Banff and Buchan Lib Dems choose Dr Eleanor Anderson to contest seat

9.13.14am GMT Mon 17th Jan 2005

Eleanor Anderson will contest Banff and Buchan

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have selected their prospective parliamentary candidate for the seat of Banff and Buchan. She is Dr Eleanor Anderson, from Forgue, near Huntly. The Westminster seat has new boundaries, with about one-fifth more voters, who have been transferred from the Gordon constituency. "This is good news for the Liberal Democrats", said Alistair Massey, the party convenor, "as Gordon is Liberal Democrat territory".

Dr Anderson is an experienced campaigner. At the last General Election she fought Aberdeen Central, a seat that is disappearing under the new boundary arrangements. She pulled the Liberal Democrat vote there up to 23%, nearly a quarter of the votes cast. "The party is moving steadily forward", she said. "Twenty years ago, who would have predicted that both the city of Aberdeen and the county of Aberdeenshire would have Liberal Democrat-led administrations? People like Charles Kennedy and his party, and the way they do things."

Her background is in teaching. She was a headteacher, and, as a member of Aberdeenshire's 'early intervention' team, she got to know several schools in the Banff and Buchan constituency. "Eleanor talks good sense," said Alistair Massey, "and she listens too. She is very good at meeting people and would make an excellent constituency MP".