Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2020 21:18:21 GMT
Ormskirk - from "Ormres kirkja" - is a constituency name with some historical hot-spots along its history. When carved out of South West Lancashire in the 1880s, Ormskirk covered a vast swathe of the county, encompassing much of what has long since been incorporated into Metropolitan Boroughs: Aintree, Formby, Maghull, Prescot amongst them. This was truly "western Lancashire", and with it acres of market towns and the communities which relied upon them. Two significant political figures represented Ormskirk during their very different career trajectories: Harold Wilson moved to Huyton along the way to becoming Prime Minister; and Robert Kilroy-Silk made some choices which we can't go into right now.
The re-organised local council for this area was given quite the boring name: West Lancashire. It covers the flat, marshy, farming and soft-industrial land between Chorley and Southport, with the two most prominent towns both in the south. Ormskirk remains the administrative centre while nearby Skelmersdale - from Skjaldmarr dalr or dæl - proves just how much of a tombola/crap shoot experiment the New Towns programme turned out to be. Yes, the motorways around here to point to "Skem", as the nickname is ubiquitous; and no, it still has no traffic lights. Other journeys through Nordic placenames include Burscough from Burhskógr, Tarleton, one of the most northernly marsh towns, and currently in the South Ribble constituency, almost certainly does not come from "Jarle's Town", a Viking settlement lost to the mists of time, but this appears to have stuck and is taught at school so what can you do?
When Ormskirk became West Lancashire in 1983 it lost acreage to Merseyside. Ken Hind, another name whose life might be best described in other parts of the forum, won handsomely, only to see his majority slashed and ultimately overturned by Labour in 1992, This warning shot by Labour into seats which had, on paper, resilient Conservative voting traditions, was heard in scores of constituencies across the UK in an otherwise 'false dawn' election. Labour held on, and holds on to this day, with West Lancashire proving less prone to bellwether switches than Chorley, or South Ribble, both neighbouring constituencies steeped in the tradition of putting on competitive shows each election. Although simplistic to say so, the presence of "Skem" is a good indicator as to why Labour are so much stronger here than would otherwise be the case: the 'red wall' from Liverpool up through the Met Boroughs and into Lancashire has to stop somewhere, and that place is currently on a roughly straight line from Southport Pier to Rivington Pike. It is not, quite yet at least, the Leeds/Liverpool Canal.
At council level, the two main fighters are red or blue. Labour has its strength in Skem, Up Holland, and in good days, Burscough and its environs. The villages to the north are staunchly Conservative and often see very little competitive elections in real terms. Aughton and Aughton Park, to the south-west of Ormskirk "proper" is true blue territory, religiously Conservative. At the 2017 County Council elections, Labour won the Ormskirk division and the three divisions covering Skelmersdale: they no other seats in W. Lancs. It may be worth noting how house prices, at the time of writing, average between £74-80k in Skem, and can be four times that in Aughton. There is a sizeable younger vote here, around a third of the population is under 30, in part because of Edge Lane University. Anecdotally speaking, the local accent has not yet been fully Scoused but across the south and central parts of the borough in particular, the Liverpool twang is beating the Lancashire vowels. In the battle of the ballot boxes, however, things might be more easily understood. If the local Tories couldn't shift this territory in the bizarre-o circumstances of a December held, Brexit-fuelled election, they might struggle to take it ever again.
The re-organised local council for this area was given quite the boring name: West Lancashire. It covers the flat, marshy, farming and soft-industrial land between Chorley and Southport, with the two most prominent towns both in the south. Ormskirk remains the administrative centre while nearby Skelmersdale - from Skjaldmarr dalr or dæl - proves just how much of a tombola/crap shoot experiment the New Towns programme turned out to be. Yes, the motorways around here to point to "Skem", as the nickname is ubiquitous; and no, it still has no traffic lights. Other journeys through Nordic placenames include Burscough from Burhskógr, Tarleton, one of the most northernly marsh towns, and currently in the South Ribble constituency, almost certainly does not come from "Jarle's Town", a Viking settlement lost to the mists of time, but this appears to have stuck and is taught at school so what can you do?
When Ormskirk became West Lancashire in 1983 it lost acreage to Merseyside. Ken Hind, another name whose life might be best described in other parts of the forum, won handsomely, only to see his majority slashed and ultimately overturned by Labour in 1992, This warning shot by Labour into seats which had, on paper, resilient Conservative voting traditions, was heard in scores of constituencies across the UK in an otherwise 'false dawn' election. Labour held on, and holds on to this day, with West Lancashire proving less prone to bellwether switches than Chorley, or South Ribble, both neighbouring constituencies steeped in the tradition of putting on competitive shows each election. Although simplistic to say so, the presence of "Skem" is a good indicator as to why Labour are so much stronger here than would otherwise be the case: the 'red wall' from Liverpool up through the Met Boroughs and into Lancashire has to stop somewhere, and that place is currently on a roughly straight line from Southport Pier to Rivington Pike. It is not, quite yet at least, the Leeds/Liverpool Canal.
At council level, the two main fighters are red or blue. Labour has its strength in Skem, Up Holland, and in good days, Burscough and its environs. The villages to the north are staunchly Conservative and often see very little competitive elections in real terms. Aughton and Aughton Park, to the south-west of Ormskirk "proper" is true blue territory, religiously Conservative. At the 2017 County Council elections, Labour won the Ormskirk division and the three divisions covering Skelmersdale: they no other seats in W. Lancs. It may be worth noting how house prices, at the time of writing, average between £74-80k in Skem, and can be four times that in Aughton. There is a sizeable younger vote here, around a third of the population is under 30, in part because of Edge Lane University. Anecdotally speaking, the local accent has not yet been fully Scoused but across the south and central parts of the borough in particular, the Liverpool twang is beating the Lancashire vowels. In the battle of the ballot boxes, however, things might be more easily understood. If the local Tories couldn't shift this territory in the bizarre-o circumstances of a December held, Brexit-fuelled election, they might struggle to take it ever again.
