Comments on: East Kilbride Strathaven and Lesmahago

By: A Brown

A Brown — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:09:06 +0000

Prediction: East Kilbride 2011

Lab 17000
SNP 11000
Con 2750
LD 2250

By: Andy JS

Andy JS — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:03:59 +0000

The boundary changes in Glasgow Hillhead transformed the 1979 Tory majority of 2,002 into a notional Labour majority of 2,020.

By: Barnaby JL Marder

Barnaby JL Marder — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:22:44 +0000

At the time Jim Craigen, who had been MP for Maryhill in the previous Parliament and for some time previously, stood in the redrawn seat. He then however retired in 1987 to make way for left-winger Maria Fyfe.

By: Dalek

Dalek — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:33:21 +0000

Yes….it got really personal, and I recall the sheer relentless determination by Labour to ensure George Galloway defeated Jenkins in 1987.

Just as Glasgow Cathcart in 1983 was a notional Labour Gain from Conservative, Glasgow Hillhead was a notional SDP Gain from Labour. The seat had been the last Tory seat in the city when Jenkins won the by election, but the addition of the more Labour parts of Glasgow Kelvingrove turned a 1979 Tory majority of around 2000 into a similar Labour majority.

Apparently Neil Carmichael had the opportunity to be considered for selection in Glasgow Maryhill (which absorbed the other half of his Kelvingrove constituency) but had been determined to defeat Roy Jenkins.

By: Votedave

Votedave — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:10:57 +0000

Watching the election replay on YouTube, Labour supporters didn’t sound happy when Roy Jenkins eventually defeated Neil Carmichael at Hillhead, to put it mildly.

By: Barnaby JL Marder

Barnaby JL Marder — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:11:36 +0000

Neil Carmichael of course now has a namesake in parliament. There have been a remarkably large number of unrelated namesakes in the House over the years, sometimes simultaneously (Alan Williams, Tony Wright, Michael Foster, Bob Hughes, Angela Smith for example). We also have 2 homophones at the moment (Grahame Morris & Graeme Morrice).

By: Dalek

Dalek — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:20:34 +0000

“It was in Lanark. The removal of East Kilbride in 1974 was reckoned to make Lanark a notional Tory seat (1970)”

Judith Hart stayed with Lanark in Feb 1974 when it could have been expected that she would have stood instead in East Kilbride.

East Kilbrides first MP was Maurice Miller (MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove from 1964 – 1974). His failed to be selected for the new Glasgow Kelvingrove constituency which combined all of Neil Carmichaels Glasgow Woodside with the parts of his seat not merged with Glasgow Central.

By: Barnaby JL Marder

Barnaby JL Marder — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:30:51 +0000

Not sure how much of East Kilbride existed then, though.

By: Harry Porter

Harry Porter — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:51:36 +0000

‘It was in Lanark’

Therefore Alec-Douglas Home (when known as Lord Dunglass) represented East Kilbride during the war – he was Neville Chamberlain’s PPS during Chamberlain’s premiership

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:35:14 +0000

It was in Lanark. The removal of East Kilbride in 1974 was reckoned to make Lanark a notional Tory seat (1970)