Dundee West
Labour hold

Although it was Dundee East which was held for the SNP by their leader Gordon Wilson for 13 years from 1974 to 1987, West now looks like the Nationalists' better chance in the Tayside city; and indeed one of their best anywhere in industrial Scotland against Labour incumbents, as they came within 121 votes of seizing it in the May 1999 Scottish Parliament elections; they also provide substantial opposition on the Dundee City Council. Ernie Ross must fight hard to win again.

Slight, cadaverous and poker-faced Ernie Ross, MP here since 1979, is a hard left pro-Arab zealot turned ultra loyalist, who leaked a select committee report to help Foreign Secretary Robin Cook. The act led to his being dubbed by devolutionist Dennis Canavan, whom he had helped keep off Labour's list of Scottish Parliamentary candidates, a 'government hack'. Born locally, in 1942, after RC secondary schooling he worked as a marine engineer and then as a quality control engineer at Timex, but is now known as 'the Plumber': because he 'fixes leaks'.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 3.69% 14.99% 24.63 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.00% 2.13% 0.00 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.40% 2.49% 16.08 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 0.61% 4.43% 13.82 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 8.90% 7.27% 122.35 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 2.37% 2.56% 92.43 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 1.19% 2.04% 58.41 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 19.34% 3.94% 490.37 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 3.57% 13.04% 27.40 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 3.62% 12.70% 28.47 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 2.18% 8.14% 26.82 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 1.20% 4.02% 29.96 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 6.57% 3.19% 206.33 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 17.91% 11.31% 158.37 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 22.39% 3.06% 731.07 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 6.02% 2.52% 239.02 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.03% 2.10% 1.27 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 13.84% 9.41% 147.03 £5-10K 22.10% 16.63% 132.85 £10-15K 19.28% 16.58% 116.26 £15-20K 13.86% 13.58% 102.06 £20-25K 9.42% 10.39% 90.63 £25-30K 6.34% 7.77% 81.50 £30-35K 4.29% 5.79% 74.14 £35-40K 2.95% 4.33% 68.14 £40-45K 2.06% 3.27% 63.17 £45-50K 1.46% 2.48% 58.99 £50-55K 1.06% 1.90% 55.45 £55-60K 0.77% 1.47% 52.39 £60-65K 0.57% 1.15% 49.74 £65-70K 0.43% 0.91% 47.41 £70-75K 0.33% 0.72% 45.34 £75-80K 0.25% 0.57% 43.50 £80-85K 0.19% 0.46% 41.85 £85-90K 0.15% 0.37% 40.36 £90-95K 0.12% 0.31% 39.01 £95-100K 0.09% 0.25% 37.77 £100K + 0.43% 1.34% 32.03