Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'If the Prime Minister is so keen on the Union, shouldn't he be flying the Union flag above Downing Street? If it was good enough for Harold Wilson in 1966, why not for Blair?' Iain Macwhirter in the Sunday Herald, 11 th June 2006.

Airdrie & Shotts (Central Scotland Region)

Candidates

	Melville (Mev) Brown (Also number 1 on Central Scotland list)
	NHSFirst Party
	Ex-Tory Mev Brown is standing for the NHSFirst Party. It is one of the UK's youngest political party, having been registered on 7 th April 2006. Mev moved from St Andrews to Edinburgh in 1980 and joined Ferranti Defence Systems (now BAe Systems) after graduating from Napier University with a Diploma in Computer Science. He then worked for many years as a recruitment consultant (specialising in international recruitment) for a number of local agencies. Currently he is a project worker working at the Cowgate Centre, a drop-in day centre and crisis night shelter for the homeless. In his spare time he is a Paratrooper with the Territorial Army's Parachute Medical Squadron. Mev joined the Tory Party in 2004 and stood in Edinburgh East in 2005, coming fourth. He became disillusioned with the Scottish Tories and resigned, standing in the Livingston by-election in 2005 as an Independent, coming eighth out of a field of ten candidates. At the 2006 Moray by-election he stood for a new party, NHS first, coming fifth out of five candidates. Recent electoral experience As an NHS First candidate: 2006 Scottish Parliament by-election, Moray, 493 votes (1.80 %) As an Independent candidate: 2005 Westminster Parliament by-election, Livingston, 55 votes (0.19 %) As a Conservative candidate: 2005 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh East, 4,093 votes (10.3 %)
	Cllr Sophia Coyle (Not standing on the Central Scotland list)
	Scottish National Party (Save Monklands Hospital)
	Sophia Coyle has been the Cllr for New Monkland West since 2003 following the retiral of Sandra Cox. She is a member of the following council committees: Licensing Board, Policy & Resources (Personnel), Strategy & Policy Implementation, Community Services, Community Services (Community Development), Airdrie Area Committee, Planning & Environment (Protective Services), Social Work and Social Work (Planning & Administration) Commenting on the threatened Monklands' A&E department in Airdrie, Cllr Coyle said: "The medical and financial assumptions which form the basis for the downgrading are highly suspect and in some instances do not stand up to detailed scrutiny as these figures show 1. I have good reason from personal experience on the need to retain A&E services at Monklands and believe it is vital all the people of Lanarkshire have direct access to their A&E services. "To achieve that we must keep Monklands and all of Lanarkshire's A&E services open and only the SNP is offering that option." (1 It costs £56 per head to treat an attendance at Monklands compared to £72 and £70 for Wishaw and Hairmyres respectively. Previously released figures also showed that Wishaw A&E is already working at more than 20-per cent over capacity). Recent electoral experience 2003 North Lanarkshire Council election, New Monkland West, 724 votes (54.15 %) (elected)
	Cllr Robert Gorrie (Not standing on Central Scotland list)
	Liberal Democrat
	Robert Gorrie was originally seventh on the regional list. He remains the candidate for Airdrie & Shotts constituency. He is the son of Donald Gorrie, the Lib Dem MP for Edinburgh West from 1997 to 2001 and MSP for Central Scotland from 199) to 2007. Recent electoral experience 2006 London Borough Council elections, Haringey, Hornsey, 1,388 votes (15.22 %) (elected)
	Iain McGill (Also number 7 on Central Scotland list)
	Conservative & Unionist
	Iain McGill is 30 years old and is currently director of the Harmony Employment Agency. On leaving school Iain joined Royal Mail as a postman. After this Iain worked as an aid worker overseas, in Albania, Brasil, Zimbabwe, Zambi, Malawi & Mozambique. On his return he spent 6 years working with the homeless in Edinburgh before starting his own business in July 2005. Iain has stood in council elections & was Westminster candidate in Midlothian at the last general election, always increasing the Conservative vote. Iain is a member of his local Church, player/manager of an amateur football team, runs marathons & referees. He recently refereed the Homeless World Cup Final in Cape Town, SA. Iain is convenor of the licensing commitee of his local community council, is vice chair of the South East Sports Facilities Project, who are actively trying to improve football facilities for youth & amateur players across Scotland, and is on the steering group of Hoveraid & the Technical Comitee of the Homeless World Cup. Iain sits on the management comitee of "The Yard" adventure playground for children & young people with additional support needs Iain's motiviations are to make a real difference for the vulnerable in society, and having worked for 10 years supporting people feels that massive positive changes in societys most vulnerable peoples lives can only be made from Government. This, added to Iain's strong belief in the Union being of benifit to the whole of the UK and his desire to see smaller Government with less state interference and lower taxes led Iain to join the Conservative party and campaign on their behalf. Recent electoral experience. 2005 Westminster election, Midlothian, 3,537 votes (9.38 %)
	Karen Whitefield MSP (Not standing on Central Scotland list)
	Labour
	Karen Whitefield was born in 1970 in Bellshill and educated at Calderhead High School in Shotts and Glasgow Caledonian University where she graduated with a BA(Hons) in Public Administration and management. She worked as a civil servant in North Lanarkshire in 1992 before becoming PA to the late Rachel Squire, MP for Dunfermline West between 1992 and her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999. She is single, a member of the Church of Scotland and of Amicus and the USDAW. She is currently Convener of the Communities Committee. Ministerial Posts: None Recent electoral experience 2003 Scottish Parliament election Airdrie & Shotts, 14,209 votes (56.64 %) (elected) 1999 Scottish Parliament election Airdrie & Shotts, 18,338 votes (55.21 %) (elected)

Constituency profile

Assessment:

This assessment is based on the 2003 election results

Rank on Scottish National Party hit list: 59 (56 in 2003)
Swing required for Scottish National Party gain: 17.89 % from Labour to Scottish National Party

Rank on Conservative hit list: 67 (64 in 2003)
Swing required for Conservative gain: 23.94 % from Labour to Conservative

Rank on Liberal Democrat hit list: 57 (54 in 2003)
Swing required for Liberal Democrat gain: 25.64 % from Labour to Liberal Democrat

Correlation to the new Westminster constituencies

The electorate of 58,476 was split between the new Westminster constituencies of:
Airdrie & Shotts: 55,519 (94.9 %)
Motherwell & Wishaw: 2,959 (5.1 %)

Local Government wards in the constituency

Previous results

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Electorate 56,680. Turnout 25,086, 46.26 % (- 12.53 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Karen Whitefield MSP	14,209	56.64 %	+ 1.43 %
	Scottish National Party	Gil Paterson MSP	5,232	20.86 %	- 7.30 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Alan Melville	2,203	8.76 %	- 0.81 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Fraser Coates	2,096	8.36 %	(+ 8.36 %)
	Liberal Democrat	Kevin Lang	1,346	5.37 %	- 1.69 %
	Labour hold	Labour majority	8,977	35.78 %	+ 8.73 %

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Electorate 56,680. Turnout 25,081, 44.25 % 217 rejected papers
Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	11,279	44.97 %	- 1.62 %
	Scottish National Party	4,377	17.45 %	- 8.73 %
	Conservative & Unionist Party	2,197	8.76 %	+ 0.17 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,928	7.69 %	+ 4.77 %
	Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party	1,743	6.95 %	(+ 6.95 %)
	Liberal Democrats	1,444	5.76 %	- 0.21 %
	Scottish Green Party	874	3.48 %	+ 1.94 %
	Scottish Unionist Party	540	2.15 %	- 0.25 %
	Socialist Labour Party	391	1.56 %	- 1.36 %
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	113	0.45 %	(+ 0.45 %)
	UK Independence Party	107	0.43 %	(+ 0.43 %)
	Mary Anderson (Independent)	88	0.35 %
	Labour majority	6,902	27.52 %	+ 7.11 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	Karen Whitefield	18,338	55.21 %	- 6.61 %
	Scottish National Party	Gil Paterson	9,353	28.16 %	+ 3.76 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Patrick Ross-Taylor	3,177	9.57 %	+ 0.68 %
	Liberal Democrat	Rev. David Miller	2,345	7.06 %	+ 2.89 %
	Labour win	Labour majority	8,985	27.05 %	- 10.37 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Logo	Party	Votes	%
	Labour	15,426	46.59 %
	Scottish National Party	8,668	26.18 %
	Conservative & Unionist Party	2,844	8.59 %
	Liberal Democrats	1,978	5.97 %
	Socialist Labour Party	967	2.92 %
	Member of Parliament for Falkirk West	958	2.89 %
	Scottish Unionist Party	793	2.40 %
	Scottish Green Party	509	1.54 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	488	1.47 %
	ProLife Alliance	306	0.92 %
	Natural Law Party	71	0.21 %
	Others: Scottish Families & Pensioners Party Independent Progressive (Breakdown not available)	171	0.52 %
	Labour majority	6,758	20.41 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Helen Liddell	25,460	61.82 %
	Scottish National Party	Cllr Keith Robertson	10,048	24.40 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Dr Nicholas Brook	3,660	8.89 %
	Liberal Democrat	Richard Wolsely	1,719	4.17 %
	Referendum	Crawford Semple	294	0.71 %
	Labour hold	Labour majority	15,412	37.42 %

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