Newport West
2010 Results:
Conservative: 12845 (32.34%)
Labour: 16389 (41.26%)
Liberal Democrat: 6587 (16.58%)
Plaid Cymru: 1122 (2.82%)
BNP: 1183 (2.98%)
UKIP: 1144 (2.88%)
Green: 450 (1.13%)
Majority: 3544 (8.92%)
2005 Results:
Labour: 16021 (44.8%)
Conservative: 10563 (29.6%)
Liberal Democrat: 6398 (17.9%)
Plaid Cymru: 1278 (3.6%)
Other: 1472 (4.1%)
Majority: 5458 (15.3%)
2001 Result
Conservative: 9185 (26.2%)
Labour: 18489 (52.7%)
Liberal Democrat: 4095 (11.7%)
Plaid Cymru: 2510 (7.2%)
UKIP: 506 (1.4%)
BNP: 278 (0.8%)
Majority: 9304 (26.5%)
1997 Result
Conservative: 9794 (24.4%)
Labour: 24331 (60.5%)
Liberal Democrat: 3907 (9.7%)
Plaid Cymru: 648 (1.6%)
Referendum: 1199 (3%)
Other: 323 (0.8%)
Majority: 14537 (36.2%)
No Boundary Changes:
Profile:
Current MP: Paul Flynn(Labour) (more information at They work for you)
Matthew Williams (Conservative) Paul Flynn(Labour) (more information at They work for you)Veronica German (Liberal Democrat) Jeff Rees (Plaid Cymru) Pippa Bartolotti (Green)Hugh Moelwyn Hughes (UKIP) Timothy Windsor (BNP)2001 Census Demographics
Total 2001 Population: 82731
Male: 48%
Female: 52%
Under 18: 24.5%
Over 60: 20.8%
Born outside UK: 4.6%
White: 95.4%
Black: 0.6%
Asian: 2.2%
Mixed: 1.2%
Other: 0.6%
Christian: 72.8%
Muslim: 2.2%
Full time students: 3.8%
Graduates 16-74: 19.5%
No Qualifications 16-74: 30.6%
Owner-Occupied: 70.7%
Social Housing: 21.6% (Council: 16.4%, Housing Ass.: 5.1%)
Privately Rented: 4.8%
Homes without central heating and/or private bathroom: 3.3%
We hear a lot about policies at election time but locally I like to know why candidates think they should earn our vote. We know they will spout the diatribes provided from their respective HQs but what have they achieved for themselves? Why are they so shy about their life achievements?
It seems so typical of the last crop of MP’s and the 2010 hopefuls that they’ve little or no experience of proper employment. As the average age of candidates drops alarmingly one has to wonder where work and life experience is going to come from to run the country with any credibility. Not that age in itself is any sort of guarantee.
Matthew Williams (Conservative) has an online profile. It shows he went from Monmouth school to university and has been a “political advisor” since 1996. Interestingly only Labour and UKIP has the same candidate in Newport West as in 2005. The others do not figure for 2010. Flynn (Labour) has been the sitting MP since 1987. He worked in the steel industry for the best part of 30 years and was also a councillor for 10 years. He became a political researcher for the three years before his election. Hugh Moelwyn Hughes (UKIP) is retired and states he “practiced Law in the community”. What is that?
The Lib Dems have put forward Veronica German who was a teacher until 2 years ago and now works as Constituency Administrator and is a councillor so appears to be in politics full time. Pippa Bartolotti (Greens) states (rather vaguely) that she has worked in business from the fashion industry in London, to electronics and software development and latterly worked “with” the WDA. Now working for COEXIST, whoever they are. Jeff Rees (Plaid) appears to have been a full time local councillor for two years, before that – who knows?
Our politics would be better for knowing the achievements of those who seek our votes.
Lab Hold
Maj 1600
Awwwwh Neily…..Con gain by 1000
There is only so much you can put on a Royal Mail approved flier or a 100 word bio, but for the sake of clarity, I shall give you some more information here. Mike, You are right to ask what exactly people have done in the past because it is those experiences which help to guide their decisions for the future.
I worked in the Glastonbury sheepskin industry in 1973 – 5, then the fashion business in the West End of London 1975 1986 (primarily as a designer, but also in management) Very competitive. In that time I started Haywards (selling to Harvey Nicholls and the like) – and and worked for 2 other companies – Charlie Girl and Marba Manufacturing. All very successful. I then started Encrypta Electronics (employing 25 people and sub contracting to AB Electronics among other local businesses) and moved to South Wales with my young family. I joined La’viva Ltd which was set up to offer various therapy equipment to stroke survivors, both directly and via the NHS.Later I took a directorship at Toucan Systems.
I am a schools speaker for Amnesty International and have been a volounteer for various organisations throughout my life – most recently for Urban Circle in Newport.
I have done a few other things, but don’t want to bore you to death!
COEXIST is an organisation dedicated to social, economic and environmental justice. http://www.coexister.blogspot.com
If you would like to know anything else – just ask
Pippa
I am so sad there is no candidate in my constituacy which I can be in tune with so i am unable to vote the candidate i would like to see is not avaiable
Lab maj 1,000
Lab Hold 1,000-1,250
It’s been said there’s Labour support throughout this seat but the same could be said of the Tories. In the local elections, even in the most working class wards like Gaer and Pill, the latter of which should be as “red” as they come, the Conservatives were very close behind Labour.
Compare that to situation in Newport East where the Tories hardly get a look in. Only Langstone is a stronghold and I’m guessing Magor and Rogiet are as well, although I don’t have the results for Monmouthshire to hand.
LAB HOLD
Below-average swing to the Tories here. Flynn is surely unlikely to stand again but he has given his successor a decent chance of another win.
Boundary changes proposed by the welsh electoral reform society argue that the Graig and marshland areas of Newport west should be merged in to a larger Caerphilly constituency with Malpas and Caerleon merged in to Torfaen. This would leave Newport with one MP and would make Newport a safe labour seat.
It would, but of course that isn’t an official proposal in any way.
Thats true but as far as Newport is concerned, it would be hard to see how boundary changes would impact negatively against Labour. If the west of Newport West and the east of Newport East were to be shifted into other constituencies then Newport would be solid Labour.
I would find it very unlikely for the Tories to gain Newport West next time even with the departure of Paul Flynn. The result here last time could probably be attributed to the Flynn factor but maybe Labour voters came back to the fold as they feared a Tory victory.