Comments on: Wales European

By: gwyn

gwyn — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:07:31 +0000

i was really shocked to see plaid win conwy. in the 2005 election, plaid got 4th. i know it’s different to the euro, but still a massive increse.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:42:22 +0000

Tim, In my post I did not mention Labour at all if you look. All I said was that Bangor was very definitely anti-Conservative in its voting whether that would have been Liberal, Labour or Plaid Cymru.

I also said that the Tories would never have won beyond the high 20s and usually won less and if a member of the Tory campaign said that they had c. 25% then this fits too.

By: Conwy Lad

Conwy Lad — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:11:45 +0000

The Bangor Menai Ward (covers many of the student votlyers) still elects two Lib Dem county councillors. At the strongest Lib Dem campaigns there is little doubt that the voters polling in Cae Top School were overwhelming anti-Tory andf pro Lib/Lab. The Plaid students were strong in the ward where the Welsh speaking Hall of residence was located.

By: Tim13

Tim13 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:43:09 +0000

Certainly, Matt, going back even earlier to the late 60s when I was a student in Bangor, there was absolutely a strong Tory vote – this was in the days before the Plaid vote really took off in Welsh speaking parts of North Wales. Certainly your Council housing feature you mention was very much so then. There was also – in pre – Roger Roberts days – a core North Walian Liberal vote, as I found when canvassing! I have a feeling that the Plaid, when it took off, actually took quite a lot of the old Tory vote as well as what we might think of as “left of centre” votes from Libs and Labour. But as a student I most certainly didn’t regard Bangor as “Labour” through and through as you seem to be describing!

By: cymrumark

cymrumark — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:47:35 +0000

Matt I know Bangor quite well as I used to work there.. Somebody who worked on the Roger Robertscampaigns in the 80′s told me the Tories would poll 25-30% in Bangor.

In those days there was still something of a Tory vote amongst older, wealthier Welsh speakers and a thiving samm business community. Sir Wyn pullled a personal vote as well there being a habit in this part of Wales to support “the member”.

The decline of the Tory vote generally in Conwy can partly be explained by it vanishing in Bangor. There is still a rump Torty vote.

In the end both here and on the Aberconwy site I am able to quote actually election results, the assembly, the local electiopns and now European election all of which show Plaid doing well and the Tories underperforming. The Tories are reduced to excuses and bizarre claims as to why
none of the other elections matter.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:12:08 +0000

I really doubt the Conservatives ever came even remotely close to winning Bangor and there has never been anything even approaching a ‘strong’ Conservative vote there.

Have you ever been to Bangor? Going back in time before the right-to-buy scheme Bangor was heavily dominated by council housing. To this extent, even today across the town nearly 40% of all properties are rented from public authories.

Going back to when you said there may have been a strong Tory vote here the town would doubtless have had upwards of 60% of all properties being council-owned. Combine this with a similarly large Welsh-speaking population and (although I admit it’s a generalisation). I think we can safely say any Tory voting was fairly low and probably never went beyond the mid to high 20s at any point and would have been usually far less.

By: cymrumark

cymrumark — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:38:15 +0000

There used to be a strong Conservative vote in Bangor although I doubt they won the town over all. The Aberconwy area is if anything less Conservative than it used to be. The number of committed vote conservative at every election is less than it was. Anyway Aberconwy looks set to be a much closer seat than many would have predicted.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:20:01 +0000

Cymrumark, many of them are not students. As you say few vote and a great deal don’t put themselves on the register at uni. The population of Bangor (excluding students) is around 14,000 and including outlying areas this brings it to around 18,000.

I don’t think a candidate being ‘too Welsh’ would be a bar to people voting for them. I’m sure the average voter couldn’t give a toss if honest. Sir Wyn was very Welsh and was always voted in round Conwy for 27 years and I doubt it was Bangor that elected him.

By: Dewi

Dewi — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:38:36 +0000

Matt – a little controversial I know but I reckon the tory candidates in Aberconwy might be a bit too Welsh for your voters? Discuss !!

By: cymrumark

cymrumark — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:23:30 +0000

Many of Matt’s 18,000 voters are in fact students who rarely vote.

In the run up to the assembly elections the Tories claimed the Conwy valley was good for them etc yet Plaid pulled well over 50% of the vote in that area on a turnout of approx 55%…

Still the result in Conwy removes any doubt that the new Aberconwy will be a Plaid/Tory battle….