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Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Summary

Na h-Eileanan an Iar (/nə ˈhɪlənən ənˈjɪər/; Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [nəˈhelanən əˈɲiəɾ]), formerly the Western Isles, is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the council area of Na h-Eileanan Siar. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Na h-Eileanan an Iar
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Na h-Eileanan an Iar shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Population26,830 (2019)[1]
Current constituency
Created1999
PartyScottish National Party
MSPAlasdair Allan
Council areaNa h-Eileanan Siar

The seat has been held by Alasdair Allan of the Scottish National Party since the 2007 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region edit

The Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region; the other seven constituencies are Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney Islands council area, all of the Shetland Islands council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

Constituency boundaries and council area edit

The Western Isles constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. It voted for the first time in the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. From the 2005 United Kingdom general election, however, the name of the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was changed to Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

The Holyrood constituency covers Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles council area), comprising its nine wards: Barraigh, Bhatarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas; Beinn Na Foghla agus Uibhist a Tuath; Na Hearadh agus Ceann a Deas Nan Loch; Sgir’ Uige agus Ceann a Tuath Nan Loch; Sgire an Rubha; Steòrnabhagh a Deas; Steòrnabhagh a Tuath; Loch a Tuath; An Taobh Siar agus Nis.

Geographically, the constituency consists of the Outer Hebridean islands. The major islands are Barra, Benbecula, Lewis and Harris, North Uist and South Uist. On the grounds of the remoteness of the constituency from the rest of Scotland, and the difficulties involved in getting from island to island, there is a significantly smaller electorate than in the mainland Scottish Parliament constituencies.[2]

Politics edit

The seat had been a two-way marginal between the Scottish Labour and the Scottish National Party for many years. In recent years, however, it has become increasingly safe for the Scottish National Party. Despite that, during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum the constituency voted against independence by a margin of 53.42% (10,544) to 46.58% (9,195) in favour on a turnout of 86.2%[3]

Member of the Scottish Parliament edit

Election Member Party
1999 Alasdair Morrison Labour
2007 Alasdair Allan SNP

Election results edit

 
Na h-Eileanan an Iar election results 1999-2021

2020s edit

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Na h-Eileanan an Iar[4]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Alasdair Allan[a] 7,454 51.4  0.7 6,266 43.11  2.4
Labour Shaun Fraser 4,013 27.7  2.1 3,095 21.29  1.8
Conservative Gavin Berkenheger 2,116 14.6  3.2 2,591 17.83  6.3
Scottish Green 850 5.85  1.1
Independent Callum MacMillan 571 3.9 New
Scottish Family 501 3.45 New
Liberal Democrats Neil Mitchison 353 2.4  0.2 324 2.23  0.1
Alba 316 2.17 New
Independent Andy Wightman[b] 262 1.80 New
All for Unity 102 0.70 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 39 0.27 New
Reform UK 32 0.22 New
Freedom Alliance (UK) 31 0.21 New
Libertarian 27 0.19 New
Independent Hazel Mansfield 27 0.19 New
TUSC 24 0.17 New
UKIP 24 0.17  1.8
Restore Scotland 23 0.16 New
Majority 3,441 23.7  2.8
Valid Votes 14,507 14,534
Invalid Votes 86 55
Turnout 14,593 66.4  5.3 14,589 66.3  5.1
SNP hold Swing  1.5
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ^ Incumbent member on the list for Lothian region, having been elected as a member of the Scottish Greens in 2016

2010s edit

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Na h-Eileanan an Iar[5]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Alasdair Allan[a] 6,874 52.1  13.2 6,024 45.5  11.0
Labour Rhoda Grant[b] 3,378 25.6  3.0 3,061 23.1  0.3
Conservative Ranald Fraser 1,499 11.4  7.1 1,522 11.5  6.8
Scottish Christian John Cormack 1,162 8.8 New 1,238 9.4  2.9
Scottish Green 624 4.7  2.0
Liberal Democrats Ken MacLeod 293 2.2  0.4 280 2.1  0.5
UKIP 260 2.0  1.2
Independent James Stockan 113 0.9 New
Solidarity 57 0.4  0.3
RISE 54 0.4 New
Majority 3,496 26.5  10.2
Valid Votes 13,206 13,233
Invalid Votes 59 39
Turnout 13,265 61.1  1.2 13,272 61.2  1.2
SNP hold Swing  8.1
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ^ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Na h-Eileanan an Iar[6]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Alasdair Allan[a] 8,496 65.3  18.7 7,366 56.5
Labour Donald Crichton 3,724 28.6  13.0 3,049 23.4
Scottish Christian 842 6.5
Conservative Charlie McGrigor 563 4.3  1.2 616 4.7
Scottish Green 349 2.7
Liberal Democrats Peter Morrison 228 1.8  4.5 214 1.6
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 158 1.2
Socialist Labour 120 0.9
UKIP 98 0.8
BNP 77 0.6
Scottish Socialist 37 0.3
Solidarity 16 0.1
Others 92 0.7
Majority 4,772 36.7  31.7
Valid Votes 13,011 13,034
Invalid Votes 68 59
Turnout 13,079 59.9  1.9 13,093 60.0
SNP hold Swing  15.9
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency

2000s edit

2007 Scottish Parliament election: Western Isles
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SNP Alasdair Allan 6,354 46.6 +5.4
Labour Alasdair Morrison 5,667 41.6 -5.4
Liberal Democrats Ruaraidh Ferguson 852 6.3 +2.3
Conservative Dave Petrie 752 5.5 +0.6
Majority 687 5.0 N/A
Turnout 13,625 61.8 +3.4
SNP gain from Labour Swing +5.4
Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Western Isles
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alasdair Morrison 5,825 47.0 -3.7
SNP Alasdair Nicholson 5,105 41.2 +5.2
Conservative Frank Warren 612 4.9 -3.3
Liberal Democrats Conor Snowden 498 4.0 +0.8
Scottish Socialist Joanne Telfer 347 2.8 +0.4
Majority 720 5.8 -8.9
Turnout 12,387 58.4 -3.3
Labour hold Swing

1990s edit

Scottish Parliament Election 1999: Western Isles
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Alasdair Morrison 7,248 50.7
SNP Alasdair Nicholson 5,155 36.0
Conservative Jamie McGrigor 1,095 7.6
Liberal Democrats John Horne 456 3.2
Scottish Socialist Joanne Telfer 347 2.4
Majority 2,093 14.7
Turnout 14,301 61.7
Labour win (new seat)

Notes edit

  1. ^ Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based), National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes)
  2. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland Archived 2007-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Scottish independence referendum - Results - BBC News". www.bbc.com.
  4. ^ Constituencies A-Z | Na h-Eileanan an Iar, BBC News; retrieved 7 May 2021
  5. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

External links edit

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