Banff & Buchan
Scottish National Party hold

The north east corner of the old Grampian region includes predominantly rural territory but also the seaside/fishing towns of Peterhead, with its grim prison, and Fraserburgh, reputed to have an unusually serious and widespread illegal drug-consumption problem for a small community. These areas have generally seen SNP successes since the 1970s, and further recent restrictions of fishing quotas will make no difference to this. This remains a safe Scottish Nationalist seat for the SNP's long-time leader Alex Salmond, canny, respected and popular, locally at least.

Alex Salmond, SNP Leader 1990-2000, decided to reverse his decision to join his five Westminster colleagues in ditching the Commons for the Scottish Parliament, so as to give effective leadership to the team of SNP novices likely to be elected in their place. Born 1954, an adenoidal product of a Linlithgow council estate, he attended Linlithgow Academy and St Andrews University, where, prompted by its heavily Anglicised culture, he joined the SNP. Elected MP in 1987 and Leader by 1990, he set the party on a supposedly ‘social democratic' trajectory in order to break into Labour's industrial heartlands and rid the SNP of its ‘Tartan Tory' tag. Sardonic in the manner of many nationalist politicians, his claim to be ‘one of the few practising Anglophiles in Scottish politics' belies a developing Anglophobia in Scotland. He followed Robin Cook as a racing tipster in the Glasgow Herald.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 3.39% 14.99% 22.63 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 11.34% 2.13% 533.54 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 0.00% 2.49% 0.00 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 3.89% 4.43% 87.91 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 7.67% 7.27% 105.40 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 0.10% 2.56% 4.04 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.00% 2.04% 0.00 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 0.59% 3.94% 15.04 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 13.20% 13.04% 101.23 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 11.53% 12.70% 90.76 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 12.38% 8.14% 152.07 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.41% 4.02% 10.24 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 6.48% 3.19% 203.34 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 20.01% 11.31% 176.93 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 2.31% 3.06% 75.56 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 6.68% 2.52% 265.31 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.29% 9.41% 98.64 £5-10K 16.94% 16.63% 101.82 £10-15K 17.26% 16.58% 104.08 £15-20K 14.28% 13.58% 105.11 £20-25K 10.90% 10.39% 104.87 £25-30K 8.06% 7.77% 103.62 £30-35K 5.89% 5.79% 101.67 £35-40K 4.30% 4.33% 99.26 £40-45K 3.15% 3.27% 96.60 £45-50K 2.33% 2.48% 93.81 £50-55K 1.73% 1.90% 90.99 £55-60K 1.30% 1.47% 88.20 £60-65K 0.98% 1.15% 85.48 £65-70K 0.75% 0.91% 82.85 £70-75K 0.58% 0.72% 80.32 £75-80K 0.45% 0.57% 77.91 £80-85K 0.35% 0.46% 75.61 £85-90K 0.27% 0.37% 73.42 £90-95K 0.22% 0.31% 71.34 £95-100K 0.17% 0.25% 69.36 £100K + 0.79% 1.34% 58.88