Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Following in the tradition of Cromwell in 1653 and L. Amery to Neville Chamberlain in May 1940, the electorate of Orkney have sent a clear message to Jim Wallace: "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!".' Scottish Politics, May 2003

Orkney (Highlands & Islands Region)

New constituency created in 1999

Candidates

	Helen Gardiner (Also number 3 on Highlands & Islands list)
	Conservative & Unionist
	Helen Gardiner believes she is the first female candidate put forward by any of the mainstream parties in an Orkney election. (Winnie Ewing stood for Orkney & Shetland at the 1983 Westminster election). Helen was brought up in the Highlands and undertook her honours law degree at Edinburgh University, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice at Glasgow University. She is a Scottish qualified lawyer who ran her own law practice as senior partner in Shetland throughout most of her twenties and early thirties. Since then she has been an international lawyer, seconded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to various countries aiming to join the EU. Commenting on her selection, Helen said: "I am new to politics in the sense that I've never run for a seat before. However I'm not new to the issues. It's the issues that brought me back to the Conservative Party at this time. I am very excited about the way David Cameron is steering the Conservative party back to a position of power. I want to play a part in that." Helen has a strong background in health related matters, having been one of the youngest ever appointed non executive directors of her local NHS board, then in Shetland. She was also instrumental in bringing about new drugs misuse services, was a Safeguarder to the Children's Panel and a Curator ad Litem in Sheriff Court matters relating to children. She is a keen follower of issues relating to island life including farming, fishing, tourism and transport. Helen added: "I look forward to speaking to people in Orkney between now and May and hearing about what's important for them. I want to persuade people to look again at what the Conservative Party has to offer. We've been on the side lines too long and it's time we reconnected with people. I want to be given an opportunity to put across our policies - devolving power from central government to local communities, providing better health care, education and housing, encouraging economic growth, and I am looking forward to the campaign. Helen is a keen skier and spends her free time learning to sail. Recent electoral experience
	Barrie Johnson (Not standing on Highlands & Islands list)
	Independent
	Recent electoral experience.
	Iain MacDonald (Not standing on Highlands & Islands list)
	Labour
	Iain MacDonald stood as a Labour list candidate in 2003. Recent electoral experience 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Sixth on Labour Highlands & Islands list, 37,605 votes (22.30 votes)
	Liam McArthur (Not standing on Highlands & Islands list)
	Liberal Democrat
	Liam McArthur is 38 years old and was brought up on the island of Sanday. He was appointed by Jim Wallace, first as a parliamentary assistant at Westminster and then as a Special Advisor to the Deputy First Minister. After his selection he commented: "I am delighted to have been selected to fight the Orkney seat for the Liberal Democrats in 2007. Having been brought up here, this is the only seat that I have ever sought to contest. If I am elected, my first priority will be to promote Orkney's interests in the Scottish Parliament. I take nothing for granted and shall be spending as much time as possible in Orkney between now and the election campaigning with Jim Wallace, Alistair Carmichael and the local Liberal Democrats to ensure that we hold this seat." Recent electoral experience
	John Mowat (Not standing on Highlands & Islands list)
	Scottish National Party
	John Mowat was born on the 3rd January 1945 in John O'Groats on the shores of the Pentland Firth, where his father was a crofter and inshore fisherman. He attended the now closed John o' Groats Primary School and Wick High School. After graduating with an Honours Degree in Chemistry from Edinburgh University, he trained as a teacher at Northern College, Aberdeen. He taught Chemistry and Physics at Wick High School for four years. He has been principle Teacher of Chemistry at Kirkwall Grammar School since 1972. He has served on a number of committees and panels in education, both inside and outside Orkney. Since joining the SNP in 1974, John has played a prominent role in politics in Orkney as SNP Convenor, Winnie Ewing's agent for Europe in Orkney over twenty years and SNP Election Agent for the 1997 General Election. He actively supported the YES YES Referendum Campaign for a Scottish Parliament in 1997. He favours more autonomy for Orkney and other island groups. He stood as SNP candidate for Orkney in 1999 and 2003 and for Orkney & Shetland at the 2001 and 2005 Westminster elections. John is actively involved in a number of comminity, sporting, cultural and social groups. He is local treasurer of the Educational Institute of Scotland, secretary of Orkney Sports Development Group, treasurer of Kirkwall Kayak Club, vice-chair of Orkney Norway Friendship Association, and an outdoor activities educational leader. John is married to Rosemary and has three children. Ian, 37, is a systems analyst in the information technology industry, Mary, 33, is an ocean scientist, Alice 23, was a psychology student at Edinburgh University. Recent electoral experience 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Orkney & Shetland, 1,833 votes (10.33 %) 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Orkney, 1,056 votes (13.19 %) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Orkney & Shetland, 2,473 votes (14.78 %) 1999 Scottish Parliament election, Orkney, 917 votes (10.28 %)

Constituency profile

Assessment:

This assessment is based on the 2003 election results

Rank on Conservative hit list: 22 (72 in 2003)
Swing required for Conservative gain: 10.97 % from Liberal Democrat to Conservative Rank on Scottish National Party hit list: 55 (66 in 2003)
Swing required for Scottish National Party gain: 16.26 % from Liberal Democrat to Scottish National Party Rank on Labour hit list: 26 (21 in 2003)
Swing required for Labour gain: 19.92 % from Liberal Democrat to Labour

Correlation to the new Westminster constituencies

At Westminster, Orkney & Shetland form a single constituency. The combined electorate was 32,181 in 2001.

Local Government wards in the constituency

Previous results

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Electorate 15,487. Turnout 8,004, 51.68 % (- 5.28 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrat	Rt Hon Jim Wallace QC MSP	3,659	45.71 %	- 21.68 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Christopher Zawadski	1,904	23.79 %	+ 8.19 %
	Scottish National Party	John Mowat	1,056	13.19 %	+ 2.91 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	John Aberdein	914	11.42 %	(+ 11.42 %)
	Labour	Richard Meade	471	5.88 %	- 0.85 %
	Liberal Democrat hold	Liberal Democrat majority	1,755	21.93 %	- 29.86 %

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Electorate 15,487. Turnout 8,064, 52.07 % 96 rejected ballot papers
Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrats	2,358	29.59 %	- 13.25 %
	Conservative & Unionist Party	1,637	20.54 %	+ 2.70 %
	Scottish National Party	1,115	13.99 %	- 2.16 %
	Labour	847	10.63 %	- 3.03 %
	Scottish Green Party	800	10.04 %	+ 5.46 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	741	9.30 %	+ 8.34 %
	Robbie the Pict	142	1.78 %	+ 1.11 %
	The Countryside Party	94	1.18 %	(+ 1.18 %)
	UK Independence Party	71	0.89 %	(+ 0.89 %)
	Socialist Labour Party	53	0.67 %	- 0.22 %
	Protect Rural Scotland	49	0.61 %	(+ 0.61 %)
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	28	0.35 %	(+ 0.35 %)
	Arthur Robertson	27	0.34 %	+ 0.10 %
	The Rural Party	6	0.08 %	(+0.08 %)
	Liberal Democrat majority	721	9.05 %	- 15.95 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrat	James Wallace MP	6,010	67.39 %	(+ 15.40 %)
	Conservative ∓ Unionist	Christopher Zawadski	1,391	15.60 %	(+ 3.37 %)
	Scottish National Party	John Mowat	917	10.28 %	(- 2.42 %)
	Labour	Angus Macleod	600	6.73 %)	(- 11.54 %)
	Liberal Democrat win	Liberal Democrat majority	4,619	51.79 %	(+ 18.07 %)

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list result result

Logo	Party	Votes	%
	Liberal Democrats	3,801	42.84 %
	Conservative & Unionist Party	1,583	17.84 %
	Scottish National Party	1,433	16.15 %
	Labour	1,212	13.66 %
	Scottish Green Party	406	4.58 %
	Highlands & Islands Alliance	98	1.10 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	85	0.96 %
	Socialist Labour Party	79	0.89 %
	Scottish People's Mission	59	0.67 %
	Sir Iain Noble	53	0.60 %
	Natural Law Party	25	0.28 %
	Arthur Robertson	21	0.24 %
	International Independent	17	0.19 %
	Liberal Democrat majority	2,218	25.00 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election - Orkney & Shetland

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal Democrat	Jim Wallace	10,743	51.99 %
	Labour	James Paton	3,775	18.27 %
	Scottish National Party	Willie Ross	2,624	12.70 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Hope Vere Anderson	2,527	12.23 %
	Referendum	Francis Adamson	820	3.97 %
	Natural Law	Christian Wharton	116	0.56 %
	Independent	Arthur Robertson	60	0.29 %
	Liberal Democrat hold	Liberal Democrat majority	6,968	33.72 %

Links

• Orkney Tories