Dunfermline West (Scottish Parliament constituency)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dunfermline West
Scottish Parliament burgh constituency
Dunfermline West shown within the
Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created: 1999
MSP: Jim Tolson
Party: Liberal Democrats
Council area: Fife

Dunfermline West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Contents

[edit] Electoral region

See also Mid Scotland and Fife Scottish Parliament region

The other eight constituencies of the South of Scotland region are Dunfermline East, Fife Central, Fife North East, Kirkcaldy, Ochil, Perth, Stirling and Tayside North.

The region covers all of the Clackmannanshire council area, all of the Fife council area, all of the Perth and Kinross council area, all of the Stirling council area and parts of the Angus council area.

[edit] Constituency boundaries and council area

The constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of a pre-existing Westminster (House of Commons) constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies[1]. The Dunfermline West Westminster constituency was merged into Dunfermline and West Fife.

The Holyrood constituency of Dunfermline West is one of five Mid Scotland and Fife constituencies covering the Fife council area, the others being Dunfermline East, Fife Central, Fife North East and Kirkcaldy. All are entirely within the council area.

Dunfermline East covers a south-western portion of the council area, west of Dunfermline East.

[edit] Description of the constituency

The constituency includes all of the town of Dunfermline and some land on the north bank of the Firth of Forth.

Historically, the town was once Scotland's capital city. Eight kings are buried there, amongst them Robert the Bruce. Today, textiles, engineering and synthetic material manufacturing are the primary industries. The constituency also contains rural areas.

Like its neighbour, Dunfermline East, the constituency was one of Labour’s safest seats in Scotland. In Westminster elections voters in the area elected Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) continuously from 1935 until 2006. In a 2006 by-election, however, the Liberal Democrats won the equivalent Westminster seat, and they proceeded to win the Holyrood seat in 2007 as well, calling into question Labour's future as a dominant party in the area.

[edit] Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election Member Party
1999 Scott Barrie Labour
2003
2007 Jim Tolson Liberal Democrats

[edit] Election results

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Dunfermline West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats James Tolson 9,952 33.7 +19.3
Labour Thomas Scott Barrie 9,476 32.1 -2.2
Scottish National Party Len Woods 7,296 24.7 +7.3
Conservative Peter Lyburn 2,363 8.0 +0.6
Scottish Voice Susan Archibald 238 1.5 +1.5
Majority 476 1.6
Turnout 29,252 51.8 +5.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing 10.8
Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Dunfermline West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Scott Barrie 8,644 34.3 -9.9
Independent Campaign for Local Hospital Services David Wishart 4,584 18.2 +18.2
Scottish National Party Brian Goodall 4,372 17.4 -10.4
Liberal Democrats Jim Tolson 3,636 14.4 -3.8
Conservative Jim Mackie 1,868 7.4 -2.3
Scottish Socialist Andy Jackson 923 3.7 +3.7
Independent Alastair Harper 714 2.8 +2.8
Independent Damien Quigg 459 1.8 +1.8
Majority 4,080 16.2
Turnout 25,240 46.8
Labour hold Swing
Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Dunfermline West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Scott Barrie 13,560 44.21 N/A
Scottish National Party Douglas Chapman 8,539 27.84 N/A
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Harris 5,591 18.23 N/A
Conservative James Mackie 2,981 9.72 N/A
Majority 5,021 16.37
Turnout 30,671
Labour hold Swing

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland


v • d • e
Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament Flag of Scotland
Central Scotland
Glasgow
Highlands and Islands
Lothians
Mid Scotland and Fife
Central Fife  · Dunfermline East · Dunfermline West · Kirkcaldy · North East Fife · North Tayside · Ochil · Perth · Stirling
North East Scotland
South of Scotland
West of Scotland