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"Labour’s only seat to vanish under boundary proposals"

(8 posts)
  • Started 7 years ago by chdot
  • Latest reply from Morningsider

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A consultation on the proposals runs until January 11. There will be a public event in Edinburgh on December 7 and final proposals must be published by September 2018.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/labour-s-only-seat-to-vanish-under-boundary-proposals-1-4263435

    Posted 7 years ago #
  2. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Edinburgh Pentland and Livingston is quite a confection.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  3. SRD
    Moderator

    "Mr Murray said: “This appears to be a map drawn by someone who knows very little about our capital city."

    at least two of the commission members live in the city, and I suspect, in his constituency.

    "They are based on an out-of-date version of the electoral register with nearly two million voters across the UK missing"

    the version of the electoral roll used by commissioners is set down in law. they don't have a choice what they use - they have been working on this for months if not years.

    also worth noting that, as far as I'm aware., the increases on the voters roll are proportionate - they don't affect the distribution of voters between constitiuencies.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  4. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Looking at it, the Tories probably stand a good chance of winning the Edinburgh SW & Central seat?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  5. DaveC
    Member

    I'm confussed as to why the boundaries are being changed. Surely as the population grows we should be adding MPs not reducing them?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  6. paddyirish
    Member

    I think the decision was made as MPs are expensive (even if their expenses are legitimate) and that the logic was to cut costs.

    The boundary redrawing seeming to favour the Tories is a very convenient "surprise"

    EDIT* but if Corbyn's seat is being targeted, that may actually help Labour...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. Morningsider
    Member

    To be fair to Ian Murray, the Tories did draft the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, which set the number of constituencies at 600 and established the rules for their designation. I've no doubt the Commissioners have been scrupulously fair in their work. However, they have had to work within these rules - which were always going to benefit the Tories.

    Now, you could argue that the current system unfairly favours Labour - and many Tories do. You could also argue that falling populations in old industrial areas are due to Tory policies.

    Is population really a good measure for defining a constituency? The Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney have managed to argue it isn't - and retained their own constituencies.

    Ultimately, these are just recommendations for change to the various Secretaries of State. The actual changes are made through the arcane Order in Council procedure.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. Morningsider
    Member

    I meant to add that anyone wanting to comment on the proposals can do so for the next 12 weeks. Lots of ways to get involved, details at:

    http://www.bcomm-scotland.independent.gov.uk/2018_westminster/initial_proposals/index.asp

    Posted 7 years ago #

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