Adopt a Constituency

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Just had this idea; it might be an idea for non-U.K members pick a constituency to follow/actual candidate to support.

Basically if you have any links with a constituency, choose that one, find out who the candidates are and choose one to "vote" for; if not post a brief description of the State Senate district you live in (they're a bit smaller than constituencies, but it's the closest match) and it should be easy(ish) to find somewhere similer to it.

[Dave from Michigan]

my cousin;s family lives in Hornsey Wood Green, although from what I hear it's between labour and liberal democrats and the conservatives, who I would vote for; will be a distant 3rd.

[Erc]

Unfortunately, none of the three I have ties to are at all interesting electorally-speaking...so I'll pick the one that's closest to being competitive.

Bromley & Chislehurst.

Candidates:

Eric Forth (Con)--incumbent--interestingly enough, first elected in 1997...
Rachel Reeves (Lab)
Peter Brooks (Lib)

I'd probably vote for the Tory, but, yet again, don't know much about the candidates.

[Lt. Gov. Immy]

Well, my state Senate district is basically the same thing as my county so here are that stats for it. Care to help me pick a constituency?

Population, 2003 estimate     37,699   
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2000     6.0%   
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2000     23.8%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2000     16.5%
Female persons, percent, 2000     50.8%   
White persons, percent, 2000 (a)     91.6%   
American Indian, percent, 2000 (a)     5.3%   
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000     3.9%   
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000     85.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000     18.9%   
Median household income, 1999     $36,282   

Basically a white middle class area.  One medium size city (Lewiston) and alot of out-lying farm communities.  A few main industries keep the town alive, a paper mill, a hospital, and a bullet  manufacturing plant, as well as farming (no, not potatoes).  We vote something like 66-33 percent Bush.

Does that help Al?

[Banana Republic]

Unfortunately, none of the three I have ties to are at all interesting electorally-speaking...so I'll pick the one that's closest to being competitive.

Bromley & Chislehurst.

Candidates:

Eric Forth (Con)--incumbent--interestingly enough, first elected in 1997...
Rachel Reeves (Lab)
Peter Brooks (Lib)

I'd probably vote for the Tory, but, yet again, don't know much about the candidates.

Forth is a hardline Eurosceptic I believe. He doesn't have a chance of being ousted.

[Emsworth]

Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale (quite a mouthful, but not as bad as some others)

Candidates:
*Sean Marshall (Lab)
*David Mundell (Con)
*Patsy Kenton (Lib Dem)
*Andrew Wood (SNP)
*Antony Lee (UKIP)
*Sarah McTavish (SSP)

This is constituency is a newly created one, and did not exist in 2001. However, according to the BBC website, the wards which now comprise the constituency split with approximately 37% for Labour, 25% for the Conservatives, and 22% for the Lib Dems. This should be an interesting three-way race again.

I would have voted for Mundell, the Conservative.

[WMS]

Any places like the West Side of Albuquerque, Al?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Immy, WMS: I'll work it out tomorrow morning after I've had some sleep

[Erc]

Unfortunately, none of the three I have ties to are at all interesting electorally-speaking...so I'll pick the one that's closest to being competitive.

Bromley & Chislehurst.

Candidates:

Eric Forth (Con)--incumbent--interestingly enough, first elected in 1997...
Rachel Reeves (Lab)
Peter Brooks (Lib)

I'd probably vote for the Tory, but, yet again, don't know much about the candidates.

Forth is a hardline Eurosceptic I believe. He doesn't have a chance of being ousted.

Well, my other options for constituencies were Kensington (home of Michael Portillo) and Dulwich West (an very safe Labour seat)--Forth's safe, but of these three, he's the most vulnerable.  Hey, he could always eat babies in the middle of The Glades...

[WMS]

Immy, WMS: I'll work it out tomorrow morning after I've had some sleep

Cool.   Have a good night's sleep then!

[Lt. Gov. Immy]

Immy, WMS: I'll work it out tomorrow morning after I've had some sleep

Coolness. Thanks.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

I'd love to adopt my home of Aberavon but it's voting patternt makes me kind of upset in my tummy.

[Jake]

I'll take Foyle in North Ireland

Incumbent: John Hume SDLP, retiring

Candidates:

Mark Durkan - SDLP Leader
Mitchell McLaughlin - Sinn Fein
Earl Storey - UUP
William Hay - DUP
Eamonn McCann - SEA

In 2001, Hume had a 23.6% majority, but with his retirement, Sinn Fein has a decent chance to pick up this seat.

I'd be voting for McLaughlin (SF)

[minionofmidas]

As a Green voter, I hereby adopt Brighton Pavillion.
They can't possibly win it, of course...although the Frankfurter Rundschau just yesterday claimed they might...after their correspondent had spoken to Green Party Head Office obviously...but I'm pressing thumbs for second place.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I think I'll adopt Falmouth & Cambourne

2001 Results

Candy Atherton	Labour	18,532
Nicholas Serpell	Conservative	14,005
Julian Brazil	Liberal Democrat	11,453
John Browne	UKIP	1,328
Hilda Wasley	Mebyon Kernow	853
Paul Holmes	Liberal	649

2005 Race

Candy Atherton	Labour
Ashley Crossley	Conservative
Julia Goldsworthy	Liberal Democrat
Michael Mahon	UKIP
Hilda Wasley	Mebyon Kernow
Paul Holmes	Liberal
Peter Gifford	Veritas
Richard Smith	Removal of Tetramasts in Cornwall
David Mudd	Independent

This one looks like it will be real interesting, especially since Mr. Mudd was a Conservative MP for the seat in the 70’s and 80’s.

Here's a link to an article from telegraph.co.uk

[Platypus]

A seat between Swansea and Cardiff on the coast, but nearer Swansea then Cardiff? That's where my Grandma was born.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A seat between Swansea and Cardiff on the coast, but nearer Swansea then Cardiff? That's where my Grandma was born.

That would be in either the Bridgend or Aberavon seats

[Platypus]

is either interesting electorally?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Immy: after looking up Lewiston (and a couple of nearby counties) a seat that comes to mind is Clwyd South; a very rural seat in Northeast Wales, history of mining (in this case coal rather than metals) and other resource industries, outlying hill farms, tourism increasingly important (Llangollen is in the seat for one thing), Non Conformists (ie: Evangelicals) strong in most of the area.

M.P since 1987 (when it was Clwyd South West) is Martyn Jones (Labour) a former micro-biologist, a member of CND and on the left of the Labour Party. He's got a reputation as an effective constituency M.P. He wears a bow-tie.

[Lt. Gov. Immy]

Immy: after looking up Lewiston (and a couple of nearby counties) a seat that comes to mind is Clwyd South; a very rural seat in Northeast Wales, history of mining (in this case coal rather than metals) and other resource industries, outlying hill farms, tourism increasingly important (Llangollen is in the seat for one thing), Non Conformists (ie: Evangelicals) strong in most of the area.

M.P since 1987 (when it was Clwyd South West) is Martyn Jones (Labour) a former micro-biologist, a member of CND and on the left of the Labour Party. He's got a reputation as an effective constituency M.P. He wears a bow-tie.

Cool, thanks Al. I'll look that constituency up.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

is either interesting electorally?

Er... no. Aberavon has been Labour since the '20's (maybe a few years before) even during the '31 wipeout.
Bridgend (a coastal industrial area) was created in '83 and somehow managed to elect a Tory. Normal service resumed in '87 when Win Griffiths (a lay preacher) won it for Labour. He's standing down this election. The next M.P will be Madeleine Moon a fairly prominant local politician from Porthcawl.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

WMS: Reading West seems to fit your part of the West Side best; it's basically a lower middle class (U.K definition) suburban area with a load of council estates and some semi-rural upper middle class areas thrown in for good measure. The local economy is booming and the area is still growing fairly quickly.
By rights the seat should be a marginal (and was in 1997) but it's (very popular) Labour M.P, Martin Salter (a populist left winger) has turned it into something of a personal fiefdom and nearly tripled his majority in 2001 (it's now 21%) and is very safe.

[minionofmidas]

IIRC Bridgend does have some posh-ish outer suburban places as well...though not enough for the Tories to still be a force these days. Would explain how they won it in 1983, though.

And in the other Reading seat, they've deselected their MP on the grounds of having voted for the Iraq War and being a bit brash in personal conversations...and have nominated some elderly councillor and good friend of Salter's in her stead.

[Platypus]

is either interesting electorally?

Er... no. Aberavon has been Labour since the '20's (maybe a few years before) even during the '31 wipeout.
Bridgend (a coastal industrial area) was created in '83 and somehow managed to elect a Tory. Normal service resumed in '87 when Win Griffiths (a lay preacher) won it for Labour. He's standing down this election. The next M.P will be Madeleine Moon a fairly prominant local politician from Porthcawl.

My fallback is Cornwall, from dad's dad's side of the family.  (OLD) Mining areas on the north coast? He was a mine operator. We don't KNOW he was from the north coast of Cornwall, but there is a lot of 'Bartlett' presence there. They went to Cornwall from Swansea a few hundred years ago. Anyway.....

He would've been a tory, i'd guess.

[Peter]

My fallback is Cornwall, from dad's dad's side of the family.  (OLD) Mining areas on the north coast? He was a mine operator. We don't KNOW he was from the north coast of Cornwall, but there is a lot of 'Bartlett' presence there. They went to Cornwall from Swansea a few hundred years ago. Anyway.....

He would've been a tory, i'd guess.

I'd say that both Truro & St Austell and North Cornwall both fit this description; They are both safe Lib Dem seats with 8,000 and 10,000 majorities respectively. I think one of the MPs is stepping down, so one of them might swing back Tory a bit.