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UK Parliament - Orkney & Shetland

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > Scotland > Scotland > Orkney & Shetland

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

April 20, 2010 - 06:00pm

Polls Open

May 06, 2010 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 06, 2010 - 04:00pm

Term Start

May 17, 2010 - 12:00pm

Term End

May 17, 2015 - 12:00pm

Contributor

Ralphie

Last Modified

RBH May 07, 2010 06:49am

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

BBC Profile:
Sir Basil Nevin-Spence held this seat, then known as Orkney and Zetland, for the Conservatives from 1935 until his defeat in 1950. Jo Grimond, the Liberal Party leader from 1956 to 1967, took over until his retirement in 1983. His successor Jim Wallace steadily increased his majority from around 4,000 in 1983 to nearly 7,000 in 1997.

When Mr Wallace stood down, Alistair Carmichael became the Liberal Democrat candidate for Westminster. In June 2001 Mr Carmichael held the seat, but Mr Wallace's 1997 majority was cut in half. However, an 8.3% swing in 2005 left Mr Carmichael with a 6,627 majority, which represents a 37% margin.

There are no boundary changes affecting this seat.

The Orkney Islands are seven miles from the Scottish mainland while the Shetland Islands are nearer to Norway than to England. Despite having a small electorate, the islands are guaranteed their Westminster representation and they will not be affected by boundary changes.

Agriculture and fishing remain extremely important to both island groups despite their decline. Since the early 1970s they have been cushioned from this by the jobs created from the exploration of oil in the North Sea, especially at the substantial oil terminal facilities at Sullom Voe and at Flotta.

Tourism is of growing importance to both island groups. Attractions include the pre-historic village of Skara Brae and the evocative Ring of Bogar standing stones and henge. Together, they form part of the World Heritage listed Heart of Neolithic Orkney, while Shetland boasts Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement.

St Magnus Cathedral is a major tourist attraction in Kirkwall and bird life (especially the gannets, kittiwakes, puffins and arctic skuas) is abundant on both sets of islands.

BP's Clair Field west of Shetland is the largest known source of oil on the UK continental shelf, and its development is bringing significant new investment to the area.

In recent years Orkney has become a centre for research into renewable energy. In addition to various onshore energy developments Orkney is a key player in the marine renewable sector. It is home to the International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT), a campus of Heriot-Watt University, as well as the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
No Boundary Changes