Glasgow Cathcart (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Glasgow Cathcart
Type = Burgh
Year = 1918
Abolition = 2005

Glasgow Cathcart was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005. It was replaced by the larger Glasgow South constituency.

Boundaries

In 1918 the constituency consisted of "That portion of the city which is bounded by a line commencing at a point on the municipal boundary at the centre of Kilmarnock Road, thence northward along the centre line of Kilmarnock Road to the centre line of the River Cart, thence south-eastward and eastward along the centre line of the River Cart to the centre line of Langside Road at Millbrae Bridge, thence north-eastward along the centre line of Langside Road, Millbrae Road and Langside Road, to the centre line of the main avenue in the Queen's Park near Victoria Infirmary, thence northward along the centre line of the said main avenue to the centre line of Queen's Drive, thence northward along the centre line of Victoria Road to the centre line of the Glasgow and South Western Railway about 46 yards north of the centre line of Butterbiggins Road, thence north-eastward along the centre line of the said Glasgow and South Western Railway to the centre line of the Caledonian Railway Main Line from Glasgow to Rutherglen, thence south-eastward along the centre line of the said Caledonian Railway to the municipal boundary, thence south-westward and westward along the municipal boundary to the point of commencement "

History

For generations, Glasgow Cathcart was an extremely safe Conservative seat and for 56 years the constituency always voted for a Conservative. The area was the wealthiest party of the city and was mainly inhabited by 'well to do' business families and contained large detached houses. It was Glasgow's equivalent of Kensington and Chelsea in London. However, when Labour was elected to power in 1964 Glasgow had a lot of slum clearance and Cathcart had a lot of council housing built and areas which had previously been fields now housed the families from the old slums. These families naturally voted Labour and time and time again the Conservative majorities dwindled. In 1966, the Conservative majority fell to a record low of 1,200 votes.

In 1970, the Conservatives increased their majority to around 5,000 but at the next two general elections in 1974 it soon fell again. In 1979 when Margaret Thatcher took office and the national trend was a big Coservative swing, the Conservatives lost the seat to Labour. After redrawn boundaries were made in 1983 the seat was notionally Conservative but like 1979 the seat went against the national trend and the Labour MP increased his majority. From 1983 to 1997 the Conservatives lost more ground time after time except for a small improvement in 1992 (again this was against the national trend). In 1997, Labour won a landslide and the seat became ultra safe Labour.

Since then the Conservatives have fallen into third and fourth place. The seat still has more Conservative voters than any other Glasgow seat but only 5,000 at the last election when it was replaced by Glasgow South.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 2000s

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: Glasgow CathcartElection box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Tom Harris
votes = 14,902
percentage = 54.4
change = -3.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Josephine Docherty
votes = 4,086
percentage = 14.9
change = -3.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Richard Cook
votes = 3,662
percentage = 13.4
change = +0.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Tom Henery
votes = 3,006
percentage = 11.0
change = +4.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Ronnie Stevenson
votes = 1,730
percentage = 6.3
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 10,816
percentage = 39.5
change = Election box turnout
votes = 27,386
percentage = 52.6
change = -15.0Election box hold with party link
winner = Labour Party (UK)
swing =

Elections in the 1940s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Francis Beattie
votes = 10,786
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = W. Douglas Home
votes = 3,807
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour Party
candidate = James Carmichael
votes = 2,493
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = William Whyte
votes = 1,000
percentage =
change =

Elections in the 1930s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Train
votes = 26,642
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = A. L. Ritchie
votes = 8,919
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = New Party (UK)
candidate = J. Mellick
votes = 529
percentage =
change =

Elections in the 1910s

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = John Pratt
votes = 16,310
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Dr G.B. Clark
votes = 4,489
percentage =
change =

See also

References