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> United Kingdom > Wales > Wales
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| Established | May 01, 1997 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RBH December 02, 2019 03:42pm |
| Description |
Liberal dominance of this seat - formerly Cardiganshire - has been replaced in recent years by Plaid Cymru. The Liberals had held the parliamentary seat since 1885 until 1966, when Labour narrowly won it, holding on until February 1974 when it was regained for the Liberals by Geraint Howells. Throughout the 1980s the Conservatives posed the most serious challenge, consistently coming second and polling nearly 30% of the vote. The change began in 1992 when Cynog Dafis became the first MP to be elected on a joint ticket with the Greens. Ceredigion provided the largest swing in any constituency in the UK: more than 13%. The first assembly election saw Plaid's Elin Jones become the AM. Mr Dafis also went to Cardiff Bay as an AM under the regional list system. His subsequent resignation from Parliament saw Plaid's Simon Thomas replace him at a by-election in early 2000. Plaid's surge here is particularly notable, given that they tended to come fourth throughout the 1980s. But at Simon Thomas' re-election in 2001, there was a 6.9% swing from Plaid to the Liberal Democrats, who leapfrogged Labour to take second place in the 2003 assembly election with a 16.4% increase. The seat is no longer as safe for Plaid as it once was, and is one of the most marginal seats in Wales. The Liberal Democrats could do well by capturing the sizeable student vote - the third largest student vote in Wales. Ceredigion is home to the university towns of Aberystwyth and Lampeter and their 8,500 students. Two other major contributors to the economy are agriculture and tourism. Another important important factor here is the Welsh language, with nearly 60% of the population speaking it. In this constituency lies Llanddewi Brefi, - the village made famous in BBC comedy Little Britain which is home to the fictional Dafydd, 'the only gay in the village.'
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