Comments on: Fife North East

By: Andy JS

Andy JS — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:28:15 +0000

Would there be any truth in the assertion that most of the Tory strength in this constituency comes from older voters? If that’s correct I suppose it’s just as true for the rest of Scotland as well.

By: Dalek

Dalek — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:55:44 +0000

“Dunbartonshire East 80368: whole council minus the parts of Bearsden South ward that lie south of the Westerton-Singer railway line (451 electors, apparently, and the only way of getting to the rest of East Dunbartonshire without going into Glasgow is a pedestrian footbridge at Westerton railway station)”

I think I am right in saying that of the various permutations of Strathkelvin & Bearsden (Westminster and Holyrood) that Bearsden has been virtually detached from Strathkelvin.

Glasgow Pollok from 1983 to 1997 was in two parts.

The Pollok council estate (Pollok, Cowglen, South Nitshill and Arden wards) was divided from Pollokshields and Shawlands wards by the convergance of Mosspark Ward (then Glasgow Govan) and Pollokshaws Ward (then Glasgow Cathcart) close to Pollok House.

This could have been avoided by placing Pollokshields and Shawlands in Glasgow Govan and Penilee and Cardonald in Glasgow Pollok in 1983 – more or less the post 1997 boundaries.

By: Aidan Thomson

Aidan Thomson — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:34:29 +0000

Pete: no offence taken; and yes, you’re right, they do need to get a life. Apart from anything else, modern council boundaries often don’t follow traditional counties. (Perhaps they’re a bit embarrassed about DC&T in retrospect?)

Andy: no idea, except possibly that all the Scottish councils are unitaries (though there must be some English metropolitan/London proposed seats, or Welsh proposed seats, of which the same could be said). The BCS decided from the outset this time that they wouldn’t have any seat containing territory from more than two council areas, unless utterly unavoidable. They also stated that having a small number of councils grouped together makes it easier to hold local enquiries, which is a reasonable point.

John: agree that this isn’t the place to discuss Linlithgow or Edinburgh, though perhaps you could post your thoughts on Falkirk or Linlithgow & Falkirk East page. FWIW, I group together Edinburgh, West Lothian and Falkirk (minus Denny/Banknock), and East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, and the six Ayrshire and Renfrewshire authorities. Re Fife/P&K: did you just include Kinross with Fife, or any other parts of south Perthshire?

By: Andy JS

Andy JS — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:53:21 +0000

What’s the problem with having seats with 3 council areas? Here in Staffordshire the Stone seat comprises 3 council areas.

By: John Chanin

John Chanin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:37:15 +0000

I linked West Fife with Kinross and Kirkcaldy with Glenrothes. But agree that works better if Fife linked with Perth/Kinross. Clackmannan goes with Falkirk North reverting to a pre 1987 situation. Obviously there are knock on effects further South but this isn’t the thread to talk about Linlithgow or Edinburgh

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:03:28 +0000

“Nearly brilliant, Pete. But the BCS wouldn’t wear it as Bannockburn, Alloa and Stenhousemuir includes parts of three council areas (”

They need to get a life. there’s more important things than how many council boundaries are crossed and they didn’t mind creating Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweedale which crosses three council boundaries. Not having a go at you.

By: Aidan Thomson

Aidan Thomson — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:52:13 +0000

Nearly brilliant, Pete. But the BCS wouldn’t wear it as Bannockburn, Alloa and Stenhousemuir includes parts of three council areas (Clacks, Stirling, Falkirk).

Best I can come up with for Mid Scotland, Fife, Argyll, Dunbartonshire, and Lanarkshire (“Almond (and Earn)” = “Almond bit of Almond and Earn”, etc.). There are three split wards:

Perth & North Perthshire 78947: Carse of Gowrie, Strathmore, Blairgowrie and Glens, Highland, Strathtay, Almond (and Earn) (3070), Perth City x3

St Andrews and South Perthshire 78758: Howe of Fife and Tay Coast, Tay Bridgehead, St Andrews, Cupar, Strathearn, Strathallan, Kinross-shire, (Almond and) Earn (5378)

Glenrothes and East Neuk 78016: Glenrothes x3, East Neuk and Landward, Leven, Kennoway and Largo, Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss villages

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 76364: The Lochs, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Cardenden, Burntisland Kinghorn and western Kirkcaldy, Kirkcaldy x3

Dunfermline and West Fife 78871: West Fife and Coastal Villages, Dunfermline x3, Rosyth, Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay

Stirling and Clackmannan 80045: Clackmannan (whole council), (Dunblane and) Bridge of Allan (5744), Castle, Stirling West, Stirling East, Bannockburn

Argyll, Bute and the Trossachs 80050: Argyll and Bute council except for the two Helensburgh wards, Trossachs and Teith, Forth and Endrick, Dunblane (and Bridge of Allan)

Dunbartonshire West and Helensburgh 79644: Helensburgh Central, Helensburgh and Lomond South, West Dunbartonshire council

Dunbartonshire East 80368: whole council minus the parts of Bearsden South ward that lie south of the Westerton-Singer railway line (451 electors, apparently, and the only way of getting to the rest of East Dunbartonshire without going into Glasgow is a pedestrian footbridge at Westerton railway station)

Cumbernauld 77985: Denny and Banknock, Kilsyth, Cumbernauld x2, Abronhill Kildrum and the Village, Strathkelvin

Airdrie and Coatbridge 76605: Coatbridge x3, Airdrie x3

Motherwell, Wishaw and Shotts 75720: Fortissat, Motherwell x3, Murdostoun, Wishaw

Bothwell 78123: Thorniewood, Bellshill, Mossend and Holytown, Cambuslang x2, Blantyre, Bothwell and Uddingston

East Kilbride and Rutherglen 79954: East Kilbride x5, Rutherglen x2

Hamilton, Larkhall and Strathaven 79732: Clydesdale South, Avondale and Stonehouse, Hamilton x3, Larkhall

Dumfriesshire and Clydesdale 77064: Mid and Upper Nithsdale, Annandale x3, Clydesdale North, Clydesdale West, Clydesdale East

By: Pete Whitehead

Pete Whitehead — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:59:40 +0000

Fife East & Kinross 76069

Howe of Fife and Tay Coast
Tay Bridgehead
St Andrews
Cupar
East Neuk and Landward
Kinross-shire
Almond and Earn

Glenrothes 77792

Leven, Kennoway and Largo
Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch
Glenrothes Central and Thornton
Glenrothes West and Kinglassie
Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages
Lochgelly and Cardenden

Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath 79673

Kirkcaldy East
Kirkcaldy North
Kirkcaldy Central
Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay
Cowdenbeath
The Lochs

Dunfermline & Clackmannan 80035

Dunfermline North
Dunfermline Central
Dunfermline South
Rosyth
West Fife and Coastal Villages
Clackmannanshire East
Clackmannanshire North

Perthshire 75877

Perth City South
Perth City North
Perth City Centre
Strathtay
Highland
Blairgowrie and Glens
Strathmore
Carse of Gowrie

Stirling 73979

Stirling West
Castle
Dunblane and Bridge of Allan
Stirling East
Trossachs and Teith
Strathallan
Forth and Endrick
Strathearn

Bannockburn, Alloa & Stenhousemuir 73955
Clackmannanshire South
Clackmannanshire Central
Clackmannanshire West
Bannockburn
Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst
Bonnybridge and Larbert
Denny and Banknock

By: Aidan Thomson

Aidan Thomson — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:09:02 +0000

Calum, the seat is still notionally Lib Dem, not Labour, though on current form it’s hard to see the Lib Dems hanging on.

The bigger issue is that Fife needs a partner, as its electorate is too small to have four seats. Realistically, there are only two options: Clackmannanshire or Perth & Kinross (I assume – and hope – that the BCS won’t opt for a seat that crosses the Tay Bridge). The Clacks option means that Dunfermline is split in two, and that some, possibly all, of Levenmouth has to be added to Fife NE. The P&K option would mean creating a seat that includes all or most of Fife NE with all or most of South Perthshire/Kinross. On another forum I suggested a seat in which Crieff, Auchterarder, Bridge of Earn and Kinross were added to most of Fife NE (current seat minus Leven, Largo and the east Neuk; I’d rather keep the east Neuk in, but the numbers wouldn’t work then), but was told that links between Fife and P&K were minimal. I replied that Fife’s links probably weren’t that great with Clacks either, but something would have to change one way or the other, even if it was a case of going for the least worst option. As someone who clearly knows the area, what would be your preference?

By: Calum W

Calum W — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:42:20 +0000

@A Cairns
From an entirely apolitical perspective I’m very unhappy with these boundaries. The Howe of Fife villages have always historically been a part of NE Fife and linked to Cupar and St Andrews. Overnight we’ve gone from being in a rural former tory now LD/SNP seat into notionally a safe Labour seat. I would be very surprised if the local anger here didn’t force the boundary commission to reconsider the configuration for Fife. However, I feel the whole concept of having FPTP with large constituencies is the big problem here. What will also be interesting to hear is how our LD councillors react, for these boundary changes, whether they are altered or not, undoubtedly ruin their claim to being champions of localism.