Orkney (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Orkney is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
Orkney | |
---|---|
county constituency for the Scottish Parliament | |
Orkney shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland | |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1999 |
Party | Liberal Democrats |
MSP | Liam McArthur |
Council area | Orkney Islands |
The former Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace represented the constituency from 1999 to 2007.
Electoral region
Orkney is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region; the other seven constituencies of are Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Shetland and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.
The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney Islands council area, all of the Shetland Islands council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.
Constituency boundaries and council area
The Orkney constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, to cover the Orkney Islands council area. In the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), the council area is covered by the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which also covers the Shetland Islands council area.[1]
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Jim Wallace | Liberal Democrat | |
2007 | Liam McArthur | ||
Election results
2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur | 7,096 | 67.4 | +31.7 | |
SNP | Donna Heddle | 2,562 | 24.3 | -0.8 | |
Conservative | Jamie Halcro Johnston | 435 | 4.1 | -4.3 | |
Labour | Gerry McGarvey | 304 | 2.9 | -2.7 | |
Independent | Paul Dawson | 137 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,534 | 43.1 | +32.6 | ||
Turnout | 10,534 | 62.0 | +12.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +16.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur | 2,912 | 35.7 | -11.8 | |
Independent | James Stockan | 2,052 | 25.2 | N/A | |
SNP | Donna Heddle | 2,044 | 25.1 | +6.2 | |
Conservative | Jamie Halcro Johnston | 686 | 8.4 | -10.5 | |
Labour | William Sharkey | 458 | 5.6 | -7.5 | |
Majority | 860 | 10.5 | -17.9 | ||
Turnout | 8,152 | 49.3 | -4.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -9.0 |
2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Liam McArthur | 4,113 | 47.5 | +1.8 | |
SNP | John Mowat | 1,637 | 18.9 | +5.7 | |
Conservative | Helen Gardiner | 1,632 | 18.9 | -4.9 | |
Labour | Iain MacDonald | 1,134 | 13.1 | +7.2 | |
Independent | Barrie Johnson | 137 | 1.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,476 | 28.6 | +6.7 | ||
Turnout | 8,653 | 53.4 | +1.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Jim Wallace | 3,659 | 45.7 | -21.7 | |
Conservative | Christopher Zawadski | 1,904 | 23.8 | +8.2 | |
SNP | John Mowat | 1,056 | 13.2 | + 2.9 | |
Scottish Socialist | John Aberdein | 914 | 11.42 | N/A | |
Labour | Richard Meade | 471 | 5.9 | -0.9 | |
Majority | 1,755 | 21.9 | -29.9 | ||
Turnout | 8,004 | 51.7 | -5.3 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -15.0 |
1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Jim Wallace | 6,010 | 67.4 | ||
Conservative | Christopher Zawadski | 1,391 | 15.6 | ||
SNP | John Mowat | 917 | 10.3 | ||
Labour | Angus Macleod | 600 | 6.7 | ||
Majority | 4,619 | 51.8 | |||
Turnout | 8,918 | 57.0 | |||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
References
Preceded by None |
Constituency represented by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland 1999–2005 |
Succeeded by Aberdeen South |