 | 'One day you're up, the next you're down. I'm not clear if we're in a four-year war, because Jack might change tack again. I was going to say Jack's a pragmatist, but that's to impute to Jack a degree of sophistication.' Charlie Gordon, Labour leader of Glasgow City Council, now MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, on First Minister Jack McConnell, 9 th November 2003. |  |
Twelve MSPs have announced that they will not be standing in 2007:
The ex-Tory leader David McLetchie and Independent MSP, Dr Jean Turner were believed to be considering standing down but both have confirmed that they will stand again in May 2007.
Labour's Maureen MacMillan, who has been MSP for Highlands & Islands since 1999 initially announced that she would be retiring but then accepted to contest the Ross, Skye & Inverness seat as Labour had been unable to find a candidate.
In 2006, the SSP's Frances Curran expressed a wish to retire for personal reasons. She is standing again, but at fourth place on the SSP's West of Scotland list.
Five MSPs who were elected or re-elected in May 2003 are no longer members of the parliament. These are:
| MSP | Dennis Canavan MSP |  |
|---|---|---|
| Party | Independent | |
| Constituency | Independent MSP for Falkirk West 1999 - | |
| Positions | ||
| Career in other parliaments and councils | Labour Stirling District Cllr 1973 - 1974 Leader of Stirling District Council 1974 Labour MP for West Stirlingshire October 1974 - 1983 Labour MP for Falkirk West 1983 - 26 th March 1999 Independent MP for Falkirk West 26 th March 1999 - 21 st November 2000 | |
| MSP | Susan Deacon MSP |  |
| Party | Labour | |
| Constituency | Edinburgh East &Musselburgh, 1999 - | |
| Positions | May 1999 - November 2001 Minister for Health & Community Care | |
| Career in other parliaments | ||
| MSP | Rt Hon Lord Selkirk of Douglas MSP (previously Lord James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, later 11 th Earl of Selkirk (renounced title)) |  |
| Party | Conservative & Unionist | |
| Constituency | Lothians, 1999 - | |
| Positions | Tory Chief Whip & Business Manager 1999 - 2003 Tory Education spokesman 2003 - | |
| Career in other parliaments & Councils | Edinburgh Cllr (Murrayfield-Crammond) 1972 - 1974 Edinburgh Distrcir Cllr (Murrayfield) 1974 MP for Edinburgh West, October 1974 - 1997 Junior Whip 4 th May 1979 - 14 th September 1981 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland 11 th June 1987 - 5 th July 1995 Minister of State for Scotland 5 th July 1995 - 1 st May 1997 | |
| MSP | Donald Gorrie MSP |  |
| Party | Liberal Democrat | |
| Constituency | Central Scotland, 1999 - | |
| Positions | ||
| Career in other parliaments & councils | MP for Edinburgh West 1997 - 2001 Edinburgh City Councillor 1995 - 1997 Edinburgh District Councillor 1980 - 1996 Lothian Regional Councillor 1974 - 1996 Edinburgh City Councillor 1971 - 1974 | |
| MSP | John Home Robertson MSP |  |
| Party | Labour | |
| Constituency | East Lothian, 1999 - | |
| Positions | May 1999 - October 2000 - Deputy Minister for Fisheries & Land Reform | |
| Career in other parliaments & councils | MP for Berwickshire & East Lothian, 1978 (by)- 1983 MP for East Lothian 1983 - 2001 Berwickshire District Councillor 1974 - 1978 | |
| MSP | Janis Hughes MSP |  |
| Party | Labour | |
| Constituency | Glasgow Rutherglen, 1999 - | |
| Positions | Deputy Convenor of Health Committee | |
| Career in other parliaments | ||
| MSP | Phil Gallie MSP |  |
| Party | Conservative & Unionist | |
| Constituency | South of Scotland, 1999 - | |
| Positions | Tory Home Affairs spokesman 1999 - 2003 Tory Constitutional Affairs & Europe spokesman 2003 - | |
| Career in other parliaments and councils | MP for Ayr, 1992 - 1997 | |
| MSP | Kate Maclean MSP |  |
| Party | Labour | |
| Constituency | Dundee West, 1999 - | |
| Positions | None | |
| Career in other parliaments | Dundee District Councillor 1988 - 1996 Dundee City Councillor 1995 - 1999 Leader of Dundee Council 1992 to 1996 Leader of Dundee City Council 1995 -1999 Vice-president of CoSLA 1996 - 1999 | |
| MSP | Bruce McFee MSP |  |
| Party | Scottish National Party | |
| Constituency | West of Scotland, 2003 - | |
| Positions | SNP Deputy Whip September 2004 - | |
| Career in other parliaments and councils |
Renfrew District Councillor 1988 - 1996 Renfrewshire Councillor 1995 - 2003 | |
| MSP | Brian Monteith MSP |  |
| Party | Independent | |
| Constituency | Tory MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife, 1999 - 4 th November 2005 Independent MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife, 4 th November 2005 - | |
| Positions | Tory Education, Arts, Culture & Sport spokesman 1999 - 2003 Tory Finance spokesman 2003 - July 2005 | |
| Career in other parliaments | ||
| MSP | Rt Hon George Reid MSP |  |
| Party | Independent | |
| Constituency |
SNP MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife 1999 - 2003 SNP MSP for Ochil 1 st May - 8 th May 2003 Independent MSP for Ochil 8 th May 2003 - | |
| Positions | Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament 12 th May 1999 - 8 th May 2003 Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament 8 th May 2003 - | |
| Career in other parliaments and councils |
SNP MP for Clackmannan & East Stirlingshire February 1974 - 1979 Member of the Assembly of the Council of Europe 1974 - 1979 | |
| MSP | Rt Hon James Wallace QC MSP |  |
| Party | Liberal Democrat | |
| Constituency | Orkney, 1999 - | |
| Positions | Deputy First Minister May 1999 - June 2005 | |
| Career in other parliaments | MP for Orkney & Shetland 1983 - 2001 Lib Dem Chief Whip 1987 - 1992 Scot Lib Dem leader 1992 - 2005 | |
| MSP | Margaret Ewing MSP (previously Margaret Bain) |  |
|---|---|---|
| Party | Scottish National Party | |
| Constituency | Moray, 1999 - 21 st March 2006 | |
| Positions | SNP Parliamentary Group Convener May 1999 - April 2003 | |
| Career in other parliaments |
MP for Dunbartonshire East October 1974 - 1979 MP for Moray 1987 - 2001 SNP Deputy Leader 1983 - 1987 SNP Westminster Group Leader 1987 - 1999 | |
| MSP | David Mundell MSP |  |
| Party | Conservative & Unionist | |
| Constituency | South of Scotland, 1999 - 17 June 2005 | |
| Positions | Tory Deputy Education spokesman 1999 - 2003 Tory IT, Telecommunications & Transport spokesman 2003 - June 2005 | |
| Career in other parliaments | MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale, 2005 - Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland 8 th December 2005 - | |
| MSP | Dr Keith Raffan MSP |  |
| Party | Liberal Democrat | |
| Constituency | Mid Scotland & Fife, 1999 - 7 th January 2005 | |
| Positions | ||
| Career in other parliaments | Tory MP for Delyn (Wales) 1983 - 1992 | |
| MSP | Mary Scanlon MSP |  |
| Party | Conservative & Unionist | |
| Constituency | Highlands & Islands, 1999 - 7 th April 2003 | |
| Positions | Tory Health & Social Work spokesman 1999 - 2003 Tory Communities spokesman 2003 - 7 th April 2006 | |
| Career in other parliaments | ||
| MSP | Lord Watson of Invergowrie MSP (Mike Watson) |  |
| Party | Labour | |
| Constituency | Glasgow Cathcart, 1999 - 5 th September 2005 | |
| Positions | Minister for Tourism, Culture & Sport November 2001 - April 2003 | |
| Career in other parliaments | MP for Glasgow Central 16 th June 1989 (by-election) - 1997 Member of House of Lords (Life Peer) 6 th November 1997 - | |
DONALD Dewar's spin doctor, a former ministerial special adviser and a defeated SNP MP are all likely to become MSPs after the 2007 Holyrood elections, it emerged last night.
The main parties have already begun selecting candidates for what will be the most keenly fought election in Scotland for years and, as usual, many bitter battles are taking place now as rivals try to secure their party's nominations for the choicest seats.
David Whitton, who used to be Mr Dewar's press spokesman, is expected to be selected as the Labour candidate for the key constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden.
This should be a safe Labour seat, but it was won by Jean Turner, the independent hospital campaigner, in 2003. Dr Turner is unlikely to stand this time, giving Mr Whitton a clear run at what should be an easy victory.
Mr Whitton, like all potential candidates, refused to comment on his chances before the selection has been made.
Another safe Labour seat is Glasgow Rutherglen where Janis Hughes, the sitting MSP, is standing down. The selection has not yet been made there, but local activists expect James Kelly, who has been the agent for Labour MP Tommy McAvoy, to win through.
The decision by Jim Wallace, the former deputy first minister, to stand down as the MSP for Orkney will give his successor the nearest thing to a safe Liberal Democrat seat, and the smart money in that party is on Liam MacArthur, who knows his way round Holyrood having been a special adviser for Mr Wallace in the Executive.
Donald Gorrie, a Liberal Democrat MSP for Central, is also expected to retire at the next election and his departure may pave the way for Hugh O'Donnell, a local activist, to step up to the parliament.
In the SNP, the keenest contest is to replace Margaret Ewing, who is standing down as the MSP for Moray. Annabelle Ewing, Margaret's sister-in-law and the former SNP MP for Perth, is favourite to take the nomination, but she faces a strong challenge from Richard Lochhead, who has been a list MSP from the North-east for six years, and Alasdair Allan, the SNP national secretary.
For the Tories, David McLetchie, the former leader, has been chosen as the candidate in Edinburgh Pentlands, which he won in 2003. But many in the party expect him to stand down from the candidacy following his resignation as party leader over his taxi expenses. This would open the way for a new candidate in what is one of the Tories' most favourable seats. Gavin Scott is highly regarded locally and is a possible successor.
Labour will only allow candidates who are not standing in constituencies to go forward for the regional lists. This might make some MSPs vulnerable, particularly Peter Peacock, the education minister, who was elected on the Highlands and Islands list in 2003.
He may face a challenge from David Stewart, the former Labour MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, who lost his seat in Westminster in May and is considering standing for Holyrood.
ALEX SALMOND'S leadership of the Scottish National Party was dealt a blow last night after one of his MSPs revealed he was leaving Holyrood, claiming the Nationalists were sidelining the policy of independence.
Bruce McFee, 44, is standing down because he claims the SNP is failing to push its central policy with voters and is instead focusing on winning power in the Scottish Parliament. The West of Scotland MSP - who has been a member of the SNP since he was 16 - plans to stay in the party and remain in his job until the next elections in 2007.
Announcing his decision to members of his local branch in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, Mr McFee said: "I can't in all honesty put myself forward to fight on a policy and a direction I don't believe in."
He described the SNP as having "fundamental flaws". Asked about Mr Salmond's goal of winning an additional 20 seats at Holyrood in 2007, he said: "The difficulty will be filling in the gap between the announcement and the actuality."
Mr McFee fears that without a change of direction, the SNP will lose ground with the voters and also risks losing members. He claimed there was a "huge disconnect" between the party's leaders and its grassroots members.
He added: "The feeling I have from most members is that we are staggering around like a blind man. We have become a party that simply rallies the troops and shouts about independence at the conference."
Mr Salmond, the leader of the SNP, last night refused to comment on Mr McFee's departure or his claims about the direction of the party.
However, an SNP spokesman said: "The party does not share Bruce McFee's analysis. As recent by-election successes have shown, support for the SNP is growing up and down the country as we prepare to win the 2007 election."
FURIOUS Labour Party chiefs are set to oust one of Scotland's most
controversial MSPs amid growing concern at his parliamentary work rate.
Gordon Jackson's attempt to be selected as Labour candidate for
Glasgow Govan in 2007 has been put on hold by national party bosses
while his conduct is investigated.
Jackson, one of Scotland's top-earning QCs, has regularly been
criticised for spending too much time in court and too little at
Holyrood committees or quizzing ministers in the chamber.
Senior party sources are openly briefing that they are livid at
Jackson's "laissez-faire" attitude towards Parliament. Labour fears it
could lose Govan to the SNP in two years' time and Jackson must
promise to work harder as an MSP or face the end of his political career.
The row comes as all the main parties prepare their lists of
candidates for the next election, with most parliamentary contenders
expected to be in place by early next year.
SNP leader Alex Salmond is the most high-profile new candidate to
enter the election, but SNP insiders say he will be forced to fight
Gordon - a seat in which the Nationalists only came third in 2003 -
instead of his home Banff and Buchan constituency.
The current serving MSP for Banff and Buchan, Stewart Stevenson, has
made it clear he does not intend to make way for his party leader. If,
as expected, Salmond fights and loses against Gordon, he will have to
rely on the party's 'list' to get back in as a PR-elected MSP.
Former SNP MSP Mike Russell is also preparing to return to Holyrood,
standing in the Highland region.
Former Nationalist MP Annabel Ewing is also being tipped to win the
candidacy for the Moray seat currently held by her sister-in-law
Margaret Ewing, who is retiring.
In the other parties, Donald Dewar's former spin doctor David Whitton
is expected to be the Labour candidate to take on independent MSP Jean
Turner in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, while Edinburgh City Council
leader Donald Anderson has also put himself forward to take on the
Labour candidacy in Edinburgh South to fight against incumbent Mike
Pringle.
A major question mark centres on former Conservative leader David
McLetchie, who is widely expected to stand down after resigning over
the recent row about his taxi expenses, creating a vacancy in
Edinburgh Pentlands.
But it is Jackson, who has been the Labour MSP for Govan since the
establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, who appears to be in
the greatest trouble.
Labour's Scottish Executive Committee, a group which includes First
Minister Jack McConnell, deputy leader Cathy Jamieson and Scottish
Secretary Alistair Darling, decided last weekend that his name should
not go ahead until they had received a report on his work rate from
the party whips in the Scottish Parliament.
They are concerned that Jackson is spending too little time in the
parliament, failing to attend both party and committee meetings.
Despite strongly indicating he would give up his legal work for his
political career, last year Jackson earned £243,500 in legal aid fees
on top of his £50,300 Holyrood salary.
An investigation by this newspaper showed that Jackson was one of the
least active of all Holyrood's 129 MSPs. Between May 2003 and October
2004 he asked only one written parliamentary question: a query placed
for him by ministers about a wind farm in Ayrshire.
Senior Labour insiders also claim he does not attend meetings of party
MSPs at Holyrood, meaning he may miss out on vital briefings and
discussions.
A senior Labour source said: "[Chief whip] Margaret Curran has made it
clear that she is not prepared to accept a laissez-faire approach to
the parliament and the Labour group and she is not afraid of putting
her foot down."
Another Labour insider added: "It is a massive shot across his bows.
I'm not saying he will be blocked from standing, but it's a warning to
him. We're fed up of him and his part-time antics and we are really
worried about Govan because of him."
When Jackson stood for Holyrood in 1999, he predicted: "I think being
an MSP would be so demanding, and it is my first priority, that the
legal work would tend to wither and disappear."
In May 2001, Jackson again said he planned to turn his back on
advocacy. He said: "I have always made it clear my priority would be
politics - and that is exactly what I am confirming now."
A Scottish Labour Party spokesman said: "Gordon Jackson's endorsement
by the Scottish Executive Committee of the Labour Party has been
deferred pending a report by the whips."
Gordon Jackson was unavailable for comment.
One of Scotland's longest serving parliamentarians has revealed that he is to retire from Holyrood.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton confirmed he will not stand for re-election at the next Scottish Parliament elections.
The Conservative MSP for the Lothians served as an MP for 23 years before being elected to Holyrood in 1999.
Lord James will remain a life peer. He will continue to sit in the House of Lords and plans to watch over UK legislation as it affects Scotland.
Revival hope
The second son of the 14th Duke of Hamilton, Lord James was a lawyer until winning the Edinburgh West seat in 1974 and also served as a councillor in the city for two years before that.
He studied at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and qualified in Scots law at Edinburgh University.
In his days as an MP, Lord James disclaimed an earldom in 1995 and forfeited his right to a £500,000 inheritance so he could stay on in parliament and help an embattled John Major in a crucial vote on European finance.
Before his election to the Scottish Parliament, he had represented his constituency in the capital for about 23 years.
He lost his seat two years before the devolved parliament formed, but had previously been a minister of state at the Scottish Office when the Tories were in power.
During the Thatcher and Major years, he was the longest continuously serving minister at the Scottish Office since the Second World War, with responsibilities for health, education, housing, local government, environment, finance and home affairs over a 10-year period.
The 63-year-old became an MSP in the hope of a Tory party revival in Scotland.
He said: "The next election I believe will produce a positive outcome on the road back to power, with energetic and committed leaders both north and south of the border.
"I began my political career as a young man and plan to finish when I am still a young man, even if it is at the end of 33 years as an elected representative."
Charles Kennedy, Liberal Democrat leader, announced an addition to his front-bench team yesterday, with the appointment of John Barrett, the Edinburgh West MP.
Mr Barrett, 51, former spokesman on international development and vice-president of the Scottish Liberal Club, will be deputy to John Thurso, the party's chief Scotland spokesman, in a newly-created role.
Mr Kennedy said: "John is an experienced, well-respected and hard-working MP. His appointment is a great boost to our Scottish team and I have no doubt he will be an excellent ambassador for the Scottish people in Westminster."
Meanwhile, a former aide to Jim Wallace is to stand as a LibDem candidate in the 2007 Holyrood election.
Liam McArthur, former special adviser to Mr Wallace, will seek to succeed the former Scottish LibDem leader as MSP for Orkney.
Mr Wallace, who stood down earlier this year as leader and deputy first minister, had a majority of 1755 over the Tories at the 2003 Holyrood election.
Mr McArthur, 38, who was brought up on the island of Sanday, was chosen from a shortlist of four.
He said: "Having been brought up here, this is the only seat that I have ever sought to contest."
Conservative MSP Phil Gallie is to step down from the Scottish Parliament at the next election.
Mr Gallie represented Ayr at Westminster between 1992 and 1997, and has been a list MSP since 1999.
The 66-year-old eurosceptic said he hoped to win a seat in the European Parliament at the elections in 2009.
An arch opponent to the European Constitution and the euro, Mr Gallie said the issues remained live in the European Parliament and EU Commission.
VETERAN Tory MSP Phil Gallie announced last night he was stepping down from the Scottish Parliament at the next Holyrood election - but revealed that at the age of 70, and as a committed eurosceptic, he will try to win a seat in the European parliament.
Mr Gallie, 66, was the Tory MP for Ayr from 1992 to 1997 when he was beaten in the UK general election by Labour.
Known for his robust right-wing views, he returned to frontline politics in 1999 after winning a list seat in the Scottish parliament.
Announcing his decision to step down in May 2007 when the next Holyrood elections will be held, he said: "I have greatly enjoyed my time as a regional MSP for South of Scotland since 1999 and managing the justice and European and constitutional affairs portfolios for my party.
"In this period I have involved myself as much as possible, with both parliamentary activities and pursuing my constituents' interests."
He added: "I am also today announcing my intention to seek entry to the Conservative candidates' list for the next European elections.
"As an arch-opponent of the European Constitution and of the UK abandoning the pound for the euro, I consider these issues remain live in the European Parliament and the EU Commission.
"Now I wish to use my energy to ensure that the Scottish and the UK government's sovereign powers are not further eroded by the cloak of EU federalism."
Mr Gallie will have just turned 70 when the next European Parliament elections are held in June 2009.
Scottish National Party MSP Margaret Ewing has died at the age of 60 after a long battle with breast cancer. Mrs Ewing had represented the Moray area at Westminster and Holyrood for almost 20 years.
Margaret joined the SNP in 1966 and entered parliament as MP for East Dunbartonshire, winning with a majority of just 22 in 1974.
SNP members in the Ochil constituency have selected their leader on Clackmannanshire Council to stand for the Scottish Parliament next year.
In the constituency's first one member-one vote selection ballot, 75 per cent of members backed Keith Brown to replace current MSP and parliamentary Presiding Officer George Reid, who intends to stand down.
Currently SNP Group Leader on Clackmannanshire Council, Mr Brown (44) was also leader of the council between 1999 and 2003, before his party lost control to Labour at the last local government elections.
Speaking after the vote, he said: 'I am delighted to have been selected and to have won such a clear mandate from SNP members in Ochil.
'My task now is to make sure that the superb representation provided by George Reid is continued after 2007, by ensuring the SNP retain this seat.'
George Reid currently holds the constituency with a slim majority of just 296 votes.
Speaking at a Stirling University student meeting, party leader Alex Salmond also offered his congratulations.
'Keith Brown will make an excellent SNP candidate and MSP for Ochil,' he said. 'In the 2007 election I intend to win for Scotland and become First Minister.
'With the help and support of Keith we can make a difference for Ochil and remove the discredited Labour government and party from office.'
'Like Keith, I am in politics to build a better life for the people of Scotland and with a real parliament we can secure success for our nation and a better quality of life for all.'
And Ochil SNP convener Dave Lewis added: 'Having taken this seat from Labour in 2003, I am delighted that our plans to ensure continued SNP representation have got off to a flying start with the overwhelming endorsement of an excellent candidate in Keith Brown.'
A local government officer, Mr Brown (pictured above) lives in Dollar.
TWO former Labour MPs are bidding for a berth at Holyrood along with
two former MSPs, as the two main parties step up preparations for
May's election.
The SNP is to target a gain of 150 council seats, nearly doubling the
numbers it now has, through the reformed, proportional voting system
for local authorities.
It was announced yesterday that Angus Robertson, the Moray MP and
international affairs spokesman, is to be Holyrood and council
campaign co-ordinator. He told The Herald the campaign will be
strongly focused on the battle between Alex Salmond and Jack McConnell
as two alternative first ministers.
Labour announced its candidates seeking a high list place in the
party's regional lists for next May. Lord George Foulkes is favourite
to get top place in Lothian. He was an Ayrshire MP, who stood down
from the Commons last year, was enobled, and was briefly chairman of
Hearts football club.
Labour already has two MSPs from that list, one of whom, Maureen
Macmillan, is standing down, but her husband, Michael, a lawyer, is
bidding to replace her.
Another of those well-placed to make a return is Rhoda Grant, who was
a Labour MSP in the Highlands, but lost her seat in 2003.
Richard Simpson is also back in contention, having been deputy
minister for both health and justice and whose controversial comments
about the fire brigades union during a strike helped explain why the
SNP won his Ochil seat. The psychiatric consultant is hoping for a top
listing in the Mid-Scotland and Fife region.
One significant new name standing in Glasgow is that of Anas Sarwar,
son of Mohammad Sarwar, the Glasgow Central MP. He is seen as having
potential as a future candidate in Glasgow Govan.
IN A MOVE that will send shockwaves through the Scottish Labour Party, one of their
stalwart MSPs has decided to call it a day.
Dundee West MSP Kate Maclean last night told senior party members of her decision not to
contest the Holyrood elections next May.
Last night First Minister Jack McConnell said he was "very disappointed" at the news, but
"respected her decision."
Ms Maclean had already been selected to defend the seat she has represented since the
first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999 and was odds-on favourite to hold it.
But in a letter to party members last night she said she had had "a change of heart."
Talking exclusively to The Courier last night, Ms Maclean said there was no single reason
why she had decided to stand down but that, "For me this is the right time to go."
Over the last seven years Ms Maclean, who turned down the job of deputy health minister
in Jack McConnell's first administration, has been prepared to defy the party whip and has
not voted with the Executive line on the Scottish regiments, Trident, bridge tolls and, just
last week, top-up tuition fees.
But last night she insisted there had been no falling out with the party at Holyrood.
"There are a lot of different reasons why I have decided not stand again. To highlight one
would be wrong. The job and me are not suitable any more. For me it is the right time to
go."
Ms Maclean was elected to Holyrood in the first Scottish elections in 1999 and defended
her seat with an increased majority in 2003. She first stood for election as a Dundee
councillor in 1988 and was re-elected in 1992 and 1995.
She was leader of the council for seven years from 1992 to 1999 and vice-president of
CoSLA between 1996 and 1999.
Last night the MSP sent out letters to every Labour Party member in her constituency
explaining her decision.
"After much soul-searching I have decided not to stand for re-election to the Scottish
Parliament next year," she said.
"With the support of Dundee Labour Party members I have successfully stood for election
five times and when I stand down next year I will have represented the people of Dundee
in various roles for 19 years.
"It has been a tremendous privilege to have been part of the economic regeneration of
Dundee during my time as a councillor and to continue to work hard for the city since I
was elected as Dundee West's first member of the Scottish Parliament.
"I had intended to stand for election one more time and to serve as your MSP, but over the
last few months I have come to the decision that it would not be the right thing to do
either for me or for the party.
"I apologise that I didn't decide this prior to the selection as it will cause some
inconvenience, but I have genuinely had a change of heart. Between now and the
dissolution of the current session of the Scottish Parliament next year I will continue to
work hard to represent both my constituency and the Labour Party."
Last night only a handful of senior Labour figures had been told of Ms Maclean's decision.
Mr McConnell said, "I am very disappointed although I respect her decision. Kate has been
an outstanding representative for the whole city of Dundee for many years, both as an MSP
and as council leader."
Mr McConnell added, "She has been a very active and influential member of the Parliament.
"I am certain her presence will be missed, but obviously we would all wish her all the best
for the future whatever she chooses to do."
Dundee City Council leader Jill Shimi said she was "in shock."
"I am deeply saddened by Kate's decision. She has been an outstanding councillor and
MSP. She will be sorely missed.
"Politics is a very demanding job and every individual knows when it is the right time to
move on."
Labour Party strategists, already anticipating a difficult election next May, will now start
the process of finding a successor for Ms Maclean in Dundee West, a seat they had
believed to be "safe."
Susan Deacon, the first Health Minister under devolution, is to stand down from the Scottish Parliament at next year's elections.
The Labour MSP for Edinburgh East & Musselburgh yesterday told constituency party colleagues that they should start seeking a new candidate.
Her announcement comes as a shock to the Scottish political community, as the 42-year-old was seen as having a significant future within the group, and was a possible future contender for the party leadership.
As a back bench member, she has been a significant presence, drawing on her ministerial experience and as Labour's leading liberal voice on controversial issues such as sexual healthy policy.
In her statement, she said: "I now feel it is time for me to move on, to seek new challenges and to channel my energies in other ways.'
It is understood she does not have work lined up after next May's election,but has long stressed that there should be more to politics than being elected.
While Ms Deacon refused to make further comment yesterday, it is thought she has also been frustrated by the restrictions on MSPs of all parties to debate issues openly.
Her statement was significant for making no mention of Scottish Labour.
It is thought Ms Deacon has been unhappy with the direction the party has been taking under Jack McConnell's leadership.
She has argued for Scottish public service reform to go further and faster and, being on the party's left, she has been out of sympathy with the Blair leadership at Westminster.
The Edinburgh MSP has been careful not to criticise Mr McConnell in public,making whatshe has called 'constructive criticisms' on policy.
Her most significant rebellion was ahead of the 2003 elections, when she led a backbench protest at the moves toward war in Iraq.
Ms Deacon was the only Labour candidate in the 1999 elections to have been rejected from the party's approved list and then reinstated.
Donald Dewar appointed her Health Minister immediately after she was elected, and she remained in that post until November 2001.
At that point,Mr McConnell was appointing his first cabinet and, having been contempories as student Labour activists and devolution campaigners, he offeed her the communities portfolio.
This was seen as a demotion and,citing her pregnancy with her secon child, she turned down the offer and became a back bencher.
She lives in Musselburgh with her two children and her partnerm John Boothman, a senior political producer with BBC Scotland.
Attention willturn to Labour's new candidate in a seat that was once safe, but could be vulnerable to acontinuation of the anti-Labour swing across Edinburgh at last year's Westminster vote.
The SNP's Kenny MacAskill came second in 1999 and 2003,but LibDems last year moved into second place in the Westminster version of the Edinburgh East constituency.
The vacancy could be the way in for Iain Gray, the former Enterprise Minister and Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, to make a return to Holyrood. It is believed that Labour's Scottish and Whitehall leadership are keen to have him return.
He has been the main link between Whitehall and St Andrew's House since 2003, when he became special advisor to Alistair Darling,now Trade and Industry Secretary.
MSPs who will not stand next yearinclude Labour's Janis Hughes in Glasgow Rutherglen, Kate Maclean in Dundee West and Margaret MacMillan in Highlands and Islands.
Bruce McFee, an SNP MSP for West of Scotland and Phil Gallie, a Conservative MSP for South of Scotland arestanding down, as are Jim Wallace in Orkney and LibDem Donald Gorrie in Central Scotland,plus George Reid, Presiding Officer and Ochil MSP.
FORMER Tory MSP Brian Monteith today ruled out standing as an independent in the Lothians at next year's Scottish Parliament elections.
He said he had considered bidding to get re-elected on an anti-trams ticket and had even received approaches from other parties.
But today Mr Monteith, 48, announced he would not be seeking to return to Holyrood next May.
Mr Monteith, 48, who lives in Edinburgh and used to run his own PR firm Leith Communications, said today: "I'm not intending to set up business, but I have some ideas for gainful employment."
Evening News columnist Mr Monteith, a list MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, resigned from the Tory group at Holyrood last year in a row over a leaked e-mail in which he urged a journalist to call for then Conservative leader David McLetchie to quit.
And he has since represented the area as an independent MSP and continued to chair the parliament's powerful audit committee.
He said: "I'm enjoying my liberation from partisan party politics. A number of parties have made informal approaches for me to fly their colours. Indeed, some people wished me to set up a new free enterprise party in Scotland.
"But I would rather return to commerce than be a one-man band swimming against the treacly tide of collectivism in the Scottish Parliament."
It is understood that Mr Monteith has been sounded out by both the United Kingdom Independence Party and the New Party, which includes some former Tory MSP colleagues who were defeated at the last Scottish Parliament elections.
He said: "I had considered whether to stand as an independent in Lothians, but I think it better people get behind Margo MacDonald if they want an independent MSP. It may have been possible to stand as an anti-trams candidate, but the Bills have been passed and the key decisions will now be taken by the council."
And he said he planned to continue political involvement through writing and would probably seek work in his former field of marketing and public relations. But he added: "I'm not ruling out returning to elected politics in the future. I'm not saying never, I'm just saying no."
John Home Robertson, MSP for East Lothian, will not seek reselection for next year's Scottish parliamentary elections.
Mr Home Robertson, who has represented the Scottish parliamentary constituency since 1999, will tell the East Lothian Constituency Labour Party tomorrow night that he intends to stand down.
The MSP's decision to announce his intentions at this time triggered speculation within Labour's ranks. While he was not expected to fight the election, he was not expected to make his intentions clear until next spring.
One Scottish colleague claimed last night that he was standing down because of recent adverse publicity over his expenses Ð it is understood he claimed £7000 from the taxpayer to live in a flat bought by his 17-year old son days before he became an MSP Ð but last night Labour sources denied he was standing down for any other reason but to give the party plenty of time to select another candidate.
As speculation at Westminster suggests Mr Home Robertson will be bound for the House of Lords next year, a senior Labour figure insisted he was standing down now to avoid any suggestion of a Labour Party fix. The party is expecting the vacancy to attract interest from more than a handful of aspiring candidates. Iain Gray, a former Scottish Executive minister and now special adviser to Douglas Alexander, is almost certain to put his hat in the ring.
Mr Home Robertson, a favoured colleague of the late Donald Dewar, represented Westminster constituencies of Berwick and East Lothian, and later East Lothian since 1983, before electing to stand for the first Holyrood elections in 1999.
In the early years of the Scottish Parliament he was the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, and in 2001 he took on convenership of the Holyrood Progress Group, which had responsibility for overseeing the completion of the new Parliament Building Project. He opposed calls to cap expenditure on the project.
Highlands list MSP Maureen MacMillan is seeking selection as the Labour Party constituency candidate for the Ross, Skye and Inverness West seat.
She had previously announced her retirement from contesting a regional position at next May's election.
Ms MacMillan has been named as the sole nominee for the seat by Labour's Ross and Cromarty branch.
She is now awaiting the verdict of the full constituency party's on her bid to contest the seat.
Independent MSP Dennis Canavan has said that he will not fight the Holyrood election in May.
The MSP for Falkirk West told his constituents his decision in an open letter published on Tuesday.
In it the 64-year-old said that after a great deal of reflection he had decided he would be standing down.
The former Labour MP, whose second son died in December, said he wanted to spend some time with his youngest son, who starts school later in the year.
Mr Canavan was expelled from the Labour Party in 2000 after he stood as an independent at the 1999 Holyrood election when he failed to be selected as an official Labour candidate.
He won the Falkirk West seat in the Scottish Parliament with a majority of 12,192 and was re-elected in 2003 with a majority of 10,000.
The left-winger was first elected as MP for the old West Stirlingshire constituency in 1974 - later becoming Falkirk West MP - and held the seat until 2000.
In 1989, the father-of-five lost his first son Paul to skin cancer.
At the end of December, his 35-year-old son Dennis died of a brain tumour and his eldest son Mark, who lives in Australia, suffers from motor neurone disease.
Thanked constituents
In his letter to constituents, Mr Canavan said: "My youngest son, Adam, who will be starting school this year, is a healthy, happy child and I sometimes wonder what I would do without him.
"I am blessed with a loving daughter and five wonderful grandchildren.
"Over the last few months, I have learned a lot about the value and real priorities of life, and today Adam and I are leaving for Australia for two weeks to spend some time with Mark and his family."
Mr Canavan said it had been a privilege to serve as a politician and he thanked his constituents.
He added that on his return from Australia he would continue to do his best until the dissolution of parliament.
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