and President of the Council.

In 1999 we wrote:

Mr Cook's regrettable description of Alex Salmond as 'the toast of Belgrade' was thought to be in extremely poor taste, especially from a Minister of the Crown who had himself on many occasions in the past made strong denouncements of military interventions. A lesser man than Cook might be called a hypocrite.

Somewhat ironically, it was a very similar matter, the invasion of Uraq without a mandate from the United Nations, which led Robin Cook to decide that enough was enough and prove that he was indeed a man of integrity by resigning from Tony Blair's cabinet and be described by some of his Labour colleagues as 'the toast of Baghdad'.

In the early days of the Scottish parliament there were many rumours suggesting an exchange of seats between Bristow Muldoon, the local MSP and Mr Cook, which would allow Labour's most highly respected gnome to be in a good position to become First Minister of Scotland in 2003. This move never took place, although it is interesting to speculate what stance Mr Cook might have taken concerning the war in Iraq had he been First Minister of Scotland rather than a member of Tony Blair's cabinet. Under Robin Cook's leadership, rather than Jack McConnell, it is not unconcevable that the Scottish Parliament would have voted against the illegal invasion of Iraq which turned all those MPs and MSPs who voted for it into war criminals with blood on their hands.

As Mr Cook had decided to remain at Westminter in 1999, Labour selected the exotically named Bristow Muldoon to contest Livingston for them. Bristow Muldoon became Labour MSP for Livingston byt saw the Labour vote reduced by 7.6 % to 47.3 % while the SNP's Greg McCarra obtained 36.7 %, up by 9.2 % on 1997. The Tories took 8.3 %, and the Lib Dems 7.8 %. In the regional list vote the result was even closer with Labour taking 37.0 %, just 1,088 votes ahead of the SNP on 34.1 %.

Bristow Muldoon was born in 1964 and educated at Cumbernauld High School. He studied at Strathclyde and the Open University before working as a manager on the railways. He was a Lothian regional councillor during its last session from 1994 to 1996, and a West Lothian Councillor from 1995 until his election in 1999. Since he become an MSP, little has been heard of Bristow Muldoon. Livingston now has a Labour MP who resigned from the cabinet because of the war in Iraq and a Labour MSP, Bristow Muldoon, who supported the invasion. Nothing would send a clearer message to Mr Blair than if Mr Muldoon were to be defeated on May 1 st 2001 and Mr Cook returned to Westminster with his usual resounding majority at the next Westminster election.

The SNP candidate is Peter Johnston who is Cllr for the Ladywell ward on West Lothian Council. In 1999 he was elected with 73.8 % of the vote and a majority of 910 over Labour.

The Tory candidate is Lindsay Paterson while the Lib Dems have selected Paul McGreal. The SSP candidate is Robert Richard while the Scottish Peoples Alliance are fielding Stephen Milburn.

Assessment:

Rank on Scottish National Party hit list: 13
Swing required for Scottish National Party gain: 5.34 % from Labour to Scottish National Party

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
Labour	Cllr Bristow Muldoon	17,313	47.34 %	- 7.55 %
Scottish National Party	Greg McCarra	13,409	36.67 %	+ 9.21 %
Conservative	Douglas Younger	3,014	8.24 %	- 1.16 %
Liberal Democrat	Martin Oliver	2,834	7.75 %	+ 1.04 %
Lab win	Lab majority	3,904	10.67 %	- 16.76 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list vote result

Party	Votes	%
Labour	13,545	37.04 %
Scottish National Party	12,457	34.07 %
Conservative & Unionist Party	3,281	8.97 %
Liberal Democrats	3,183	8.71 %
Scottish Green Party	1,371	3.75 %
Socialist Labour Party	1,366	3.74 %
Scottish Socialist Party	574	1.57 %
ProLife Alliance	113	0.31 %
Natural Law Party	55	0.15 %
Others: Liberal Party Witchery Tour Party Civil Rights Movement Braveheart Socialist Party of Great Britain Independent Voice for Scottish Parliament Independent Independent Anti-Corruption, Mobile Home Scandal, Roads (No breakdown available)	620	1.70 %
Lab maj	1,088	2.97 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Labour	Robin Cook	23,510	54.89%
Scottish National Party	Cllr Peter Johnston	11,763	27.46%
Conservative	Hugh Craigie Halkett	4,028	9.40%
Liberal Democrat	Ewan Hawthorn	2,876	6.71%
Referendum	Helen Campbell	444	1.04%
Socialist	Matt Culbert	213	0.50%
Lab hold	Lab majority	11,747	27.43%

Candidates and Constituency Assessments

Livingston (Lothians Region)

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list vote result

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

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