Orkney (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Orkney | |
---|---|
County constituency for the Scottish Parliament | |
Population | 22,190 (2019)[1][2] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1999 |
Party | Liberal Democrats |
MSP | Liam McArthur |
Council area | Orkney Islands |
Orkney is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the council area of Orkney. 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.
Orkney has been held by the Liberal Democrats at all elections since the formation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, with the current MSP being Liam McArthur, who won the seat at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. The former Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace represented the constituency from 1999 to 2007.
Electoral region
[edit]Orkney 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, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, 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 Orkney constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, to cover the Orkney Islands council area. The constituency is protected in law due to its geographical separation from other parts of Scotland, and therefore its boundaries are not subject to review.[3]
In the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), the council area is covered by the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which also covers the Shetland Islands council area.[4]
It contains all six of the Orkney Council wards: East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray; Kirkwall East; Kirkwall West and Orphir; North Isles; Stromness and South Isles; West Mainland.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
[edit]Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Jim Wallace | Liberal Democrat | |
2007 | Liam McArthur |
Election results
[edit]2020s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Constituency | Regional | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% | |||
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur[a] | 7,238 | 62.4 | 4.9 | 3,616 | 31.2 | 2.1 | |
SNP | Robert Leslie | 3,369 | 29.1 | 4.7 | 3,384 | 29.2 | 5.6 | |
Conservative | Sam Bown | 699 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 2,202 | 19.0 | 7.7 | |
Scottish Green | 1,104 | 9.5 | 2.9 | |||||
Labour | Coilla Drake | 290 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 725 | 6.3 | 1.5 | |
Scottish Family | 127 | 1.1 | New | |||||
Alba | 98 | 0.8 | New | |||||
Independent | Andy Wightman[b] | 87 | 0.8 | New | ||||
All for Unity | 63 | 0.5 | New | |||||
Scottish Libertarian | 32 | 0.3 | New | |||||
Reform UK | 31 | 0.3 | New | |||||
UKIP | 30 | 0.3 | 2.2 | |||||
Abolish the Scottish Parliament | 28 | 0.2 | New | |||||
Freedom Alliance (UK) | 22 | 0.2 | New | |||||
Restore Scotland | 18 | 0.2 | New | |||||
TUSC | 15 | 0.1 | New | |||||
Independent | Hazel Mansfield | 4 | 0.0 | New | ||||
Majority | 3,869 | 33.3 | 9.7 | |||||
Valid Votes | 11,596 | 11,586 | ||||||
Invalid Votes | 25 | 27 | ||||||
Turnout | 11,621 | 65.6 | 3.4 | 11,613 | 65.5 | 3.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 4.9 | ||||||
Notes
|
2010s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Constituency | Regional | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% | |||
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur[a] | 7,096 | 67.4 | 31.7 | 3,515 | 33.4 | 8.0 | |
SNP | Donna Heddle | 2,562 | 24.3 | 0.8 | 2,491 | 23.6 | 12.2 | |
Independent | James Stockan | 1,775 | 16.8 | New | ||||
Conservative | Jamie Halcro Johnston | 435 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 1,193 | 11.3 | 0.5 | |
Scottish Green | 696 | 6.6 | 0.4 | |||||
Labour | Gerard McGarvey | 304 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 506 | 4.8 | 4.2 | |
UKIP | 255 | 2.4 | 1.5 | |||||
Independent | Paul Dawson | 137 | 1.3 | New | ||||
Scottish Christian | 49 | 0.5 | 1.0 | |||||
Solidarity | 30 | 0.3 | 0.1 | |||||
RISE | 27 | 0.3 | New | |||||
Majority | 4,534 | 43.1 | 32.6 | |||||
Valid Votes | 10,534 | 10,537 | ||||||
Invalid Votes | 28 | 19 | ||||||
Turnout | 10,562 | 62.1 | 12.2 | 10,556 | 62.1 | 12.3 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 16.3 | ||||||
Party | Candidate | Constituency | Regional | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% | |||
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur[a] | 2,912 | 35.7 | 11.8 | 2,062 | 25.4 | ||
Independent | James Stockan | 2,052 | 25.2 | New | ||||
SNP | Donna Heddle | 2,044 | 25.1 | 6.2 | 2,906 | 35.8 | ||
Conservative | Jamie Halcro Johnston | 686 | 8.4 | 10.5 | 875 | 10.8 | ||
Labour | William Sharkey | 458 | 5.6 | 7.5 | 730 | 9.0 | ||
Scottish Green | 501 | 6.2 | ||||||
UKIP | 316 | 3.9 | ||||||
All-Scotland Pensioners Party | 128 | 1.6 | ||||||
Scottish Christian | 123 | 1.5 | ||||||
BNP | 63 | 0.8 | ||||||
Socialist Labour | 59 | 0.7 | ||||||
Scottish Socialist | 30 | 0.4 | ||||||
Solidarity | 18 | 0.2 | ||||||
Others | 316 | 3.9 | ||||||
Majority | 860 | 10.5 | 17.9 | |||||
Valid Votes | 8,152 | 8,127 | ||||||
Invalid Votes | 29 | 51 | ||||||
Turnout | 8,181 | 49.9 | 3.5 | 8,178 | 49.8 | |||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 9.0 | ||||||
2000s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur | 4,113 | 47.5 | +1.8 | |
SNP | John Mowat | 1,637 | 18.9 | +5.7 | |
Conservative | Helen Gardiner | 1,632 | 18.9 | −4.9 | |
Labour | Iain MacDonald | 1,134 | 13.1 | +7.2 | |
Independent | Barrie Johnson | 137 | 1.6 | New | |
Majority | 2,476 | 28.6 | +6.7 | ||
Turnout | 8,653 | 53.4 | +1.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Jim Wallace | 3,659 | 45.7 | −21.7 | |
Conservative | Christopher Zawadski | 1,904 | 23.8 | +8.2 | |
SNP | John Mowat | 1,056 | 13.2 | +2.9 | |
Scottish Socialist | John Aberdein | 914 | 11.42 | New | |
Labour | Richard Meade | 471 | 5.9 | −0.9 | |
Majority | 1,755 | 21.9 | −29.9 | ||
Turnout | 8,004 | 51.7 | −5.3 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -15.0 |
1990s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Jim Wallace | 6,010 | 67.4 | ||
Conservative | Christopher Zawadski | 1,391 | 15.6 | ||
SNP | John Mowat | 917 | 10.3 | ||
Labour | Angus Macleod | 600 | 6.7 | ||
Majority | 4,619 | 51.8 | |||
Turnout | 8,918 | 57.0 | |||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
References
[edit]- ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based)]". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "accompanying summary notes". National Records of Scotland. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "First Periodical Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries - Descriptive Booklet" (PDF). Boundary Commission for Scotland. January 2008. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "Fifth Review of UK Parliament Constituencies (2005 onwards) Orkney and Shetland county constituency" (PDF). Boundary Commission for Scotland. 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Parliament Election - 6 May 2021". Orkney Islands Council. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Regional votes announced". Orkney Islands Council. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election - 5 May 2016" (PDF). Orkney Islands Council. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Results and turnout at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election". Electoral Commission. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- "Constituency Map" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 17 June 2021.