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First Minister of Scotland - Jack McConnell - is first in Scottish Politician of the Year Award
London, 5 December, 2001. - Zurich Financial Services and The Herald have announced the winners of the third Scottish Politician of the Year Awards. The jointly sponsored awards recognise and reward the highest level of parliamentary performance of Scottish politicians in Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels.
At an awards ceremony in Edinburgh, First Minister Jack McConnell - a runner up for the title in 2000 - was chosen as the Scottish Politician of the Year. This prestigious award was previously won by Donald Dewar (1999) and Jim Wallace (2000). Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. Dr John Reid MP, was voted Best Scot at Westminster.
| The other winners are: |
| Euro MP of the Year |
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David Martin MEP |
| Politician to Watch |
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Christine Grahame MSP, Shadow Deputy Minister for Older People |
| Donald Dewar Debater of the Year |
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Tommy Sheridan MSP |
| Committee Performer of the Year |
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John McAllion MSP |
| Free Spirit of the Year |
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Donald Gorrie OBE MSP |
| Lifetime Achievement Award |
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Sir David Steel MSP, Presiding Officer, Scottish Parliament |
Sandy Leitch, Chief Executive of Zurich Financial Services in the UK and Chairman of the panel of judges commented:
"Congratulations to Jack and all the winners and nominees. These awards salute their talents and achievements in Westminster, Holyrood and Brussels. Zurich's sponsorship reflects our commitment to encourage political debate and the highest standards of professionalism across the political arena. It is also another important step in building awareness of the Zurich brand in Scotland."
The gala awards dinner was broadcast on Scottish TV on Friday 30 November.
The full nominations were:
Scottish Politician of the Year: Ross Finnie, Jack McConnell, David McLetchie, Angus Mackay
Best Scot at Westminster: Gordon Brown, Charles Kennedy, Dr John Reid
Euro MP of theYear: Neil MacCormick, David Martin, Struan Stevenson
Politician to Watch: Margaret Curran, Christine Grahame, Pauline McNeill
Performer of the Year: Andy Kerr, John McAllion, Dr Richard Simpson
Free Spirit of the Year: Donald Gorrie, Brian Monteith, John Farquhar Munro
| The awards were judged by: |
| Sandy Leitch |
Chairman of Panel and Chief Executive of Zurich Financial Services (UKISA) |
| Mark Douglas-Home |
Editor, The Herald |
| Wallace Dobbin |
Strategy, Marketing and Communications Director, Zurich Financial Services |
| Brian Taylor |
Political Editor, BBC Scotland |
| Murray Ritchie |
Scottish Political Editor, The Herald |
| Michael Crow |
Political Correspondent, Scottish and Grampian TV |
| Prof. James Mitchell |
Head of Department of Government, University of Strathclyde |
| Catherine Mcleod |
Political Editor, The Herald |
| Bernard Ponsonby |
Political Correspondent, Scottish Television |
| Douglas Fraser |
Political Editor, Sunday Herald
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Ends
For more information, please contact Kitty Barran, Zurich Financial Services, Media Relations on 0207 317 3840 or mobile telephone number 07764 281951
Zurich Financial Services (UKISA) is part of the Zurich Financial Services Group and comprises the Group's operations in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.
The Zurich Financial Services Group (www.zurich.com) is a global leader in the financial services industry, providing its customers with integrated and web-enabled solutions in the area of financial protection and asset accumulation. The Group concentrates its activities in five business segments: non-life and life insurance, reinsurance, Farmers Management Services, and asset management. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the Group's worldwide presence builds on strong positions in its three key markets - the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. It has offices in more than 60 countries serving 35 million customers and employing approximately 70,000 people. Based on consolidated figures for 2000, the Group achieved gross premiums of USD 50 billion. This amount includes insurance deposits as well as premiums from the Farmers P&C Group. The net income amounted to USD 2.33 billion. On December 31, 2000, the Group had USD 440 billion of assets under management of which USD 259 billion represent funds managed for third-party institutional and retail customers. |
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