SNP Leadership contest 2004

'The campaign provided adrenaline to the Nationalists' neuro-system. It was a stimulating experience for contenders and activists and renewed interest in the party.' Fergus Ewing MSP, 2 nd September 2004.

The candidates for deputy

From the Herald, 3 rd September 2004

NICOLA STURGEON
A week ago, when the turnout was down at around 40%, there were nerves in Team Sturgeon, but now that it has doubled there is a confidence that the "dream team" slate of Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon looks assured.

"The campaign has been cathartic and good for the party," she says. "Alex and I have made clear that if we win there will be a clean slate and no grudges. You cannot overestimate the importance of such a massive turnout on an election conducted under one-member-one-vote. I would intend to lead as a first among equals."

On Margo MacDonald, she said the ex-SNP stalwart was free to knock on an "open door".

On Michael Russell, she said: "Mike's an immense talent who will always have a role to play."

FERGUS EWING THE dynastic challenger had his campaigning curtailed latterly by his wife's illness. He was a doughty campaigner on the hustings. He tried, not with complete success, to reinvent himself as a bit of a leftie to fit in with the current party ethos, but he was not fooling anyone, and certainly not himself.

Mr Ewing is centre-right, absolutely not centre-left, and everyone already knows it, which is why he would be a misfit as deputy running the show at Holyrood.

"The campaign provided adrenaline to the Nationalists' neuro-system. It was a stimulating experience for contenders and activists and renewed interest in the party," he said. "There should be a political amnesty akin to weapons being handed in after a conflict."

CHRISTINE GRAHAME

FEISTY victor of the campaign trail, she entered only at the eleventh hour, citing ageist comments by Nicola Sturgeon.

An undoubted hit among the party faithful at hustings, she also proclaimed that she would take orders from no-one who was not an MSP Ð a jibe directed at Alex Salmond.

She is a clever operator when calm, impressive when aroused. Were she to defy the odds to become deputy national convener, and Holyrood leader, question time would be awesome. In fact, maybe they ought to let her loose on Labour's front bench anyway. This is a woman whose anger should be pointed in the right direction. She says: "You can't have proper debates without being robust. We needed that Ð nothing behind backs, everything up front."