North Wales (European Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
North Wales was a European Parliament constituency
which roughly covered the unofficial region of North Wales
, from 1979 until 1999. It was held by the Conservative Party
from 1979 until 1989, during which time it was their only seat in Wales
.
Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation
in 1999, the United Kingdom
used first-past-the-post
for the European elections
in England
, Scotland
and Wales
. The European Parliament constituencies
used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament
each.
When it was created in Wales in 1979, it consisted of the Westminster Parliament constituencies of Anglesey, Caernarfon, Conwy, Denbigh
, Flint East, Flint West, Merioneth
, Montgomery
, Wrexham
. In 1984, Denbigh, Flint East, Flint West and Merioneth were replaced by Alyn and Deeside
, Clwyd North West
, Clwyd South West
, Delyn
and Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
, while Anglesey was renamed Ynys Môn
. In 1994, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy and Montgomery were removed from the seat.
The seat became part of the much larger Wales constituency
in 1999.
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European Parliament constituency
Members of the European Parliament are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union , divided into constituencies....
which roughly covered the unofficial region of North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, from 1979 until 1999. It was held by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
from 1979 until 1989, during which time it was their only seat in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Prior to its uniform adoption 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...
in 1999, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
used first-past-the-post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
for the European elections
Elections in the European Union
Elections to the Parliament of the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. 736 MEPs are elected to the European Parliament which has been directly elected since 1979. No other body is directly elected although the Council of the European Union and European Council is...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 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...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The European Parliament constituencies
European Parliament constituency
Members of the European Parliament are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union , divided into constituencies....
used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
each.
When it was created in Wales in 1979, it consisted of the Westminster Parliament constituencies of Anglesey, Caernarfon, Conwy, Denbigh
Denbigh (UK Parliament constituency)
Denbigh was a county constituency centred on the town of Denbigh in North Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
, Flint East, Flint West, Merioneth
Merioneth (UK Parliament constituency)
Merioneth, sometimes called Merionethshire, was a constituency in North Wales established in 1542, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament, and later to the Parliament of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom...
, Montgomery
Montgomery (UK Parliament constituency)
Montgomery was a constituency represented until 1707 in the House of Commons of England and later in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, Wrexham
Wrexham (UK Parliament constituency)
Wrexham is a parliamentary constituency in North Wales which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. In 1984, Denbigh, Flint East, Flint West and Merioneth were replaced by Alyn and Deeside
Alyn and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 1990s:-See also:* Alyn and Deeside * List of Parliamentary constituencies in Clwyd-Notes and references:...
, Clwyd North West
Clwyd North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Clwyd North West was a parliamentary constituency in Clwyd, North Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:...
, Clwyd South West
Clwyd South West (UK Parliament constituency)
Clwyd South West was a county constituency in Clwyd, North Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election....
, Delyn
Delyn (UK Parliament constituency)
Delyn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first used in the 1983 General Election. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (UK Parliament constituency)
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, while Anglesey was renamed Ynys Môn
Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)
Ynys Môn 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....
. In 1994, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy and Montgomery were removed from the seat.
The seat became part of the much larger Wales constituency
Wales (European Parliament constituency)
Wales is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 4 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
in 1999.
Members of the European Parliament
| Elected | Name | Party |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Beata Brookes Beata Brookes Beata Ann Brookes, CBE is a retired British social worker, company secretary and Conservative Party politician. She served ten years as Member of the European Parliament for North Wales, and made several attempts to obtain election to the House of Commons. She has sometimes been nicknamed the... |
| 1989 | Joe Wilson |
Results
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| colspan="2" | New creation:
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
gain.
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