Inverness-shire - AbsoluteAstronomy.com


County of Inverness until circa 1890
Missing map
County of Inverness circa 1890 to 1975

Inverness District 1975 to 1996

Highland council area 1996 to present

The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county

Counties of Scotland

The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....

of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, with the burgh of Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

as the county town

County town

A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

, until 1975, when, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....

, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region

Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....

and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland region was a region of eight districts of which one was named Inverness. The Inverness district included the former burgh of Inverness but was much smaller than the former county. The county of Inverness survived for registration

Registration county

A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....

purposes and, at the same time, the Inverness lieutenancy

Lord Lieutenant of Inverness

The Lord-Lieutenant of Inverness, is the British monarch's personal representative in an area which has been defined since 1975 as consisting of the local government districts of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey, and Lochaber, in Scotland, and this definition was renewed by the Lord-Lieutenants ...

was defined as having the boundaries of the Highland districts of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey, and Lochaber. In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the eight local government districts were merged into the unitary Highland council area.

Letters patent

Letters patent

Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

granting city status

City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...

to the town of Inverness were sealed in 2001. The letters patent do not refer, however, to anywhere with defined boundaries, and the city is not a statutory

Statute

A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...

local government area.

County

The county, also known as Invernessshire, or Siorrachd Inbhir Nis in Gaelic, acquired a county council

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...

in 1890, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889

The Local Government Act 1889 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the Act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland...

, and, under the same legislation, boundaries were altered to make the county a single contiguous area (except, of course, for island areas of the county).

Although the new boundaries were supposed to be valid for all purposes (unlike earlier boundaries, which were really default boundaries and not necessarily those used for any particular purpose), the burgh of Inverness, the burgh of Fort William

Fort William, Scotland

Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...

, and the burgh of Kingussie, which had their own town councils, retained autonomous status and were generally beyond the writ of the new county council. The town of Inverness had been established as a royal burgh

Royal burgh

A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....

since the mid 12th century, Fort William, originally a Fort of that name built by the Government to keep the Highlanders in their place, around which grew up a village which became in turn Gordonsburgh, Maryburgh, Duncansburgh and laterly the town/burgh of Fort William which had been established as a burgh of barony

Burgh of barony

A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....

since 1618 and Kingussie

Kingussie

Kingussie is a small town in the Highland region of Scotland. It is one settlement in the Highland Council ward of Badenoch and Strathspey, and is the capital of the district of Badenoch. It lies beside the A9 road, although the old route of the A9 serves as the town's main street...

had been established as a burgh of barony since 1464. Also, use of the new boundaries for parliamentary elections was specifically excluded.

The Boundary Commissioners for Scotland, a body created by the 1889 act, transferred part of the parish of Cawder and part of the parish of Croy and Dalcross from the county of Inverness to the county of Nairn, part of the parish of Petty and two parts of the parish of Daviot and Dunlichty from the parish county of Nairn to the county of Inverness, part of the parish of Kilmallie and part of the parish of Small Isles from the county of Argyll to the county of Inverness, and part of the parish of Kilmorack from the county of Inverness to the county of Ross and Cromarty. Thus the county of Inverness covered a large mainland area and various island areas off the west coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

. The mainland area had coastline in both the east and the west and included the towns of Kingussie, Fort William, and Mallaig

Mallaig

Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...

. The island areas included North Uist

North Uist

North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...

, South Uist

South Uist

South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...

and Harris in the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...

and Skye and the Small Isles

Small Isles

The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...

in the Inner Hebrides

Inner Hebrides

The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...

. The county had neighbouring counties as follow: Ross and Cromarty to the north, Nairn, Moray

County of Moray

Moray is one of the registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east...

, Banff and Aberdeen to the east and Perth and Argyll to the south.

In 1972, the Isle of Rockall Act was passed, formally incorporating the tiny island of Rockall

Rockall

Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....

into Scotland as part of the Isle of Harris, Inverness-shire. Harris is now within Na h-Eileanan Siar, formerly known as the Western Isles local government area.

District of Highland, 1975 to 1996

Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....

the Inverness district of the two-tier Highland region

Regions and districts of Scotland

The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....

was created and, in 1975, the local government county of Inverness was abolished. The area of the county was divided between four districts of the Highland region and the unitary Western Isles council area.

The burgh of Inverness and the Aird and Inverness districts of the county were merged to form the Inverness district of the Highland region, the burgh of Fort William and the Lochaber district of the county were merged with areas from the county of Argyll (the Ardnamurchan district and the electoral divisions of Ballachulish and Kinlochleven) to form the Lochaber district of the Highland region, the Skye district of the county was merged with an area from the county of Ross and Cromarty (the South West district) to form the Skye and Lochalsh district of the Highland region, the burgh of Kingussie and the Badenoch district of the county were merged with areas from the county of Moray

County of Moray

Moray is one of the registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east...

(the burgh of Grantown-on-Spey and the Cromdale district) to form the Badenoch and Strathspey district of the Highland region, and the Barra, Harris, North Uist, and South Uist districts of the county were merged with areas from the county of Ross and Cromarty (the burgh of Stornoway and Lewis district) to form the Western Isles council area.

Within the Highland region, local government functions were divided between the regional council and the district councils. For example, education was a regional responsibility, and housing was a district responsibility.

Highland Council management areas, 1996 to present

In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, districts were abolished and the Highland region became a unitary council area.

The new unitary Highland Council adopted the areas of the former districts as management areas

Politics of the Highland council area

Politics of the Highland council area in Scotland are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the Highland Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Scottish Parliament...

. Each management area was represented, initially, by area committee

Area committee

Many large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....

s consisting of councillor

Councillor

A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...

s elected from areas (groups of local government wards) corresponding to the management areas, but changes to ward boundaries in 1999 created a mismatch between committee areas and management areas.

In 2007, at the time of further changes to ward boundaries, which created 22 multi-member wards instead of 80 single-member wards, the council created a new management structure, with three new corporate management area

Politics of the Highland council area

s and 16 new ward-level management area

Politics of the Highland council area

s. Also, four of the ward-level management areas, covering the seven wards, were grouped to form an Inverness city (or Inverness and Area) management area.

The total number of Highland councillors is 80, elected by the single transferable vote system of election, which is designed to produce a form of proportional representation

Proportional representation

Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

.
Wards in the Inverness city area elect 26 of the 34 council members elected from the Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate management area

Politics of the Highland council area

.

The city area has the Nairn ward-level management area

Politics of the Highland council area

to the east, the Badenoch and Strathspey ward-level management area

Politics of the Highland council area

to the east and south, the Ross, Skye and Lochaber corporate management area

Politics of the Highland council area

to the south, west and north, and the Moray Firth

Moray Firth

The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...

to the north.

The city area is similar but not identical to the former district of Inverness.

Ward	Description	Seats	Ward-level management area
Aird and Loch Ness	Includes Loch Ness Loch Ness Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"... , the town of Beauly Beauly Beauly is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901... , and the village of Fort Augustus Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism.... Aird Aird, Inverness The Aird is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, and to the north of Glenurquhart and the northern end of Loch Ness.... is a former district of the county of Inverness	4	City area 1, covering the Aird and Loch Ness ward and a southern portion of the Inverness South ward
Culloden and Ardersier	Includes the villages of Culloden Culloden Culloden may refer to any of the following:Culloden, Highland, a village in Scotland*The Battle of Culloden, a battle which took place there in 1746... , Ardersier Ardersier Ardersier is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands, on the Moray Firth, east of Inverness, near Fort George, and Nairn . Its name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one local legend being that carpenters working on the construction... and Smithton Smithton, Inverness Smithton is a residential area on the eastern outskirts of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is located about 5 km east of the city centre, to the north-east of Westhill, and to the south-west of Culloden.It is traditionally seen as a working class area due...	4	City area 4, covering the Culloden and Ardersier ward and a northern portion of the Inverness South ward
Inverness Central	Includes Dalneigh Dalneigh Dalneigh is an area in the city of Inverness in Scotland. Located in the west of the city, it lies between the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The name is derived from the Gaelic word Dail an Eich, meaning 'Field of the horse'... , Glebe, Haugh, Merkinch Merkinch Merkinch is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the Inverness's oldest areas, it is located in the north-west of the city, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east.Originally, Merkinch was home to Inverness's shipbuilding industry... and South Kessock South Kessock South Kessock is an area of the city of Inverness in Scotland.It is to the north of Merkinch and is also known, somewhat disparagingly, as the Ferry. Prior to the construction of the Kessock Bridge, the Kessock Ferry sailed between North Kessock and here.South Kessock has featured in two novels by... areas of urban Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...	4	City area 3, covering the two wards of Inverness Central and Inverness Millburn
Inverness Millburn	Includes Millburn Millburn, Inverness Millburn is an area in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Millburn Academy is situated in the area. The area is also known, as the name suggests, for the Mill Burn which runs through the area. Millburn Road which runs parallel to the school is one of the main access roads into the centre of... , Culcabock, Longman Longman, Inverness The Longman is an area in the city of Inverness, in Scotland. Located north of the city centre, it is bounded by the Moray Firth and River Ness and is home to the largest industrial estate in the city.... and Raigmore areas of urban Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...	3	City area 3, covering the two wards of Inverness Central and Inverness Millburn
Inverness Ness-side	Includes Drummond, Hilton and Lochardil areas of Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... , and a more rural area, east of the River Ness River Ness The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...	4	City area 2, covering the two wards of Inverness Ness-side and Inverness West
Inverness South	Includes Cradlehall Cradlehall Cradlehall is a residential area in the east of Inverness, Scotland. In addition to housing, Cradlehall has a business park and a number of small businesses. The area was expanded recently with the development of Kessock View.... , Inshes and Westhill Westhill, Inverness Westhill is a commuter village, lying 3 miles southeast of Inverness, Scotland. It is situated on the eastern edge of the city, between Cradlehall and Culloden, in Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands. It is located in the Scottish council area of Highland.The historic Culloden Battlefield lies... areas in or near urban Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... , and the village of Tomatin Tomatin Tomatin is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about south of the city of Inverness. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Tom-Ah-Tin . The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin... , on the River Findhorn River Findhorn The River Findhorn is one of the longest rivers in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the Moray Firth on the north coast. It has one of the largest non-firth estuaries in Scotland....	4	Divided between city area 1, covering the Aird and Loch Ness ward and a southern portion of the Inverness South ward, and city area 4, covering the Culloden and Ardersier ward and a northern portion of the Inverness South ward
Inverness West	Includes Kinmylies Kinmylies Kinmylies is an area in the west end of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The area sits between the side of the hill Creag Phadraig ; and the Caledonian Canal. The local football team was Caledonian F.C... and Scorguie areas of urban Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... , and a more rural area, west of the River Ness River Ness The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...	3	City area 2, covering the two wards of Inverness Ness-side and Inverness West

Parliamentary constituencies

Main articles: Scottish Westminster constituencies

Scottish Westminster constituencies

Scottish Westminster constituencies were Scottish constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain, normally at the Palace of Westminster, from 1708 to 1801, and have been constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, also at Westminster,...

and Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions

Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions

Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....

There was an Inverness-shire constituency

Inverness-shire (UK Parliament constituency)

Inverness-shire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918....

of the Parliament of Great Britain

Parliament of Great Britain

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...

(Westminster

Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

) from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

(also at Westminster) from 1801 to 1918. The constituency represented, nominally, the county of Inverness minus the parliamentary burgh of Inverness, which was represented as a component of the Inverness District of Burghs

Inverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...

constituency.

In 1918 the county constituency was divided between two new constituencies, the Inverness constituency

Inverness (UK Parliament constituency)

Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....

and the Western Isles constituency. The Inverness constituency included the burgh of Inverness, other components of the district of burghs being divided between the Moray and Nairn constituency

Moray and Nairn (UK Parliament constituency)

Moray and Nairn was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983.It was formed by the amalgamation of the county constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire with the parliamentary burghs of Elgin, previously part of Elgin Burghs, and Nairn and...

and the Ross and Cromarty constituency

Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)

Ross and Cromarty was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1983. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system....

.

In 1983, eight years after the local government county of Inverness had been divided between the Highland region and the Western Isles council area, three new constituencies were created to cover the Highland region. The region, until 1996, and the unitary Highland council area, 1996 to present, have been covered by three constituencies since then but there were changes to boundaries and names in 1997 and 2005.

In 1999 the areas of the Westminster constituencies became also constituencies of the Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

(Holyrood

Scottish Parliament Building

The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...

). The boundaries of Scottish Parliament constituencies have not altered since then. The Holyrood constituencies are within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.

Since 1983, Inverness has appeared in the names of Westminster and Holyrood constituencies as tabled below.

Westminster constituencies

Period	Constituency or constituencies
1983 to 1997	Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency) Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
1997 to 2005	Ross, Skye and Inverness West Ross, Skye and Inverness West (UK Parliament constituency) Ross, Skye and Inverness West was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
1997 to 2005	Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005...
2005 to present	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (UK Parliament constituency) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

Holyrood constituencies

Period	Constituencies
1999 to present	Ross, Skye and Inverness West Ross, Skye and Inverness West (Scottish Parliament constituency) Ross, Skye and Inverness West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
1999 to present	Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (Scottish Parliament constituency) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

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