Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'It is at times like these that you realise that the people in charge don't have a clue. Whether they are in the Bank of England, Number 10 or the Treasury, they are simply moving mechanically from one panic reaction to the next.' Iain Macwhirter in the Sunday Herald, 8 th February 2009.

Edinburgh South West

Candidates

	Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
	Labour
	The Labour candidate is the Rt Hon Alistair Darling, current Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was born in London in 1953 and was educated at Loretto School in Musselburgh and Aberdeen University. He worked as a solicitor and an advocate and was also a member of Lothian Regional Council from 1982 until his election in 1987, when he won Edinburgh Central seat from Tory, Sir Alex Fletcher. Darling's great uncle was Sir William Young Darling, the Tory MP for Edinburgh South from 1945 until his retiral in 1957. Alistair Darling was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a cabinet post, upon Labour's return to power in May 1997, with his beard being sacrificed to New Labour image requirements. In July 1998 he became Secretary of State for Social Security (Work & Pensions) and in May 2002 became Secretary of State for Transport. He also became, almost as an afterthought, Secretary of State for Scotland on the 13 th June 2003, just one day after Tony Blair had abolished the post. Alistair Darling's Central constituency was abolished in the last round of boundary changes. As expected, Edinburgh Pentlands MP, Dr Lynda Clark QC, decided to step down to allow the then Transport Secretary to stand in the new Edinburgh South West seat, a third of wehich came from the old Edinburgh Central. When Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister, darling was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer and almost immediately had to deal with scandals concerning Northern Rock and the loss of the personal information, including bank account details of over 25 million people. Ministerial Posts: Chief Secretary to the Treasury, May 1997 - July 1998 Secretary of State for Social Security, July 1998 - June 2001 Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, June 2001 - May 2002 Secretary of State for Transport, May 2002 - May 2006 Secretary of State for Scotland, June 2005 - May 2006 Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, May 2006 - June 2007 Chancellor of the Exchequer, June 2007 - Recent electoral experience 2005 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh South West, 17,476 votes (39.79 %) (elected) 2001 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh Central, 14,495 votes (42.15 %) (elected) 1997 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh Central, 20,125 votes (47.09 %) (elected) 1992 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh Central, 15,189 votes (38.79 %) (elected) 1987 Westminster Parliament election, Edinburgh Central, 16,502 votes (40.18 %) (elected) 1986 Lothian Regional Council election, (elected) 1982 Lothian Regional Council election, Haymarket/Tollcross 1,753 votes (39.30 %) (elected)
	Cllr David Potts
	Conservative & Unionist
	David Potts was born in 1982, in Jarrow and has been a Tory Party activist since he was 14. In 2004, at the age of 21, he was elected to South Tyneside Council taking a seat from the Liberal Democrats. David currently splits his time between his political duties in Jarrow and Falkirk, and his university life in Cambridge, where he is in the third year of his degree and is a past chairman of Cambridge Conservative Future. He is also an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve and takes a keen interest in defence and national security issues. Outside of politics, David loves to play cricket and rugby. He also enjoys reading and has an eclectic taste in music. On the 9 th September 2007, the Evening News reported that Tory activists in Edinburgh South-West had passed a motion of no confidence in David Potts, and had written to Scottish Conservative headquarters asking for him to be removed as their candidate following allegations that Cllr Potts "was not spending enough time in the constituency to mount an effective campaign." On the 11 the September 2008, David Potts resigned from the Edinburgh South-West Conservative Association. Recent electoral experience. 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Kirkcaldy, 2,202 votes (9.10 %) 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Seventh on Tory Mid Scotland & Fife list, 44,341 votes (16.24 %) 2005 Westminster election, Falkirk, 4,538 votes (9.92 %) 2004 South Tynside Council election, Cleadon & East Boldon, 1,500 votes (One of three Tories elected for the ward)
	Who?
	Liberal Democrat
	Recent electoral experience
	Who?
	Scottish National Party
	Recent electoral experience

Notional 2001 result

Logo	Party	Denver			Baxter
		Votes	%		Votes	%
	Labour	19,707	44.40 %		19,038	43.98 %
	Conservative & Unionist	11,756	26.49 %		11,352	26.22 %
	Scottish National Party	5,932	13.37 %		5,910	13.65 %
	Liberal Democrat	5,179	11.67 %		5,052	11.67 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,009	2.27 %		1,122	2.59 %
	Others	799	1.80 %		814	1.88 %
Notional Labour win	Notional Labour majority	7,951	17.91 %		7,686	17.76 %