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The Dunfermline East Electoral Chronicle

An academic exploration of a former parliamentary district, its representation, and its place in British political history.

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Constituency Overview

Parliamentary District

The Dunfermline East constituency was a parliamentary constituency in Scotland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It operated under the first-past-the-post electoral system.

Operational Period

Established for the 1983 general election, Dunfermline East served as a distinct electoral district until its abolition for the 2005 general election. This period saw significant shifts in the political landscape of the United Kingdom.

Geographic Focus

While bearing the name "Dunfermline," the constituency notably did not encompass any part of Dunfermline town itself, which was situated within the Dunfermline West seat. The largest settlement within Dunfermline East was Cowdenbeath, indicating its primary geographic and demographic focus.

Electoral Boundaries

1983โ€“1997 Boundaries

During its initial period, the constituency's boundaries were defined by electoral divisions within the Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy Districts. These included areas such as Aberdour/Dalgety Bay/North Queensferry, Ballingry/Lochore, Cowdenbeath/Gray Park, Dunfermline/Rosyth, Hill of Beath/Crossgates/Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing/Rosyth, Kelty/Lumphinnans, Lochgelly, and Auchterderran.

1997โ€“2005 Boundaries

Ahead of the 1997 general election, boundary revisions were implemented. The constituency then comprised electoral divisions such as Aberdour and Mossside, Benarty and Lumphinans, Cowdenbeath, Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing and North Queensferry, Kelty, Lochgelly, Rosyth East and South, and the Kirkcaldy District's Cardenden and Kinglassie division.

Parliamentary Representation

Gordon Brown's Tenure

The sole Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline East throughout its existence was Gordon Brown, representing the Labour Party. His tenure in this constituency coincided with a highly significant period in British political history.

From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Brown served as the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, a critical opposition role. Upon Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election, he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, a position he held until 2007. His time as Chancellor was marked by significant economic policies and reforms. He subsequently became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2007, with Dunfermline East serving as his parliamentary seat during these formative years of his national prominence.

Electoral Results

The following tables detail the election results for the Dunfermline East constituency, illustrating the electoral performance of the major parties over its lifespan.

1983 General Election

General election 1983: Dunfermline East
Party Candidate Votes % ยฑ%
Labour Gordon Brown 18,515 51.5 โˆ’10.5
Liberal David Harcus 7,214 20.1 โ€”
Conservative Clive Shenton 6,764 18.8 โˆ’2.8
SNP George Hunter 2,573 7.2 โˆ’6.8
Communist Alex Maxwell 864 2.4 โ€”
Majority 11,301 31.4
Turnout 35,930 72.0%
Labour win (new seat)

1987 General Election

General election 1987: Dunfermline East
Party Candidate Votes % ยฑ%
Labour Gordon Brown 25,381 64.5 +13.0
Conservative Clive Shenton 5,792 14.8 โˆ’4.0
Liberal Elizabeth Harris 4,122 10.5 โˆ’9.6
SNP Alice McGarry 3,901 10.0 +2.8
Majority 19,589 49.7
Turnout 39,196 76.6%
Labour hold

1992 General Election

General election 1992: Dunfermline East
Party Candidate Votes % ยฑ%
Labour Gordon Brown 23,692 62.4 โˆ’2.1
Conservative Mark E. Tennant 6,248 16.5 +1.7
SNP John V. Lloyd 5,746 15.1 +5.1
Liberal Democrats Teresa Martin Little 2,262 6.0 โˆ’4.5
Majority 17,444 45.9
Turnout 37,948 75.6%
Labour hold

1997 General Election

General election 1997: Dunfermline East
Party Candidate Votes % ยฑ%
Labour Gordon Brown 24,441 66.8 +4.4
SNP John Ramage 5,690 15.6 +0.5
Conservative Iain Mitchell 3,656 10.0 โˆ’6.5
Liberal Democrats Jim Tolson 2,164 5.9 โˆ’0.1
Referendum Thomas Dunsmore 632 1.7 New
Majority 18,751 51.2
Turnout 36,583 69.6%
Labour hold

2001 General Election

General election 2001: Dunfermline East
Party Candidate Votes % ยฑ%
Labour Gordon Brown 19,487 64.8 โˆ’2.0
SNP Johnny Mellon 4,424 14.7 โˆ’0.9
Conservative Stuart Randall 2,838 9.4 โˆ’0.6
Liberal Democrats John Mainland 2,281 7.6 +1.7
Scottish Socialist Andrew Jackson 770 2.6 New
UKIP Thomas Dunsmore 286 1.0 New
Majority 15,063 50.1
Turnout 30,086 57.0%
Labour hold

Constituency Evolution

Creation and Dissolution

Dunfermline East was created as part of the boundary reviews preceding the 1983 general election, drawing territory from the former Central Fife and Dunfermline constituencies. Its existence concluded with the comprehensive redrawing of Scottish parliamentary constituencies for the 2005 general election.

Successor Constituencies

Upon its abolition, the electoral geography of Dunfermline East was reconfigured. The majority of its territory, along with parts of the former Kirkcaldy constituency, formed the new seat of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Other sections were incorporated into the newly established Dunfermline and West Fife and Glenrothes constituencies.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Central Fife
Dunfermline
Constituency represented
1983โ€“2005
Succeeded by
Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath
Dunfermline & West Fife
Glenrothes

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References

References

  1.  Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs รขย€ย“ Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
A full list of references for this article are available at the Dunfermline East (UK Parliament constituency) Wikipedia page

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