Gordon LD Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Gordon	LD Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Nora Radcliffe	LD	10963	38.1	+1.3
	Nanette Milne	CON	6892	23.9	+4.3
	Alasdair Allan	SNP	6501	22.6	-1.7
	Ellis Thorpe	LAB	2973	10.3	-1.4
	John Sangster	SSP	780	2.7	+2.7
	Steven Mathers	IND	689	2.4	+2.4
		MAJORITY	4071	14.1
		TURNOUT	28798	47.5

ELECTORATE	60686

Top-up region: North East Scotland

DESCRIPTION: Gordon

Gordon is a largely rural constituency where forestry, agriculture and food processing are the most important industries. Beef production is important but was badly hit by the BSE crisis. Other industries include paper at Inverurie and engineering supplies for the oil and gas industries based at Ellon. Residential development in towns such as Inverurie and Ellon has resulted in many people who work in Aberdeen's oil industry living here. Low oil prices and job losses in the oil industry have had their effects here as in the rest of the north-east. Other towns include Huntly, Keith, Insch and Oldmeldrum.

Gordon has a recent history of Liberal representation, although it has been a tough fight for them at times. The boundary changes made this notionally a Conservative seat before the 1997 elections, but the anti-Tory backlash in Scotland ensured that Malcolm Bruce managed to hold the seat. Nora Radcliffe won the seat for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament with a reduced (in comparison with 1997) but solid, majority of more than 4000 votes. The SNP also managed to push the Conservatives into third place in 1999, despite polling fewer votes than they did in 1997. Recent crises in farming, and other rural issues such as school transport, may figure in the campaign.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LD WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LD	12353	36.7
	SNP	8158	24.3
	CON	6602	19.6
	LAB	3950	11.7
	IND	2559	7.6

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LD WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LD	15928	45.5
	CON	8049	23
	SNP	5760	16.5
	LAB	4730	13.5
	SSP	534	1.5