Candidates and Constituency Assessments


saltire shield'I'm delighted that we have turned the tide against the corrupt power of nationalism.'
Scottish Tory MP, Peter Duncan, 8 th June 2001.
Lion Rampant

Dumfries & Galloway

Candidates

Russell Brown MP Russell Brown MP JP labour logo
Labour
The Labour candidate is Russell Brown MP. He was born in 1951 and brought up in Annan where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Before his election, he worked for ICI where he was also a TGWU official. He is also a JP and served as a Labour Councillor on Dumfries & Galloway council from 1986 until 1997 and was leader of the Labour group. Russell Brown won Dumfries from the Tories in 1997 when he increased the Labour vote by a record 17.9 % following the retiral of Sir Hector Munro who had represented the constituency since 1964. In 2001 Mr Brown's majority fell from 9,643 to 8,834 due to a reduced turnout, but he increased his vote by a further 1.4 % in this once Tory stronghold. In 2001, he made a surprise move to stand against Shadow Scottish Secretary Peter Duncan in Dumfries & Galloway, a notional Tory/Labour knife-edge marginal rather than the, on paper, safer Labour seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale. In the event, Mr Brown won Dumfries & Galloway for Labour while Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale was won by Tory MSP David Mundell.

Ministerial Posts:


Recent electoral experience
2005 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries &, Galloway, 20,924 votes (41.12 %) (elected)
2001 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries, 20,830 votes (48.91 %) (elected)
1997 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries, 23,528 votes (47.51%) (elected)
1995 Dumfries & Galloway council election, elected unopposed
1994 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected)
1990 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected)
1986 Dumfries & Galloway Regional council election (elected)
Peter Duncan Cllr Peter Duncan Con logo
Conservative & Unionist
Peter Duncan was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and was brought up in the area. He now lives in Dalbeattie, is married to Lorna, and has two children. He used to have lots of outside interests, but now find that running 'DadŐs taxi' takes most of his limited free time. He is trying hard to hold on to his sporting loves, being Scottish rugby and cricket. Prior to entering Parliament in 2001, he was a business consultant and ran my long established small family textiles business.
Between 2001 and 2005, he was the Member of Parliament for Galloway & Upper Nithsdale constituency, after beating new SNP candidate Malcolm Fleming by 74 votes. During his time there, he had the opportunity to take the concerns of constituents to the floor of Parliament on issues as diverse as the closure of rural post offices to the old age pension; from leading the campaign to save the local regiment to fighting red tape burdens on business. Between 2003 and 2005, he was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and in 2004 he was appointed Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. When parliamentary boundaries changed in 2005, he unsuccessfully contested the new seat of Dumfries & Galloway, but in May 2007 was elected to Dumfries & Galloway Council as councillor for Castle Douglas & Glenkens ward. He was appointed by the council as Chairman of its Resources Committee. Ę

Party positions
2003 - 2005 Shadow Secretry of State for Scotland
2004 - July 2007 - Chariman of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party

Recent electoral experience
2007 Dumfries & Galloway Council election, Castle Douglas & Glenkens, 1560 First preference votes (32.35 %) (elected first of three councillors)
2005 Westminster Parliament election, Dumfries &, Galloway, 18,002 votes (35.37 %) (defeated)
2001 Westminster Parliament election, Galloway & Upper Nithsdale, 12,222 votes (34.03 %) (elected)
Andrew Wood Cllr Andrew Wood SNP logo
Scottish National Party
Andrew joined the SNP in 1996, taking over the convenership of Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency in 1997, South of Scotland Regional convener in 2000, working closely with Alasdair Morgan MSP. He has held a number of posts, serving on the community council, school board, NFUS and Independent farming group. Andrew has reduced his farming commitments and is now a Director and Agricultural Consultant for Scotmas Ltd, concentrating on developing purification of water and microbiological digesters and preservatives within both the UK and International markets. He is a married father of 5 girls 1 boy and enjoys family life and the grandfather status which two grandchildren bring. Andrew is a true supporter of rural pursuits and environmental issues, having petitioned the Scottish Parliament on animal welfare and small business support. He has worked with the Welsh Mountain Shepherds, in lobbying Brussels over SAP payments. In 2003 Andrew contested the Dumfries constituency in the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary election, raising SNP to third position. He was originally selected to contest Dumfries in 2007 but stood down, while remaining as a candidate on the South of Scotland list.

Recent electoral experience
2007 Dumfries & Galloway council election, Mid & Upper Nithsdale (elected)
2007 Scottish Parliament election, Tenth on Scottish National Party South of Scotland list, 77,053 votes (27.88 %)
2005 Westminster election, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, 4,075 votes (9.13 %)
2003 Scottish parliament election, Dumfries, 3,931 votes (12.24 %)
2003 Scottish parliament election, Ninth on SNP South of Scotland list, 48,371 votes (18.37 %)
who Who? liberal logo
Liberal Democrat


Recent electoral experience

Westminster Election, 5 th May 2005

Electorate 74,273 Turnout: 68.52 %
Brian Donohoe MP Russell Brown MP labour logo
Labour
Votes20,924
%41.12 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)+ 8.76 % / + 8.81 %
Peter Duncan MP Peter Duncan MP Con logo
Conservative & Unionist
Votes18,002
%35.37 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)+ 3.29 % / + 5.18 %
Douglas Henderson Douglas Henderson SNP logo
Scottish National Party
Votes6,182
%12.15 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)- 12.94 % / - 14.03 %
Keith Legg Keith Legg liberal logo
Liberal Democrat
Votes4,259
%8.37 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)- 0.48 % / - 1.16 %
Who John Schofield Green logo
Scottish Green Party
Votes745
%1.46 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)(+ 1.46 %) / (+ 1.46 %)
John Dennis John Dennis SSP logo
Scottish Socialist Party
Votes497
%0.98 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)- 0.64 % / - 0.81 %
Who Pastor Mark Smith OCV logo
Operation Christian Vote
Votes282
%0.55 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)(+ 0.55 %) / (+ 0.55 %)
Notional Labour hold labour logo
Labour majority2,922
% majority5.74 %
% change since 2001 (Denver/Baxter figures)- 5.46 % / - 3.61 %

Notional 2001 result

Logo Party Denver
Baxter
Votes % Votes %
Labour logo Labour 16,327 32.36 % 15,851 32.31 %
Scottish Tory logo Conservative & Unionist 16,186 32.08 % 14,811 30.19 %
Scottish National Party logo Scottish National Party 12,660 25.09 % 12,846 26.18 %
Liberal Democrat logo Liberal Democrat 4,465 8.85 % 4,677 9.53 %
Scottish Socialist Party logo Scottish Socialist Party 819 1.62 % 879 1.79 %
Notional Labour win Notional Labour majority 141 0.28 % 1,040 2.13 %


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