South Shields by-election, 2013

[You kip if you want to...]

So, erm... this just happened.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21947497

[ERvND]

Safe Labour.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Anyways, this is a ridiculously safe seat for anyone that wants it; I suspect that the list of applicants will be rather long. Tends to attract high-fliers; as well as Miliband, Chuter Ede (1935-64) was Attlee's Home Secretary and David Clark (1979-2001) was an opposition frontbencher for eons (and briefly Secretary of State for Paperclips and Assorted Office Supplies under Blair).

[You kip if you want to...]

[Filuwaúrdjan]

South Shields is a right-wing machine CLP, fwiw. It's in County Durham, so that kind of goes without saying. Should give an indication of the sort of candidate they're likely to go with.

[Leftbehind]

The North East has - perversely - became a Progress fortress.

Wondering how long we've got to wait.

[You kip if you want to...]

Labour hold, UKIP second. Expecting this to be held on May 2, of course.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Eh, the North East has been on the Right since the beginning of the Party - and overwhelmingly so since the beginning of the Cold War - so it's more what you'd expect. County Durham was also one of the first places to see hilarious selection stich-ups and parachuting of candidates, this was back in the 1920s; the DMA leadership liked the idea of having big-hitters representing the region.

[doktorb]

Not quite as sexy as the Excel graphs but that's getting your computer fixed by a shop which reinstalls Office without giving you the access code for you....

1992-2010:

[countydurhamboy]

Labour hold, UKIP second. Expecting this to be held on May 2, of course.

This

[Хahar 🤔]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

[countydurhamboy]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

I believe it's the only seat never to have had Conservative representation since great reform act. 

[doktorb]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

I believe it's the only seat never to have had Conservative representation since great reform act. 

Not quite (this has been debated over on VoteUK)

This would have been part of the mammoth and multi-member county seats around at the time, so would have had a Conservative MP even if not specifically for South Shields.

Certainly hasn't been Conservative since it was created in its own name.

[Leftbehind]

Not quite as sexy as the Excel graphs but that's getting your computer fixed by a shop which reinstalls Office without giving you the access code for you....

I think these charts would be better displayed in a left:right order, or failing that, to put the dominant party as the base.

[MaxQue]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

I believe it's the only seat never to have had Conservative representation since great reform act. 

Not quite (this has been debated over on VoteUK)

This would have been part of the mammoth and multi-member county seats around at the time, so would have had a Conservative MP even if not specifically for South Shields.

Certainly hasn't been Conservative since it was created in its own name.

Wasn't the seat created under its own name by the Great Reform Act?

[minionofmidas]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

I believe it's the only seat never to have had Conservative representation since great reform act. 

Not quite (this has been debated over on VoteUK)

This would have been part of the mammoth and multi-member county seats around at the time, so would have had a Conservative MP even if not specifically for South Shields.

Certainly hasn't been Conservative since it was created in its own name.

The South Shields single-member constituency was created by the Reform Act.

So was Merthyr Tydfil, which also has never had a Conservative MP, so South Shields is not alone. The Merthyr seat was officially named "Merthyr" between the wars, though (Unlike South Shields, it was also a two-member seat for a time). Also, Paisley has not been represented by a Tory MP since it got its own seat in 1832, even though it has been split into two seats both containing considerable areas outside the town since 1983.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

And covered Aberdare and surrounds as well as Merthyr.

[minionofmidas]

And covered Aberdare and surrounds as well as Merthyr.

Ah yes.

Though I don't suppose the South Shields constituency's boundaries have always remained unchanged. (Of course, the current Merthyr constituency also bears a suffix. That somehow escaped me while writing the above post.)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think it's mostly been a case of expanding as the town grew rather than anything dramatic, though it did gain Whitburn (big pit village further down the Durham coast that's actually closer to Sunderland than South Shields) at the last review.

[countydurhamboy]

South Shields has never had a Conservative MP.

Is it the oldest such seat?

I believe it's the only seat never to have had Conservative representation since great reform act. 

Not quite (this has been debated over on VoteUK)

This would have been part of the mammoth and multi-member county seats around at the time, so would have had a Conservative MP even if not specifically for South Shields.

Certainly hasn't been Conservative since it was created in its own name.

The South Shields single-member constituency was created by the Reform Act.

So was Merthyr Tydfil, which also has never had a Conservative MP, so South Shields is not alone. The Merthyr seat was officially named "Merthyr" between the wars, though (Unlike South Shields, it was also a two-member seat for a time). Also, Paisley has not been represented by a Tory MP since it got its own seat in 1832, even though it has been split into two seats both containing considerable areas outside the town since 1983.

Another political myth, then. Really the fact only stands because South Shields location makes the seat nearly impossible to abolish. The seat probably would have gone Tory in 1931 if they put up a candidate; Blaydon, Houghton, Sunderland and Jarrow all did!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It elected a Liberal, which (in 1931) was effectively the same thing as electing a Tory unless the Liberal was a member of the Lloyd George family or a close personal friend.

[Andrea]

The North East has - perversely - became a Progress fortress.

Wondering how long we've got to wait.

In run up of 2010 GE, the NE selections for vacant seats have been more varied.

Ian Mearns (Gateshead), Grahme Morris (Easington) and Ian Lavery (Wansbeck) are on the left of the party.
The SpAd from Islington has been defeated in Durham NW (they managed to give her to Redcar this time).
The party staffer who worked at HQ in the days of Margaret McDonagh was defeated in Newcastle Central and North.

And leaving the Progress area for other well backed runners
the EdM's SpAd  lost North Tyneside selection. And Sunderland South didn't take Barbara Roche.

[You kip if you want to...]

The North East has - perversely - became a Progress fortress.

Wondering how long we've got to wait.

In run up of 2010 GE, the NE selections for vacant seats have been more varied.

Ian Mearns (Gateshead), Grahme Morris (Easington) and Ian Lavery (Wansbeck) are on the left of the party.
The SpAd from Islington has been defeated in Durham NW (they managed to give her to Redcar this time).
The party staffer who worked at HQ in the days of Margaret McDonagh was defeated in Newcastle Central and North.

And leaving the Progress area for other well backed runners
the EdM's SpAd  lost North Tyneside selection. And Sunderland South didn't take Barbara Roche.

I thought the new MP for Manchester Central used to be EdM's SpAd? Lucy Powell, is it?

[MaxQue]

The North East has - perversely - became a Progress fortress.

Wondering how long we've got to wait.

In run up of 2010 GE, the NE selections for vacant seats have been more varied.

Ian Mearns (Gateshead), Grahme Morris (Easington) and Ian Lavery (Wansbeck) are on the left of the party.
The SpAd from Islington has been defeated in Durham NW (they managed to give her to Redcar this time).
The party staffer who worked at HQ in the days of Margaret McDonagh was defeated in Newcastle Central and North.

And leaving the Progress area for other well backed runners
the EdM's SpAd  lost North Tyneside selection. And Sunderland South didn't take Barbara Roche.

I thought the new MP for Manchester Central used to be EdM's SpAd? Lucy Powell, is it?

Wikipedia is saying she managed his leadership campaign, but nothing about being SpAd.

[Andrea]

Powell was Miliband's deputy chief of staff after he became leader.

I was referring to Polly Billington (now PPC for Thurrock). She worked for Miliband since 2007 until her selection in Thurrock. She lost North Tyneside selection to Mary Glindon in 2010.

Labour selection timetable for South Shields

Deadline for applications: April 5th
NEC shortlisting: April 6th
Selection meeting: 10th April