Post by greenhert on May 11, 2020 14:59:57 GMT
Lincoln is the oldest parliamentary constituency in Britain still in existence, dating back to 1265 and the parliamentarianism of Simon de Montfort. In addition to the city of Lincoln it comprises the nearby villages of Skellingthorpe and Bracebridge Heath. From 1983 to 1997 the constituency covered North Hykeham as well.
The city of Lincoln, known to the Romans as Lindum Colonia, has been a city for centuries and Lincoln Cathedral has stood since 1185 (an earlier cathedral constructed in 1092 was destroyed by fire). Lincoln also has a castle, which holds one of only four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta of 1215. It was the site of a key battle between King Stephen and his cousin Matilda (mother of Henry II) during "The Anarchy" in 1141, which resulted in King Stephen being captured and Matilda becoming de facto queen for a brief period. Lincoln was one of the wealthiest cities in mediaeval times due to its trade in cloth and wool, including the famous Lincoln green worn by legendary outlaw-cum-hero Robin Hood. The oldest surviving secular drama (these were very rare indeed before the Reformation) in English, "The Interlude of the Student and the Girl" originated from this city. Lincoln lost much of its wealth during the Dissolution of the Monasteries but the Industrial Revolution gave it a new lease of life. This being Lincolnshire, engineering and agricultural machinery companies were the ones that prospered in Lincoln, including those that built the first ever battle tanks. One of those companies, Ruston's, survives as a major employer today despite now being owned by Siemens. James Dawson & Son, a belting and hose manufacturer, is also still significant within Lincoln. Manufacturing is much less prominent as an employer in Lincoln than it used to be; public administration, health and education is the city's largest employment sector today. Despite the presence of two universities (Lincoln and Bishop Grosseteste College), education levels are below the national and regional average. Lincoln is the most ethnically diverse constituency in Lincolnshire but it is still 95.8% white. In contrast to its county, Lincoln has a high proportion of private renters and social renters, 20.5% and 20.4% respectively. Like most cities and towns large enough for just one constituency, Lincoln has a dividing line demographically, and to some extent this is the River Witham. The north of the city is better qualified and more prosperous than the south, despite the very high owner-occupation rate in Hartsholme.
Before the existence of the Labour Party, Lincoln's parliamentary politics, especially when it had two seats (reduced to one in 1885) were mainly dominated by two prominent families, the Conservative Sibhtorps and the Liberal Seelys, the ancestors of the Isle of Wight's current Conservative MP, Bob Seely. Up until 1918, it changed hands between the Liberals and the Conservatives frequently. Robert Taylor became Lincoln's first Labour MP in 1924, one of the few Labour gains that year and by only 39 votes as well. He was unseated by the Conservatives' Walter Liddall in 1931 but Labour recaptured the seat in 1945 with George Deer. Sensationally in a 1973 by-election, pro-European Dick Taverne formed a new Democratic Labour Party and resigned to recontest the seat under his new label, and with the Liberals tacitly endorsing him he won that by-election spectacularly with a majority of 13,191 (34.9%). His new party made rapid progress and Mr Taverne held the seat in February 1974 despite Labour's best efforts. He lost to Margaret Jackson (now Margaret Beckett) in October 1974 by just 984 votes even though the Liberals did not stand against him on either occasion (in fact Lincoln was the only English constituency in October 1974 with no Liberal candidate). The story did not end there-in 1979, opera impresario Frederick Stockdale stood for Democratic Labour against Mr Taverne's advice and polled 1,735 votes, allowing the Conservatives to win Lincoln that year by 602 votes (the Conservatives gained Brigg & Scunthorpe the same year thanks to a similar split). Mr Stockdale stood again in 1983, this time for the SDP, and played his part in helping the Conservatives hold the seat. When North Hykeham was removed from the Lincoln constituency in 1997, it became notionally Labour which partly explains why Mr Carlisle retired that year. Gillian Merron became the next Labour MP for Lincoln for 13 years until being unseated in 2010 by Karl McCartney, with Lincoln now having become a bellwether seat for the most part. Mr McCartney held on 2015 albeit by only 1,443 votes, but was unseated by Labour's Karen Lee in 2017 due to the "Corbyn effect" on private renters and students of which there were enough in Lincoln to make a difference that year. Even though Lincoln had the only decent Remain vote in Lincolnshire, Ms Lee could not hold the seat against the national tide and Mr McCartney duly won his seat back in 2019 by 3,514 votes, meaning it is still a key marginal seat. At a local level, the aforementioned Democratic Labour Party held overall control of the council from 1973 to 1979; the Democratic Labour administration collapsed in 1979 and the Conservatives took control; Democratic Labour disappeared shortly afterwards and some Democratic Labour members in addition to Mr Stockdale joined the Liberal/SDP Alliance. Labour regained control in 1984 and held Lincoln until 2007 when the Conservatives gained control in a full council election. This new Conservative administration only lasted 4 years until Labour took control in 2011. Labour hold Lincoln Council safely with Witham being the only remotely safe Conservative ward in the city, although Hartsholme usually elects Conservative councillors as well and most of the Labour wards are not statistically safe.
The city of Lincoln, known to the Romans as Lindum Colonia, has been a city for centuries and Lincoln Cathedral has stood since 1185 (an earlier cathedral constructed in 1092 was destroyed by fire). Lincoln also has a castle, which holds one of only four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta of 1215. It was the site of a key battle between King Stephen and his cousin Matilda (mother of Henry II) during "The Anarchy" in 1141, which resulted in King Stephen being captured and Matilda becoming de facto queen for a brief period. Lincoln was one of the wealthiest cities in mediaeval times due to its trade in cloth and wool, including the famous Lincoln green worn by legendary outlaw-cum-hero Robin Hood. The oldest surviving secular drama (these were very rare indeed before the Reformation) in English, "The Interlude of the Student and the Girl" originated from this city. Lincoln lost much of its wealth during the Dissolution of the Monasteries but the Industrial Revolution gave it a new lease of life. This being Lincolnshire, engineering and agricultural machinery companies were the ones that prospered in Lincoln, including those that built the first ever battle tanks. One of those companies, Ruston's, survives as a major employer today despite now being owned by Siemens. James Dawson & Son, a belting and hose manufacturer, is also still significant within Lincoln. Manufacturing is much less prominent as an employer in Lincoln than it used to be; public administration, health and education is the city's largest employment sector today. Despite the presence of two universities (Lincoln and Bishop Grosseteste College), education levels are below the national and regional average. Lincoln is the most ethnically diverse constituency in Lincolnshire but it is still 95.8% white. In contrast to its county, Lincoln has a high proportion of private renters and social renters, 20.5% and 20.4% respectively. Like most cities and towns large enough for just one constituency, Lincoln has a dividing line demographically, and to some extent this is the River Witham. The north of the city is better qualified and more prosperous than the south, despite the very high owner-occupation rate in Hartsholme.
Before the existence of the Labour Party, Lincoln's parliamentary politics, especially when it had two seats (reduced to one in 1885) were mainly dominated by two prominent families, the Conservative Sibhtorps and the Liberal Seelys, the ancestors of the Isle of Wight's current Conservative MP, Bob Seely. Up until 1918, it changed hands between the Liberals and the Conservatives frequently. Robert Taylor became Lincoln's first Labour MP in 1924, one of the few Labour gains that year and by only 39 votes as well. He was unseated by the Conservatives' Walter Liddall in 1931 but Labour recaptured the seat in 1945 with George Deer. Sensationally in a 1973 by-election, pro-European Dick Taverne formed a new Democratic Labour Party and resigned to recontest the seat under his new label, and with the Liberals tacitly endorsing him he won that by-election spectacularly with a majority of 13,191 (34.9%). His new party made rapid progress and Mr Taverne held the seat in February 1974 despite Labour's best efforts. He lost to Margaret Jackson (now Margaret Beckett) in October 1974 by just 984 votes even though the Liberals did not stand against him on either occasion (in fact Lincoln was the only English constituency in October 1974 with no Liberal candidate). The story did not end there-in 1979, opera impresario Frederick Stockdale stood for Democratic Labour against Mr Taverne's advice and polled 1,735 votes, allowing the Conservatives to win Lincoln that year by 602 votes (the Conservatives gained Brigg & Scunthorpe the same year thanks to a similar split). Mr Stockdale stood again in 1983, this time for the SDP, and played his part in helping the Conservatives hold the seat. When North Hykeham was removed from the Lincoln constituency in 1997, it became notionally Labour which partly explains why Mr Carlisle retired that year. Gillian Merron became the next Labour MP for Lincoln for 13 years until being unseated in 2010 by Karl McCartney, with Lincoln now having become a bellwether seat for the most part. Mr McCartney held on 2015 albeit by only 1,443 votes, but was unseated by Labour's Karen Lee in 2017 due to the "Corbyn effect" on private renters and students of which there were enough in Lincoln to make a difference that year. Even though Lincoln had the only decent Remain vote in Lincolnshire, Ms Lee could not hold the seat against the national tide and Mr McCartney duly won his seat back in 2019 by 3,514 votes, meaning it is still a key marginal seat. At a local level, the aforementioned Democratic Labour Party held overall control of the council from 1973 to 1979; the Democratic Labour administration collapsed in 1979 and the Conservatives took control; Democratic Labour disappeared shortly afterwards and some Democratic Labour members in addition to Mr Stockdale joined the Liberal/SDP Alliance. Labour regained control in 1984 and held Lincoln until 2007 when the Conservatives gained control in a full council election. This new Conservative administration only lasted 4 years until Labour took control in 2011. Labour hold Lincoln Council safely with Witham being the only remotely safe Conservative ward in the city, although Hartsholme usually elects Conservative councillors as well and most of the Labour wards are not statistically safe.
