U.K election maps

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Whats the blue dot in the middle of the Yorkshire Coalfield ?

Doncaster believe it or not. Not the only working class town to vote for the Tories by narrow margins either (look at Carlisle, Glasgow and Sunderland). IIRC the old Donny seat didn't include all the town (as in the urban area; it probably included the county borough. I think Donny was a county borough...).

[Rural Radical]

Whats the blue dot in the middle of the Yorkshire Coalfield ?

Doncaster believe it or not. Not the only working class town to vote for the Tories by narrow margins either (look at Carlisle, Glasgow and Sunderland). IIRC the old Donny seat didn't include all the town (as in the urban area; it probably included the county borough. I think Donny was a county borough...).

Come to think of it wasnt Doncaster a Labour Gain in 1964 ? And held ever since.

[afleitch]

1955 was a year where the Conservatives in Scotland (or rather Scottish Unionists) polled over 50% of the vote IIRC.

[minionofmidas]

Al, can you tell me which parties have held Orkney and Shetland when?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Al, can you tell me which parties have held Orkney and Shetland when?

Been Liberal since 1950 when Jo Grimond took it back off the Tories. It was Tory in 1945 (although marginally so). I think it was always Liberal before the whole National Government mess (not entirely sure though) though. Not sure about '31 or '35.

[minionofmidas]

Since when has it been one constituency? I seem to recall that in the 18th century, although Scotland as a whole was woefully underrepresented, Orkney and Shetland were two separate constituencies.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Since when has it been one constituency? I seem to recall that in the 18th century, although Scotland as a whole was woefully underrepresented, Orkney and Shetland were two separate constituencies.

Since 1918 at the very latest. Boundaries before 1918 were very strange, especially in Scotland...

[minionofmidas]

In the 18th century, four or six (not sure which) of the smallest Scottish counties were represented only in alternate parliaments.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In the 18th century, four or six (not sure which) of the smallest Scottish counties were represented only in alternate parliaments.

It was six... Buteshire was paired with Caithness, Clackmannanshire with Kinross (interestingly the various "Ochil" seats post-1997 are a bit like that) and Cromarty with Nairnshire. Amusingly Midlothian was technically called "Edinburghshire"...

Oh and I've checked this and Orkney & Shetland was just one seat back then... sort of... Kirkwall was in the Tairn Burghs constituency (along with Tairn, Dingwall, Dornoch and Wick).

Crazy, eh?

[minionofmidas]

Oh well, not everything I say is true in every case.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh well, not everything I say is true in every case.

In practice it's quite close to being true though; IIRC Kirkwall was fairly large (well... relatively speaking...) back then.

[afleitch]

The 'burgh' thing was a throwback to the pre 1707 Scottish 'Pairlament' (note the spelling ) when the Burgh had a priveleged position in the local hierarchy which entitled it in many cases to a higher representation that the whole county surrounding it and even over larges cities (Rutherglen had a higher status than the much larger Glasgow until the 1800's). This lead to those strange constituencies. That status, while dwinding, was only officially abolished in 1975.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I made this map as an experiment; it's the % vote for Labour in the 2004 Euro elections (by local authority in England and Wales, by Holyrood constituency in Scotland). One shade represents one %. Note that the highest Labour vote (Blaenau Gwent in South Wales) was actually a few %'s over 50%; but as it was the only local authority with over 50% I kinda fudged things to keep my sanity... oh yes... suprisingly there wasn't a single local authority under 7% (there were several Westminster constituencies under that in 2005; evidence of tactical voting if I ever saw it...).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Despite what is written on the map, this is 1959 (not 1955)...



In many ways an election with very similer patterns to 1955, but with some important exceptions here and there; SuperMac solidified much of the South East on a permanent basis and the beginnings of the long trend to Labour in Lancashire is just about spottable. Thorpe's narrow win in North Devon is also quite significant... and you can also see the New Towns beginning to have an electoral effect here and there.

[minionofmidas]

Who was that in Caithness and Sutherland?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Who was that in Caithness and Sutherland?

The former Conservative M.P for the seat. Not sure why he left the party. Oddly no Liberal ran against him; only a Labour candidate did.

[minionofmidas]

Who was that in Caithness and Sutherland?

The former Conservative M.P for the seat. Not sure why he left the party. Oddly no Liberal ran against him.

Maybe they supported him?

Do you have the complete 55 and 59 results for the seat?

[afleitch]

Seeing the Conservatives (Scottish Unionists) holding Rutherglen and 5 other Glasgow seats is rather strange looking back The Conseratives then began their steady decline in Scotland.

[minionofmidas]

Am I seeing this right? Nottingham, three tory seats? Also, what was that Fife burghs constituency called, which places went in it, and was it the last such constituency left or was there another one that I overlooked?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Do you have the complete 55 and 59 results for the seat?

Yes... not sure quite how accurate as I don't own a copy of an authoritative source (I intend to get one, but I think they've been out of print for a while...) but it'll be pretty close...

1959: Ind 12,163, Lab 6,438
1955: Con 10,453, Lab 5,364, Lib 2,674

Am I seeing this right? Nottingham, three tory seats?

Yes; the Tories gained Nottingham West (the main predecessor seat to the current Nottingham South IIRC) that year (the Tory candidate is currently an M.P for a large rural constituency in Lincolnshire...). The Nottingham South of '59 included the suburban core of the current Rushcliffe constituency (Trent Bridge et al). I think the ultra-safe Tory seat Leicester SW included the Oadby/Wigston area now in Harborough.

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There were two Fife burghs seats; Dunfermline (which included the core of Dunfermline itself (but not by the looks of it the newer suburbs), Rosyth et al and several towns to the north east. Not sure which... I will have to check...) and Kirkaldy (which included Kirkaldy and another collection small towns).
There were certainly some other split constituencies in Scotland back then... Stirling & Falkirk for instance. Clackmannan & Stirlingshire East (?) was another. Dunbartonshire was split up as well.
And there was one in England as well; Dudley, which included the core of Dudley itself along with most of Stourbridge. Reason was because Dudley was still techically in Worcestershire, was too small to be a seat on it's own.

Seeing the Conservatives (Scottish Unionists) holding Rutherglen and 5 other Glasgow seats is rather strange looking back The Conseratives then began their steady decline in Scotland.

That's sectarianism for you
Actually they began the steady decline *in* 1959; I think Labour picked up a Glasgow seat that year and also Lanark. Most of Lanarkshire ceased to be as marginal as it was in '55 as well.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What happened to the Tories in rural Scotland?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What happened to the Tories in rural Scotland?

In most cases it was the rise of the Tartan Tories* that did them in, in parts of Aberdeenshire it was the recovery of the Liberals from the point of near death. Even now they aren't totally dead in those areas; Angus and Perth & North Perthshire are very marginal. But they actually finished behind *Labour* in Gordon... (first time Labour had come second in that part of Aberdeenshire since 1959 in case anyone is interested).

*The SNP

[Dave from Michigan]

a little off topic but so there's really not going to be an election for a while right?  Will Blair still be PM at the next election if not when do you think will he step down.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

a little off topic but so there's really not going to be an election for a while right?

Correct; election not due until 2010 (they can be called earlier though).

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No

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Hard to say... I think he's trying to get to some milestone date (like a decade in office) or something. Not sure... sometime in the next two years most likely.

[minionofmidas]

1959: Ind 12,163, Lab 6,438
1955: Con 10,453, Lab 5,364, Lib 2,674

Ah, so the Tories didn't run against him either? Now I see why this is confusing.

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Yes; the Tories gained Nottingham West (the main predecessor seat to the current Nottingham South IIRC) that year (the Tory candidate is currently an M.P for a large rural constituency in Lincolnshire...). The Nottingham South of '59 included the suburban core of the current Rushcliffe constituency (Trent Bridge et al). I think the ultra-safe Tory seat Leicester SW included the Oadby/Wigston area now in Harborough.
[/quote]What's the Labour seat just north of Nottingham?

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Ah yes, I'd wondered about why Stirling was a constituency of its own.

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Clackmannanshire and Stirlingshire North perhaps? That's what that one dark blue constituency looks like ... it's not split though.

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So that's two pink constituencies, not three? Ah.