Glasgow North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Glasgow North East is a burgh constituency
of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
(at Westminster
). It was first contested at the 2005 general election
. Its current Member of Parliament
(MP) is Willie Bain
of the Labour Party
, who has held the position since a by-election in 2009
.
It was formerly represented since its creation by Michael Martin, previously MP for Glasgow Springburn
from 1979. Martin was elected Speaker of the House of Commons
in October 2000, but in May 2009 announced that he would be resigning as Speaker on 21 June 2009 due to his role in the MPs' expenses controversy. He was the first Speaker in 300 years to be forced out of office by a motion of no confidence. He also resigned as an MP the following day, resulting in a by-election on 12 November 2009, which was won by Bain with 59% of the vote. This position was consolidated after Bain was elected as the MP for Glasgow North East in the May 2010 UK general election.
Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area was covered by ten constituencies, of which two straddled boundaries with other council areas. The North East constituency includes most of the former Glasgow Springburn
constituency and a small part of the former Glasgow Maryhill
constituency.
, the tower blocks of Sighthill
and Red Road
, the decayed housing estates of Springburn
and the amenity-free Milton
, product of earlier attempts at slum clearance. However the innermost area of Dennistoun
retains the original Victorian tenements and has undergone some gentrification becoming popular with students and young professionals, while to the north there are new developments on the outskirts of Glasgow at Robroyston
.
in the previous year. The turnout was the lowest in Scottish history.
when first elected Speaker) stood as Speaker
of the House of Commons in the general election of 2005
. The Conservatives
and the Liberal Democrats did not stand against him. Other parties did, including the Scottish National Party
(whose constitution requires that they fight every seat in Scotland).
The most notable feature of the result was the large vote for Arthur Scargill
's Socialist Labour Party
, in an area where they had very little base. This appears to be a result of voter confusion (and not the first recorded example of its kind). A large number of traditional Labour voters may have voted for them because there was no Labour candidate on the ballot paper.
Burgh constituency
A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency...
of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
). It was first contested at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. Its current Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) is Willie Bain
Willie Bain
William Thomas Bain is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East since 2009....
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, who has held the position since a by-election in 2009
Glasgow North East by-election, 2009
The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the British House of Commons...
.
It was formerly represented since its creation by Michael Martin, previously MP for Glasgow Springburn
Glasgow Springburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Springburn was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until the 2005 general election, when it was largely replaced by the Glasgow North East constituency....
from 1979. Martin was elected Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
in October 2000, but in May 2009 announced that he would be resigning as Speaker on 21 June 2009 due to his role in the MPs' expenses controversy. He was the first Speaker in 300 years to be forced out of office by a motion of no confidence. He also resigned as an MP the following day, resulting in a by-election on 12 November 2009, which was won by Bain with 59% of the vote. This position was consolidated after Bain was elected as the MP for Glasgow North East in the May 2010 UK general election.
Boundaries
Glasgow North East is one of seven constituencies covering the Glasgow City council area. All are entirely within the council area.Prior to the 2005 general election, the city area was covered by ten constituencies, of which two straddled boundaries with other council areas. The North East constituency includes most of the former Glasgow Springburn
Glasgow Springburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Springburn was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until the 2005 general election, when it was largely replaced by the Glasgow North East constituency....
constituency and a small part of the former Glasgow Maryhill
Glasgow Maryhill (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Maryhill was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005 when it was subsumed into the new Glasgow North and Glasgow North East constituencies...
constituency.
Constituency profile
One of the most deprived constituencies in Britain, this part of Glasgow is blighted by gang violence and drug abuse. Most of the seat consists of some of the most deprived and crime-ridden parts of the UK: the heroin-ravaged PossilparkPossilpark
Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde. Following the closure of the Saracen Foundry in 1967, this section of Glasgow has become one of the poorest in the United Kingdom, with an above average crime rate....
, the tower blocks of Sighthill
Sighthill, Glasgow
Sighthill is a Housing estate in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde.Sighthill is part of the wider Springburn district in the North of the city...
and Red Road
Red Road (flats)
The Red Road Flats are a high-rise housing complex which lies between the districts of Balornock and Barmulloch in the north east of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It consists of eight multi-storey blocks. Two are "slabs", much wider in cross-section than they are deep. Six are "points" — more of a...
, the decayed housing estates of Springburn
Springburn
Springburn is an inner city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, home to various working and middle-class households.Springburn developed from a small rural hamlet at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its industrial expansion began with the establishment of a chemical...
and the amenity-free Milton
Milton, Glasgow
Milton is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde.Building on Milton in Glasgow started in the late 1940s as part of a general post-war construction programme by Glasgow Corporation to deal with the housing shortage and slum clearances.The housing scheme...
, product of earlier attempts at slum clearance. However the innermost area of Dennistoun
Dennistoun
Dennistoun is a district of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the east end of the city. It is made up of a number of smaller districts - Milnbank to the north, 'The Drives' in the centre of the area and Bellgrove below Duke Street to the south. In a 2004...
retains the original Victorian tenements and has undergone some gentrification becoming popular with students and young professionals, while to the north there are new developments on the outskirts of Glasgow at Robroyston
Robroyston
Robroyston is a northeastern suburb of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It was where Scottish leader William Wallace was turned over to English soldiers in 1305. At the site of Wallace's capture there stands a monument — there have also been proposals put forward for a Visitors Centre in the area,...
.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
Michael Martin Michael Martin (politician) Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009... |
Speaker Speaker of the British House of Commons The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin... |
|
| 2009 by-election Glasgow North East by-election, 2009 The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the British House of Commons... |
Willie Bain Willie Bain William Thomas Bain is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East since 2009.... |
Labour Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland.... |
|
2010 general election
2009 By-election
Thirteen candidates ran in the 2009 by-election, caused by the resignation of former Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin. Labour won fairly comfortably, compared to the surprising SNP win in the neighbouring constituency of Glasgow EastGlasgow East (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow East is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....
in the previous year. The turnout was the lowest in Scottish history.
2005
As is conventional, Michael Martin (a member of the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
when first elected Speaker) stood as Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
of the House of Commons in the general election of 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. The Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and the Liberal Democrats did not stand against him. Other parties did, including the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(whose constitution requires that they fight every seat in Scotland).
The most notable feature of the result was the large vote for Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
's Socialist Labour Party
Socialist Labour Party (UK)
The Socialist Labour Party is a far left socialist political party in the United Kingdom. The party is led by former trade union leader Arthur Scargill, who established it in 1996 as a breakaway from the Labour Party...
, in an area where they had very little base. This appears to be a result of voter confusion (and not the first recorded example of its kind). A large number of traditional Labour voters may have voted for them because there was no Labour candidate on the ballot paper.
See also
- Politics of GlasgowPolitics of GlasgowPolitics in Glasgow, Scotland, is evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Glasgow , in elections to the council, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom .In the European Parliament, the city area is...