Election diary

Published on 10/04/2007 00:05

Finding their voice

A FORMER nurse in Beirut, a millionaire and his son, and an anti-drugs campaigner, were among 11 Holyrood candidates fielded by a new political party yesterday.

The line-up was announced by Scottish Voice, founded by Archie Stirling, a businessman-farmer and former husband of the actress Diana Rigg.

Mr Stirling is to stand as a list candidate in Mid Scotland and Fife and his historian son Willy is to stand on the South of Scotland list. The party's candidates also include Susan Wighton, who became known as the "Angel of Beirut" while nursing in Palestinian refugee camps in the 1980s, and Gaille McCann, founder of Mothers Against Drugs. The line-up of 11 candidates includes four campaigning on a health service ticket, following a decision by Scottish Voice and NHS First to mount a joint campaign.

Mr Stirling, a millionaire, said: "I am delighted with the team.

"We have gathered candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, experience and expertise and each of them has a great deal to offer the party and the people of Scotland."

Rough guide to Scottish golf

JACK McConnell's plans to launch a first golfing centre of excellence in Nairn should he return to office in May, could prove a bit of bogey.

"Wouldn't it be great if Nairn was in future launching many such careers following Colin Montgomerie and the likes of Sandy Lyle?" he said.

But Mr Montgomerie was educated in Yorkshire while Mr Lyle was born and bred in England before returning to his Scottish roots.

Sir Sean back on big screen

SIR Sean Connery is coming to a cinema near you in a 90-second advert for the SNP.

The party also plans to send out a million manifestos, place hundreds of billboards in "strategic locations" and make an extra 100,000 calls to voters on top of the current 25,000 a week. Not to mention e-mails sent by 800 online volunteers.

The SNP has a war chest of more than 1.5 million, with donation cheques arriving at a rate of 500 per day.

Still here for the beer?

THE latest businessman to back the SNP is Donald MacDonald, of MacDonald Orr Hotels, who has given 20,000 to the party. But does this mean the other parties will have to boycott the chain's hotels, which are so popular for conferences? Or indeed beers made by the Caledonian Brewery, of which he is the joint chairman?

It's time to get SNP's ringtone

NICOLA Sturgeon's ringtone is so popular, the party is putting it online for others to download.

The "It's time" campaign music, by Scottish composer Paul Mounsey, is to be made available following the SNP's political broadcast last Tuesday.

So far, 18,078 people have downloaded a 30-second ringtone version of the track.