Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Not to be confused with Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency).

Na h-Eileanan an Iar
county constituency for the Scottish Parliament

Na h-Eileanan an Iar shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Current constituency
Created	1999
Party	Scottish National Party
MSP	Alasdair Allan
Council area	Na h-Eileanan Siar

Na h-Eileanan an Iar (/nə ˈhɪlənən ənˈjɪər/; Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [nəˈhelanən əˈɲiəɾ]), formerly Western Isles, 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. It is also one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Electoral region

The Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency is part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region; the other seven constituencies are Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Inverness and Nairn, Moray, Orkney, 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 Western Isles constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. It voted for the first time in the Scottish Parliament election, 1999. From the United Kingdom general election, 2005, however, the name of the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was changed to Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

The Holyrood constituency covers Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles council area).

Geographically, the constituency consists of the Outer Hebridean islands. The major islands are Barra, Benbecula, Lewis and Harris, North Uist and South Uist. On the grounds of the remoteness of the constituency from the rest of Scotland, and the difficulties involved in getting from island to island, there is a significantly smaller electorate than in the mainland Scottish Parliament constituencies.^[1]

Politics

The seat had been a two-way marginal between the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party for many years. In recent years, however, it has become increasingly safe for the Scottish National Party. Despite that, during the Scottish independence referendum, 2014 the constituency voted against independence by a margin of 53.42% (10,544) to 46.58% (9,195) in favour on a turnout of 86.2%^[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

	Member	Party
1999	Alasdair Morrison	Labour
2003	Alasdair Morrison	Labour
2007	Alasdair Allan	Scottish National Party
2011	Alasdair Allan	Scottish National Party

Election results

^[3]

Scottish Parliament election, 2011: Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Alasdair Allan	8,496	65.3	+18.7
	Labour	Donald Crichton	3,724	28.6	-13.0
	Conservative	Charlie McGrigor	563	4.3	-1.2
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Morrison	228	1.8	-4.5
Majority			4,772	36.7
Turnout			13,011	59.2	-2.6
	SNP hold		Swing

Conservative and Liberal Democrat both gained under 5% of the poll and thus lost their deposit

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Alasdair Allan	6,354	46.6	+5.4
	Labour	Alasdair Morrison	5,667	41.6	-5.4
	Liberal Democrats	Ruaraidh Ferguson	852	6.3	+2.2
	Conservative	Dave Petrie	752	5.5	+0.6
Majority			687	5.0
Turnout			13,625	61.8	+3.4
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	5.4

Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alasdair Morrison	5,825	47.03
	SNP	Alasdair Nicholson	5,105	41.21
	Conservative	Frank Warren	612	4.94
	Liberal Democrats	Conor Snowden	498	4.02
	Scottish Socialist	Joanne Telfer	347	2.80
Majority			720	5.81
Turnout			12,387	58.4	-3.3
	Labour hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament Election 1999: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alasdair Morrison	7,248	50.68
	SNP	Alasdair Nicholson	5,155	36.05
	Conservative	Jamie McGrigor	1,095	7.65
	Liberal Democrats	John Horne	456	3.19
	Scottish Socialist	Joanne Telfer	347	2.43
Majority			2,093	14.64
Turnout			14301	61.7
	Labour win (new seat)

Notes

↑ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland
↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/events/scotland-decides/results
↑ Statement of Persons Nominated Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

« 1999–2011 « Electoral regions and constituencies of the Scottish Parliament 2011–

Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Motherwell and Wishaw Uddingston and Bellshill

Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Provan Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Southside Rutherglen

Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Shetland Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

Lothian	Almond Valley Edinburgh Central Edinburgh Eastern Edinburgh Northern and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh Southern Edinburgh Western Linlithgow Midlothian North and Musselburgh

Mid Scotland and Fife	Clackmannanshire and Dunblane Cowdenbeath Dunfermline Kirkcaldy Mid Fife and Glenrothes North East Fife Perthshire North Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Stirling

North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen Donside Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Aberdeenshire East Aberdeenshire West Angus North and Mearns Angus South Banffshire and Buchan Coast Dundee City East Dundee City West

South Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Dumfriesshire East Lothian Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Galloway and West Dumfries Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Midlothian South, Tweeddale, and Lauderdale

West Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley Renfrewshire North and West Renfrewshire South Strathkelvin and Bearsden

Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2011 » 2011– »

Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton North and Bellshill Hamilton South Kilmarnock and Loudoun Motherwell and Wishaw

Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Baillieston Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Govan Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Rutherglen Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Springburn

Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Moray Orkney Ross, Skye and Inverness West Shetland Western Isles

Lothians	Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Linlithgow Livingston Midlothian

Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife Dunfermline East Dunfermline West Kirkcaldy North East Fife North Tayside Ochil Perth Stirling

North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Angus Banff and Buchan Dundee East Dundee West Gordon West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

South of Scotland	Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Cunninghame South Dumfries East Lothian Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Roxburgh and Berwickshire Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley North Paisley South Strathkelvin and Bearsden West Renfrewshire

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