Glasgow South
2010 Results:
Conservative: 4592 (11.45%)
Labour: 20736 (51.72%)
Liberal Democrat: 4739 (11.82%)
SNP: 8078 (20.15%)
BNP: 637 (1.59%)
Green: 961 (2.4%)
TUSC: 351 (0.88%)
Majority: 12658 (31.57%)
2005 Results:
Labour: 18153 (47.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 7321 (19%)
SNP: 4860 (12.6%)
Conservative: 4836 (12.6%)
Other: 3261 (8.5%)
Majority: 10832 (28.2%)
Boundary changes prior to 2005 election: Name of seat changed from Glasgow Cathcart.
2001 Result
Conservative: 3662 (13.4%)
Labour: 14902 (54.4%)
Liberal Democrat: 3006 (11%)
SNP: 4086 (14.9%)
Other: 1730 (6.3%)
Majority: 10816 (39.5%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 4248 (12.5%)
Labour: 19158 (56.2%)
Liberal Democrat: 2302 (6.7%)
SNP: 6913 (20.3%)
Referendum: 344 (1%)
Other: 1145 (3.4%)
Majority: 12245 (35.9%)
No Boundary Changes:
Profile:
Current MP: Tom Harris(Labour) Born 1964, Ayrshire. Educated at Garnock Academy and Napier College. Former journalist and local authority PR manager. First elected as MP for Glasgow Cathcart in 2001. PPS to John Spellar 2003-2005, to Patricia Hewitt 2005-2006. Under-secretary at the Department of Transport 2006-2008 (more information at They work for you)
Davena Rankin (Conservative) Educated at Knightswood Secondary school and Sussex University. Commercial manager at Glasgow Caledonian University. Contested Glasgow Kelvin 2001, Glasgow Cathcart & Glasgow list in 2007 Scottish elections, Glasgow East 2008 by-election.Tom Harris(Labour) Born 1964, Ayrshire. Educated at Garnock Academy and Napier College. Former journalist and local authority PR manager. First elected as MP for Glasgow Cathcart in 2001. PPS to John Spellar 2003-2005, to Patricia Hewitt 2005-2006. Under-secretary at the Department of Transport 2006-2008 (more information at They work for you)
Shabnum Mustapha (Liberal Democrat) Born Glasgow. Educated at Glasgow University. Policy and public affairs co-ordinator. Contested Glasgow Cathcart 2007 Scottish election.
Malcolm Fleming (SNP) Works for an international aid charity. 
Marie Campbell (Green)Mike Coyle (BNP)Brian Smith (TUSC) Local government worker.2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 88701
Male: 47.1%
Female: 52.9%
Under 18: 22.3%
Over 60: 20%
Born outside UK: 6.2%
White: 92.7%
Black: 0.2%
Asian: 6.1%
Mixed: 0.4%
Other: 0.7%
Christian: 63.6%
Jewish: 0.7%
Muslim: 5%
Sikh: 0.6%
Graduates 16-74: 24.3%
No Qualifications 16-74: 33%
Owner-Occupied: 63%
Social Housing: 25.3% (Council: 18.9%, Housing Ass.: 6.5%)
Privately Rented: 8.4%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 16.5%
I was watching the BBC 1979 general election coverage on YouTube.
It broken up as for example, Youtube-General Election 1979-Part 27, with each segment being around 10 minutes.
Rather than watching the coverage all the way through, does anybody know which part has the Glasgow Cathcart declaration, where John Maxton defeated Teddy Taylor.
I have found the Glasgow Govan declaration where the SNP vote collapsed the the previous tight Lab/ SNP marginal.
Iain – I’m pleased you enjoyed the 1979 election show which I uploaded. YouTube has a limit of 10 minutes 59 seconds for most people which is why I have to split it up into lots of parts. Every election from 1979 to 2010 excluding 2001 is on my YouTube channel as well. I will upload 2001 as well eventually.
I too am watching the videos, and am up to 2005. Iain look at the comments underneath the videos by a certain user named “swanarcadian”, because they tell you what happens in most of the videos.
11 minutes is a good time limit, otherwise I end up getting carried away watching it and nearly forget I’ve got other things in life to preoccupy myself, like my fiancée for example.
Glasgow has 21 wards so a reduction from 7 to 6 MP’s would result in 6 constituencies of 3.5 wards.
Effectively, Glasgow North East would be abolished (though the new ‘Maryhill’ would be more like a North and NE merger).
Glasgow Cathcart (old South)
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Govan (old SW)
Glasgow Maryhill (old North)
Glasgow Scotstoun (old NW)
Glasgow Shettleston (old East)
I would much prefer the return of historical names as opposed to compass points. Compass points are OK if the city has only 3 or 4 MP’s but not 7.
Just imagine if the BC decided to apply compass points to the Birmingham seats -
Birmingham Central (Ladywood)
Birmingham East (Hodge Hill)
Birmingham North (Erdington)
Birmingham North East (Yardley)
Birmingham North West (Perry Barr)
Birmingham South (Selly Oak)
Birmingham South East (Handsworth)
Birmingham South West (Northfield)
Birmingham West (Edgbaston)
I note the the Holyrood review has retained district names.
Initially, the BC had come up with some bizarre creations (Lanark, Shotts and Whitburn being one of the worst), but their final proposals are not massively different from what we have now (apart from 1 extra seat in NE Scotland, and 1 fewer seat in Glasgow)
What have been the wards of this constituency since 2005? I believe none of the present Glasgow Westminster seats contain whole wards.
Do you mean that none of the Glasgow Westminster seats contain any whole wards (which isn’t true, not least in this constituency) or that none of the Westminster seats is made up entirely of whole wards (which is true)?
Either way, here are the old, single-member wards for Glasgow South: Carnwadric, Maxwell Park, Battlefield, Langside, Pollokshaws, Newlands, Cathcart, Mount Florida, King’s Park, Carmunnock, Castlemilk and Glenwood.
The new seat contains the following wards: Linn (all), Newlands/Auldearn (all), Langside (virtually all, save about one street), Pollokshields (about a third), and Southside Central (a fairly small amount). I’ve no idea of the exact figures.
Any idea why the LD vote collapsed here at the GE?
It held up in the rest of Glasogw apart from Glasgow East.
I can’t think of any reason why Shabnum Mustapha should have failed to hold onto so much of the LD vote from 2005
The 2005 result was a bit of an outlier result for the LDs. They were on 11% in 2001 despite having a Scottish leader then (as in 2005).
The Times Guide to the HOC entry on this seat displays Nadhim Zahawi’s portrait and not Tom Harris’…
That’s a bad mistake. Haven’t they heard of proof-reading? I’m waiting for the price to come down to less than £20 before I buy a copy.
Rather inexplicable – they don’t sound any more similar than they look! Nor are they alphabetically close….
I never saw that book in my local Waterstones this time round, even though the last edition was there in 2005. I don’t feel compelled to buy it anyway this time round, it’s all online anyway.
I’m a bit old-fashioned in that I’d like to have the book even though all the information is available online. I think within a few months it will be available at a very reasonable price from online sellers. The latest second-hand price on Amazon is £22.
There are rumours Tom Harris is interested in becoming the Scottish Labour leader. Not a bad idea, apart from the fact that he isn’t a MSP. Therefore if he is leader would he (a) Persuade a fellow MSP to stand down and for him to stand in a by-election, as he would not be able to enter through the party list system or (b) Become leader anyway, but then appoint a MSP to be the Parliamentary leader with Tom Harris in a co-ordination role. BTW this applies to Jim Murphy, Douglas Alexander or any other MP looking for the role.
He would have to force a by-election and become an MSP. To be sure of winning it would have to be in one of the safe seats in and around Glasgow.
There’s no way he would get away with some kind of pantomime horse arrangement, staying outside Holyrood and appointing a Scottish parliamentary leader. Salmond and the SNP would eat him for breakfast and spit him out.
I am far from convinced Tom Harris will stand, or win. Murphy and Alexander – absolutely no chance. They are too ambitious on the UK stage.
Not sure Tom Harris would be earily spat out.
He’s quite a robust character, and calls a spade a shovel.
“To be sure of winning it would have to be in one of the safe seats in and around Glasgow.”
Labour is left with just 3 constituencies in Glasgow at Holyrood level
Glasgow Provan (Michael Martin’s son as MSP) 10.8% majority (their second safest constituency)
Rutherglen (James Kelly MSP) 6.6% maj. The new constituency is enterely based on South Lanarkshire territory IIRC.
Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn (Patricia Fergusson MSP) 6.3% maj
Glasgow Pollock (Johann Lamont MSP; SLAB Deputy Leader) 2.7% maj
The constituency with the biggest Lab majority is Coatbridge & Chryston (held by a left wing woman whose main priority may not be Tom Harris) with a 11.8% majority. The spectacular SNP performance last May produced a political map where the top 6 of Labour biggest majorities include Eastwood and Dumfries while Glasgow Anniesland, Paisley and Kirkcaldy aren’t even Labour held.
“There’s no way he would get away with some kind of pantomime horse arrangement, staying outside Holyrood and appointing a Scottish parliamentary leader. Salmond and the SNP would eat him for breakfast and spit him out”
That’s exactly what Salmond did in 2007 though
Such a move clearly has pros and cons.
I suppose the thinking is that it could muddy the waters between Westminster and Holyrood which may or may not work.
He’s quite a provocative character so I suppose his candidacy might scare others into action.
Yes, it sounds more like a move to stimulate a debate within the party and forcing other potential contenders (McIntosh, Baillie) to make their mind up
Tom Harris has indeed put his name forward to be the next leader of the Scottish Labour party. However, if elected he has made it clear that he will retire as an MP at the next election and become a MSP by the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections.
Democrat Audit project Glasgow South and Renfrewshire East being merged (obviously with the excess bing absorbed by other seats).
So going for Holyrood in 2016 may avoid him going head to head for the respective Labour nomination in 2015.
DA’s model also predicts East Dunbartonshire being broken up so I’d take their central Scotland projections with a pinch of salt.
In other news, it also seems Ken MacIntosh and Johann Lamont are standing for the Labour leadership.
Lamont would be a terrible idea though IMO.
Scottish Labour has elected Johann Lamont as Leader, a pretty disastrous choice although I haven’t checked the voting in exact detail yet.