Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'Enoch Powell was wrong. Not all political careers end in failure. Some end in the House of Lords.' From Gillian Bowditch's interview with John Home Robertson in the Sunday Times, 12 th November 2006.

East Lothian (South of Scotland Region)

Candidates

	Iain Gray (Not standing on South of Scotland list)
	Labour
	John Home Robertson was expected to stand again but he announced that he would be retiring in November 2006 after it was revealed that he was claiming £7,000 a year from the taxpayer to rent his own son's flat. It is rumoured that Mr Home Robertson has been offered a Life Peeragein exchange for standing down from the Scottish Parliament. His replacement as Labour candidate is ex-Executive Minister Iain Gray, who lost his Edinburgh Pentlands seat to David Mcletchie in 2003. Iain Gray was born in Edinburgh in 1957 and was educated at Inverness Royal Academy, George Watson's college in Edinburgh and Edinburgh University where he graduated with a BSC in Physics, and Moray House where he obtained a certificate in education. From 1978 until 1986 he worked as a physics and mathematics teacher before working as a campaign manager for Oxfam from 1986 until his election in 1999. He was a deputy executive Minister under Donald Dewar and Henry McLeish before promoted by Jack McConnell. In 2003, Labour lost six seats, two of them in Edinburgh, with Gray being the highest ranking casualty. After his defeat, he was appointed as an adviser to the then Scottish Secretary Alistair Darling and became known to former Labour colleagues in Holyrood as "London's man". Ministerial positions 19 May 1999 - 2 November 2000 - Deputy Minister for Health & Community Care 2 November 2000 - 28 November 2001 - Deputy Minister for Justice 28 November 2001 - 9 May 2002 - Minister for Social Justice 9 May 2002 - 01 May 2003 - Minister for Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Recent electoral experience 2003 Scottish parliamentary election, Edinburgh Pentlands, 10,309 votes (30.88 %) (defeated) 1999 Scottish parliamentary election, Edinburgh Pentlands, 14,343 votes (36.22 %) (elected)
	Judy Hayman (Not standing on South of Scotland list)
	Liberal Democrat
	Judy Hayman's date and place of birth are unknown. She has an Honours degree from the University of Nottingham and Postgraduate Education qualifications from London and Edinburgh. She was, for many years, senior teacher of English at Musselburgh Grammar School. She is a former convenor of East Lothian Liberal Democrats, former Convenor of the Scottish Lib Dems, a former spokesperson on Education, Broadcasting & the Arts, and is currently Vice President of the UK Lib Dems. She is a member of MGS School Board, the Board of Theatre Alba/MPR, East Lothian Housing Association, HADAS, RAGES, the John Muir Trust and Musselburgh Tennis Club, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and Charter 88 and a former member of Gifford Community Council. She and her husband Peter have lived at Long Newton, near Gifford for nearly thirty years. They have a son and two daughters, all now married, and four grandchildren. Recent electoral experience 2003 Scottish Parliament election, East Lothian, 5,508 votes (17.65 %) 2003 Westminster Parliament election, East Lothian, 6,506 votes (17.65 %) 1999 Scottish Parliament election, East Lothian, 4,147 votes (11.03 %)
	Andrew Sharp (Also number 7 on South of Scotland list)
	Scottish National Party
	Born in 1955, Andrew Sharp was educated at Glasgow High School and Perth Academy, and has a degree in History from Edinburgh University. Married with 2 daughters, he has been an IT professional for 20 years, and now holds a senior position with one of Scotland's most innovative software companies. His interests include computers, UK and US politics, football, rugby, hillwalking and painting. He states: 'Scotland is a singular nation. We support, and even elect, representatives who see our own country as subordinate to another one. Scottish Labour do what London tells them; the Tories will only form a coalition with Labour; the Lib Dems will only partner Labour. In short, if you vote Labour, Tory, LibDem, you get Jack McConnell'. 'If the people of East Lothian want to overcome the housing deficit (8000 people in the area need houses, according to Labour's own figures); if they want to keep their post offices, get fairer pensions; and have a thriving local economy where each town is seen as an economic driving force, then the only alternative to Jack McConnell is the SNP and Alex Salmond'. 'If they are sick of the illegal wars, the cash for peerages, and want to see regeneration of our local communities, then their only choice is to vote to take control of the government of Scotland; to vote SNP'. 'I would ask the voters of East Lothian to look hard at their MSPs. When figures are announced which state (wrongly) that Scotland is economically incapable of independence, these MSPs gloat and celebrate. One has to ask where their true loyalties lie, that they celebrate their failure, whilst nearly 20% of Scots live in poverty'. Recent electoral experience
	Bill Stevenson (Also number 6 on South of Scotland list)
	Conservative & Unionist
	Bill Stevenson was educated at Leith Academy, Bill has a BA in Accountancy and Finance from Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh. He has lived in Stenton, near Dunbar for the last 15 years. Since 1999 he has been Director of Business Support with SDM Computer Services. Prior to that he was a housing consultant and finance officer with Port of Leith Housing Association. He has been a candidate in City of Edinburgh Council Elections in Fountainbridge, Newhaven and Dean. He was candidate in Falkirk East in 2001 and East Lothian in 2005. He has been Chairman and Treasurer of Edinburgh Central Constituency Association. He is an elder in the Church of Scotland and a past President of Leith Battalion of the Boys Brigade. He is a member of the Management Committee of Lorne Housing Association. Outside of politics his interests are hill walking, theatre and opera. Recent electoral experience. 2005 Westminster election, East Lothian, 7,315 votes (15.98 %) 2001 Westminster election, Falkirk East, 3,252 votes (9.65 %) City of Edinburgh Council Elections in Fountainbridge, Newhaven and Dean

Constituency profile

Assessment:

This assessment is based on the 2003 election results

Rank on Liberal Democrat hit list: 16 (42 in 2003)
Swing required for Liberal Democrat gain: 13.10 % from Labour to Liberal Democrat

Rank on Conservative hit list: 28 (43 in 2003)
Swing required for Conservative gain: 13.18 % from Labour to Conservative

Rank on Scottish National Party hit list: 44 (59 in 2003)
Swing required for Scottish National Party gain: 13.64 % from Labour to Scottish National Party

Correlation to the new Westminster constituencies

The electorate of 59,410 was split between the new Westminster constituencies of:
East Lothian 59,410 (100.0 %)

Local Government wards in the constituency

Previous results

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Electorate 59,227. Turnout 31,204, 52.69 % (- 11.47 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	John Home Robertson MSP	13,683	43.85 %	- 7.29 %
	Liberal Democrat	Judy Hayman	5,508	17.65 %	+ 6.62 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Stuart Thomson	5,459	17.49 %	+ 1.68 %
	Scottish National Party	Tom Roberts	5,174	16.58 %	- 5.44 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Hugh Kerr	1,380	4.42 %	(+ 4.42 %)
	Labour hold	Labour majority	8,175	26.20 %	- 2.93 %

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Electorate 59,227. Turnout 31,235, 52.74 % 198 rejected ballot papers
Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	10,752	34.42 %	- 2.55 %
	Conservative & Unionist	5,605	17.94 %	+ 0.53 %
	Scottish National Party	4,811	15.40 %	- 8.19 %
	Liberal Democrats	4,218	13.50 %	+ 1.68 %
	Scottish Green Party	2,539	8.13 %	+ 3.97 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,381	4.42 %	+ 3.50 %
	Pensioners' Party	998	3.20 %	(+ 3.20 %)
	Socialist Labour Party	539	1.73 %	- 2.43 %
	UK Independence Party	211	0.68 %	(+ 0.68 %)
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	138	0.44 %	(+ 0.44 %)
	Am Partaidh Dhuthchail The Rural Party	43	0.14 %	(+ 0.14 %)
	Labour majority	5,147	16.48 %	+ 3.10 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Constituency Result

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Labour	John Home Robertson MP	19,220	51.14 %	- 1.54 %
	Scottish National Party	Calum Millar	8,274	22.02 %	+ 6.31 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Christine Richards	5,941	15.81 %	- 4.13 %
	Liberal Democrat	Judy Hayman	4,147*	11.03 %	+ 0.50 %
	Labour win	Labour majority	10,946	29.13 %	- 3.61 %

* I am grateful to Cllr David Berry for pointing out that Judy Hayman obtained 4,147 votes rather than 2,147 as reported in several newspapers.

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Logo	Party	Votes	%
	Labour	13,896	36.97 %
	Scottish National Party	8,868	23.59 %
	Conservative & Unionist	6,545	17.41 %
	Liberal Democrats	4,443	11.82 %
	Socialist Labour Party	1,565	4.16 %
	Scottish Green Party	1,506	4.01 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	345	0.92 %
	Liberal Party	232	0.62 %
	UK Independence Party	106	0.28 %
	Natural Law Party	80	0.21 %
	Labour majority	5,028	13.38 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	John Home Robertson	22,881	52.68 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Murdo Fraser	8,660	19.94 %
	Scottish National Party	David McCarthy	6,825	15.71 %
	Liberal Democrat	Alison MacAskill	4,575	10.53 %
	Referendum	Norman Nash	491	1.13%
	Labour win	Labour majority	14,221	32.74 %

Links

• Andrew Sharp (Scottish National Party)
  
  
• Bill Stevenson (Conservative)
  
  
• East Lothian Lib Dems