Mid Scotland and Fife 2021

Contents

Region Overview
Region Map
Overall Regional Result 2021
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane
Cowdenbeath
Dunfermline
Kirkcaldy
Mid Fife and Glenrothes
North East Fife
Perthshire North
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire
Stirling
List Seat Allocation Process
Mid Scotland and Fife List Candidates 2021
Minor Party Results

Region Overview

Given many of the other Holyrood regions match up poorly with local government geography, Mid Scotland and Fife is refreshingly neat. It includes all of the Fife, Stirling, Clackmannanshire, and Perth and Kinross council areas – no more, no less. The original 1999 version was slightly less neat, as it also included the inland portion of Angus including Forfar and Brechin.

Compared to the core Central Belt areas to the south, this region has always been more politically diverse. By the mid 80’s, Clackmannanshire and the south of both Fife and Stirling were pretty strongly Labour. That shouldn’t be a surprise given the many mining villages and level of industry there. The North East of Fife had gone Liberal, the general resurgence of the party likely boosted there due to the presence of St Andrews University.

The rest of Stirling and all of Perthshire, which were broadly more rural and more affluent, remained Conservative. Though the SNP didn’t hold any of the core seats here, they did have an Angus seat covering much of that inland area that was initially part of the region. They were also the strongest challengers in Perthshire and Clackmannanshire, which they had won in the 70’s.

When 1997 saw the Conservatives wiped from the constituency map in Scotland, the SNP moved to take those seats, whilst Labour relieved them of Stirling. That quite neatly carved the region into an SNP north, Labour south, and Lib Dem east.

Those established patterns of support held up in 1999, with the constituencies falling exactly the same way they had in the UK Parliament in 1997 – six to Labour, two to the SNP, and the last to the Lib Dems. The SNP would pick up a further three list seats, and the Lib Dems one. Deprived of constituencies but not short of support, the Conservatives won the other three seats.


6 Labour (all Constituency)
5 SNP (3 Regional, 2 Constituency)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (1 Constituency, 1 Regional)

Diverse though this region may normally be, it had a relatively muted contribution to the Rainbow Parliament. In the constituencies, the SNP translated their historic support in Clackmannanshire into winning the Ochil seat from Labour, though the rest remained as they were in 1999. All that happened on the regional list was a corresponding drop of one for the SNP, which went to the Greens.


5 Labour (all Constituency)
5 SNP (3 Constituency, 2 Regional)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (1 Constituency, 1 Regional)
1 Green (Regional)

At this election, the PR element of AMS really did its job, as sweeping changes in the constituency were almost entirely balanced by opposite changes on the regional list. The SNP became the dominant force in constituencies here, gaining Stirling and Fife Central from Labour. Dunfermline West also changed hands, going from Labour to the Lib Dems. Having lost three constituencies, Labour gained exactly that many list seats, the SNP and Lib Dems each lost one, and the solitary Green departed as well.


6 SNP (5 Constituency, 1 Regional)
5 Labour (3 Regional, 2 Constituency)
3 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Liberal Democrat (all Constituency)

With an SNP tidal wave sweeping Scotland the Lib Dems collapsing, almost every seat in the region went to the SNP. Only Cowdenbeath, which remained Labour, eluded them. Despite that success the SNP still managed another list seat on top, whilst for the first time the Conservatives lost one, and the Lib Dems picked one back up in part compensation for their two lost constituencies.


9 SNP (8 Constituency, 1 Regional)
4 Labour (3 Regional, 1 Constituency)
2 Conservative (all Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Regional)

At the last election, though the SNP picked up Cowdenbeath from Labour, their constituency total remained static as the Lib Dems gained North East Fife. Both parties also lost a list seat, the Lib Dems because they’d effectively traded it for a constituency, and the SNP because their support dropped. Labour also lost a further list seat, whilst the Conservatives doubled their representation to four seats and 2003-07 Green MSP Mark Ruskell made his return.


8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)
1 Green (Regional)

Though this region had the prospect for some of the biggest upsets of the election, it ended up all but identical to 2016. Willie Rennie romped home to an easy victory in North East Fife, whilst the SNP held onto both Perthshire constituencies, with South proving resistant to Conservative advances despite a long serving SNP retirement. The Greens didn’t win any additional seats here, but did experience their second best vote share growth of the election in this region.

8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)

Region Map

Overall Regional Result 2021

Regional List Vote and MSPs Elected


#1: Conservative - Murdo Fraser
#2: Conservative - Liz Smith
#3: Labour - Claire Baker
#4: Green - Mark Ruskell
#5: Conservative - Dean Lockhart
#6: Labour - Alex Rowley
#7: Conservative - Alexander Stewart

Constituency Vote

Total MSPs Elected

8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)

Changes Since Election

Conservative Regional MSP Dean Lockhart resigned his seat in September 2022 to move into business. As a regional MSP, he was replaced by the next candidate on the list, Roz McCall .

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Keith Brown
Majority: 7551 (21.6%)
Turnout: 66.2%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Keith Brown
Conservative: Alexander Stewart
Labour: Craig Miller
Liberal Democrat: Iliyan Stefanov

Cowdenbeath

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Annabelle Ewing
Majority: 6013 (17.6%)
Turnout: 60.7%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Annabelle Ewing
Labour: Alex Rowley
Conservative: Darren Watt
Green: Mags Hall
Liberal Democrat: Malcolm Wood

Dunfermline

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Shirley-Anne Somerville
Majority: 8664 (21.2%)
Turnout: 65.9%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Shirley-Anne Somerville
Labour: Julie MacDougall
Conservative: Roz McCall
Liberal Democrat: Aude Boubaker-Calder

Kirkcaldy

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - David Torrance
Majority: 7831 (22.3%)
Turnout: 57.8%

2021 Candidates

SNP: David Torrance
Labour: Claire Baker
Conservative: Kathleen Leslie
Liberal Democrat: Alan Beal
Libertarian: Calum Paul

Mid Fife and Glenrothes

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Jenny Gilruth
Majority: 10234 (31.3%)
Turnout: 59.9%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Jenny Gilruth
Labour: Altany Craik
Conservative: David MacPhee
Liberal Democrat: Jane Liston
Family Party: Steve Saunders

North East Fife

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


Lib Dem - Willie Rennie
Majority: 7448 (18.5%)
Turnout: 68.8%

2021 Candidates

Liberal Democrat: Willie Rennie
SNP: Rhuaraid Fleming
Conservative: Rhona Metcalfe
Labour: Wendy Haynes

Perthshire North

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - John Swinney
Majority: 4053 (10.1%)
Turnout: 74.1%

2021 Candidates

SNP: John Swinney
Conservative: Murdo Fraser
Labour: Ryan Smart
Liberal Democrat: Peter Barrett
Family Party: Donald Marshall

Perthshire South and Kinross-shire

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Jim Fairlie
Majority: 1948 (4.4%)
Turnout: 69.7%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Jim Fairlie
Conservative: Liz Smith
Labour: Janine Rennie
Liberal Democrat: Julia Brown

Stirling

2021 Results

2021 MSP & Majority


SNP - Evelyn Tweed
Majority: 6895 (16.9)
Turnout: 69.2%

2021 Candidates

SNP: Evelyn Tweed
Conservative: Dean Lockhart
Labour: Chris Kane
Liberal Democrat: Fayzan Rehman

List Seat Allocation Process

To allocate list seats using the D’Hondt method, each party’s share of the vote is divided by one more than the number of seats they’ve won so far in the process. This is an important part of how the list seats then more fairly represent the diversity of views amongst voters. List votes cast for a party that has won lots of constituency seats are not “wasted”, they just aren’t needed to give their voters fair representation.

When allocating the first list seat, this starts with the number of constituencies won by each party:

  • The SNP won 8 constituencies, so their vote is divided by 9.
  • The Lib Dems won 1 constituency, so their vote is divided by 2.
  • No one else won any constituencies, so their votes aren’t divided.

That then gives us this (removing the parties that clearly don’t have enough votes for clarity):

Since the Conservatives have the highest total here, they receive the first regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

Labour have the highest total, so they receive the second regional list seat. That gives them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

The Conservatives have the highest total, so they receive the third regional list seat. That gives them 2 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 3.

The Greens have the highest total, so they receive the fourth regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 1 seat overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 2.

The Conservatives have the highest total, so they receive the fifth regional list seat. That gives them 3 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 4.

Labour have the highest total, so they receive the sixth regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 2 seats overall so far, and therefore for the next round of allocation their share is divided by 3.

The Conservatives have the highest total, so they receive the seventh and final regional list seat. We add that to their total, giving them 4 seats overall. Therefore, the final distribution of seats across the Mid Scotland & Fife region is:

8 SNP (all Constituency)
4 Conservative (all Regional)
2 Labour (all Regional)
1 Green (Regional)
1 Liberal Democrat (Constituency)

Regional List Candidates 2021

  1. Stefan Hoggan-Radu
  2. John Swinney
  3. Keith Brown
  4. Annabelle Ewing
  5. Jim Fairlie
  6. David Torrance
  7. Ross Cunningham
  8. Fiona Sarwar
  9. Moraig Henderson
  10. Lee Robb
  11. Rosemary Hunter
  1. Murdo Fraser
  2. Liz Smith
  3. Dean Lockhart
  4. Alexander Stewart
  5. Roz McCall
  6. Angus Forbes
  7. Rhona Metcalfe
  8. Darren Watt
  9. Moira Benny
  10. Kathleen Leslie
  11. David MacPhee
  1. Claire Baker
  2. Alex Rowley
  3. Julie MacDougall
  4. Craig Miller
  5. Chris Kane
  6. Ryan Smart
  7. Ewan Dillon
  1. Mark Ruskell
  2. Mags Hall
  3. Marion Robertson
  4. Fiona McOwan
  5. Scott Rutherford
  6. Jeroen van Leeuwen
  7. Elspeth MacLachlan
  8. Paul Vallot
  9. Amy Smith
  10. Craig McCutcheon
  1. Willie Rennie
  2. Peter Barrett
  3. Aude Boubaker-Calder
  4. Julia Brown
  5. Jane Liston
  6. Fayzan Rehman
  7. Aisha Mir
  1. Ian Mann
  2. John Duff
  1. Eva Comrie
  2. Neale Hanvey
  3. Jim Eadie
  4. Stephanie Reilly
  1. Linda Holt
  2. Imam Khan
  3. Brian Henderson
  4. Ian Stewart
  5. James Glen
  6. Graham Dawson
  7. Michael Saint
  1. Lisa Brackenridge
  2. Eren Sinclair
  3. Stuart Cairns
  4. Kathleen Elliott
  1. Donald Marshall
  2. Stephen Saunders
  3. Davina Saunders
  4. Anil Alexander
  5. George Carratt
  6. Linda Mair
  7. Paul Lynch
  1. Calum Paul
  2. George Morton
  1. Kenneth Morton
  2. Victoria McCann
  3. Otto Inglis
  4. Alexander Black
  5. Guy Addison
  6. Karen Morton
  1. Lynda Davis
  2. Douglas Watters
  3. George Cormack
  4. Edward McNally
  1. Bruce Henderson
  2. Stefan Diesing
  • Mercy Mugure Kamanja
  • Martin James Keatings

Minor Party Results