Election 97

Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Current MP Ian Lang
Conservative 97 12,825
Labour 97 6,861
LibDem 97 2,700
Nationalist 97 18,449
Other 97 755
Elected party
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Robert Waller wrote
Old constituency Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
Conservative 92 18,173
Labour 92 5,609
LibDem 92 3,721
Nationalist 92 15,773
Other 92 0
Elected party Conservative

Galloway is the far south-west corner of Scotland, the old counties of Kirkcudbright and Wigtown. Although it is in the Lowlands, Galloway has its mountains and lochs, glens and forests, and remains a quiet and accessible miniature version of the Highlands themselves. Its politics also resemble much of rural Scotland much further north: safely Conservatives for many years until 1974, then falling to the SNP. Galloway fell in the second (October) Nationalist revolution of that year, and it returned to the Tory fold along with most of the others in 1979.

However it must be regarded as very vulnerable to an SNP revival, especially if the Conservatives lose the general election, as they did in 1974. The MP at risk is a senior Cabinet Minister, Ian Lang, the President of the Board of Trade.


Super Profiles

1,712 5.26 9.03 58
2,458 7.55 11.17 68
1,788 5.49 11.25 49
1,539 4.73 14.70 32
618 1.90 10.45 18
7,908 24.28 2.81 863
1,166 3.58 8.01 45
8,671 26.63 15.25 175
3,899 11.97 7.13 168
2,807 8.62 10.17 85