Post by john07 on Jun 29, 2022 21:14:03 GMT
Over twenty-five years ago, the former Manchester City chairman Francis Lee suggested that if there were cups for cock-ups, City would win it every year. It is much the same with the Labour Party and the Falkirk Constituency (including its predecessor seats.
Back in the 1990s, the Scottish Parliament was about to be elected for the first time. The popular and hard-working MP for Falkirk West, Dennis Canavan, wished to switch to the Scottish Parliament, of which he had been a long-term advocate. Canavan had a reputation as Scotland’s Dennis Skinner. This application was vetoed by the Party establishment, despite the wishes of the local party. Canavan stood as an independent and won easily and resigned his Westminster seat.
Labour did win the by-election but elected former Army Major, Eric Joyce for the seat. Joyce served three further full terms but eventually resigned the Labour whip after a string of offenses and convictions for drink driving, assault on an industrial scale and possession of child pornography.
As if that wasn’t enough to cope with a furore occurred after allegations that Len McCluskey and Unite attempted to subvert the selection of a replacement by enrolling large numbers of union members to the Constituency (in some cases without informing them?). It was all a failed plan to parachute Karie Murphy into the seat. It all appeared somewhat futile as the SNP were always winning the seat in 2015.
To make matters worse, in 2019, the Parties candidate, Safia Ali, was suspended during the campaign after being accused of making anti-semitic posts on Facebook. Labour ended with 11.2% of the vote in what was once a very safe seat.
The previous seat of Stirling and Falkirk was marginal in the 1920s changing hands at every election between 1918 and the war. Labour won in 1935 and kept the seat and its successors right through to 2015.
The seat appears to be quite homogenous in its voting patterns despite including most of central Falkirk, the ex-mining area of Polmont, a number of small towns, and some rural areas.
It does include Bonnybridge, apparently the UFO capital of the UK if not the world (obviously excluding Roswell, New Mexico and Aurora, Texas). Around 300 UFA sightings have been reported each year over the last three decades. This is termed the Falkirk Triangle due to the transport routes provided by the Forth and Clyde Canal and a number of railways.
Back in the 1990s, the Scottish Parliament was about to be elected for the first time. The popular and hard-working MP for Falkirk West, Dennis Canavan, wished to switch to the Scottish Parliament, of which he had been a long-term advocate. Canavan had a reputation as Scotland’s Dennis Skinner. This application was vetoed by the Party establishment, despite the wishes of the local party. Canavan stood as an independent and won easily and resigned his Westminster seat.
Labour did win the by-election but elected former Army Major, Eric Joyce for the seat. Joyce served three further full terms but eventually resigned the Labour whip after a string of offenses and convictions for drink driving, assault on an industrial scale and possession of child pornography.
As if that wasn’t enough to cope with a furore occurred after allegations that Len McCluskey and Unite attempted to subvert the selection of a replacement by enrolling large numbers of union members to the Constituency (in some cases without informing them?). It was all a failed plan to parachute Karie Murphy into the seat. It all appeared somewhat futile as the SNP were always winning the seat in 2015.
To make matters worse, in 2019, the Parties candidate, Safia Ali, was suspended during the campaign after being accused of making anti-semitic posts on Facebook. Labour ended with 11.2% of the vote in what was once a very safe seat.
The previous seat of Stirling and Falkirk was marginal in the 1920s changing hands at every election between 1918 and the war. Labour won in 1935 and kept the seat and its successors right through to 2015.
The seat appears to be quite homogenous in its voting patterns despite including most of central Falkirk, the ex-mining area of Polmont, a number of small towns, and some rural areas.
It does include Bonnybridge, apparently the UFO capital of the UK if not the world (obviously excluding Roswell, New Mexico and Aurora, Texas). Around 300 UFA sightings have been reported each year over the last three decades. This is termed the Falkirk Triangle due to the transport routes provided by the Forth and Clyde Canal and a number of railways.
