Dumbarton

[Admin Twaddleford]

Dumbarton

[boogieeck]

So does Swinson seek a comeback ?

[edgbaston]

Mar 14, 2020 1:32:56 GMT boogieeck said:

So does Swinson seek a comeback ?

The Lib Dems came fourth here, as well as in the two seats covering her old constituency. The regional list would get her in, assuming they pick up 3 or 4 per cent of the vote.

[David]

Isn't this Jackie Baillie's seat? I think it's more a question of whether she holds on.

[Admin Twaddleford]

I've added a poll to kill at least some of the next 14 months to debate how we ought to spell this seat's name.

[David Boothroyd]

Dumbarton = the town
Dunbartonshire = the county

[finsobruce]

Mar 14, 2020 20:27:26 GMT David Boothroyd said:

Dumbarton = the town
Dunbartonshire = the county

Dumbarton FC won the first Scottish title (and the second) and are one of only two clubs to win titles in four different divisions of Scottish football.

[boogieeck]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbarton_(Scottish_Parliament_constituency)

Dunbartonshire is the county whose county town is Dumbarton.

[Deleted]

The only proper way to spell it when referring to the town as is the case in this situation is "Dumbarton". Not a controversial issue.

[greyfriar]

Mar 14, 2020 20:54:22 GMT Sandy said:

The only proper way to spell it when referring to the town as is the case in this situation is "Dumbarton". Not a controversial issue.

Except the constituency also incorporates the western parts of historic Dunbartonshire carved off to Argyll & Bute in local government gerrymandering, as well as the Vale of Leven. Because it includes the former, the eastern part of West Dunbartonshire (Clydebank) is paired with western East Dunbartonshire.

As such Dunbartonshire West would be a more accurate description, however the divergence from West Dunbartonshire local government boundaries probably accounts for the town’s name being used. Certainly preferable to a Dumbarton, Helensburgh & Alexandria scenario which features in various other parts.

[piperdave]

I take the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies and Regions) Order 2014 as the authoritative source. Dumbarton it is.

[broxi]

Mar 14, 2020 20:18:32 GMT Admin Twaddleford said:

I've added a poll to kill at least some of the next 14 months to debate how we ought to spell this seat's name.

There is no debate. Dumbarton is the name.

[broxi]

Mar 15, 2020 9:17:02 GMT greyfriar said:

Mar 14, 2020 20:54:22 GMT Sandy said:

The only proper way to spell it when referring to the town as is the case in this situation is "Dumbarton". Not a controversial issue.

Except the constituency also incorporates the western parts of historic Dunbartonshire carved off to Argyll & Bute in local government gerrymandering, as well as the Vale of Leven. Because it includes the former, the eastern part of West Dunbartonshire (Clydebank) is paired with western East Dunbartonshire.

As such Dunbartonshire West would be a more accurate description, however the divergence from West Dunbartonshire local government boundaries probably accounts for the town’s name being used. Certainly preferable to a Dumbarton, Helensburgh & Alexandria scenario which features in various other parts.

At the time it was named, the constituency covered exactly the same boundaries as the former Dumbarton District Council, but as has been mentioned, the area was split under the Great Gerrymander of 1996.

[Deleted]

I would probably vote for Jackie Baillie if I lived here. Her pro nuclear stance presumably played a large part in her clinging on last time.

[edgbaston]

May 2, 2020 10:06:47 GMT Sandy said:

I would probably vote for Jackie Baillie if I lived here. Her pro nuclear stance presumably played a large part in her clinging on last time.

But I thought the Scots hated having Nukes ‘in their back yard’ 🙃

[Deleted]

May 3, 2020 6:35:32 GMT edgbaston said:

May 2, 2020 10:06:47 GMT Sandy said:

I would probably vote for Jackie Baillie if I lived here. Her pro nuclear stance presumably played a large part in her clinging on last time.

But I thought the Scots hated having Nukes ‘in their back yard’ 🙃

So the noisy activists say, I suspect most are pretty ambivalent.  Obviously the SNP will have really rubbed the Faslane workers up the wrong way and made them ripe for tactical voting. 

[conservativeestimate]

Labour will go Baillie-stic in their defence of this seat.

[CatholicLeft]

I can't see her losing here - It is a pity she is not able to use her new Deputy Leader role more in Holyrood in these very restricting times. I see her as a far better leader than Richard Leonard - this isn't a factional remark, I am probably closer to him than her on several issues - as she has proved she can hold on to traditional Labour voters in her constituency, isn't tied to the former leadership who seemed willing to negotiate away the Union (to be fair, Mr Leonard is opposed to this, but is much more of the Corbynite wing of the party), and is a Scot - seems unfair on the Yorkshire-born Richard, but a Scots accent, even from the Hong Kong-born, half-Portuguese Ms Baillie, carries some weight among the Scottish electorate.

[greyfriar]

May 6, 2020 16:24:23 GMT CatholicLeft said:

I can't see her losing here - It is a pity she is not able to use her new Deputy Leader role more in Holyrood in these very restricting times. I see her as a far better leader than Richard Leonard - this isn't a factional remark, I am probably closer to him than her on several issues - as she has proved she can hold on to traditional Labour voters in her constituency, isn't tied to the former leadership who seemed willing to negotiate away the Union (to be fair, Mr Leonard is opposed to this, but is much more of the Corbynite wing of the party), and is a Scot - seems unfair on the Yorkshire-born Richard, but a Scots accent, even from the Hong Kong-born, half-Portuguese Ms Baillie, carries some weight among the Scottish electorate.

Has avoided the Diane Abbott treatment over private education too, amazing when you look at the Corbyn front bench just how many of them benefited from opting out of the state sector. But then, the SNP have too many of their own hailing from private schools to avoid a brick coming through that particular greenhouse.

A very effective operator in the local community, well known and respected on almost apolitical terms. There is a risk that her higher profile role nationally could work against her akin to Jo Swinson, but the fundamentals look fairly solid and the SNP control of the Council will be do her no harm.

[greyfriar]

SNP candidates to take on Jackie Baillie:

Three local female councillors from different wards within the constituency - Karen Conaghan (Dumbarton), Caroline McAllister (Vale of Leven) & Lorna Douglas (Helensburgh). The other candidates are Toni Giugliano and Scott Lafferty, who appear to be activists of some sort.