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Proposed Scottish boundary changes


The Master

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I think this is worthy of its own thread because of the stooshie it's causing.

The Boundary Commission for Scotland has finally published its proposals to reduce the number of Scottish MPs from 59 to 53, as part of a wider measure to reduce the total number of MPs from 650 to 600.

https://www.bcs2018.org.uk/node/6467

Two of the three non-SNP MPs lose their constituencies, with them being split to join strong SNP-supporting areas. Orkney and Shetland have been given special dispensation to be smaller, to the Lib Dems will be able to cling on there you'd expect.

A bit of musical chairs will need to happen in the SNP. Assuming Westminster is still relevant up here by 2020, of course.  

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47 minutes ago, Elixir said:

So Scotland will go from 9.1% representation in Parliament currently to 8.8%.

Is this what was meant by a Federal solution?

A quick Google shows we have 8.3% of the UK population, probably unfair that we have an over representation but at least it's getting a little fairer.

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Under those proposed changes Campbeltown and Mallaig are going to share an MP.  I don't agree with the proposals anyway but I'm somewhat bemused by the fact that Orkney and Shetland and the Western Isles are given protection in legislation and can't be changed due to being remote island groups (fair enough as a principle) whilst the other parts of the Highlands are merged into ever larger constituencies.  In the case of 'Argyll, Bute and Lochaber' how is one person meant to effectively represent an area of 10,302 square km that includes numerous islands and has woeful transport links? The proposed 'Highland North' constituency is only 15 sq km smaller than the maximum size permitted of 13,000 sq km.  How is an MP supposed to provide local surgeries across these sorts of areas on anything like a regular basis?  These proposals significantly erode the ability of MPs in rural Scotland to provide anything like an accessible, accountable and efficient service for their constituents.

Also a bit irritating that the Isle of Wight, which has a much larger population represented by the one MP than the norm at present, is going to be included in this list of 'protected' constituencies; when it is split in two the new MPs will suddenly represent a much smaller population than the norm.  Apparently attaching part of the Isle of Wight to a mainland constituency is just unthinkable whereas huge areas of Scotland have to be cobbled together in the name of 'equalisation'.

Doubly ridiculous we're cutting the number of MPs for spurious reasons of 'efficiency' and 'savings' whilst at the same time the number of peers is being constantly increased. How anyone thinks that cutting the number of elected representatives from 650 to 600 whilst the membership of the Lords is 812 and counting is a step in the right direction god only knows.

 

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5 hours ago, iknowwheremaddieis said:

A quick Google shows we have 8.3% of the UK population, probably unfair that we have an over representation but at least it's getting a little fairer.

Over representation with absolutely zero impact whatsoever. Oh, how hard done England must feel.

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Two of the three non-SNP MPs lose their constituencies, with them being split to join strong SNP-supporting areas. Orkney and Shetland have been given special dispensation to be smaller, to the Lib Dems will be able to cling on there you'd expect.





Don't know the area too well, but would that mean the Tories stand a better chance in Berwickshire since they only lost by around 300 votes in 2015? If they're getting parts of Mundell's seat? If that's the case, he might stand there?
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  • 2 weeks later...

Edinburgh West (SNP 39%, Liberal Democrats 33%) is traditionally Lib dem territory and with the exclusion of Muirhouse and inclusion of Orchard Brae, Craigleith and more of Blackhall optimistic Lib Dems will see this as winnable. And basically if you're a Lib Dem you've got to be optimistic to keep going.

Edinburgh North & Leith ( SNP 40.9%, Labour 31.3%) has become more down at heel after swapping territory with Edinburgh West, It also loses the new town and Restalrig

Edinburgh East (SNP 49.2, Labour 29.9%) loses the southside but gains most of Ian Murray's old Edinbuirgh South and for that matter the less salubrious side.

Edinburgh Pentlands has  been more or less merged into livingston The people of Sighthill, Longstone ,  and Wester Hailes are now effectively in Livingston while the Ed C&SW manages to reach the bypass to take in the more prosperous suburbs of Colinton. 

Edinburgh Central is back (sort of) It disappeared when we dropped from 6 to 5 Edinburgh Central & SW takes territory back from all previous constituencies taking in the Newtown 

The Holyrood version of Edinburgh Central ended up (Con 30.4%, SNP 28.6%, Labour 22.1%, Green 13.6%) but it's doubtful that anybody except Ruth Davidson could have pulled that off.

Edinburgh Central & SW however doesn't go beyond the water of Leith so proper posh bits like  Murrayfield, Stockbridge, Fettes replaced with slightly more Lib Dem minded southern suburbanites On the other hand Gorgie-Dalry is replaced with Slateford.

Theoretically this could be a 3 way marginal 

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Some of it makes no sense.
Hamilton still split in 2 with Lanark & Hamilton East seat going with these proposals.

That side of Hamilton gets lumped in with Bothwell, Larkhall, parts of Motherwell & parts of Wishaw in a seat crossing SLC & NLC.

Uddingston, Stonehouse, Lanark etc despite being in same constituency at Holyrood as some of the places above would be in different constituencies at Westminster.

Clusterfuck.

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