 | 'Scots drivers and consumers are paying the equivalent of 2.5 p more on the basic rate of income tax as a result of the Government's hike in fuel prices since coming to power.' Robbie Dinwoodie in the Herald, 25 th March 1999. |  |
| 'Scots drivers and consumers are paying the equivalent of 2.5 p more on the basic rate of income tax as a result of the Government's hike in fuel prices since coming to power.' Robbie Dinwoodie in the Herald, 25 th March 1999. | |
 | Roger Mullin |  | Allan Wilson |
 | Phil Gallie |  | Elaine Morris |
In 1983 the Ayr seat saw a major boundary change with 20% of its electors being added from Central Ayrshire. In 1997, the Tory areas of Alloway, Forehil and Holmston in the south of Ayr were transferred to Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley. This boundary change made little difference to Carrick, but turned Ayr from a knife edge Tory-Labour marginal into a Labour seat.
Ayr was held by the Conservatives between 1950 and 1997. In 1963, the Conservative Prime Minister Harold MacMillan resigned and was replaced by the 14 th Earl of Home. As it was unthinkable for a 20 th century Prime Minister to lead the country from the House of Lords, Alec Douglas Home renounced his title and looked for a Commons seat. As a by-election was pending in Kinross and West Perthshire, the Conservative candidate stood aside to allow Home to contest the seat. Sir Alec won Kinross & West Perthshire while the previous candidate, George Younger was rewarded with the safe Tory seat of Ayr at the 1964 General election.
George Younger represented Ayr for 28 years and rose through the Tory ranks as Minister of State for Defence, Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, Secretary of State for Scotland, and became Defence Secretary when Michael Heseltine resigned over the Westland affair. His Ayr seat was a safe one until 1987 when his majority over Labour was slashed from 8,000 to 182. Although Younger was closely identified with 'that bloody woman' as Mrs Thatcher was known to many Scots, his vote held up well and it was, as happened in many seats, the collapse of the Alliance vote which allowed Labour to come so close to unseating him. Sir George retired in 1992 when he became Lord Younger and was appointed Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The Tories chose Phil Gallie to succeed George Younger. The former's abrasive style was in direct contrast to Gentleman George's punctilious courtesy - the only time George Younger lost his temper was on Question Time when a member of the audience asked if he was English.
Labour was expected to make many gains in the 1992 general election, and Ayr was seen as a lost cause for the Tories, especially with George Younger's retiral from politics. However, although Labour's Alastair Osborne increased his party's vote from 39.1% to 40.6%, Phil Gallie's vote also increased - from 39.4% to 40.8% - and Mr Gallie was elected with a razor thin majority of 85 - the smallest in Scotland.
Phil Gallie was a working class Tory who became a Scottish Office Minister in John Major's beleaguered administration. A Thatcherite, he expressed populist opinions on such subjects as defence, hanging, flogging and taxation. He also voted against pay increases for MPs in 1993 and 1996 and against VAT on fuel. The boundary changes for the 1997 general election moved the rock solid Tory area of Alloway to Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley. This will not worry George Foulkes but was disastrous for Phil Gallie as Labour would have won this seat with a majority of almost 2,000 on the new boundaries. With the collapse of the Conservative vote in the Regional, European and Unitary elections, it was always difficult to see how Phil Gallie could hold on to the seat he inherited from George Younger. Labour selected Sandra Osborne from an all woman list. The wife of Alistair Osborne who contested this seat last time around, she became Ayr's first non-Conservative MP in almost 50 years with a majority of 6,543.
None of the Osborne family were interested in contesting Ayr for the Scottish election, so Labour have chosen Allan Wilson, a Unison official and Scottish executive member. As the new Ayr seat would have been Labour even in 1992 and 1987, Wilson is seen as most likely MSP for Ayr unless there is a major swing against Labour.
Phil Gallie is again standing for Ayr. He was narrowly beaten for the leadership of the Scottish Tory party by Mr David McWhatshisname, the biggest nonentity in the entire history of Scottish politics. The big problem for Mr Gallie is that the Tony Blair is pursuing Thatcherite policies with a fervour that was never seen from John Major. Many Conservatives might wonder if there is any point in voting for Phil Gallie when London Labour is around to cut benefits to single parents and the disabled, close hospitals, dismantle the education system, and give massive pay increases and tax cuts to the rich. Although Phil Gallie is unlikely to retake Ayr, he leads the Tory list in South of Scotland and should make it to Holyrood as a regional MP. McWhatshisname has been a severe embarrassment to the Scottish Tories and they are expected to put him out of his misery as soon as it is humanely possible. When they do, Gallie could become Scottish Tory leader although Annabel Goldie, McWhatshisname's deputy, may well put a spoke in his wheel.
The SNP have been doing some candidate swapping. In 1992, their candidate was Barbara Mullin who took 10.9 % of the vote while in the 1997 general election, their candidate was Ian Blackford who obtained 12.6 % - both credible performances in this intense Labour-Tory marginal where the SNP had taken only 4.9 % of the vote in 1983. In the 1997 Paisley South by-election which followed the tragic death of Gordon McMaster, Ian Blackford went on to slash Labour's majority from 12,500 for Mr McMaster to 2,731 for Invisible Man Douglas Alexander.
The SNP's candidate for the Scottish election is Roger Mullin who is a veteran of five previous contests. He contested Ayrshire South in February and October 1974, Kirkcaldy in 1987, and Paisley North in the 1990 by-election (obtaining a 14 % swing against Labour) and the 1992 general election.
| 1950 - 1997 | Conservative |
| 1997 - | Labour |
| Logo | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Sandra Osborne | 21,679 | 48.44% |
| Conservative | Phil Gallie | 15,136 | 33.82% |
| Scottish National Party | Ian Blackford | 5,625 | 12.57% |
| Liberal Democrat | Clare Hamblen | 2,116 | 4.73% |
 | Referendum | John Enos | 200 | 0.45% |
| Lab gain from Con (Notional Lab hold) | Lab majority | 6,543 | 14.62% |
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