INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Londonderry East', '60276', '6.7862248865033', '6.61440706085341', '12.6614407060853', '13.5389788504308', '11.8567914825852', '11.7728687287625', '14.1857285221321', 'As the name suggests, this seat takes in the eastern chunk of County Londonderry, and the area has been represented in the commons since 1974 by Willie Ross. His seat today is largely rural, including parts of the Sperrin Mountains, the Roe Valley, most of the eastern shore of Lough Foyle and part of the northern coast of the province. Much of the Coleraine half of the seat is extremely picturesque and very attractive to tourists. Coleraine is a busy shopping town with a little industry, also site of the University of Ulster, whilst Kilrea and Garvagh are small market towns. The roads linking Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart are the site of the annual North-West 200 Motorcycle Races. The area covered by Limavady District Council makes up the western, more rural, half of the seat. The town is a former home of William Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925. His statue can be found in the town; it was also home to Jane Ross, who noted down the famous Londonderry Air or Danny Boy from a street fiddler in 1851. Dungiven is a pleasant market town situated where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg converge at the foot of the 1,535ft Glenshane Pass. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Loughborough', '70077', '5.02508247842003', '6.31505344121466', '17.6315053441215', '15.7888343293086', '16.714749058793', '15.2845600456967', '15.6054070674197', 'Boundary changes have given Loughborough the appearance of a volatile political history. In 1983 the Leicestershire coalfield was transferred from the seat, which had been loyal to Labour, and was replaced by much of the Valley of the Soar. Stephen Dorrells tenure from 1983 to 1997 was firmly rooted in the almost unfailingly Conservative, white, middle class communities of the Soar Valley. In 1995, the Boundary Commission moved the bulk of the Soar Valley again, into the newly created Charnwood constituency. Stephen Dorrell chose to move with these voters, so by 1997 Loughborough constituency had become fairly compact, and focused around the town of Loughborough itself, a small area of Wolds villages and the town of Shepshed. The new constituency is more evenly balanced now, although not immune from future volatility. The middle class areas of Nanpantan and Outwoods in the South West of Loughborough are Conservative on Charnwood Council, but otherwise Loughborough and the two Shepshed wards are held by Labour. Loughborough is an industrial engineering town with many old terraces and council estates. Some hosiery and knitwear industry remains in the area. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Louth and Horncastle', '71556', '5.15452091767881', '6.21331544524568', '8.62133154452457', '8.37933537669896', '7.70675278547329', '9.83343689121525', '9.48311752155202', 'Louth and Horncastle, found in the north east corner of Lincolnshire among the Lincolnshire Wolds, provide a welcome break in the landscape when compared to the flat, monotonous horizons that typify the county elsewhere. Farmland dominates the varied landscape of Horncastle, and in combination with the affluent and elegant Louth, has, historically, made the seat a classic Conservative stronghold. Sir Peter Tapsell, one of three surviving Tory MPs from Harold Macmillans 71-strong intake of 1959, has enjoyed success in this part of the world for four decades, despite boundary changes which have seen him represent three differently named seats. Sir Peter won here in 1997 with a majority of 6,900, helped in part by the equal standing of Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who polled 14,000 and 12,000 votes respectively. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Ludlow', '63053', '5.6822187181152', '6.83932564667819', '12.6839325646678', '10.9615316368149', '12.9485451781643', '11.1726589948145', '13.0732369411575', 'The constituency is physically the largest in Shropshire. It stretches from the border with Wales in the west to just short of Dudley and Wolverhampton in the east. Much of the seat is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it contains the large Environmentally Sensitive Areas of Clun and the South Shropshire Hills. Ludlow, the largest of the constituencys towns, has been described as one of the most beautiful and distinguished country towns in England. Once the seat of government for the Welsh Marches, its medieval street pattern survives almost intact, along with many ancient properties: Ludlow Castle is 900 years old, featuring examples of architecture from the Norman, Medieval and Tudor periods; and St. Laurences Parish Church - one of the largest in the country - commemorates A.E. Housman, the author of A Shropshire Lad, in its churchyard. Politically, this constituency has tended to be loyal to the Conservatives. The present MP, arch anti-EU campaigner Christopher Gill, who won a majority of 12.8% in 1997 is standing down.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Luton North', '65998', '4.32934621479323', '5.92836146549895', '12.5928361465499', '11.7114558338838', '12.6650719952604', '10.5713714359737', '12.650607633142', 'Prior to the 1995 boundary changes, most of Luton Norths area comprised the villages and hamlets between Luton and the small town of Flitwick. However, these changes converted Luton North into an exclusively urban constituency. The resulting seat is mainly residential, although it also contains Luton town. There is less industry and fewer non-white voters than in the Luton South constituency and there is plenty of new private housing. The seat has good transport links, with the M1 running across the west of the constituency and the Thameslink rail service to London running from Leagrave Station. It contains Lutons usually safest Conservative ward, Icknield, which harbours the towns most up-market housing. The population is relatively young: the seat has the highest percentage of school-age children in the county and a small proportion of pensioners. Luton North also has a significant ethnic minority population. The Conservative MP John Carlisle represented the seat and its predecessor for 18 years, and when he retired at the 1997 election, Labours Kelvin Hopkins was returned with a majority of over 9,000 votes. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Luton South', '68985', '4.48069934690351', '5.70428353989998', '17.57042835399', '15.9419549394228', '15.6422014894828', '18.8626244979526', '19.9760033470705', 'Won by Labour in 1997 with a majority of 11,319, Luton South had voted Conservative in 1992 even though the party did not win a single ward in the constituency in the local elections the year before. The then PPS to John Major, Graham Bright, held on with a majority of 799 and the Liberal Democrats only secured 10% of the vote. The seat is mainly urban but includes a couple of more rural wards to the south. The town was once known as a centre for millinery but few are employed in that industry now. The constituency is dominated by Luton airport and the Vauxhall car plant, and it came as a major blow to the area when Vauxhall announced that they plan to close their plant by mid 2002 with the loss of 2,000 jobs. The closure was announced just before Christmas 2000 and was met with strikes from the workers and intervention from the unions, and a scramble by MPs to put together a rescue package. Margaret Moran, a Londoner, won Luton South in 1997 having been a Lewisham councillor since 1984 and leader of Lewisham council from 1993-95. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Macclesfield', '73123', '5.11154985192498', '6.23401665686583', '17.6234016656866', '17.7452255533802', '19.7597288083731', '16.8686674074963', '19.4604449262728', 'Nicholas Wintertons 1992 winning margin of 22,767 was pared back by more than half in 1997, but considering the carnage suffered by his colleagues in supposedly safe seats, the right-wing Euro-sceptic will not have minded too much. Macclesfield has, in the past, been so Conservative that in 1995, the Tories most disastrous local election year, the party actually increased its majority on the borough council - albeit by just one seat. In the council elections of the following year, Macclesfield was left as one of only two Conservative-controlled local authorities in the north of England. The constituency only covers roughly half of the town of Macclesfield, possibly a good thing for the Tories who have never been the most popular party in the town. With Manchester close to the north, and this seat being set in some delightful countryside, it is easy to see why this area is so attractive to wealthy commuters. Save for textiles and pharmaceuticals there is little industry to be found in this pleasantly residential seat, and professionals and managers make up the greatest proportion of the workers, though few are employed within the seats boundaries. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Maidenhead', '68130', '5.49702202317743', '6.35813885219433', '17.6358138852194', '16.030261706476', '17.3017660423374', '18.4120179282355', '15.8350492932782', 'In 1997, a constituency was based around the town of Maidenhead for the first time: previously, it had shared a constituency with the neighbouring town of Windsor. Even so, although named after the east Berkshire town, the constituency covers much rural ground too, including many picturesque villages. The western edge of the seat reaches the outer suburbs of Reading. The town of Maidenhead itself has a thriving and dynamic economy with businesses ranging from small family firms that have been here for generations to the European headquarters of multinational companies. It is an important shopping centre and in recent times has attracted many hi-tech and pharmaceutical companies. It is close to the motorway and is well linked to London and Heathrow Airport. The town owes its origins to the River Thames, which still attracts tourists who enjoy walks along the riverside. More significant is the fact that the river here plays host to the annual Henley Royal Regatta - although Henley is in Oxfordshire, Berkshire claims the regatta meadows. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Maidstone and the Weald', '74002', '5.03675099282533', '6.1588875976325', '12.6158887597632', '10.9469862097294', '11.6210676342802', '14.3349757920618', '12.2169974636251', 'Many of the seats in Kent are strange mixtures of the rural and the urban; the agricultural and the industrial. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that this constituency includes only part of Maidstone and only part of the Weald, yet takes the name of both. This seat has voted in wildly divergent ways at local and general elections. Ann Widdecombe currently has a large majority where the latter are concerned; at local authority level the Lib Dems have 21 of the Maidstone District Council seats to the Conservatives 6. This seat is home to commuters and light industry at Maidstone, and more agricultural pursuits on The Weald. The exclusive girls school of Benenden is to be found here, as is Sissinghurst Castle - the Tudor house famed for its gardens designed by previous residents Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson. Maidstone is Kents county town, and has seen some substantial investment in recent years. In particular, the £8.2m millennium river project in the town centre has had half of the cost paid for by the Millennium Commission. It has seen the river and access improved, and the award-winning Lockmeadow Bridge built. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Makerfield', '68457', '3.14924259811797', '5.09166337993193', '17.5091663379932', '14.7533962754969', '16.1920627185116', '15.7259368714195', '17.1718525296021', 'In 1997, Ian McCartney was returned for his third term as MP for Makerfield on the back of a 26,117 majority, the largest of his parliamentary career so far. Until recently, the small settlement of Ince could claim, albeit briefly, to be the most obscure town in the UK to have a parliamentary seat named after it. Unfortunately, Ince-in-Makerfield is so obscure that even many Lancastrians are unaware of the town and it was moved into the seat of Wigan during the boundary review of 1983 and the scattering of small towns that remained were redrawn to create Makerfield. With the decline in coal mining, new industries have established themselves here, and by far the greatest proportion of the economically active population are employed in skilled manual occupations. The fact that this Lancashire seat has a coal mining heritage rather than links to the textile industry perhaps accounts for its low proportion of non-white residents, with a mere one in 200 voters coming from ethnic minorities. Despite the loss of coal, diversification has kept unemployment below the national average - untypical for a seat of this type.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Maldon and Chelmsford East', '69201', '5.0750566893424', '6.37274027831968', '12.637274027832', '13.8207949731332', '12.9168421270995', '12.345055963378', '13.2437634078563', 'This seat is composed mainly of flat countryside - including the rivers Blackwater and Crouch - bordered by a stretch of North Sea coastline to the east, and includes only two towns of any size - Maldon and Burnham-on-Crouch. The port of Maldon is still trading today and the Old Thames Sailing Barges are still active on the river and can be seen at the Hythe Quay. One slightly unusual event which takes place here is the annual Maldon Mud Race held at New Year, which attracts many competitors and on-lookers from as far away as Japan. Burnham-on-Crouch is a quiet, unspoilt riverside town whose Clock Tower is an ornate landmark which has dominated the old part of the town since 1877. It is a fairly well-known yachting centre, which has held a week long Regatta every August for over 100 years and also holds a music and arts festival every June. With 40% of the seats workforce belonging to the well-paid middle-class management/technical social group, low unemployment, and nearly 80% owner-occupation, it is little surprise that this seat has in the past been safe Tory territory. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Manchester Blackley', '59111', '3.10598348603099', '4.48698211838744', '12.4486982118387', '11.4373553326122', '11.2475243432511', '12.6795793769735', '14.0802404221349', 'Like other northern cities such as Leeds and Liverpool, the population in the centre of Manchester has dwindled in recent decades, a factor which has naturally had a knock-on effect on the citys electorate and parliamentary seats. Prior to 1983, there were a total of eight seats with a prefix of Manchester. Following the most recent boundary review of 1995, that figure has been trimmed down to 4. Labour first won this seat during their landslide victory of 1945, only to lose it again in 1951 when Churchill triumphantly led the Conservatives back to power. The next time Labour wrested the seat from the Tories was in 1964 when the party again formed a new government. Since then, Blackley has ceased to be a weather vane seat which swings with the country and instead has stayed with Labour in every subsequent election. Pronounced Blakely, the seat lies in the north of Manchester and borders the suburbs of Prestwich to the west and Chadderton and Failsworth to the east. It is mainly a residential area of declining suburbs, with deprivation particularly noticeable to the north of the seat. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Manchester Central', '66268', '3.13020672631904', '3.91259733204563', '12.3912597332046', '13.8411871470431', '11.5848784620964', '11.1177678385318', '13.2573270069477', 'Labours overall vote share here stood in 1997 at 71%, demonstrating just how safe this seat has been for the party. Indeed the Central division has never returned an MP other than a Labour member. Manchester Central was first created in 1974 when the citys seats were reduced in number from 10 to 8 to counter the population exodus. Since then the seat has been redrawn through subsequent reviews and now includes much more of Manchesters inner city areas than it did during previous incarnations, including the troubled Moss Side Estate from the old Stretford seat, notorious for its difficulties with guns and drug-related crime. Manchester Central includes much of the commercial, business and retail core of the city, which was devastated by an IRA bomb on 15 June 1996. Companies have successfully rebuilt following this atrocity, and the seat includes heavy engineering, wholesale clothing and toy firms. Central is also home to Strangeways Prison, Manchester University, Boddingtons Brewery, Granada Studios, - which houses Coronation Street and a replica House of Commons chamber - and virtually all the land under the control of the Central Manchester Development Corporation. The new tram system links the Victoria and Piccadilly railway stations across the city centre. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Manchester Gorton', '63834', '3.72029821146572', '4.2655951373876', '12.4265595137388', '12.2097622835735', '13.7909263902344', '12.6373740674532', '13.8560216326395', 'Situated to the south east of Manchester city centre, there is some light engineering industry to be found in Gorton but this mainly residential seat is characterised by low numbers of owner-occupiers. The percentage of homes which are privately rented is twice the national average, and the publicly-rented housing sector is also large. The number of workers employed in the managerial and technical fields is below the national average - 21.4% compared to 30.8%. Perhaps unsurprisingly, unemployment is above the national average, the number of residents with access to a car is low and nearly 40% of parents are raising their children alone. Interestingly, Gorton has the third highest number of residents aged between 16 and 24, (16.3% of the population), a statistic partly explained by the high numbers of students living in cheap, rented accommodation. Asians form 11.6% of Gortons population, and are mostly concentrated in the Longsight district. Gorton provides a classic example of the Liberal Democrats having been unable to transfer local support into parliamentary success. They are the only party currently providing any opposition to Labour on Manchester City Council and made a clean sweep of Gortons North and South wards and Levenshulme at the last round of local elections, but Labours parliamentary grasp has so far proved unshakeable. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Manchester Withington', '67480', '4.51098430813124', '5.19413159454653', '12.5194131594547', '11.5540231581048', '12.0358796665404', '14.2801350598122', '13.3332063902121', 'The Conservatives held Manchester Withington from 1945 to 1987 until Keith Bradley took it for Labour for the first time in the partys history. His winning total of 3,391 votes was boosted up to a shade below five figures in 1992, before doubling to 18,581 votes in 1997. Most observers agree that Mr Bradley owes a debt of thanks for his 1987 breakthrough to an unusual source - Mrs Thatcher, whose policies speeded up the partys exit from many cities. On a local level the Tories do not hold a single seat of the 99 that make-up Manchester Metropolitan Borough Council. Gradual changes of political allegiance in Withington stem from gradual changes to the character of this mainly residential seat, situated to the south of Manchester city centre. The wards of Didsbury, Withington, Barlow Moor and Chorlton, once considered highly desirable for Manchesters middle-aged, middle classes, are dominated nowadays by converted flats and Homes of Multiple Occupancy for students and young professionals. As a result, levels of owner-occupation are very low and the percentage of those renting privately is twice the national average. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Mansfield', '66748', '4.28796266145664', '5.52106430155211', '12.5521064301552', '14.5825616847863', '10.518946351032', '13.2935317594695', '10.5132706102869', 'Mansfield is an interesting ex-mining seat that shares a similar political history to the neighbouring seats of Ashfield and Sherwood. Together these seats formed the Nottinghamshire coalfield, rivalled only in size by Yorkshire. Mansfield was at the core of the field and as such used to be a solid Labour seat, but following the travails of the mid 1980s registered a swing to the Tories. Notts miners created the Union of Democratic Miners (UDM) which supported the working miners in the Notts coalfield against the striking miners of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). Notts miners had objected to Arthur Scargills decision to call a national strike without a national ballot in 1984 and so had continued to work. Don Concannon, the Labour MP for the constituency had supported the UDM and the working miners but when he announced his retirement before the 1987 general election following a serious car crash, the leftwing pro NUM Alan Meale was nominated by the local party as his replacement, and their majority was slashed to a mere 56 votes. But having moved from ultra safe to ultra marginal, Mansfield has recently seemed to have reverted to type. Alan Meale increased his majority in 1997 to 20,518. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Medway', '64930', '5.1012691012691', '5.94640381949792', '9.59464038194979', '9.30218586687714', '9.82705976736088', '9.6677666151132', '9.63684409864993', 'Kent had the equal highest number of constituencies of the non-metropolitan counties and all 16 of these were held by the Conservatives before 1997. At that election Labour won eight of them. This is a largely industrial seat, and that industry is not just centred on Rochester. The Isle of Grain, to the far north of the seat, holds a British Gas terminal, a power station, and one of the most modern container ports in the country, on the 160 acre site of an old BP oil terminal. Skilled manual workers continue to make up a significant portion of the working population. BAe Systems, formerly Marconi Avionics, is the seats major employer, and following the merger should go from strength to strength. Rochester does have some interesting history beyond the dark days of industrial closures, though. It is known internationally for its Dickensian connections - there is a Dickens festival held every May - and some tourists come just to see its cathedral, once a site of medieval pilgrimage. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Meirionnydd Nant Conwy', '33175', '5.03559901272071', '6.35056518462698', '17.6350565184627', '20.4380164467827', '18.8498525751298', '17.0728535811461', '17.2640276562257', 'A seat currently held at Westminster by Plaid Cymru this is an enlarged version of the former Merioneth constituency. The seat, which is largely within the Snowdonia National Park, is thinly populated and almost entirely rural, and has a majority of Welsh speakers. The huge, sprawling Meirionnydd Nant Conwy constituency has one of the smallest electorates in England and Wales, less than half the average. Plaid Cymru have always felt more threatened by the boundary commission than other parties but have successfully argued in a series of boundary reviews that the constituencys social and linguistic nature make it a special case. The constituency is in many ways the spiritual home of both Welsh Nationalism and Nonconformity. Important towns in the rural South of the constituency are the county town of Dolgellau and the anglicised (and slightly run down) resort of Barmouth. The south of the constituency has few industries other than farming tourism and the depleted workforce employed to de-commission the nuclear power station at Trawsfynydd. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Meriden', '74439', '5.23193967548643', '5.98597509370088', '12.5985975093701', '11.375267625029', '12.8773353629449', '11.133855102383', '12.0951411050731', 'Like the other seats in the band of Conservative blue to the north and east of Birmingham - stretching from Aldridge-Brownhills to Meriden, this seats political character derives from its status as home to the citys wealthy commuters. In this constituency, most of the Conservative vote has tended to come from small affluent towns and villages like Meriden itself, where there are high concentrations of owner-occupiers and non-manual workers. It is unsurprising this constituency is so sought after by the wealthier commuter. In a rural buffer between Coventry and Birmingham the towns and villages are generally picturesque and well-kept, and in Meriden is found the (disputed) centre of England. There is also, in Packwood House, a Jacobean mansion of some splendour to contrast with the modern high rise blocks of Chelmsley Wood a world away to the north. This is a marginal constituency: at the last election the Conservative majority was just 582, and the Conservative and Labour groups on Solihull council now have 13 members each. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney', '55368', '3.82211841939149', '5.72243895390839', '12.5722438953908', '10.5813198318318', '13.2244898162205', '13.5670026153417', '14.3503175222063', 'Labours Ted Rowlands, who has held this seat since 1972, recorded a majority of 27,086 over the Liberal Democrats in 1997. Many parts of the UK claim to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Merthyr has as good a claim as any. The town was built first on iron and later coal. Its iron works at Cyfartha were at one time the largest in the world and the town can claim a notable list of other firsts. It had the worlds first steam railway (pre-dating the Stockton and Darlington by some years). It saw the first raising of the red flag during a week long workers uprising in 1832 and it later elected Keir Hardie - one of the founders of the Labour movement - its MP. In the town of Merthyr itself little remains of the old industrial heritage. The town is dominated by a series of large council estates with high levels of unemployment and deprivation. To the south of Merthyr the constituency extends for ten miles along the floor of the Taff Valley, where the 1966 Aberfan disaster, when colliery waste engulfed the local junior school, is still an open wound. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Middlesbrough', '67659', '3.24287451433995', '4.98337250033255', '12.4983372500333', '12.9815570303015', '12.7870884168449', '13.2143791355736', '12.4376530524514', 'The Middlesborough constituency does not take in the whole of the working-class and deprived city nestled between the Tees and the Cleveland Hills, which is too large for one seat and too small for two. Like many other major northern towns and cities, the population in central Middlesbrough has dwindled over the past decade. The massive and massively deprived council estates found to the east of the towns centre are the source of most of the seats social-economic problems, and in the past also provided the majority of Labour support. At the time of the last census, 76% of residents in the Thorntree ward were council tenants, 77% had no car and 14.5% of children aged 16 or under were from single parent families. It is not only Middlesbroughs population that has shrunk in recent times. Many of the industries it built its economic base upon are now also in decline, most notably British Steel and ICI. Scores of redundancies contributed to rates of male unemployment of almost 20% at the time of the last census. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland', '71485', '4.47136914368848', '6.15387843603553', '12.6153878436036', '12.814456422376', '11.9360793306058', '10.7384896793333', '11.8322212477671', 'This election will be the fourth time Ashok Kumar has contested this seat; he took it at the first time of asking in the 1991 by-election following the death of Conservative MP Richard Holt, but he could not stop Conservative Michael Bates taking the seat by just 1,564 votes in 1992. Dr Kumar bounced back in 1997 with a majority above 10,000. The reason behind the small swings usually generated here lies in the divided nature of the seat. The 39,000 voters in the rural East Cleveland half, which includes the Cleveland hills and the seaside resort of Saltburn, have in the past been largely Conservative, whereas the 31,000 voters in the council estate-dominated South Middlesborough portion are largely dyed in the wool Labour supporters. The seat is a mix of rural, suburban and coastal areas and its economy is correspondingly diverse; farming and fishing are key industries and the large ICI chemical works at Wilton continues to be a major employer. Significant population centres are to be found at the coastal resort of Saltburn and in the ancient market town of Guisbrough, both inclined to the Conservatives, but the vast majority of the constituencys electorate remains in the southern suburbs of Middlesbrough. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Midlothian', '48625', '4.72740565380866', '5.90724935732648', '12.5907249357326', '13.9344521866853', '12.81825639768', '11.2899124139789', '13.9109572099488', 'The county of Midlothian is an ancient one and lies just south east of the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. The main towns are Penicuik, Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Loanhead and Gorebridge. This seat contains the heart of the former Midlothian coalfield and although mining is in terminal decline the area is still predominantly industrial and working-class. New industries include precision engineering, electronics, crystal glass manufacture and printing, whilst the longer established paper-making industry is also in decline. Tourists travelling through the seat are rewarded by the presence of Dalkeith Palace, the famously elaborate Rosslyn Chapel and the less ornate Scottish Mining Museum at Newtongrange. This seat has been held by Labour since 1955. Fittingly for a seat where the main industry used to be coal mining, both sitting MP Eric Clarke and MP from 1966 to 1992 Alex Eadie were former miners. All the seats, but one (which is held by the Liberal Democrats) on the conterminous Midlothian Council are currently held by the Labour Party. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Milton Keynes North East', '75526', '5.8039240667601', '6.23546858035643', '12.6235468580356', '12.6240687619186', '10.8955429493664', '11.6613518131313', '10.6212599823779', 'This seat was contested for the first time in the 1992 election, after the Boundary Commission split the town of Milton Keynes into two seats. The Conservatives won it comfortably in 1992 with a majority of almost 14,200 and an increased vote. In 1997, the Labour candidate, Brian White overturned that majority. His majority of 240 makes this Labours third most marginal constituency. This is the more rural of the two Milton Keynes constituencies, containing villages in the northern tip of Buckinghamshire such as Lavendon and Olney. The seat also incorporates the old borough of Newport Pagnell and some affluent commuting and golfing areas at Woburn Sands. However, the constituency also includes the New Town wards of Bradwell, Linford, and Pineham. Here, at local level, the Liberal Democrats have recently performed better than Labour and the Conservatives. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Milton Keynes South West', '76607', '5.04583112991363', '5.92426279582806', '12.5924262795828', '12.8589717593254', '11.7736028681706', '13.9197848900604', '13.3258888399792', 'In 1997, Phyllis Starkey increased the Labour vote here by over 16%, while the Conservative vote fell by 13%. This resulted in a Labour majority of almost 10,300. Unlike Milton Keynes North East, this constituency incorporates very little of the rural area surrounding Milton Keynes. It is the more compact of the two, and contains the long-established communities of Fenny Stratford, Bletchley, Stony Stratford and Wolverton. The parts of the new city in this seat have in the past been less inclined towards the Conservatives than those further east and north. However, Loughton Park, which was almost entirely developed in the 1980s, has always consisted only of private housing and has not usually favoured Labour. Traditionally, Labours strongest ward has been the old railway town of Wolverton, which provided their only county councillor in Buckinghamshire in their disastrous year of 1977. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Mitcham and Morden', '65671', '3.95800953610284', '5.78048149106912', '17.5780481491069', '14.6766386240435', '15.8037540677233', '19.9369870991772', '19.9716297669062', 'The constituency was created in its present form in 1974. It is home to the 474 acres of Mitcham Common, as well as the National Trusts Morden Park. It boasts the oldest cricket green in the world, and also marks the southern end of the Northern tube line. It is a suburban seat where half the population regard themselves as Londoners and the other half still think that they live in Surrey. Labours greatest strength has been found in the west and south of the seat and Tory support has tended to increase towards the east which borders Wimbledon. Labour won the seat in 1974, and narrowly survived here in 1979. The then sitting MP, Bruce Douglas Mann joined the SDP. He was the only defector to seek a new mandate by causing a by-election, which was held in 1982 during the Falklands campaign. The Conservatives won and kept the seat, with diminishing majorities until 1997. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Mole Valley', '67770', '4.94604010876954', '6.94584624465103', '12.6945846244651', '11.8493943347341', '12.4852439315524', '13.0443794890083', '11.4401868600945', 'Situated midway between London and the Sussex coast, Mole Valley is in the county of Surrey. It takes its name from the River Mole which, from its source in Sussex, runs through one of the few natural gaps in the long line of the North Downs and eventually flows into the River Thames at East Molesey. Some of the most beautiful parts of the North Downs are found within the Mole Valley area, including many pleasant villages and the towns of Leatherhead and Dorking, where the bulk of the population live. Since its creation in 1983, Mole Valley has been held by the Conservatives. Former home secretary and Conservative Party Chairman Kenneth Baker represented the seat until 1997, and since 1997 it has been held by Sir Paul Beresford. Despite the Labour landslide in 1997, this seat maintained a Conservative majority of over 10,000. The Liberal Democrats gained few votes in second, with Labour in third. Just outside the M25 corridor, this seat is typical of the London commuter belt, and most of the people who live here are employed at the professional or managerial level. The residential nature of the seat is compounded by the fact that very little industry is based here. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Monmouth', '62202', '5.72196482389456', '7.14800167197196', '8.7148001671972', '9.32354687199198', '9.2243179772843', '7.3361887709231', '9.52368458950363', 'Monmouth was traditional Conservative territory at Westminster until 1991, when Huw Edwards took it for Labour at a by-election. The Tories won it back in 1992, but lost it to Mr Edwards again when the 1997 landslide gave him a majority of 4,178. An English-speaking border constituency thats largely rural and includes the towns of Monmouth, Abergavenny and Usk, Monmouth is easily the most wealthy and most anglicised constituency in Wales. At the southern end many in the towns of Chepstow and Caldicott commute across the Severn to work in Bristol and the surrounding area. The Wye and Usk valleys, hailed by Wordsworth for their beauty, have also seen an influx of good-life refugees from the English Midlands and the south east. Labour support is heavily dependent on the inclusion in the constituency of some - but not most - of the Cwmbran new town development. Despite its lush countryside and striking Castles (Chepstow, Raglan) and Abbies (Tintern, Llanthony) tourism is undeveloped in the area and most major employers are situated outside the constituency boundaries in Newport or the West of England. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Montgomeryshire', '44243', '5.05951764827658', '6.55086680378817', '7.65508668037882', '6.58460376270223', '7.70584876916579', '8.39603834085485', '8.51791800981997', 'A traditional Liberal Democrat stronghold at Westminster, the seat has been held by the party or its predecessors for almost a century, only once passing out of their control - in 1979 when the Tories took it for a single parliament. Lembit Opik held it for the Liberal Democrats at the 1997 general election, with a majority of 19.8% over the Tories. The constituency is part of the Powys local authority, whose electors voted No in the 1997 devolution referendum by a majority of 7,928. In the 1999 National Assembly elections, the Liberal Democrats Mick Bates won the seat with a majority of 25.7%. The Conservatives were in second place, with 23% of the vote. This mid Wales border seat is almost entirely rural, containing the towns of Welshpool and Newtown. Newtown was formerly the headquarters of the Development Board for Rural Wales (DBRW), the functions of which have now been absorbed into the Welsh Development Agency (WDA). As a result, the area, and Newtown in particular, has seen a range of industrial developments. The electorate is largely English-speaking, although Welsh is the main language of many communities in the western portion of the constituency. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Moray', '58008', '6.96716130391596', '5.72731347400359', '12.5727313474004', '12.2716029938578', '13.458077197349', '13.06429453676', '13.7203723397753', 'As one would expect in a rural and coastal seat, the local economy of Moray relies heavily upon farming, forestry and fishing. It is also at the heart of whisky-producing country, with distilleries producing the notable Speyside malts of Glenlivet, Dufftown, Aberlour, Knockando and Balvenie. The largest town in the seat is Elgin, an appealing market town which attracts its fair share of tourists. A more surprising and decidedly less conventional magnet for visitors, however, is the Findhorn Foundation - an holistic community which has drawn the more moneyed hippy and spiritualist types from all over the world to Findhorn since it was established in the 1970s. Mrs Margaret Ewing re-took Moray for the SNP in 1987 after eight years of Tory rule. She was following in her mother-in-laws footsteps; Mrs Winnie Ewing, now an MSP, held the seat for the SNP from 1974 until 1979. Margaret Ewing is standing down from Westminster at this election to focus on the Scottish Parliament. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Morecambe and Lunesdale', '68607', '5.04357220021606', '6.07153788971971', '12.607153788972', '10.5858407357673', '11.8286135242918', '11.2277765716254', '13.0633676670066', 'For many years it seemed as though coastal constituencies and Conservative MPs went hand in hand. Then came 1997; Hove, Brighton Pavilion, Hastings and Rye, Thanet South, Harwich, Scarborough and Whitby, and both Blackpool divisions all fell to Labour from the Conservatives, and in Morecambe and Lunesdale Geraldine Smith overhauled a notional Conservative majority of 10,572 to win by a touch under 6,000 votes. Unlike many coastal constituencies, Morecambe and Lunsdale is reasonably urban in nature, with just a slice of usually rock-solid Conservative countryside nestled between the Lune and Morecambe Bay coast. Elsewhere, the seat is an uneasy blend of tourist traps and industry. Beyond the coastal town of Morecambe, characterised by its amusement arcade and sprawling suburbs, lies Heysham with its ferry terminal and nuclear power station. More than a quarter of the constituencys voters are of pensionable age. Those young enough to work are mainly employed in the service sector posts provided by tourist-dependent resorts and hill-walking areas. Although unemployment across the constituency is around the national average, there are still a few black spots in Morecambe which suffer from the seasonal unemployment inherent in the tourism industry. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Morley and Rothwell', '71815', '4.29816346704126', '5.35292069901831', '12.5352920699018', '11.2105904945422', '14.3670619766962', '12.3861963629219', '13.8508481487699', 'After first winning here in 1992 with a majority of 7,000, sitting MP John Gunnell consolidated his position in 1997 with a 58.5% share of the vote, and a doubling of his majority to almost 15,000. As with the other constituencies in and around the Leeds area, Morley and Rothwell is composed of a small number of large wards, all of which have usually been staunchly Labour. Middleton, on the outskirts of Leeds, has been the most loyal ward, perhaps in part because of the large number of council estates that make up the area. The constituency as a whole is largely working-class and industrial in nature. More than a quarter of homes are council rented, with 35% of the workforce employed in the skilled-manual sector. Unemployment is low. Mr Gunnell, who is stepping down at this election, followed in some illustrious footsteps. Former MPs for this seat and its South Leeds predecessor include Merlyn Rees, (1963-92), Home Secretary in James Callaghans government, and Hugh Gaitskell, leader of the Labour Party from 1955 to 1963. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Motherwell and Wishaw', '52418', '4.37839112998349', '5.66084169560075', '12.5660841695601', '14.0495342039224', '14.0421450657544', '12.2172334834111', '11.5064873358493', 'Motherwell and Wishaw is located in the very industrial heart of Scotland and is a seat that has suffered more than most because of the decline in traditional industries. This is the site of the former Ravenscraig steelworks which were closed in 1992 and levelled to the ground in 1996. The closure led directly to the loss of 1500 jobs and the economy has been hit much further afield than just in Motherwell. Jobs have also been lost in this particular seat thanks to the decline of its two other indigenous industries, coal and engineering, making this anything but an employment hot spot. The industrial landscape has been softened in recent years through the development of Strathclyde Country Park, which includes a 200 acre man-made loch. Motherwell has a historical significance for the SNP; it was the scene of the 1945 wartime by-election at which Dr Robert McIntyre was elected as the SNPs first MP. He was only an MP for a few months with Labour winning the seat back at the 1945 general election and holding it ever since.  ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Neath', '56107', '3.93118218161051', '6.24164542748677', '17.6241645427487', '17.557659957672', '15.58460863217', '15.7650982826367', '20.1630100724556', 'A traditional Labour seat, centred on the town of Neath and the Swansea and Neath valleys. It has been in long-term Labour control at Westminster, and since a by-election in 1991 has been held by Peter Hain, currently energy minister. In the 1997 general election, he had a majority of 64.8% over the Conservatives, who polled 3,583. The constituency is part of the Neath and Port Talbot local authority area, which voted Yes in the 1997 referendum by a majority of 18,267, which was 66% of the vote in that area - the biggest single Yes percentage in Wales. Neath was formerly a copper-smelting coal mining centre. Industries that use steel are still important. Richard Burtons childhood home was in this constituency, in the village of Pontrhydyfen. The seat has substantial numbers and percentages of Welsh-speakers in the Neath, Dulais and Swansea valleys. The largest employer in the constituency is Ford but as in many ex-mining communities many people travel out of the constituency to work in the new industrial estates of the coastal belt. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('New Forest East', '66767', '5.75560718858172', '6.31719262509923', '17.6317192625099', '17.1635191912603', '18.3417317850978', '19.7944922530306', '17.55076093276', 'As with many seats in the region, much of the employment in this seat is related to the coast, in this case at the giant Fawley oil refinery on the western shore of Southampton Water. Indeed the population of the constituency is heavily weighted towards the Waterside area on the eastern side, with the towns of Totton, Marchwood, Hythe and Dibden, and Fawley all situated there. Beauty and tradition are concentrated in the western half of the constituency, which contains the beauty spots of Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. John Prescotts decision to give National Park status to the Forest is also raising local hackles, as some residents fear conservation efforts. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('New Forest West', '67806', '4.42579445187924', '6.50193198242043', '17.650193198242', '16.6733608372112', '15.2857932040903', '19.0654891327733', '17.5040116490937', 'This is a rural seat with many small market towns and small businesses. The forest attracts 7 million annual visits, ensuring that 7% of the areas employment is tourism-related. This seat contains the forests unofficial capital, Ringwood, and proposals to give the forest National Park status are a local concern. But, just as the other New Forest seat looks away from the forest towards the coast, so this seats population is centred in the west and economically looks towards Christchurch and the Bournemouth conurbation. New Milton and Lymington are the two largest centres in the constituency. Most industry is centred in the former town, where there is also an airport, though forestry, farming and market gardening take place in much of the seat. Lymington serves as a ferry port for Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, has good yachting facilities, and is also a centre for those touring the forest. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newark', '71089', '5.35229361862361', '6.35077156803444', '8.63507715680344', '7.66461565435536', '8.3576447305138', '7.94707257785818', '10.0360738509545', 'Newark was held by Labour from 1950 to 1979, won by the Conservatives from 1979 to 1997, but was then taken by Labours Fiona Jones in 1997. Newark lies on the River Trent to the north east of Nottingham, bordering Sherwood. The A1 passes through the constituency. The main industry in Newark is light engineering, but many people in the constituency also commute into Nottingham. Newark Castle, the remains of which are open to the public, was built in the early twelfth century by Alexander the Magnificent, the Bishop of Lincoln and the Lord of the Manor of Newark. King John is said to have died in the castle in 1216. The seat is fairly high on the Conservatives wish list. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newbury', '75490', '5.17645206369201', '6.73029540336468', '12.6730295403365', '14.3364575972089', '10.9201884693262', '13.7989028320374', '13.5861218793277', 'Newbury is a busy market town in West Berkshire at the crossroads of the A34 and the M4, 65 miles west of London. The seat also includes the towns of Thatcham and Hungerford, but is largely rural, taking in about half the acreage of Berkshire. The seat has several connections with horseracing: there is the famous course at Newbury itself, and Lambourn is the centre of the Downland racehorse training. The constituency is also no stranger to protests: during the 1980s, there was the famous occupation at Greenham Common by the women opposing the siting of American nuclear weapons at the RAF base of the same name. In the early 1990s, it was environmental protesters who came to the area to campaign against the building of a bypass, the building of which eventually commenced in January 1996. This constituency is one which excites political anoraks on account of the famous Liberal Democrat by-election victory here in 1993, when David Rendel beat the Tory candidate by over 22,000 votes on a swing of 28.4%. At the 1997 Tory massacre, the Liberal Democrats held on with a majority of over 8,500. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newcastle upon Tyne Central', '65739', '4.50272440493261', '5.30430946622249', '12.5304309466222', '13.8611712857182', '14.3928455363615', '12.404049688759', '14.2001468412497', 'The seat of Newcastle-under-Lyme is one of the most stable constituencies in Staffordshire, having emerged unscathed from the 1995 boundary changes which had so much impact on the rest of the countys seats. This stability has been reflected by the choices of the electorate, who have returned a Labour member at every election since the war. There is no overwhelming reason why the constituency should have favoured Labour so strongly; its traditionally Labour strongholds such as former coal-mining communities in Chesterton and Silverdale are offset by more middle-class residential areas like Thistleberry and Westlands. A wide range of industry, from electronics to textiles, means that there is no reliance on a single large employer. Nonetheless, traditional Potteries Labour support has often seemed strongly embedded here, with the majority not falling below 2,500 even at Labours nadir in the 1983 general election. The closest the seat has come to changing hands in recent history was the by-election in 1986 after long-serving MP John Golding resigned. His wife Llin, herself the daughter of an MP, won the Labour nomination but came within 800 votes of losing the seat to the Liberal Alliance. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend', '67970', '3.68630329724108', '4.81006326320435', '12.4810063263204', '12.8864420792361', '11.3869738895411', '14.4969157338425', '12.7353103143876', 'One would expect Newcastle Central , on the strength of its name, to be rock solid Labour territory; in this case, however, names can be deceptive, since the seat does not in fact cover the true centre of Newcastle, but rather surrounds the large open space of Town Moor. The consequential effects on house prices and employment make this the Newcastle seat which has seemed least firmly tied to Labour. Central has one of the highest proportions of professional workers in the country, and a relatively small number of skilled manual workers. The seats middle-class credentials extend to a high student population, with both of the citys universities within its boundaries. Even the employment is more white-collar than is typical for the area, with the City Council being the largest single employer in a seat lacking any heavy industry. The seat did in fact return a Tory MP, Piers Merchant in 1983 (as a result of vote splitting between Labour and the SDP), although it was won back for Labour in 1987 by Jim Cousins, who has held it ever since. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newcastle upon Tyne North', '61494', '3.98537175538935', '5.91407291768303', '12.5914072917683', '11.1577346638412', '10.660633953751', '14.5471632259865', '11.1783554427438', 'The clumsy name of Newcastle-upon-Tyne East and Wallsend suggests that it is something of a hybrid seat, and this is largely true. The bulk of the seat comprises the eastern parts of the city, but the redistribution of its western fringes into the Central constituency meant that its own reach extended further east, beyond the formal limits of the city: it accordingly picked up two wards from North Tyneside. Sitting MP Nick Brown increased his majority to more than 23,000 at the last election. The last time that seat fell out of Labour hands was when Mike Thomas defected to the SDP in the early 1980s, an act which was rewarded by the electorate with his prompt removal in 1983. The area has been for many years largely dependent on heavy industry in the form of shipbuilding, an industry which is still in steep decline. Even now, the seat is best known nationally for being home to a large council estate, the architecturally noteworthy Byker Wall and setting for the long-running childrens drama Byker Grove. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newcastle-under-Lyme', '63208', '4.66049542328179', '6.1185293000886', '12.6118529300089', '13.1611127565158', '14.1802684401556', '11.0511904782358', '12.390709813404', 'This seat encapsulates the western edge of the city of Newcastle, and covers Woolsington (home of Newcastle Airport), Denton, Lemington and Westerhope and reaches the Tyne at Newburn. Created in 1983, this constituency bears little resemblance to the previous Newcastle North, having been based on the old Newcastle West. A mixed seat, it combines home-owners in suburbia with council estates. While this would not be traditionally described as a shipbuilding seat, as ship assembly has not taken place here for some 100 years, the shipbuilding industry is important to the economic livelihood of the area. This seat is home to many companies which feed into the shipbuilding industry and many constituents are employed by shipyards in neighbouring seats or for subcontractors within the constituency. Other major employers in the seat include Sanofi-Winthrop (medical laboratory), British Bakers and Nestle Rowntree. The seat also contains Newcastle Airport - the busiest airport in the north east of England. This is a mixed seat, which combines owner-occupied suburbia with large council estates. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newport East', '56118', '4.52720414295761', '5.57432552835098', '12.5574325528351', '13.7195209300993', '13.5798125453563', '12.9249233866065', '14.2764644692575', 'The seat includes part of the town of Newport together with the giant Llanwern steelworks, 450 jobs were cut there in July 2000, with owners Corus blaming the strength of Sterling against the euro. Newport claims to be the fastest growing town in Wales, and has bid for City status. In January 2000, an analysis of Home Office figures by the Independent newspaper suggested that Newport is one of the most violent towns in England in Wales. Created in 1983, this seat has been safe Labour territory at Westminster. This and its predecessor constituency, Newport, have had a succession of Labour members. Alan Howarth, who had famously defected from the Conservatives to Labour in 1995, became its MP at the 1997 general election following the elevation of the previous member, Roy Hughes, to the House of Lords. Mr Howarth had a majority of 36.3% over the Conservatives, who polled 7,958. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newport West', '59742', '4.72692011522117', '5.86907033577718', '12.5869070335777', '12.8046395214362', '12.4295834975817', '11.3951267113274', '11.9247166542927', 'Since 1987 this seat has been held by Paul Flynn. At the 1997 general election, he had a majority of 14,537 over the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats came third, and Plaid Cymru came fifth behind the Referendum Party. The seat contains part of the town of Newport, and also contains the site of Waless biggest single inward investment, the Korean LG electronics plant. The local council is in almost total Labour control, with 46 of the 47 councillors belonging to Labour. A sole Conservative forms the only opposition. Newport West is a compact constituency comprising Newport Town Centre and suburbs on the west bank of the River Usk. It contains both the poorest and richest parts of the town. Always overshadowed by its neighbours Cardiff and Bristol Newports main claim to fame is as the site of the largest Chartist uprising, an event commemorated by numerous street names and memorials. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Newry and Armagh', '72466', '6.26328185397602', '7.67546159578285', '17.7675461595783', '19.4435079390169', '18.6700103936341', '18.7174064728704', '18.7190994519564', 'This seat is the political home of Seamus Mallon, who is now the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. It is a rural constituency of small farms and villages which takes in all of the area covered by Armagh District Council and part of Newry and Mourne District Council. The two main population centres are the towns of Newry and Armagh. The latter has been the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland for 1,500 years. On opposite hills in the town stand the Protestant cathedral, where St Patrick built his first stone church, and the Catholic cathedral: both Protestant and Catholic archbishops are based here. It is also the centre for a growing tourist industry, and has an observatory, a planetarium, a heritage centre and the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum. Mallon won this seat from Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson at a 1986 by-election, and he has consolidated his lead in elections since then. Despite there not being a DUP candidate to split the unionist vote at the last election, the UUP were still nearly 10% behind the SDLP. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norfolk Mid', '74911', '5.5242825607064', '7.01472413931198', '8.7014724139312', '8.93630329734012', '10.0375103279316', '9.54512944673855', '7.84052346873863', 'This has in the past been a safe Conservative seat. But the partys representatives on Broadland council seem to have stopped attacking their opposition and instead have turned inwards: there are now two Conservative groups on the council, the Broadland Conservative Group (25 councillors) and the Broadland Conservative District Group (7 members). But with just 17 councillors between them the opposition parties hardly pose a threat. Breckland, the other local authority in the constituency, is equally well-stacked with Conservative members, having watched the gradual defeat of the large number of Labour councillors elected at the Conservatives nadir in the mid-1990s. There are few large employers in the constituency, but the most important of these is frozen food giant Bernard Matthews, based at Great Witchingham, which employs 3,600 people. The local turkey industry, important in northern Norfolk, has a strong relationship with this company. Elsewhere, some investment in regeneration is being made. The Gressenhall Project near Dereham is transforming a former workhouse into a rural life museum. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norfolk North', '80061', '5.73496976165066', '7.02214561396935', '17.7022145613969', '15.9866952754046', '19.0768390003791', '19.6290891609084', '19.3951866256253', 'This seat covers a large area, curling around the top bend of East Anglia. Never extending more than 12 miles inland, the constituency includes agricultural land (although hardly rolling - this is Norfolk), near-unspoilt coastline, the Norfolk Broads, a couple of nature reserves and more than its fair share of country houses. The pace of life is slow, and the inhabitants (of whom a good many are pensioners) have seen little change since the days of Arthur Ransome and his Swallows and Amazons. The main centre of population is Cromer, a seaside resort whose grandeur is now decidedly faded. It boasts a remarkable number of fish and chip shops, but the absence of visitors in the off season can make it seem a rather quiet place. The area also includes some of the famed Norfolk Broads, and the communities of Stalham and Hoveton are popular gateways to these waterways. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norfolk North West', '77387', '5.14754994824522', '6.61648597309626', '17.6616485973096', '20.3385811421317', '17.0269504852444', '14.7963663570288', '15.1892519638658', 'Labour made surprising breakthroughs in a number of counties in 1997, and Norfolk was not the least of them. This seat was taken from the Conservatives with a 10.4% swing, and will be a prime target for the party if it is to make any sort of a recovery this time. The fight here will be an exact repeat of 1997, with the former MP, Henry Bellingham, unusually choosing to contest the seat again. This constituency is a somewhat mixed bag, containing the port of Kings Lynn, many small farming communities, a sizeable amount of light industry, and the royal familys Norfolk retreat, the Sandringham Estate. Kings Lynn is an industrial town with an affluent past - it was once the countrys third port and that heritage means it boasts two medieval guildhalls, two magnificent market places and 12th century St Margarets Church. The rural nature of the seat, its size, and the strong Tory-voting tradition seem to have counted for little even at local elections. In 1999, the Tories did not quite manage to re-establish control of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk council, and in this constituency they hold just 15 seats to Labours 25. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norfolk South', '82710', '5.78233116987609', '6.76206021037359', '17.6762060210374', '15.8079906867292', '20.4375881798592', '17.0889660667036', '16.9433276291723', 'At the last election this was a safe parliamentary seat for the Conservatives - the safest in Norfolk - but it was not always like this. Although it has been held by the party since 1950, its majority shrunk as low as 119 in the Labour landslide year of 1966. The Lib Dems have controlled the local authority for the last 6 years, and they currently hold 26 of the 44 council seats which lie within this constituency. This is geographically a very large constituency, consisting of small towns and villages including Wymondham, Diss, Harleston and Loddon. They are invariably full of listed buildings, nature reserves and many of them still have weekly markets. These towns provide attractive residential accommodation for Norwich commuters and there have been many private residential developments over the last 30 years causing an increase in the population. Other than agriculture and tourism, the most notable source of local employment is car manufacturing. Lotus have their headquarters and factory at Hethel, 11 miles south of Norwich, and specialist sports car manufacturer Triking and Racing Technology Norfolk Ltd, who make Audi touring cars, are also based here. The sitting MP, former cabinet minister John MacGregor, is standing down at this election. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norfolk South West', '83903', '4.78120455532682', '6.31073978284448', '12.6310739782844', '11.1648887559499', '14.3105913523679', '11.3014661831112', '10.564539477019', 'This has traditionally been a safe Conservative seat and the area is predominantly rural and includes a small part of the fens. Not surprisingly, farming is an important part of the local economy, including both crops and turkey-raising. Defence cuts have hit the area with the closure of air bases which still adorn the countryside, and the Ministry of Defence still owns a large tract of land used as a Battle Training Area to which the general public are forbidden entry. The seat has a rich history. Nelson attended school at Downham Market and Tom Paine was born at Thetford in 1737. At Cockley Cley an Iceni village has been recreated on what is believed to be the site of a first century village dating from the time of Boudicca, the East Anglian Iceni Queen who challenged the Roman army. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Normanton', '65392', '4.39262187088274', '5.2231159774896', '12.522311597749', '10.6824306214569', '10.9107086183673', '11.9246996685901', '12.9624864964764', 'Despite being wrapped around one of West Yorkshires larger towns, Wakefield, the kidney-shaped seat of Normanton remains one of the least well known constituency names. Perhaps its obscurity is caused in part by the fact it does not sit on any major routes into the town, that its traditional coal mining industry has all but vanished and that although the seat has been considered safe for Labour, it does not, as a rule, return its MPs with huge majorities. The erosion of Normantons traditional coal mining industry has forced the town into diversification with some encouraging results, particularly in light industries, 25% of the workforce are of a skilled manual background, just under 70% of homes are owner-occupied and unemployment remains fairly low. Despite these factors and an almost totally white population, (99.1%), the seat has not in the past proved very sympathetic to the Conservative cause. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Northampton North', '74124', '5.05783968766569', '5.59791700393934', '12.5597917003939', '11.0761851702417', '11.931185389023', '12.4593883243467', '13.2760394942369', 'Northampton North is (geographically) the smallest constituency in Northamptonshire, at the centre of which it lies: it is the only seat in the county which does not share a border with another county. It is a socially mixed entirely urban seat, basically comprising residential suburbs. A large chunk of the constituency lies in the 1968 new town development of Northampton, which sprawls north east towards Wellingborough, north of the River Nene. Many of the people in this eastern part of the town came originally from the council estates of the inner cities in search of jobs and a better life. The town of Northampton became famous as the centre of Britains boot and shoe industry; however, since that industrys decline, it has become a major distribution centre and something of a centre for financial services. The Weston Favell credit union is here, and is one of the oldest in the country. Also inside the seats boundaries lies part of the headquarters of the Nationwide building society, whose links with the town go back to 1848.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Northampton South', '85271', '5.71185012443904', '5.98433230523859', '8.59843323052386', '9.13275299130343', '9.72492981648641', '8.68818581707646', '8.66873117583496', 'Northampton is a manufacturing town close to the M1, whose population is growing at a rate of something like 2,000 per annum. In 1974, the town was divided into two parliamentary constituencies, with this southern division having been the safer for the Conservatives: outside of the town itself, it takes in the rural and commuter hinterland to the south, including a good deal of green belt land. Northampton was a seat of Parliament many times during the 14th century, and during the civil war the strong parliamentary garrison at Northampton led the assault at Naseby. Traditionally, the towns prime industry has been shoemaking, but there is now a much more diverse range of business interests here: Carlsberg have their UK base here, Barclaycards headquarters are here and MFI have a big distribution centre here too. Northamptonshire could possibly be denoted a swing county, on the grounds that 5 of its 6 seats changed hands in 1997. This time round, it would only require a uniform swing of less than 0.7% from Labour to the Tories for the three unexpected Labour gains here, of which this is one, to return to the Conservatives. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Northavon', '78841', '4.76003443452061', '7.07220862241727', '12.7072208622417', '11.0671213009122', '11.0033650232476', '13.6389656211519', '13.3498786009958', 'The scene of one of the Liberal Democrats most unexpected victories in 1997, This seat runs from the Severn Bridge in the west to Badminton in the east. It takes in towns like Thorbury, Bradley Stoke, Yate and Chipping Sodbury. It also includes more than 50 other villages. The seats position is at a key crossover point in Britains motorway network with direct links to London, the West Midlands, South Wales and the West Country. This, coupled with its proximity to the city of Bristol has brought extensive residential and commercial development. A large proportion of the electorate lives in the growing residential areas which are dominated by modern, affordable private housing and young families. Bradley Stoke, Europes largest privately funded residential development, is partly in the Northavon constituency and partly in Bristol North West near the M4/M5 junction. It contains 8,500 households and a whole range of community facilities. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norwich North', '74911', '5.25935019950015', '6.0890923896357', '12.6089092389636', '13.6253487120513', '12.447079194459', '12.6902492398501', '11.7992137856868', 'Norwich is represented in the House of Commons by two very different faces of the Labour Party. In Norwich South, Charles Clarke is an arch-moderniser, former chief of staff to Neil Kinnock and now high-flying minister; while this constituency is represented by Ian Gibson, a former member of the Socialist Workers Party and Dean at the University of East Anglia. Most of this seat is not actually in Norwich, and as such it is the more typically Conservative of the two Norwich seats. The number of professional people living in this seat is less than half the national average. Around 70% of homes are owner occupied and the ethnic community here is small at just over one per cent. Norwich has recently become famous for its citizens demand for Viagra - more of the anti-impotence drug is bought here than anywhere else in the country. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Norwich South', '65792', '5.45290195341848', '6.47373540856031', '12.647373540856', '14.2094885605388', '13.564856268155', '13.213779017563', '10.7494308819389', 'At the last election, this seat was Labours safest in Norfolk, although it shouldnt be too much of a surprise in a city with a strong Labour history and relative impoverishment. This seat is the physically smaller of the two Norwich constituencies, and covers the city centre. Norwich was once the second city of England, and until the seventeenth century was the leading manufacturing town, based on the wool industry. The historical trappings of past glories, and evidence of continued industrial development, are found almost exclusively in this division today. Those trappings are impressive and include the beautiful city centre, two cathedrals, the university and castle. Still, major employers in the constituency include the Colmans mustard factory, Norwich Union headquarters and the cattle market. The seat also includes the main depot for Anglia Trains, housing the new Class 170 diesel trains, and the redevelopment of the railway station and the area between it and the Carrow Road football stadium are part of the £500m being spent on a city-wide renaissance. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Nottingham East', '65339', '4.10379738320272', '4.55026859915211', '12.4550268599152', '10.561357254407', '14.4675084949338', '11.9013120785206', '12.6858585019555', 'This constituency varies from the affluent wards of Mapperley and Sherwood to the inexpensive terraced housing of Radford and Forest wards. Most council housing is based in Manvers and Sherwood. Only Greenwood and Basford wards of Nottingham City Council currently have Conservative representation. Even Mapperley is now Labour. The area has received much money from the New Deal for Communities - £55m for Radford over 10 years - and from the neighbourhood renewal fund. The constituency is also covered by a Health Action Zone and by the DfEE initiative, Excellence in Cities. At 7.2%, the constituency has the 52nd highest rate of unemployment in the UK (December 2000 figures). It also has a high proportion of manual workers and at least 15.7% of the population are non-white. The main employment within the constituency is small manufacturing and some textiles, although this has diminished considerably over recent years. Otherwise many people commute out of the constituency borders to work - Boots, Raleigh and two call centres are based nearby. Many people in the constituency used to work in mining. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Nottingham North', '64281', '3.54503694827242', '4.67354272646661', '12.4673542726467', '11.2946369405456', '11.5388015610971', '10.4515289933311', '10.9709217384285', 'The pattern of boundary changes in 1983 and the effect of the 1984-5 miners strike - in which the Notts miners did not participate - on the 1987 general election form a well known pattern in Nottinghamshire electoral history. Unlike Nottingham East and South, Graham Allen in 1987 did manage to recapture the seat for Labour. The seat covers the industrial north of the city and includes many large council estates. Unemployment is fairly high and a high proportion of homes are council owned. The workforce in the constituency is mainly manual. Many constituents travel out of the seat to work in the nearby Boots, Raleigh and Imperial Tobacco (previously John Player) factories. Since the decline of the mining and textiles industries there are no major employers within the constituency, but there are plans for Imperial Tobacco to relocate into the area. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Nottingham South', '73049', '4.55019806037427', '5.01102000027379', '12.5011020000274', '14.3834288890482', '13.610426085312', '10.5741919528079', '10.941823562122', 'Like East but unlike North, Nottingham South was the scene of surprise Tory victories in 1983 and 1987. Alan Simpson regained the seat for Labour in 1992, increasing his majority to 13,000 in 1997. The constituency has the highest proportion of ethnic minorities - mostly Asian and West Indian - of the Nottinghamshire seats. There is also a high proportion of council housing in this seat - especially in the area of Clifton, south of the Trent where despite the council housing sell-offs of recent years close to half of the housing remains council owned. The other main traditional Labour area is based around the city centre. This part includes the industrial and working class Meadows area which runs down to the River Trent, the largely non-white ward of Lenton and the Park estate to the west of the city. To the south west of the constituency is the area where the Conservative vote has usually been concentrated. The wards of Abbey, Wilford and the favoured residential area of Wollaton have Conservative representation on the City Council. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Nuneaton', '72101', '4.78735685260436', '6.00712888864232', '12.6007128888642', '11.4346845502046', '11.3029193695377', '14.5386752715704', '14.1695178942064', 'This is one of many traditionally Labour seats which had a flirtation with the Conservatives in the 1980s, but this returned to the Labour fold a cycle earlier than most, in 1992. In Nuneatons case, it was more the result of a collapse in the third-party vote - which in 1983 had almost pushed Labour to third place - which affected this more rapid about-turn. Labour now dominates on the council, and even though the Conservatives doubled their tally in the 2000 local elections, they still hold only 10 seats to Labours 35. This is a district with some very picturesque parts, and models itself as George Eliot country; Coombe Abbey and Country Park are popular local attractions and there are many much-frequented country house-style hotels in the region. Communication links are excellent, with the M6 passing through here, as well as such ancient routes as the Fosse Way and Watling Street - the latter forming the eastern border of the seat. These major routes have enabled the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth to expand in terms of both housing and business occupation, and small industries also flourish here, most notably in the form of light engineering works. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Ochil', '57554', '5.46667422032122', '6.13389164958126', '12.6133891649581', '11.000273599085', '13.8118028334203', '13.5382967364864', '11.1060661458009', 'Lying between the river Forth and the Ochil Hills, this constituency is pleasantly rural, but is mostly industrial in character. Brewing, distilling, glass manufacture and bottling are the main industries today, with tourism and agriculture also playing a part in the local economy. The most affluent areas in the seat are unsurprisingly also the Tory-held wards. Bridge of Allan is home to monied commuters to Stirling and further afield, whilst Dollar has, in its Academy, one of Scotlands most renowned private schools. Besides these, the towns in the seat grew up on the wool trade and, in the case of Alva, silver mining. Those industries may now have died out, but the majority of inhabitants remain resolutely working-class. The predecessor seat to this constituency - Clackmannan & East Stirlingshire was held by the SNP between February 1974 and 1979. In February 1974 the party managed to overturn a Labour majority of over 10,000 and won by a margin of over 3,500 votes. It was the largest swing in the whole of the UK. Labour holds this constituency in the Scottish Parliament. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Ogmore', '52185', '3.79534148189635', '5.81642234358532', '17.5816422343585', '20.3568481064726', '16.9549594449933', '19.8687035915243', '14.8954287000961', 'A traditional south Wales Valleys heartland seat for Labour, who have held it since its creation in 1918 (though there have been major boundary changes). Sir Ray Powell has been the MP since 1979. At the 1997 general election, he had a majority of 64.2% over the Conservatives. It forms part of the Bridgend local authority whose electors voted Yes in the 1997 devolution referendum, by a majority of 4,460, despite Powells opposition. In the 1999 Assembly elections, Sir Ray Powells daughter, Janice Gregory, won the seat for Labour with a smaller - yet significant - majority of 21.2%. Plaid Cymru came second with 27% of the vote. The seat, which contains the town of Maesteg, has the familiar valleys profile of unemployment and social problems in the wake of the decline of the coal industry, problems which have been partly offset by the advent of newer manufacturing industries. The constituency is landlocked. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Old Bexley and Sidcup', '67841', '5.45961597797451', '6.21055114164001', '12.621055114164', '11.2213644431307', '10.6597353419951', '11.2332068254577', '10.7340734144454', 'This seat has been held in its various manifestations by the former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath since 1950, but this election will see a new face in the constituency, as the Father of the House has decided to retire. Old Bexley & Sidcup is located on the south east edge of London in the borough of Bexley, and borders Kent - it is suburbia. This, along with its neighbouring constituencies, have high levels of owner occupiers. The area does not replicate the ethnic diversity of London as a whole, and is home to very few non-white people. This has long been regarded as Tory territory, and in the contest for the nomination, the former MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham, Derek Conway, beat off some 300 hopefuls (including 10 former MPs) to be selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate. Even this seat suffered the effects of the Labour landslide in 1997, with Mr Heaths majority being cut to just over 3,500 votes. One of Sidcups famous daughters is Emma Noble, the one-time model, who is now married to John Majors son James. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Oldham East and Saddleworth', '74511', '6.13892558344342', '6.09574425252647', '12.6095744252526', '11.1213256231478', '12.1660164759426', '13.5452683471181', '14.5211118146858', 'Stability has not been a watchword for Oldham East & Saddleworth in recent times. Over the past five years, this constituency has been held by MPs from all 3 parties. Although Phil Woolas could only manage second place behind the Liberal Democrats Chris Davies in the 1995 by-election following the death of the Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens, the Oldham voters allowed him to win this seat on his second attempt in 1997 and he beat Mr Davies to Westminster by 3,389 votes. As one might expect from an area that has elected members from all 3 parties in such a short space of time, this seat is somewhat eclectic in its social and geographical composition and residents are able to drive from the inner-city Oldham wards of St. James and St. Marys to moorland and farms in the north and east in a matter of minutes. The seat has a mix of traditional manufacturing, food and clothing, and also modern, hi-tech industries, including a plant that assembles electronic components for aircraft. The Saddleworth area is fairly middle class in composition, serving as a commuter dormitory for people who work in nearby Manchester. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Oldham West and Royton', '69409', '4.88489064611381', '5.75746661095823', '8.57574666109582', '7.42803214971405', '8.03912586567453', '7.93366164395744', '8.18129034419752', 'This newly-created seat was contested for the first time in 1997 by Labours Michael Meacher and was not expected to be as safe as the old Labour strongholds it replaced. Fifty-five per cent of this seat comes from the former Oldham Central & Royton with the other 45% coming from Mr Meachers old seat of Oldham West which he represented from 1970 to 1997. In fact, he was able to eclipse his notional majority of 5,794 and win by 16,201 votes. Most of this constituency has a history of Labour representation since 1950 with the exception of Royton which was Tory until 1964 and Oldham West which was briefly represented by a Tory after a by-election win in 1968. Mr Meacher began his political career by losing this by-election contest before winning it back for Labour in 1970. Despite the Liberal Democrats taking control of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in the local elections of May 2000, Labour continues to dominate in the local authority wards that make up Oldham West & Royton. They hold 18 of the 27 seats with the Liberal Democrats holding five and the remainder shared between the Tories and the Greens. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Orkney and Shetland', '31909', '5.86505707285006', '5.24397505405998', '17.524397505406', '15.1724625429105', '16.7293714756866', '20.2327521538864', '18.4567789596236', 'This is the UKs most northerly seat. The Orkney Islands are separated from the Scottish mainland by a seven-mile stretch of the Pentland Firth, and consist of 70 islands of which only 20 are inhabited. There are two main towns, Kirkwall, the capital and administrative centre, and Stromness, both of which are situated on the largest island, which is known as the mainland. Apart from the oil terminal at Flotta, the main industry in Orkney is beef production. The Shetland Islands are nearer to Norway than England, and their Viking heritage is celebrated in the annual Up Helly Aa fire festival. The main town of Lerwick is a centre for the oil industry and further to the north is Sullom Voe oil terminal. Due to the declining oil industry, there has been a return to traditional industries such as fishing where new boats are being purchased and knitwear factories have been developed. The Liberal Democrats and their forebears have held the seat of Orkney and Shetland since 1950. The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Jim Wallace, is the sitting Westminster MP for Orkney and Shetland. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Orpington', '74423', '5.61321495914519', '6.84089595958239', '12.6840895959582', '11.1693657334359', '12.6899935669734', '11.7638298447483', '14.5628179293305', 'In 1962 the seat was the scene of a by-election shock for the Conservatives. They lost it on that occasion to the Liberal candidate Eric Lubbock, now Lord Avebury, on a 26.8% swing. The result gave rise to the political phenomenon Orpington Man, who symbolised the rebellion of traditional Tory voters against the Macmillan government. Although such by-elections with massive swings are more commonplace now, the 1962 result was an astonishing for its time. Historically, Orpington was a part of the county of Kent, but for the past 25 years it has been part of the London borough of Bromley. It includes rural wards such as Biggin Hill ( the site of the Battle of Britain Aerodrome) and Darwin. It is one of the few places in Greater London where farming takes place and open country can be seen. Many of the constituents here earn their living by commuting into central London and in particular to the City. Unemployment is low at 1.8%. There is a very small non-white population here by London standards - standing at just under 3%. ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Oxford East', '74421', '5.06098173057619', '5.35440265516454', '8.53544026551645', '9.09319858287709', '8.94798719296045', '8.76341874979178', '8.84779436210006', 'The constituency comprises two thirds of the city of Oxford, including Cowley, Headington and South Oxford. It is made up of mixed residential areas, large social housing estates, with areas of multi-occupation, and some affluent suburbs. The constituency also contains significant ethnic minority communities. Major employers in Oxford are the new BMW Mini factory, Oxford teaching hospitals, Oxford Brookes University, high tech, pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies; light engineering, printing and publishing companies. The pre-1997 boundary changes took out a couple of rural polling districts on the edge of Oxford, and added the Labour leaning council seat of Oxford South. Labour has the most councillors in the wards in this seat with 16, but the LibDems have a strong presence with 10 councillors, the Greens have five, the Tories one and one independent. Oxford ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Oxford West and Abingdon', '79915', '5.21602544213466', '6.45285615966965', '12.645285615967', '11.5226412209613', '13.7702639608699', '12.7180453711354', '14.6044817644752', 'As the name suggests, this is a seat of two halves. The Oxford half contains the bulk of the University, the main shopping centre and the up-market residential areas of north Oxford. It is here that a radical tendency has begun to show itself: Oxford is governed by a Green-Lib Dem administration. It is the suburban and rural areas on the outskirts of the city which might be expected to provide a different political complexion. Containing a large number of commuters both to Oxford itself and London, it has instead voted consistently Lib Dem. Aside from the University it is also home to the John Radcliffe Hospital and to the largest immigration detention centre in the country, at Campsfield, near Oxford. Hundreds of asylum seekers have passed through it since it opened in 1993, and it has been the subject of condemnation by human rights organisations. There were disturbances at Campsfield in August 1997, but the nine African asylum seekers accused of rioting were acquitted when the trial collapsed due to the contradictory statements of Group 4 security staff.  ');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Paisley North', '47994', '4.45438809707951', '5.65758219777472', '12.5657582197775', '14.6142072147939', '12.1972851434872', '11.100924644176', '14.0632684528818', 'Paisley North is an industrial seat, it also includes the towns of Renfrew and Linwood, as well as Glasgow Airport. It is bordered to the north east by the river Clyde. There is a high proportion of council housing, with unemployment being as much of a problem here as it is in any other depressed Clydeside constituency. The Hillington industrial estate takes up a large area in the west of the seat, and provides many inhabitants with places of work, but non-manual, white-collar, jobs are thin on the ground. Labour holds this seat in the Scottish Parliament, with the SNP coming second to Labour in the elections in 1997 and 1999.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Paisley South', '53351', '4.16099030652345', '5.7236040561564', '12.5723604056156', '13.3328984410246', '13.5164129671074', '14.4557608486099', '11.439116744948', 'Considering its location in industrial Clydeside, it is no surprise that Labour should, in the past, have found such success in both of the Paisley seats. The town grew up on the linen trade, and textiles is still an important, if declining, industry today. The spectre of unemployment, however, has blighted the lives of many of Paisleys inhabitants in recent years. This seat includes just over half of the city centre, as well as the smaller town of Johnstone, but apart from Johnstone Castle there is little that might attract a tourist to this part of Scotland. Paisley South was the scene of a by-election on 6 November 1997 caused by the suicide of MP Gordon McMaster. The by-election campaign was dominated by allegations of misconduct in Renfrewshire Council. Douglas Alexander succeeded in holding the seat for Labour, albeit with a substantially reduced majority. Renfrewshire councillor Hugh Henry won the seat for Labour in the Scottish Parliament with a majority of more than 4,000 votes over his SNP challenger.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Pendle', '62870', '5.53785361924897', '6.31970733259106', '17.6319707332591', '15.2606396869206', '14.8257703597145', '17.1590894904309', '16.9593135907538', 'Labours famous capital punishment reformer Sidney Silverman held the seat from 1934 until his death in 1968. Since then, Pendle has become far more marginal and has alternated between Labour and the Conservatives with the 3 elections between 1974 and 1979 failing to produce a majority greater than 700. Junior Minister John Lee seemed to break the trend in 1983 with a majority above 6,000, but this advantage was steadily eroded by rekindled support for Labour, culminating in Gordon Prentices 1992 victory with a majority of 2,000. Although composed of working-class towns and villages which grew up during the 19th century textile industry, Pendle is far from the gritty, northern Labour enclave one might expect and the seat offers some hope for all three parties. In recent years, the towns ethnic population has grown, with more than half of residents in the central Nelson Ward of Whitefield being non-white. In fact, Pendles Asian population makes up almost 10% of the electorate.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Penrith and The Border', '67776', '4.50789848358155', '6.52871222851747', '7.65287122285175', '7.36102789517', '7.53109194071894', '8.23702728496157', '8.82771169375511', 'Penrith and the Border is the largest constituency in England in terms of acreage. With an electorate of around 67,000, it is also one of the most sparsely populated, and its rural character has served the Conservatives well over the years. Although Penrith and the Border has usually backed the Tories at general elections, when it comes to local politics, allegiance to mainstream parties goes out of the window. Apart from a handful of wards in Carlisle and Allerdale, most local election contests are fought in the District of Eden wards where 30 Independents currently serve, compared to just 3 councillors each for the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and 2 for Labour. Completely encircling the seat of Carlisle and stretching from just short of Gretna Green in the north to the Yorkshire Dales in the south, Penrith and the Border deals mainly in agriculture but is also home to a good many well-off white-collar commuters - a potent mix for the Conservatives. Lakes, forests and fells combine to offer some of the countrys most beautiful scenery and tourism is a major industry.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Perth', '61497', '7.02850645229532', '6.14924305250663', '12.6149243052507', '11.902125859195', '12.2515283980606', '13.5091415030019', '12.8799857575569', 'This is a relatively prosperous, largely rural, lowland constituency on the fringe of the Highlands with successful livestock and fruit-growing sectors reliant on its good soil quality. The beautiful scenery also aids tourism, and the constituency as a whole enjoys relatively low unemployment. This combination of small prosperous towns and rich agricultural land would seem like natural Conservative territory and in the past it was. The Tories held Perths predecessor seats for most of the post-war period with the exception of the period between October 1974 and 1979, when Douglas Crawford held Perth & East Perthshire for the SNP. At the by-election following the death of the flamboyant Conservative MP for Perth & Kinross, Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, in 1995, the SNPs Roseanna Cunningham won with an 11.5% swing from the Conservatives. She held the seat at the 1997 general election, making Perth the first SNP by-election win that has not been reversed at the following general election.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Peterborough', '64918', '5.48502963930473', '6.13265966295943', '12.6132659662959', '11.3237193608348', '12.9200418879809', '11.0887123664928', '14.3118715431271', 'Peterborough lies halfway between the East Anglian coast and the Midlands; the East Coast mainline which links Peterborough with London in 50 minutes has increased Peterboroughs attraction as a commuter town. Peterborough was designated a New Town in 1968, and the Peterborough Development Corporation was established with the task of doubling the citys population in conjunction with the city council. Three new townships - Bretton, Orton and Werrington - were built from scratch. Peterborough is also an Environmental City. The town has a significant Asian population; at the last census 10.3% of the population classed themselves as non-white. The seat has a history of close finishes. In 1966, Peterborough produced jointly the closest contest of any post war election - Sir Harmar Nicholls (the sitting MP) defeated Labour by three votes.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Plymouth Devonport', '73666', '4.17004242671205', '5.66326392094046', '12.566326392094', '14.4239144638286', '13.5585475787007', '11.3945549071776', '14.5947877509613', 'Devonport is, of course, the name given to the area of the dockyards in Plymouth, now almost 300 years old. Along with the docks there is also the naval base and great swathes of council housing built on the hills of Plymouths northern fringe, in wards like Budshead and Southway, all working-class territory. Michael Foot was the Labour MP from 1945 to 1955, when he was ousted by Dame Joan Vickers who represented Devonport for the Conservatives until 1974 when she was beaten by a Labour candidate - Dr David Owen. He had been member for the neighbouring Sutton seat since 1966 and did very well to hold onto Devonport for Labour in 1979, by 1,001 votes against the national tide. Owen - a former Labour foreign secretary - then became a founding member then Leader of the Social Democratic Party and twice again held Devonport. After the demise of the SDP, Owen retired rather than fight Devonport again. His departure after nearly 20 years led to another remarkable result in his old constituency - in 1992 Labour increased their share of the vote by no less than 20%, to win by over 7,000 votes from the Tories.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Plymouth Sutton', '68438', '4.9256519847465', '5.70925509220024', '12.57092550922', '11.2632599976588', '12.9304638143588', '12.0866466740245', '11.4508668007839', 'Sutton is a densely populated constituency located in the centre of Plymouth but despite its name, only 25% of the new Plymouth Suttons voters come from the seat that previously bore that name and had been represented by the former Conservative Minister Alan Clark from February 1974 until 1992. Called Sudtone in the Domesday book, Plymouths original harbour is still called Sutton harbour. A developing trade and the shipment of armies to France led to its early growth, and by the 16th century it was flourishing and the home port to many Elizabethan adventurers, including Sir Walter Raleigh, who set off for Virginia from Plymouth, and Sir Francis Drake, who sailed with the English fleet from Plymouth to defend England against attack from the Spanish armada in 1588. Sutton harbour is now flourishing and is home to the fastest-growing fish market in Europe. The Hoe, on its southern waterfront, is dominated by the citadel, built by Charles II, and the 29th Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery is now based there. The east of the constituency is bounded by the royal dockyard, which was started in the late 17th century and became the focus for the town of Plymouth Dock, renamed Plymouth Devonport in 1824.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Pontefract and Castleford', '63181', '3.02666369341531', '4.96842405153448', '12.4968424051534', '13.6486411355192', '12.5354036901013', '12.6263937135428', '10.9026583715368', 'The demise of the coal mining industry here has not in recent elections affected Labours hold on this constituency: some individual wards returned Labour candidates with a 90% or greater share of the vote. The constituency is tucked away in the far north west corner of West Yorkshire, and its two eponymous towns - combined with Knottingly - have provided Labour with an historically loyal seat. Castleford, with 30,000 voters, holds the largest influence in the constituency, and in each of its three wards, Labour received over 80% of the vote even in May 1992 - when the party was reeling from its fourth general election defeat. Despite the disappearance of coalfields from the heavily industrial landscape, unemployment has been kept in check in Pontefract and Castleford by massive power stations such as Ferrybridge, near Knottingly, which tap water from the two great local rivers - the Aire and the Ouse. Despite the rise of the energy industry in this area, many workers are only partly-skilled and correspondingly lowly-paid.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Pontypridd', '66105', '4.00584718995536', '5.79517434384691', '17.5795174343847', '14.7318404904948', '20.2093697617897', '20.2592380869243', '18.496082258813', 'The seat is centred on the market town of Pontypridd which has a population of around 33,500 people. The constituency includes former mining communities on the periphery of the Rhondda as well as more affluent areas on the outskirts of Cardiff. The economic profile of the area is characterised by new industry and it has benefited from inward investment with the presence of companies such as LOreal and Bosch. The Royal Mint is also a major employer. It contains a sizeable commuter population for Cardiff and has a substantial student population due to the presence of the University of Glamorgan in the constituency. The singer Tom Jones is amongst Pontypridds most notable sons. It has been a traditionally safe south Wales Valleys Labour seat, and is predominantly English speaking.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Poole', '64644', '5.48594295618484', '6.06908607140647', '12.6069086071406', '12.5363151859364', '12.2828775807929', '13.0466103217915', '10.8379984917991', 'Poole has had a significant increase in its population in recent times, with an influx of people seeking either retirement homes or employment. Those who are retiring here may well be attracted by the resort feel of the town, whereas those coming for jobs have benefited from Pooles recent industrial development. Once the town was known only for fishing, boat-building and pottery, but now chemical, pharmaceutical, electronic and engineering industries have sprouted. Tourists are drawn to the four miles of sandy beaches, given European Blue Flag status all too rare in this country, and Poole Harbour itself - the second largest natural harbour in the world. Poole has a tendency to support the Liberal Democrats in borough and county elections but at the last general election, Robert Syms, one of the Conservatives new intake, was elected with a majority of just over 5,000 votes, down from 13,000 in 1997. Indeed, Labours share increased by 9.9% whereas the Lib Dem share rose by only 1.5%.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Poplar and Canning Town', '75173', '3.88354638208045', '4.53726736993335', '12.4537267369933', '11.5482357724343', '13.9354536516618', '11.9198352428893', '11.6249784957897', 'This constituency has a history of industrial and community activity which reads like a history of the Labour movement, stretching back beyond the great dock strike of 1889. Keir Hardie, George Lansbury, Elwyn Jones, Ian Mikardo and Clement Attlee have all represented this area. It was heavily bombed during the blitz, and more recently - following the closure of the docks in London - it saw the arrival of the London Docklands Development Corporation, which heralded a new era for the area. The Millwall ward of the constituency elected the British National Partys Derek Beackon in a 1993 by-election. The victory of the far-right party came in an area where the arrival of Bangladeshis had caused resentment, especially over the issue of housing allocation. Derek Beackon failed to get re-elected in the 1994 local elections but the BNP did well in other wards within the seat and remains active in the area. It was, however, the Labour candidate - Jim Fitzpatrick - who won the new seat in 1997 with 63.2% of the vote.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Portsmouth North', '64256', '4.93408560733467', '5.73736304780876', '8.57373630478088', '8.25158653756351', '7.64712605947371', '9.67081675231624', '8.39014454744721', 'Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy, but it is also the second most densely populated city in Europe, after London. With no spare land for industrial expansion, planners have turned to reclaiming it from the sea to aid development - it was by this means that the ferry port was developed to become second only to Dover. The naval base has been here since the sixteenth century, but has been trimmed through defence cuts causing job losses directly in the dockyards, and indirectly in the defence industries of the region, such as at Marconi. Other major employers in the seat include various insurance companies, and IBM. In addition to the large areas of middle-class housing there are areas of council housing of Paulsgrove, Much of the housing is of poor quality, car ownership is below average and about half the workforce is employed in manual work. The seat was won by Labour at the last election on a swing of 13.5%.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Portsmouth South', '77095', '5.53997194950912', '5.08658149036903', '12.5086581490369', '12.1605905943048', '13.3796642817602', '12.5902673668677', '10.4987678363171', 'Portsmouth South covers the city centre and the seaside resort of Southsea. Portsmouth Football Clubs famous old Fratton Park ground is situated in the constituency. Densely populated, the constituency is home to many students attending the university (one of the largest in the country) and other colleges of higher education. Portsmouth South also has a Category B prison. Unemployment is above average. The Lib Dems took the seat in 1997, despite seeing their share of the vote fall.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Preseli Pembrokeshire', '54283', '5.86535062675041', '6.77504927877973', '12.677504927878', '13.5067633658092', '11.1099201832854', '11.2514144310617', '13.2458936989049', 'A predominantly rural seat, Preseli Pembrokeshire comprises parts of English-speaking south Pembrokeshire including much of the port town of Milford Haven, combined with the Welsh-speaking northern part of the county. The constituencys spectacular coastline lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Preseli Mountains are in the north. It also includes Fishguard which serves as a major sea ferry port to Ireland. Tourism is an important local employer and is recovering following the impact of the Sea Empress oil spillage disaster of 1995. The oil refining industry has also been a big employer, but has been in decline in recent years, a factor which has contributed to relatively high rates of unemployment, particularly in the south of the constituency. Employment in the area has also been hit by the closure of local defence installations. According to the 1991 census, 18.4% of the population of the Pembrokeshire County Council area could speak Welsh but within the Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency, Welsh speaking is more prevalent in its northernmost part. St Davids, the smallest city in Great Britain, is one of the areas major tourist attractions.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Preston', '72077', '4.30093504619739', '5.00034685128404', '12.5000346851284', '10.9574531316251', '11.3559014910664', '12.5124781237438', '13.1083522502372', 'The late Audrey Wise held this seat for Labour in 1997, but her death in 2000 caused a by-election, which Labour duly won. Classed as Lancashires market town, (although the council continues to press for city status), Preston is an old industrial centre originally based on cotton but now reliant on engineering, light industry and its proximity to the M6. The towns docks, once council-owned but closed down in 1981, have recently been redeveloped as housing, aiding the towns reputation as a growing shopping and administrative centre. There has also been a growth of affluent residential areas around Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale. But nearly 30% of workers are partly skilled or unskilled and 23% of the towns huge swathes of cheap terraced housing is owned by the council - a figure high above the national average.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Pudsey', '71405', '5.19269507470946', '6.32658777396541', '12.6326587773965', '11.4241743105577', '12.1879413337654', '12.949010870011', '13.0107500189158', 'Sandwiched neatly between the two largest cities in West Yorkshire, Leeds and Bradford, Pudsey provides a dormitory role for skilled commuters who use the seat as a launch pad for their daily journeys to work, making the area affluent and middle-class in nature. Tory candidate Peter Bones 1997 loss to Labours Paul Truswell, signalled an end to Conservative rule in this seat dating back to 1922. Much of the housing in Pudsey is made up of rugged Pennine stone terraces, built prior to the First World War, which are scattered around functional semi-detached homes thrown up between the two world wars. Despite this somewhat misleading appearance, Pudsey remains an affluent and exclusive area, with hardly any non-white residents at all. It boasts being the birthplace of cricketing heroes Sir Len Hutton, Brian Close and Ray Illingworth, as well as the fish and chip magnate Harry Ramsden.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Putney', '60643', '5.35607962173837', '5.64978645515558', '17.5649786455156', '19.7069145189503', '19.408111281101', '20.3476314532775', '20.3977516115404', 'After Michael Portillo in Enfield Southgate, Putney was one of the most publicised and televised results of 1997 election night. This was one of the key embarrassments for the Conservatives: the colourful, pro European David Mellor faced a challenge from the founder and leader of the Referendum Party, Sir James Goldsmith, whose 3.5% of the vote Mellow described as derisory. In the event, Labour won by 6.8%. The constituency is nestled comfortably between Barnes Common, Putney Heath, Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. Like its neighbour, Richmond Upon Thames, it is a strongly middle class and affluent constituency. But unlike Richmond, where the Lib Dem Jenny Tonge broke former Tory Party Chairman Jeremy Hanleys reign in 1997, anti-Tory tactical voting in Putney favoured Labour. But the Tories have benefited here in the past, as in most of Wandsworth - with the exception of Tooting, due to the very low council tax of Margaret Thatchers flagship Wandsworth Council. All wards in Putney are held by the Conservatives on Wandsworth Council.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Rayleigh', '70073', '4.98889486358217', '6.10406290582678', '12.6104062905827', '12.9465586076836', '12.6837407772915', '13.816521816345', '10.9143479523435', 'The Rayleigh constituency lies in south east Essex, to the north of Southend and to the east of Billericay. It takes in ground covered by the Chelmsford and Rochford local authorities. Before the Second World War, the seat was mainly rural villages and picturesque countryside, but has seen rapid population growth since then. Rayleigh itself is an ancient market town 38 miles from London and 7 miles from Southend. It has a well preserved windmill built around 1798, the mound of a Norman Castle now owned by the National Trust and a circular 17th century Dutch cottage. Today it has developed into a modern shopping area, but retains an old world charm. With so many owner occupiers, and so few council-rented properties, it comes as no surprise that this seat has historically tended to be loyal to the Conservatives, although it could not be described as super-prosperous.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Reading East', '74637', '5.52226145169425', '5.84401838230368', '12.5844018382304', '11.2993456329855', '14.1533350520901', '13.3213780347197', '13.4627702789421', 'In the 19th century Reading became know for its production of beer, biscuits and bulbs. Simonds brewed the beer, Suttons manufactured the bulbs and Huntley and Palmers made the biscuits. In recent years, in the affluent Thames corridor and by the M4, the area has expanded its light and service industries greatly, and has also become a home to many London commuters. Reading is now seen as the capital of the Thames Valley and was disappointed recently to have had its application for city status rejected. This seat contains most of Reading town centre and the more commercial and business-orientated parts. The town claims to be the 13th top shopping centre in the UK, not least because of the recent £200m Oracle shopping development. Amongst the businesses based here are BG (formerly British Gas), Thames Water, Microsoft, Prudential, and Yellow Pages. The seat also takes in about half of the campus of Reading University and - more importantly in terms of the election - about three quarters of the student population.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Reading West', '71688', '4.68870575906254', '5.85676821783283', '12.5856768217833', '11.6137624932439', '14.2343464060121', '13.5082553316803', '12.6662505132131', 'This seat is larger than its eastern counterpart, covering more territory out to the west, a lot of which is semi rural. There is much history to the town: the Domesday Book recorded that Reading boasted six mills, five fisheries and a nunnery, whilst in 1121, Henry I founded an abbey here. Furthermore, in the Middle Ages, it was a regular venue when Parliament had to assemble outside London, because of plagues in the capital. Today, this seat takes in several council estates, including those at Southcote and Whitley, which is on the southern edge of the town. However, further to the west of the town in the Newbury district are the more affluent and rural residential areas. These include Calcot and Theale by the River Kennet and Purley and Pangbourne by the Thames. Pangbourne is home to a Royal Naval College.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Redcar', '66179', '3.97193570343997', '5.77192160655193', '12.5771921606552', '12.109469157197', '11.4687267241147', '10.5916384596457', '11.2862853860261', 'This coastal constituency, sandwiched between Middlesbrough to the south and Hartlepool to the north, is characterised by its urban, heavily industrial nature. Dr Mo Mowlam, MP for Redcar since 1987, won the seat for the third time a decade later with a majority above 21,000 whilst the Torys majority share fell to 23%. However, Mowlam is stepping down, and is replaced as Labour candidate by Vera Baird, a London barrister. The small coastal resort of Redcar is untypical of the seat that bares its name. This seaside town on the North Sea is the only ward that regularly returns Conservative councillors, but away from this rural and tourist friendly area, the wider constituency is far more representative of the north east. ICI Chemical and British Steel plants at Wilton and Redcar respectively saddle the seat with a heavily industrial landscape and vast swathes of council housing. Such estates provide Labour with rock solid wards such as Grangetown, Dormanstown and Eston. Some relief to this Orwellian landscape is provided by the greenery of Redcar racecourse, but elsewhere a large oil terminal, part of Britains third largest docks complex further blights the rugged landscape.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Redditch', '62543', '5.43664938431627', '5.92104632013175', '12.5921046320132', '12.6157803991627', '10.8775304949816', '13.0129302246397', '13.8357816482751', 'At the most recent local elections Conservatives picked up three seats in this constituency from Labour, and one from the Lib Dems. Although Labour still runs the council, its control has narrowed considerably since 1997, when Labour had 22 councillors, sitting with just four Conservatives and a single Lib Dem. Redditch was designated a new town in 1964, and was developed largely to cope with the overspill from the West Midlands conurbation. The new town project was completed and the development corporation wound up in 1985, but further development is still planned and it is expected the population will reach 90,000 in the near future. Nearly 30% of homes in the seat remain council-rented, and there is a diverse mix of industry. Halfords and Shakespeare (fishing tackle manufacturers) have their headquarters here, the latter drawing upon the history of needle-making in the constituency. Indeed one of the few points of regional interest is the National Needle Museum at Forge Mill. Another is the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, currently undergoing a £60m investment programme which will make it one of the 10 largest in the country.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Regents Park and Kensington North', '75886', '4.53551765086905', '4.88258703845242', '17.4882587038452', '15.8548133617524', '19.7500746534988', '18.2584749570623', '15.2069711240473', 'In terms of the area this seat contains, one might describe it as the epitome of cool. It includes the hip Portobello area which houses some of the liveliest bars and shopping areas in London. It is the venue for the annual Notting Hill carnival. It also includes the wealthy St. Johns Wood area, Lords Cricket Ground, Madame Tussauds, and London Zoo. A stark contrast to some of Londons most famous attractions and most sought after residential areas is provided by the more deprived areas of this constituency. Roughly a quarter of the population come from ethnic minorities - from or with roots in the Caribbean, Morocco and Bangladesh, among many other places. Members of the ethnic community here experience unemployment disproportionately, at levels two or three times higher than the general population. The overall unemployment rate in this constituency is high too - 5.9% - higher than the national average.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Reigate', '65023', '5.21837158636064', '6.07077495655384', '12.6070774956554', '10.5158712888977', '10.9774727118073', '12.7246258095554', '13.4969728771557', 'Reigate is situated at the foot of Colley Hill and Reigate Hill on the North Downs in Surrey. It is a market town, with a long and distinguished history, which was once used as a stopover for travellers on the Pilgrims Way. The town itself is surrounded by pleasant countryside and a number of pretty rural villages, such as Brockham, Betchworth, Charlwood and Buckland. Some of the local streets have retained their historic facades to this day, but in recent years, a number of modern offices have sprung up around the station area. The electorate has tended to vote Conservative in both general and local elections. In fact the Tories hold all the parliamentary seats in the county of Surrey. Prior to the last election, the sitting MP, Sir George Gardiner, failed to win his partys nomination, but stood under the banner of the Referendum party. He obtained 7% of the vote, the fourth best result for the Referendum party in Britain. Nontheless, Conservative candidate Crispin Blunt was still elected with a 7,741 vote majority.');
INSERT INTO `locations` (`Constituency`, `Population`, `Political Change`, `Voter Turnout Rating`, `Economic`, `Freedoms`, `Foreign`, `Taxation`, `Tolerance`, `Profile`) VALUES ('Renfrewshire West', '52889', '5.30704242170941', '6.33345308098092', '12.6333453080981', '11.9771370653264', '11.9748874618375', '12.0396532300502', '13.0394029776157', 'As well as Port Glasgow, this constituency comprises small towns and villages on the Firth of Clyde, west of Glasgow. These include Bishopton, Ranfurly, Lochwinnoch, Erskine and Kilmacolm - the latter being one of the finest residential areas in the west of Scotland. Much of the housing in the seat is owner-occupied - about 70%. The military industry in Renfrewshire West and its neighbouring constituencies provides a major source of employment for people who live here. The Bishopton munitions manufacturing complex, as well as new offices for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, are located in this seat, whilst Faslane, home to Trident, and the Govan Shipyards are within commuting distance. This seat was created in 1983, and was held for one term by Anna McCurley for the Conservatives. Tommy Graham won it for Labour in 1987, and has held it ever since. However, he was expelled from the Labour Party in 1998 for bringing the