Brussels, 19/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - As opposed to other parties in Europe, the British Liberal Democrats have selected candidates coming from different horizons but who speak, for the main part, different languages (often French and German), which could prove useful in daily lives of an MEP. The list of the initial Lib-Dem candidates in the different local areas of the United Kingdom is as follows:
East of England: - the outgoing Andrew Duff (53) who has also been leader of the Liberals at the European Convention; - local councillor Chris White (44).
East Midlands: - MEP since 1979, Bill Newton Dunn (62 ) left the Tories in November to join the Liberal group at the European Parliament; - legal expert Alan Riley, specialist in European law; - Veena Hudson, former parliamentary assistant and journalist.
West Midlands: - outgoing Liz Lynne (56 ), former actress; - former mayor of Birmingham, Paul Tilsley.
South East: - outgoing Chris Huhne (50 ), economist and journalist; - outgoing Emma Nicholson (62), information technology worker and member of the House of Lords; - Sharon Bowles, European patents expert and brand law, who has also campaigned against forced and child labour; - local councillor Catherine Bearder who studied wild animals in South Africa 4 before returning to the United Kingdom and who is particularly interested in the fight against social exclusion
South West: - president of the Liberal group, Graham Watson (48 ) who also chaired the public freedoms committee; - Tony Welch who served in the Royal Marines, notably during the Falklands war, before working for the United Nations in Kosovo.
London: - outgoing Sarah Ludford (53 ), lawyer and very active in the protection of fundamental rights, member of the House of Lords; - journalist Jonathan Fryer (54 ) who worked for Reuters in Brussels before joining the BBC; - former director of an international bank , John Stevens (49 ) already an MEP following 1989 elections, as a member of the Conservative group. He was rapporteur on drafts on the ECB and Euro..
Yorkshire and the Humber: - outgoing Diana Wallis (50 ), lawyer - business woman Julia Gash (40) who sells lingerie and erotic accessories, in the Devonshire district of Sheffield which she made into the first business zone accepting the Euro as tender on British territory; local councillor local Stewart Arnold (46).
North West: - outgoing Chris Davies (50 ); - local councillor Sajjad Karim; - local councillor in Liverpool Flo Clucas who is also a member of the EU Committee of the Regions.
North East: Fiona Hall (49 ) who has worked as a teacher and press attaché.
Wales: John Williams
Scotland: outgoing Elspeth Attwooll (61 ), former university assistant; - local councillor for Edinburgh, Dobbie Aldridge (56 ) who has worked closely with the homeless; - Alex Bruce who worked for the Liberal group at the EP.