Post by MacShimidh on Aug 3, 2020 20:55:51 GMT
Glasgow is a city of contrasts, with affluence and deprivation often co-existing in close proximity. This can be seen very clearly in Glasgow North West, where one of the city’s most notorious housing schemes and the last remnants of Glasgow’s working-class ship-building past can be found within walking distance of one of the city’s wealthiest areas and gentrified student accommodation. The mixed character of this constituency gives it a good claim to being the most representative of Glasgow’s seven constituencies, as its demographics are broadly in line with the city’s as a whole. The seat only barely voted in favour of Scottish independence in 2014, with roughly 51% voting Yes. In 2016, its Remain vote of 68.5% was a fair bit higher than the Scottish national average.
We begin our tour of this constituency on Dumbarton Road, which serves as one of the main arteries of the Partick area, and the western boundary of the studenty West End. This section of Dumbarton Road is lined with trendy cafes and pubs, with most of the tenement housing here being aimed at the large student population. Further away from Dumbarton Road, in the Broomhill and Thornbank areas, there are some very nice properties indeed, though on the whole, this is a mixed area with some high-rise flats. The prevalence of students in this area makes it an area of strength for Labour and the Greens, though of course the SNP dominate.
Following the Clyde and Dumbarton Road to the west, we reach the Whiteinch area. Before the industrialisation of Glasgow, this was an island in the Clyde known for being a convenient crossing to the south of the city. Whiteinch is obviously an island no more, but is still home to an important transport link in the guise of the Clyde Tunnel which goes to Govan. Just to the north of Whiteinch lies the scenic Victoria Park, which serves as the centre of the eponymous ward. This is the beating heart of middle-class Glasgow, with many of the streets here being among the most desirable and expensive in Scotland, particularly around the Jordanhill area. Victoria Park is the Conservatives’ strongest ward in the city, and they even managed to beat Labour for second place here in the 2017 locals.
If we head west further still along the Clyde, we arrive in Scotstoun, itself a fairly upmarket area – not to be confused with neighbouring Scotstounhill, which is home to cheaper housing and some high rises. Scotstoun is best known for its stadium, which is the home of the Glasgow Warriors rugby union side. Additionally, the last remnants of Glasgow’s shipbuilding industry can be found here, with the massive BAE Systems facility having taken on contracts for the Royal Navy and thus providing many specialist jobs in the constituency. Passing through Garscadden, we come to Yoker, a mixed area which serves as the boundary of Glasgow with West Dunbartonshire.
To the north of Yoker lies Knightswood, perhaps best known for its golf course and large park, and just along the road from here we come to Anniesland. Anniesland Cross is one of the busiest junctions in Glasgow, with traffic coming from the south up Crow Road, and from the east along Great Western Road. The imposing Anniesland Court, Scotland’s tallest listed building, is the area’s most distinctive feature, and there is a surprising amount of gentrification for somewhere so far from the city centre. This is perhaps due to the large number of Glasgow University vet students, as their campus is located not far from here. Following Great Western Road to the northwest, we pass through Temple and Blairdardie, before stopping at Old Drumchapel, which despite its proximity to the much newer housing estate, is actually an upmarket area with some impressive sandstone villas more akin to the West End.
Finally, in the northwestern extremity of the seat, we come to Drumchapel itself. Drumchapel is one of the infamous “big four” housing estates that were built in Glasgow following the end of the Second World War. Having only been added to Glasgow proper in the 1920s, the area somehow just feels very distant from the rest of Glasgow, in part due to poor public transport links. The area has seen a lot of regeneration over the last couple of decades, and quite recently a huge number of substandard houses were demolished, adding to the somewhat isolated and empty feel of the area. Whilst its reputation has improved since the 1970s and 80s, Drumchapel does still have enduring problems with gang violence and drug use. This entire section of the seat, stretching all the way from the Clyde up to this northwestern end, is contested between Labour and the SNP, with the SNP currently having a large lead.
There is not very much to say about this seat’s representatives. Glasgow NW was first won by Labour’s John Robertson, who had been elected to Glasgow Anniesland in the 2000 by-election following the death of Donald Dewar. He was succeeded by the SNP’s Carol Monaghan, a competent if somewhat anonymous Nationalist who has become their spokesperson for Education, the Armed Forces and Veterans.
Somewhat surprisingly given the relatively weak Yes vote here, this has become the SNP’s strongest seat in Glasgow. This is because the seat doesn’t have some of the characteristics that have helped Labour to recover in other parts of Glasgow. For instance, it doesn’t have as large a student vote as North or Central, and it isn’t as monolithically working-class as North East or East. The strong Tory vote in Victoria Park is also an albatross around Labour’s neck. It is currently #124 on Labour's target list, so they will probably have to hope for an SNP meltdown before they can realistically be expected to take back this seat.
We begin our tour of this constituency on Dumbarton Road, which serves as one of the main arteries of the Partick area, and the western boundary of the studenty West End. This section of Dumbarton Road is lined with trendy cafes and pubs, with most of the tenement housing here being aimed at the large student population. Further away from Dumbarton Road, in the Broomhill and Thornbank areas, there are some very nice properties indeed, though on the whole, this is a mixed area with some high-rise flats. The prevalence of students in this area makes it an area of strength for Labour and the Greens, though of course the SNP dominate.
Following the Clyde and Dumbarton Road to the west, we reach the Whiteinch area. Before the industrialisation of Glasgow, this was an island in the Clyde known for being a convenient crossing to the south of the city. Whiteinch is obviously an island no more, but is still home to an important transport link in the guise of the Clyde Tunnel which goes to Govan. Just to the north of Whiteinch lies the scenic Victoria Park, which serves as the centre of the eponymous ward. This is the beating heart of middle-class Glasgow, with many of the streets here being among the most desirable and expensive in Scotland, particularly around the Jordanhill area. Victoria Park is the Conservatives’ strongest ward in the city, and they even managed to beat Labour for second place here in the 2017 locals.
If we head west further still along the Clyde, we arrive in Scotstoun, itself a fairly upmarket area – not to be confused with neighbouring Scotstounhill, which is home to cheaper housing and some high rises. Scotstoun is best known for its stadium, which is the home of the Glasgow Warriors rugby union side. Additionally, the last remnants of Glasgow’s shipbuilding industry can be found here, with the massive BAE Systems facility having taken on contracts for the Royal Navy and thus providing many specialist jobs in the constituency. Passing through Garscadden, we come to Yoker, a mixed area which serves as the boundary of Glasgow with West Dunbartonshire.
To the north of Yoker lies Knightswood, perhaps best known for its golf course and large park, and just along the road from here we come to Anniesland. Anniesland Cross is one of the busiest junctions in Glasgow, with traffic coming from the south up Crow Road, and from the east along Great Western Road. The imposing Anniesland Court, Scotland’s tallest listed building, is the area’s most distinctive feature, and there is a surprising amount of gentrification for somewhere so far from the city centre. This is perhaps due to the large number of Glasgow University vet students, as their campus is located not far from here. Following Great Western Road to the northwest, we pass through Temple and Blairdardie, before stopping at Old Drumchapel, which despite its proximity to the much newer housing estate, is actually an upmarket area with some impressive sandstone villas more akin to the West End.
Finally, in the northwestern extremity of the seat, we come to Drumchapel itself. Drumchapel is one of the infamous “big four” housing estates that were built in Glasgow following the end of the Second World War. Having only been added to Glasgow proper in the 1920s, the area somehow just feels very distant from the rest of Glasgow, in part due to poor public transport links. The area has seen a lot of regeneration over the last couple of decades, and quite recently a huge number of substandard houses were demolished, adding to the somewhat isolated and empty feel of the area. Whilst its reputation has improved since the 1970s and 80s, Drumchapel does still have enduring problems with gang violence and drug use. This entire section of the seat, stretching all the way from the Clyde up to this northwestern end, is contested between Labour and the SNP, with the SNP currently having a large lead.
There is not very much to say about this seat’s representatives. Glasgow NW was first won by Labour’s John Robertson, who had been elected to Glasgow Anniesland in the 2000 by-election following the death of Donald Dewar. He was succeeded by the SNP’s Carol Monaghan, a competent if somewhat anonymous Nationalist who has become their spokesperson for Education, the Armed Forces and Veterans.
Somewhat surprisingly given the relatively weak Yes vote here, this has become the SNP’s strongest seat in Glasgow. This is because the seat doesn’t have some of the characteristics that have helped Labour to recover in other parts of Glasgow. For instance, it doesn’t have as large a student vote as North or Central, and it isn’t as monolithically working-class as North East or East. The strong Tory vote in Victoria Park is also an albatross around Labour’s neck. It is currently #124 on Labour's target list, so they will probably have to hope for an SNP meltdown before they can realistically be expected to take back this seat.
