In many ways North East Fife is the most fascinating battle of all the seats in Tayside and Fife.
Sir Menzies Campbell held it for the Liberal Democrats for 28 years and sat with a comfortable majority.
However, warning bells sounded within his party when Rod Campbell claimed the Holyrood constituency for the SNP in 2011.
With Lib Dem national polling plummeting, the Conservatives have decided they have a shot and energetic candidate Huw Bell has wasted no time pushing the message that he is the real alternative to the Nationalists.
The irony is, the SNP are coming from fourth place in the 2010 General Election and yet they, with candidate Stephen Gethins, seem to have their opponents the most spooked.
Local councillor Tim Brett will be hoping he can pick up some support from his time in office and Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie has an added incentive to make sure his party retains the seat, as he is standing for the constituency at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.
The area is thought to have voted around 60/40 no during the referendum so should be fertile ground for Unionist parties.
But will they end up cannibalising each other’s vote shares and allow the SNP to come through the middle?
Gethins is an experienced campaigner who will have a well-rehearsed air war and an enthusiastic team on the ground.
It will be up to the Liberals or Tories to match that if they want to succeed and hope the other party doesn’t steal too much of their support.
Expect the victor to have a relatively low share of the vote in this tight contest.The candidates* Huw Bell (Conservative) A former RAF officer, Huw served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and other countries in the Middle East. He is determined to keep the armed forces at the heart of the community and looks forward to welcoming the Army to Leuchars. After the RAF, Huw worked removing landmines in Mozambique and Somalia. He now advises small business on planning for growth and entry to new markets. His family background is in farming and forestry.
* Brian Thomson (Labour) Brian was elected the first ever Labour councillor in both St Andrews and North East Fife in 2012. A married father of 3 children, and born in St Andrews, Brian spent the first few years of his life in Levenmouth and Cupar, before moving to St Andrews. He has worked in both the public and private sectors as a town plannerand currently works as a project manager at the University of Dundee.
* Andy Collins (Scottish Green) Andy moved from Oxfordshire to Fife over four years ago. He has two daughters attending Bell Baxter High School. Andy and his wife have a small software company based in Cupar where they now live, and he is a full member of the Market Research Society. Andy was the spokesperson for the Yes North East Fife campaign, chairs the local environmental charity Sustainable Cupar, and sits on the Cupar Community Council.
* Stephen Gethins (SNP) Stephen has worked across the political and non-governmental sectors. He has worked in peace-building, arms control and democratisation in the Caucasus and Balkans. Stephen was until recently a Special Adviser to Scotland’s First Minister, advising on European and International Affairs as well as Rural Affairs, Energy and Climate Change. He was also a Political Advisor with the Committee of the Regions in the European Union.
* Tim Brett (Liberal Democrats) Tim lived in North East Fife since 1985 with his wife and has three children. He has been a Fife Councillor since 2003 and leader of the Liberal Democrat Group since 2012. He held senior management positions in the NHS, including chief executive of Ninewells Hospital and was director of Health Protection Scotland. He is a keen hill walker and is an Elder in the Church of Scotland.
* Mike Scott-Hayward (Independent) Mike was born in South Africa, of British descent and had to fight to keep his British passport. He has served in the Royal Artillery, Her Majesty’s Coastguard, as an elected councillor and has had several commercial roles. He feels strongly that the “establishment” parties have all surrendered our sovereignty, through stupidity and by default arising from political negligence. Mike is a former Ukip and Conservative member.