Eric Joyce

Eric Joyce grew up in Perth, before attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. During his time in the army, Eric served in the UK, Northern Ireland, Germany and Central America.  He left the army in 1999 and served as the Public Affairs Officer at the Commission for Racial Equality (Scotland), until being elected MP for Falkirk West in the by-election of December 2000.

In parliament Eric has been a PPS to a number of Ministers including most recently to Bob Ainsworth as Secretary of State for Defence.

Kieran Leach

Kieran is an active campaigner with the Liberal Democrats and with Liberal Youth Scotland. He has been heavily involved in campaigns against homophobia and in support of a minimum income guarantee for students in Scotland. He is currently finishing a degree studying the security of computer based voting systems.

Katie Mackie

Katie is 38 years old. Raised in Edinburgh, Katie currently works as a public affairs adviser for a trade association. Previously Katie worked for Margaret Mitchell MSP as her constituency adviser.

Educated at Manchester Metropolitan University, Katie is currently a public affairs adviser for the Scottish Grocers' Federation.

She previously worked for Margaret Mitchell MSP and stood as a candidate for East Lothian council in 2007.

John McNally

Born in Denny in 1951 as one of seven children, John was educated at St Patrick's Primary and then at St Modan's High School, leaving aged 15.

From school he became an apprentice hairdresser/ barber. He has continued in this profession becoming self employed since the early seventies.

He married his wife Sandra ,a health visitor and master of public health in 1990. They have two children Dominic, an SNP member, and Kathleen who graduated from Glasgow university this year.

He became councillor for the Herbertshire ward of Falkirk council in August 2005 taking the seat from Labour with a 26% swing. He was SNP spokesperson on housing until October, and is now leading for the SNP on community, leisure and tourism.