|
|
|
Montgomeryshire
|
|
Alex Carlile (Retiring)
|
|
8,344
|
|
6,109
|
|
14,647
|
|
1,608
|
|
338
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Montgomery
|
|
10,822
|
|
4,115
|
|
16,031
|
|
1,581
|
|
508
|
|
|
LibDem
|
|
The mid-Wales seats in the former county of Powys have not been redrawn, merely renamed. This is the same seat that has for decades been known as Montgomery: a seat with one of the longest and most continuous Liberal traditions of any in Britain. With the single exception of 1979, it has been won by the Liberals (however named), for over a century. Among the MPs have been party leader (1945-56) Clement Davies, and since 1983, Alex Carlile, who won with a relatively comfortable majority (for a fairly small electorate) of over 5,000 over the Tories in 1992.
Now, however, Carlile has announced his retirement (although he is not yet 50 years old) and the Liberal Democrats have to defend this most rural of seats in the Welsh hills with a very non-local figure, Lembet Opik, who has been based in the North East of England and contested the hopeless Newcastle Central last time. An element of doubt must be introduced by this change of personnel, but the Lib Dems have shown in the past that on occasions they too can successfully introduce a new candidate to hold a seat won by an established figure previously: the case of Liz Lynne replacing Cyril Smith in Rochdale would be one in point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
770
|
3.07
|
9.03
|
34
|
|
|
5,773
|
23.04
|
11.17
|
206
|
|
|
1,400
|
5.59
|
11.25
|
50
|
|
|
1,057
|
4.22
|
14.70
|
29
|
|
|
47
|
0.19
|
10.45
|
2
|
|
|
7,439
|
29.68
|
2.81
|
1055
|
|
|
3,036
|
12.11
|
8.01
|
151
|
|
|
2,857
|
11.40
|
15.25
|
75
|
|
|
1,646
|
6.57
|
7.13
|
92
|
|
|
1,036
|
4.13
|
10.17
|
41
|
|
|
