Why do the conservatives always do (even) worse in Wales?

In the 2001 general election, the Conservative Party once more performed substantially worse in Wales & Scotland than in England. Yet in contrast to Scotland, where the Tories have been in secular decline since the 1950s, Welsh Conservative support has followed a much more consistent pattern rel...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	British Elections & Parties Review 2002-01, Vol.12 (1), p.229-245
Main Authors:	Jones, Richard Wyn, Scully, Roger, Trystan, Dafydd
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Celts Conservatism Conservative parties Elections England Parliamentary elections Political Affiliation Political geography Political Parties Political science Scotland United Kingdom Voting Behavior Wales
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	In the 2001 general election, the Conservative Party once more performed substantially worse in Wales & Scotland than in England. Yet in contrast to Scotland, where the Tories have been in secular decline since the 1950s, Welsh Conservative support has followed a much more consistent pattern relative to their English brethren. In this article, we examine why the Tories always seem to do worse in Wales than in England. After exploring the historical roots of Welsh Conservatism, & tracing the evolution of support for the Tories in Wales, we specify three potential hypotheses for explaining the relative weakness of Conservatism in Wales. These hypotheses -- based on socioeconomic factors, Welsh 'radicalism,' & perceptions of the party -- are then tested using survey data from the 2001 election. Our findings suggest that Welsh anti-Conservatism is more readily explicable through political factors than socioeconomic ones, but they also indicate a degree of alienation from the Tories in Wales that goes beyond even the factors identified here. 4 Tables, 1 Figure, 17 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:	1368-9886