Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency)

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Argyll and Bute County constituency

Argyll and Bute shown within Scotland
Created:	1983
MP:	Alan Reid
Party:	Liberal Democrats
Type:	House of Commons
Council areas:	Argyll and Bute
EP constituency:	Scotland

Argyll and Bute is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1983 general election, merging most of Argyll with some of Bute and Northern Ayrshire. It is a marginal seat between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. A similar constituency, also called Argyll and Bute, is used by the Scottish Parliament.

1 Boundaries
2 History
3 Member of Parliament
4 Election results
5 See also

[edit] Boundaries

When created in 1983 the constituency covered the area of the Argyll district of the Strathclyde region. In 2005 it was enlaged to cover the Argyll and Bute council area, which had been created in 1996. Thus Helensburgh, already included within the new council area, was included in the constituency.

Helensburgh had been within the Dunbarton district until 1996, and within the Dumbarton constituency until 2005.

[edit] History

In the wake of the 2001 general election, this constituency was the only four-way marginal in the nation, and only the second in recent election history after Inverness which had achieved the honour in 1992.

[edit] Member of Parliament

Alan Reid, Liberal Democrat (2001–present)
Hon. Ray Michie, Liberal Democrat (1987–2001)
John MacKay, Conservative (1983–1987)

[edit] Election results

General Election 2005: Argyll and Bute
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Reid	15,786	36.5	+3.7
	Conservative	Jamie McGrigor	10,150	23.5	−0.2
	Labour	Carolyn Manson	9,696	22.4	−0.3
	Scottish National Party	Isobel Strong	6,716	15.5	−2.0
	Scottish Socialist	Deirdre Henderson	881	2.0	−1.4
Majority			5,636	13.0
Turnout			43,229	64.2	+4.1
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+2.0

General Election 2001: Argyll and Bute
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Reid	9,245	29.9	−10.3
	Labour	Hugh Raven	7,592	24.5	+8.9
	Conservative	Dave Petrie	6,436	20.8	+1.8
	Scottish National Party	Agnes Samuel	6,433	20.8	−2.4
	Scottish Socialist	Des Divers	1,251	4.0	N/A
Majority			1,653	5.4
Turnout			30,957	63.0	−10.0
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	−9.6

General Election 1997: Argyll and Bute
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ray Michie	14,359	40.2	+5.3
	Scottish National Party	Prof Neil MacCormick	8,278	23.2	−0.6
	Conservative	R.M. Leishman	6,774	18.9	−8.8
	Labour	Dr A.A. Syed	5,596	15.7	+2.1
	Referendum Party	M.A.S.G. Stewart	713	2.0	N/A
Majority			6,081	17.0
Turnout
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

General Election 1992: Argyll and Bute
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ray Michie	12,739
	Conservative	John Corrie	10,117
	Scottish National Party	Prof Neil MacCormick	8,689
	Labour	Des Browne	4,946
Majority			2,622
Turnout				76.19
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

[edit] See also

List of UK Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland

UK Parliament constituencies in Scotland
Labour	Aberdeen North \| Aberdeen South \| Airdrie and Shotts \| Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock \| Central Ayrshire \| Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill \| Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East \| Dumfries and Galloway \| Dundee West \| East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow \| East Lothian \| East Renfrewshire \| Edinburgh East \| Edinburgh North and Leith \| Edinburgh South \| Edinburgh South West \| Falkirk \| Glasgow Central \| Glasgow East \| Glasgow North \| Glasgow North West \| Glasgow South \| Glasgow South West \| Glenrothes \| Inverclyde \| Kilmarnock and Loudoun \| Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath \| Lanark and Hamilton East \| Linlithgow and East Falkirk \| Livingston \| Midlothian \| Motherwell and Wishaw \| North Ayrshire and Arran \| Ochil and South Perthshire \| Paisley and Renfrewshire North \| Paisley and Renfrewshire South \| Rutherglen and Hamilton West \| Stirling \| West Dunbartonshire
Liberal Democrat	Argyll and Bute \| Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk \| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross \| Dunfermline and West Fife \| East Dunbartonshire \| Edinburgh West \| Gordon \| Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey \| North East Fife \| Orkney and Shetland \| Ross, Skye and Lochaber \| West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
SNP	Angus \| Banff and Buchan \| Dundee East \| Moray \| Na h-Eileanan an Iar \| Perth and North Perthshire
Conservative and Unionist	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Speaker	Glasgow North East
Scotland European constituency: Labour (2) \| SNP (2) \| Conservative and Unionist (2) \| Liberal Democrats (1)