Enfield Southgate
2010 Results:
Conservative: 21928 (49.44%)
Labour: 14302 (32.25%)
Liberal Democrat: 6124 (13.81%)
UKIP: 505 (1.14%)
Green: 632 (1.42%)
English Democrat: 173 (0.39%)
Independent: 391 (0.88%)
Others: 297 (0.67%)
Majority: 7626 (17.19%)
Notional 2005 Results:
Conservative: 18471 (43.7%)
Labour: 17298 (40.9%)
Liberal Democrat: 4915 (11.6%)
Other: 1595 (3.8%)
Majority: 1173 (2.8%)
Actual 2005 result
Conservative: 18830 (44.6%)
Labour: 17083 (40.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 4724 (11.2%)
Green: 1083 (2.6%)
UKIP: 490 (1.2%)
Majority: 1747 (4.1%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 16181 (38.6%)
Labour: 21727 (51.8%)
Liberal Democrat: 2935 (7%)
UKIP: 298 (0.7%)
Green: 662 (1.6%)
Other: 105 (0.3%)
Majority: 5546 (13.2%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 19137 (41.1%)
Labour: 20570 (44.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 4966 (10.7%)
Referendum: 1342 (2.9%)
Other: 518 (1.1%)
Majority: 1433 (3.1%)
Boundary changes: Gains the majority of Highlands from Enfield North, a large part of Grange ward which is currently split between the three Enfield seats, and a substantial part of Palmers Green from Edmonton. There are also smaller changes due to new ward boundaries, which involve losing a tiny part of Bush Hill Park and gaining a few hundred voters in Bowes.
Profile: Stephen Twigg`s victory over Michael Portillo in Enfield Southgate symbolised the Labour victory in 1997 in the same way that David Amess`s defence of Basildon characterised the Conservative win in 1992. A book about election night 1997 by the journalist Brian Cathcart was later published with the title “Were you still up for Portillo?”.
Twigg`s victory was a surprise and his 8 years as MP for Enfield Southgate seem to have been an aberration in Enfield Southgate otherwise constant representation by the Conservative party. This the the prosperous, leafy western part of the Borough of Enfield and natural Conservative territory. It is more cosmopolitan than the Conservative suburbs of south-east London, there are sizeable Muslim, Jewish and Cypriot populations here, and the Bowes Park area to the south of the constituency is solidly Labour, but overall Southgate tends towards a middle-class Conservative area. To the north the seat becomes semi-rural as it takes in Trent Park and the Middlesex University campus and stretches into the hugely expensive Hadley Wood area.
Current MP: David Burrowes(Conservative) born 1969, Cockfosters. Educated at Highgate School and University of Exeter. Solicitor. Former Enfield councillor. Founded the Conservative Christian Fellowship along with Tim Montgomerie. Contested Edmonton 2001. MP for Enfield Southgate since 2005 (more information at They work for you)
David Burrowes(Conservative) born 1969, Cockfosters. Educated at Highgate School and University of Exeter. Solicitor. Former Enfield councillor. Founded the Conservative Christian Fellowship along with Tim Montgomerie. Contested Edmonton 2001. MP for Enfield Southgate since 2005 (more information at They work for you) 
Bambos Charalambous (Labour) Enfield councillor. Contested Epping Forest 2005 
Johar Khan (Liberal Democrat)
Peter Krakowiak (Green) Works for a housing charity.Bob Brock (UKIP)Ben Weald (English Democrat)Samad Billoo (Respect) Jeremy Sturgess (A Better Britain)Mal the Warrior Malakounides (Independent)Doctor Asit Mukhopadhyay (Independent)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 86241
Male: 47.9%
Female: 52.1%
Under 18: 20.2%
Over 60: 20.6%
Born outside UK: 27.4%
White: 80.3%
Black: 5.4%
Asian: 9.6%
Mixed: 2.6%
Other: 2.1%
Christian: 59.8%
Hindu: 4.6%
Jewish: 4.7%
Muslim: 8.1%
Full time students: 6.5%
Graduates 16-74: 31.7%
No Qualifications 16-74: 21.7%
Owner-Occupied: 75.7%
Social Housing: 9.8% (Council: 7.3%, Housing Ass.: 2.6%)
Privately Rented: 12%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 6.3%
Those endless showings of Portillo’s train journeys have given me a splendid idea.
Pete Whitehead travelling around from constituency to constituency with a copy of Waller’s first almanac.
Metting political people and discussing how places have changed since 1980.
Do you think we could get BBC Parliament to fund it?
I think for balance I should accompany him.
I wonder which seat has changed LEAST in character since 1980. I’ve always thought that seats like Leigh are pretty unchanging despite the closure of all the Lancs coalmines.
I think this is an excellent idea and I’d be happy to have Barnaby accompanying me. I think we would have to undertake most of the journeys by car though. We will sadly find many of the most impressive council estates mentioned like Netherley and Fort Beswick no longer in existance
Copeland?
I think Copeland is also a good example too, if one takes the areas which have always been in the constituency (I think there were no boundary changes at the time it changed its name from Whitehaven). Again a former mining area which hasn’t seen a lot of social change since the mines closed, which in this case is quite a long time ago. Workington next door doesn’t change much either.
Not sure what Robert Waller is doing now – I know him from when he worked at Harris Research & I was a telephone interviewer (while I planned the start-up of my business). I’ve seen Byron Criddle around in Richmond quite a bit lately though.
I would quite happily watch Pete and Barnaby travelling around the UK discussing each constituency!
Both are fair and balanced in their views, it would make great TV.
Robert Waller posts occasionally in another place (mostly in the weekly prediction competition we run on local council by-elections). He has of course posted on here occasionally as well. I believe he teaches at a school in Epsom or somewhere round that way
In relation to places that haven’t changed much, I’d suggest mid-Beds is a reasonable shout.
The main towns, Ampthill and Flitwick, are no different in character to how they were thirty years ago when I was growing up (Flitwick has become slightly chavvier in some respects, but equally some much nicer housing development has sprung up in parts to counteract that).
Larger villages like Westoning, Maulden, Clophill and Cranfield (I think Cranfield is mid-Beds) are no different, and Woburn is just as pleasant as it ever was.
PS I would be happy to see my licence fee paying for Pete and Barnaby’s adventures around the land
It does occur to me that (once again) I’ve showed my lack of psephological knowledge as I suspect mid-Beds didn’t exist before ’97. I shall withdraw my contribution accordingly(!).
Although the area hasn’t changed much, that still stands.
I think Pete and Barnaby need some sort of gimmick for their travels?
You don’t have long hair and beards and ride motorbikes by any chance?
Failing that perhaps they could drive some cars of the era as Richard Wilson did in his recent touring series.
Pete and Barnaby
- On The Road (Think Paddy McGuinness and Rory McGrath)
We could drive a Princess. It would be good to drive one around the former Princess ward of Knowsley.
I always imagined Barnaby has a beard
On the contrary Chris, there was a Mid Beds seat long before WWII, I think at least since 1918. At that time Bedfordshire had only 3 constituencies, Bedford, Luton & Mid Beds. In 1945 the 2 urban seats were won by Labour & Mid Beds by the Conservatives. A new South Beds seat was created in 1950 & won by Labour, but was subsequently won by the party only in 1966, although as SW Beds it was very close in both 1997 & 2001.
) is implacably opposed to Labour & usually votes Conservative, though he strayed in a Cleggite direction in 2010.
I am clean-shaven except for thin sideburns, balding & extremely handsome (well, at least my wife thinks so lol). I have never ridden a motorbike & have yet to own a car which wasn’t a Citroen, though my afore-mentioned wife will probably divorce me if I get another one. I have never had a beard or moustache; it is of course possible to be very left-wing without one, despite Trotsky & Lenin being noted for their facial hirsuteness. I would take great exception to my views being described as balanced, though as has been noted I am capable of analysing constituencies without indulging in wishful thinking too much. As it happens one of my closest friends is now a UKIP supporter, despite having been a Lib Dem member for years before (he never was a good fit with that party), so I am perfectly capable of getting on well with people of diametrically opposite views. I have also had very interesting discussions in pubs with Reaganite Republicans – perhaps we fascinate each other. Even my very closest friend with whom I will be enjoying a trip to country boozers tomorrow night (he’s driving
Finally, I reckon almost any joke told by either Pete or myself would have a good chance of being funnier than those of Mr McGrath. I believe he resides in Cambridge.
I spotted Rory McGrath cycling past the Engineering Department at Cambridge University about five years ago. I can testify that his beard was in fine fettle on that occasion.