Dundee East
2005 Results:
SNP: 14708 (37.2%)
Labour: 14325 (36.2%)
Conservative: 5061 (12.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 4498 (11.4%)
Other: 948 (2.4%)
Majority: 383 (1%)
Boundary changes prior to 2005 election.
2001 Result
Conservative: 3900 (12.1%)
Labour: 14635 (45.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 2784 (8.6%)
SNP: 10160 (31.4%)
Other: 879 (2.7%)
Majority: 4475 (13.8%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 6397 (15.8%)
Labour: 20718 (51.1%)
Liberal Democrat: 1677 (4.1%)
SNP: 10757 (26.5%)
Referendum: 601 (1.5%)
Other: 378 (0.9%)
Majority: 9961 (24.6%)
No Boundary Changes:
Profile:
Outgoing MP: Stewart Hosie(SNP) (more information at They work for you)
Candidates: 
Chris Bustin (Conservative) Educated at Dundee University. Researcher. Contested Dundee East 2005, 2007 Scottish elections.
Katrina Murray (Labour) Chair of Unison`s Womens Committee. Ex-wife of Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow City Council.Clive Sneddon (Liberal Democrat)Stewart Hosie(SNP) (more information at They work for you)
Shiona Baird (Green) Born 1946, Hertford. Educated at Edinburgh University. Farmer and former social worker. MSP for North East Scotland 2003-2007.Shiona Baird (Green)
2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 83203
Male: 47.5%
Female: 52.5%
Under 18: 22.7%
Over 60: 23.5%
Born outside UK: 3.5%
White: 97.8%
Asian: 1.6%
Mixed: 0.2%
Other: 0.4%
Christian: 64.2%
Muslim: 1.2%
Graduates 16-74: 19.4%
No Qualifications 16-74: 31.3%
Owner-Occupied: 65.8%
Social Housing: 24% (Council: 17.2%, Housing Ass.: 6.8%)
Privately Rented: 7%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 12.2%
Labour have selected Katrina Murray here.
The Greens have selected Shiona Baird here (ex MSP)
Ladbrokes:
SNP 1/8
Labour 9/2
Con 100
LD 100
I believe the SNP majority here will be between 5000 – 10000, depending on the degree to which the Tory vote in the East feels the need to keep Labour out.
Give that this seat contains Broughty Ferry as well as Carnoustie, the gap between 2nd place Labour and the 3rd placed Tories will narrow considerably.
SNP: 18000
Labour: 11000
Conservative: 7000
Liberal Democrat: 3000
Other: 1000
Majority: 7000
Shadsy, what are the odds on the Greens winning! Longer than 100/1, I assume.
Which seats have included Dundee city centre since 1950? I seem to recall reading on another thread that it has switched between the East and West seats at various times (that may in fact have been Aberdeen).
East from the partition of the two member seat to 2005, West since 2005 (due to the city ‘constituencies’ extending to include Carnoustie).
If this was named as per Southend this seat would be called ‘Carnoustie & Dundee East’
Jimmy Reid, who was famous in the early 1970’s as a trade unionist stood in Central Dunbartonshire as a Communist and polled a larger than normal vote.
He joined the Labour Party and was the Labour candidate here in 1979.
He has since joined the SNP.
As a constituent of Dundee East all the signs are that Labour have disappeared as a credible challenge to the SNP MP. It may be that they see it as more important to try to help Dundee West’s Labour MP try to hold his seat.
Proof of this is that they selected a candidate who lives in the West of Scotland and has attempted unsuccessfuly to be selected for safer Labour seats in Glasgow.
The SNP would be unwise to take this seat as a sure Hold – particularly with such a small majority.
Martin Kettle in a recent “Guardian” article (Yes, I know, being a Dundee graduate, that the London newspapers aren’t read that widely in Scotland) point out several pitfalls for the SNP in Scotland generally:-
1. They stand to suffer from criticisms now that they are the minority Scottish Government
2. In this time of economic crisis, many Scots may fear losing the handouts that Wetsminster gives Scotland (not least, siome of us would now add, the bailing out of Scottish based banks, a lifesaver for Scotland to compare with the bailout that the Act Of Union constituted following the failure of the Darien Scheme) that independence would imply.
3. Related to 2., Scottish voters may see the problems of nearby small states like Ireland and Iceland.
Even within Scotland, Dundee tends to go its own way, and as local reports seem to indicate an SNP hold, I would believe them. But the corrupt decay of Labour here in the late 60s/early 70s, when their party was effectively non-existent on the ground, should be a warning to local politicians to keep active on the ground.
The Lib Dems have selected Clive Sneddon here – he stood here in 2007
SNP hold here. If Lab had selected a local candiate the result here may have been a little closer than it probably will be.