Post by jamie on Mar 29, 2020 12:00:19 GMT
Not the best writer in the world, but here is a stab at my own constituency.
Blaydon
Situated on the edge of Tyneside, the Blaydon constituency consists of a number of ex coal mining towns and villages. Since the closure of the coal mines, the area has transitioned into commuter belt for the wider Tyneside area, albeit of a more rural nature than most areas in a metropolitan council. The constituency includes the Metro Centre, the UK’s largest shopping centre, leading to Blaydon constituency having the highest percentage of retail workers in the entire country. Owing to its coal mining history, Blaydon has long been a safe Labour constituency. The Liberal Democrat challenge under New Labour has faded, and even in 2019 the Labour majority was 12% over the Conservatives. West of the river Derwent lies Blaydon itself, known for the Blaydon Races. Blaydon and other communities west of the Derwent give strong support to the Labour Party. The village of Chopwell, famous for street names such as ‘Lenin Terrace’, exemplifies their historical politics. Labour is strongest in deprived communities such as Chopwell and Highfield, while weakest (only relatively speaking) in more modern developments like Stella. On the other side of the Derwent lies Whickham. While some coal mining history exists, Whickham has traditionally been the most suburban part of the constituency. Some deprivation exists in north Whickham/Swalwell, but the south of Whickham has long been among the wealthiest parts of the North East. Owing to this wealth, Whickham is by far the strongest part of the constituency for the Conservative Party and likely voted Conservative in 2019. The seat then stretches across extensive greenbelt to include the former coal mining village of Kibblesworth, and finally reaches Birtley, a town which has much more affinity with Chester-le-Street and Washington than it does with the rest of the constituency. A former coal mining town, Birtley provides strong support for the Labour Party, as does Kibblesworth. Overall, the constituency remains a Labour stronghold. The Conservatives are able to run Labour close in Whickham, but strong support for Labour around Blaydon and Birtley means that Labour should be safe here for a long time to come.
Blaydon
Situated on the edge of Tyneside, the Blaydon constituency consists of a number of ex coal mining towns and villages. Since the closure of the coal mines, the area has transitioned into commuter belt for the wider Tyneside area, albeit of a more rural nature than most areas in a metropolitan council. The constituency includes the Metro Centre, the UK’s largest shopping centre, leading to Blaydon constituency having the highest percentage of retail workers in the entire country. Owing to its coal mining history, Blaydon has long been a safe Labour constituency. The Liberal Democrat challenge under New Labour has faded, and even in 2019 the Labour majority was 12% over the Conservatives. West of the river Derwent lies Blaydon itself, known for the Blaydon Races. Blaydon and other communities west of the Derwent give strong support to the Labour Party. The village of Chopwell, famous for street names such as ‘Lenin Terrace’, exemplifies their historical politics. Labour is strongest in deprived communities such as Chopwell and Highfield, while weakest (only relatively speaking) in more modern developments like Stella. On the other side of the Derwent lies Whickham. While some coal mining history exists, Whickham has traditionally been the most suburban part of the constituency. Some deprivation exists in north Whickham/Swalwell, but the south of Whickham has long been among the wealthiest parts of the North East. Owing to this wealth, Whickham is by far the strongest part of the constituency for the Conservative Party and likely voted Conservative in 2019. The seat then stretches across extensive greenbelt to include the former coal mining village of Kibblesworth, and finally reaches Birtley, a town which has much more affinity with Chester-le-Street and Washington than it does with the rest of the constituency. A former coal mining town, Birtley provides strong support for the Labour Party, as does Kibblesworth. Overall, the constituency remains a Labour stronghold. The Conservatives are able to run Labour close in Whickham, but strong support for Labour around Blaydon and Birtley means that Labour should be safe here for a long time to come.
